"I got such a huge donation that it spilled into the house," she recalled.

They presented themselves as populists who could get by without huge donations.

"I was never asked to sit on any of the boards because I made a huge donation," she said.

Who gave a huge donation to the policemen's ball last year?

Critics contend that this "soft money" has become the province of special interests, which can afford to make huge donations.

In practice, there's plenty of room for huge, special-interest private donations.

It is also accused of preying on members' fears to extract huge donations.

All the people approached could easily afford to make huge donations to such a worthy cause.

The university has received a huge donation from a member of the Saudi Royal family.

But others, inevitably, would prefer huge donations from the usual special interests.