Mostly they're nice. But from a personal perspective all I ever feel is guilt and disdain at being asked for cash, they usually ask before I have a chance to notice who they are, and quite often I don't have cash.
I walk away feeling grubby, guilty and helpless. Not inspired to fight their cause.
I'm not sure what the solution is, so many people are in need, but being harassed for car washes/bag packing/money by people with creepily huge smiles/awkward mumbles/invasion of my own miserable body space isn't something that adds any value to my day, it adds no value at all.
With other hat on, my fundraising hat, I am brazen enough to ask for money, and have a stupid smile, I am irritating, because we need the cash, then there's the other cause where someone's life hangs in the balance and they need my cash too.
But above and beyond all that is my family. We need the cash. I donate to the Alzheimer's society mostly, but in seven years there's not much difference in my life, my FIL is still absent and sometimes terrifying, sexually inappropriate, violent, lost, lonely, confused, shell of a man but who's still self funding, unsupported, and out of reach of any small change I might have.
So please, be inventive, be stealthy, fuck off out of my face as I am already doing beyond my best. With respect.