No one likes to be fooled, and we go through many contortions to prevent it from happening, or at least to reduce its likelihood. We may bring all of our attention, our discernment, our experience, our cynicism to bear on the smallest thing, to ensure that nobody has cause to snicker at our gullibility. It's understandable, truly, that we should do this, and it can be inspired by a desire to have our good works do as much good as possible, rather than being driven by the ego-self that desires to feel wise and clever at all times. But even so, a good guideline is this: If you find that the tool you use to weigh out your offerings is itself worth more than those offerings, then it's time to melt that tool down and distribute its value as openly and fairly as your heart and intuition will allow.