I actually didn’t see the collector’s reaction. I sent LPP to give him the money because most of the time men who are collecting in my neighborhood won’t take money directly from a woman’s hand. By the same token, I’m afraid that if I gave him a bracha per lightbrite’s suggestion he might get offended that I would converse with him. But your idea of asking if he would take a quarter – that way he doesn’t waste time waiting by my door if 25 cents isn’t worth his while.
I used to say to every collector, no matter how much I gave, “I wish I could give more, and I wish you didn’t have to go collecting.” But someone convinced me to stop.