Face to face fundraisers have not needed a street collection licence because they are not collecting cash donations. The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA) is a voluntary self-regulatory body for organisations involved in this sort of fundraising.

Its membership includes around 95% of those involved in face to face fundraising. All its members follow the Institute of Fundraising code of practice and face checks from the organisation's "mystery shoppers".

Fundraisers approaching you in the street should wear an ID badge, and should be able to show you that they have permission to collect on behalf of a charity or other voluntary organisation. They should also be able to provide you with the telephone number of someone at the charity who can verify this.

Some people hate being stopped on the street and are deeply irritated by the whole phenomenon. The spread of face to face makes fundraisers difficult to avoid in major cities.

However, thousands of people don't mind at all - and have signed the direct debits to prove it.

Charities use the technique because it works: 690,000 people signed up in 2002. Fundraisers say these supporters will give £240m over the next five years, providing a long-term regular income flow.

In the first instance you should contact the charity. Face to face fundraisers should be able to provide you with the details of the right person to get in touch with.

The PFRA (the self-regulation body on this sort of fundraising) carries a complaints form on www.pfra.org.uk. The site also has a copy of the code of conduct that street fundraisers should follow so you can check whether what you have experienced is in breach of this.

Some charities are finding the method is not as productive as it used to be. Other charities are worried about the percentage of face-to-face donors that stop giving each year.

Some charities are trying variations on the technique. The NSPCC has developed display stands in shopping centres, attracting shoppers to find out more on their own initiative.

However, face to face is still important for many organisations. Amnesty International UK uses face to face as a way of engaging young people who may not be attracted to other methods - it receives more complaints about its mail campaigns.