3,187. A "Soft Touch"

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 7:11

If someone is so compassionate that he gives more than is appropriate to charity, or if he puts himself into dire straits in order to give to the charity collectors so that he might avoid embarrassment, it is prohibited to demand and accept charity from him. If a charity collector embarrasses such a person and solicits funds from him, he will be punished in the future as per Jeremiah 30:20: “I will punish all who oppress him.”

Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 7:12

We don’t tax orphans for charity, not even to redeem captives, and even if they are of financial means. If a judge taxes them in order to improve their reputation (i.e., it is for the orphans’ benefit to be known as people of means), then it is permitted. A charity collector may accept small – but not large – amounts from women, servants and children (who didn’t typically have a lot of money) because of the possibility that a large amount may have been stolen from others. “A small amount” isn’t a fixed denomination; it depends on the financial status of the person in question.