Or just a GOW?

I am a fully qualified GOW. It is not lawful to ask for donations. If approached or asked for money I always refuse. If asked do I love aimals, or whatever, I tell them to mind their own business in a very surprised/shocked tone.
Whatever charitable interests I have are my own concern.

Just tell them you give online. I do as part of my Christmas giving and when I can afford, so I will not give in to being hassled. I don't tell them who I give to as it changes with the needs of so many. You can only do your best, and pensioners can be strapped for cash at different times of the year, eg. I have 8 birthdays before I even think of Christmas, so don't approach me until at least May!

I couldn't believe it when I went into hospital for an appointment re a serious condition and was accosted in the foyer by someone in front of an Alzheimer charity stand asking me if I knew someone with Alzheimer's. I'm afraid I was rather abrupt. When I went for [yet another] appointment there was another charity doing something similar. I don't think it's right when they don't know whether the person they are approaching is a patient or a visitor.

Living part of the year abroad and belonging to a very International Women's club my impression is that the British are very generous with their charity fund raising and donations. So congratulate yourselves.

I agree, its almost harrassment! Charities are'nt what they used to be, they're businesses with sizeable marketing departments. Nine times out of ten you'll find the people collecting are hired by the charity for their marketing skills and actually know little or nothing about the charity itself.
I spend quite a bit in charity shops and I also work in one. So I make it quite clear to these people, "I have done my bit for this week".

I always ask collectors who want to sign me up to a direct debit if they would give their bank details to a complete stranger. I usually donate cash or send a cheque with no address .

I used to feel embarrassed when stopped and asked to give for this, that or the other charity. Now if I see people collecting or trying to sign folk up for something I get my mobile phone out, and pretend I'm making a call. If its a cause i want to donate to, I finish my call, if not my call goes on. Works every time.

My husband gave money straight from his salary every month to Save The Children. He was pestered constantly with emails and phone calls asking him to give more, he cancelled. I used to give when I saw a charity on TV asking you to text to give £5,£10 etc but same thing happened constant texts, and phone calls asking for more. Then they appear on your doorstep at nine in the evening asking for bank details for a direct debit...as if! I think those charities are their own worst enemy,too greedy.

I thought chuggers had been 'done away with' but do still see them around. I never get caught by them, but if I were accosted I'd ask them how much they give to the charity they are pushing.

Many years ago I took part in a street collection for a mental health charity with which I was involved. We were told just to stand there, not to rattle tins. DH and I give to charities, some of our donations are Gift-Aided and I have no qualms about walking past charity collectors particularly if they accost me. Same with chuggers.

Pamela - like you, I had a couple of standing orders but I stopped it because of the Christmas raffle (originally £5 a book of tickets, then £10 and now £20) the spring raffle, the summer raffle, the autumn raffle ...... Also I started to get lots of unsolicited begging letters from other charities - I think I ended up on a list (of suckers? ).
Now I just send a cheque - don't fill in any form so they can't trace me - shame really because they miss out on the gift aid.
And trying to get people to sign direct debits in the street - I'm not surprised gransnetters are annoyed - don't the charities realise they are alienating people?

I have 2standing orders to charities but resolved not to have any more because I resent them sending me raffle tickets , cards etc. So I am happy to put a £ in a tin without them contacting me anymore. However, I do Make a choice about what I want to support and would get cross if I was hassled. I can’t remember the last time that happened.
I have bought 3 poppies this year tho, goodness knows what happens to them!

Some of the collectors in town have collecting tins with labels that at are very difficult to read at a distance. Often, I am embarrassed to step closer to see what the collection is for in case it is not a charity that I do not wish to donate to.

I thought that these charities had actually been told that they shouldn't ask shoppers but allow them to approach first - maybe I'm mistaken. It's horrible to feel pestered but I'm sure that many of us would like to give if we can afford to as long as we don't feel pressed into it.

I make no bones about telling people collecting for charity that I either do not want to support their particular charity , or that I already have given to it.

If they are too persistent, I just walk away.

Homeless people who accost me, I do give small change, or when I was unemployed myself, I told them that and said I was sorry I could not help them, being barely able to get through the month myself.

Being an OAP is also a very good reason for no longer being able to be too charitable.

I was stopped and asked to help our local hospice. Gladly I pulled out my purse, but no they couldn't accept a donation of cash. They needed a direct debit so it wasn't a donation they were after but a regular amount, a commitment till when???? I refused because that is a long term commitment. I dont want any charity to have first dibs on my money for years ahead. I do enjoy giving money right across the board to help lots of different good causes.

Most charities nowadays don't want your small change, which I would be willing to give, but want you to sign up for a direct debit, which I would not consider. The first time I came across this in a supermarket I told them I couldn't afford it, they told me I could as I must have more money than whoever they were collecting for!
I haven't seen any charity requests in the post for years but the ones at the door wanting me to sign up are very pushy. I wonder how much money charities lose with their aggressive sales pitch.

Many years ago a friend and I did a street collection for Anthony Nolan, before the charity was started. He was the same age as my son and his story really touched me. I borrowed a Pyrinean Mountain dog which brought loads of people to my collecting box thinking it was something to do with dogs!

The rules clearly stated that we were not allowed to 'Solicit' I doubt that rule has changed.

I don't put money in collection boxes, it isn't efficient. I give to charity by Gift Aid or not at all. We have two local charities which we support well and one national one which has had a monthly payment from us for as long as I can remember.

Just been to a funeral where we were asked to put money in a box for the Red Cross but I already had my cheque written with an attached note giving name and address and a request that it be gift aided.

We have a local Tesco Express (three minutes walking distance) and hubby visits it almost on a daily basis for fresh bakery (for himself). About a month ago I noticed the till receipts he was getting from the self-service tills and was curious to see that they were all rounded up to the nearest pound so I queried this and he had no answer. On calling the store manager I was told that they were running a charity week and asking customers to donate their change up to the nearest pound to the charity (nominated by Tesco). And it seemed that this was automatically done at the self-service tills. Apparently, a question came up asking for permission but my husband like many other 78 year olds I guess was so set in his ways that he just tapped the screen continually until it told him to pay. I thought this was a huge cheek and definitely a guilt trip as he wouldn't have gone to the counter and asked about this. As we have several standing orders to charities of our own choosing, and regularly give to buskers and buy a cup of coffee and cake for a homeless person, I thought for Tesco to be so pushy was disgraceful.

No objection if they don't invade my personal space. However, inside the canopy of our local marks and spencer was a scruffy overweight man with a bucket collecting for disabled children. I read the name and googled it when i got home. the charity was in the durham area. so i emailed and asked whether they would be collecting in the london area. she said definitely not as they were a small local charity. so i emailed marks as the man collects on their premises, albeit outside. they said i should ask him for his charity number and report it to the police. i emailed back to tell them any action should be taken by them.

I said 'No' to a chugger when out in a city high street, I was unemployed at the time and watching every penny. He clearly did not want to take 'No' for an answer and called after me 'Are you going to buy a cup of coffee this afternoon? THAT cup of coffee money could be given to charity...' I have never felt guilty about saying 'Sorry but no.' Even less so after this experience.

Returning after an early shift I was approached by a chugger, I politely said no thank you and as I walked on he shouted after me " you're obviously a person who doesn't care about others".
I was in my fully visible staff nurses uniform at the time!

Would never donate if I was approached and asked. I already support 7 charities of my choosing.
As for signing up, giving Bank details to a random stranger in the street, how crazy does that sound?

I tell them I never give to charities who ask. I only give to those I first make the decision to give to.

I don't like being accosted by charity collectors in shops or at home either but do understand the value of what they are doing. Some are volunteer collectors and others are paid a commission or an hourly rate. Mostly they are just trying to do a job. I make monthly payments to charities that I choose to support but I don't like to be rude so I just smile and say something like "Not today thank you."