Payment, or even a donation to charity for a token amount - say 1/3 the value of the work - would go far, but I still think it is the wrong approach. Companies

Payment, or even a donation to charity for a token amount - say 1/3 the value of the work - would go far, but I still think it is the wrong approach. Companies requiring this sort of project work should be aware it smells funny to the applicant and the only way to tell if the applicant did the work him/herself is a tear-down / code defence. You have not saved any effort from the hire process - only tested if I am willing to jump through a hoop and made me question the company.