What is the safest means these days for collecting larger amounts of donation up front or in person besides cash

Are we talking thousands or hundreds?

thousands, not 100's. That is irrelevant to the point anyhow. The point is how to get money other than cash in a safe and anonymous way. I'm curious on this notion of a 'bank transfer or bill pay' scenario which first gut instinct...scam. Looking for other valid thought processes on this topic or how others have approached a larger donation scenario

As long as you don't mind not being anonymous and you don't care if the transaction gets reported to the IRS.

reputable provider would want to give me their account number for a transfer.

I can only echo what previous posters said.  However, I would seriously avoid any type that required yours and the other party's bank account number.   Knowing someone else's account number could only lead to trouble, IMHO.  I would never give out mine to, basically, a total stranger.

i use Western Union..you can transfer money up to 2500 dollars with no problem..safe and convenient..only one huge drawback..i would have to know your real name so you could pick it up by showing your driver's license..anonymity would be lost..

give out any personal or banking info to any individual. Not sure of anyone who would. That is a red flag all of the way. Mac you use Western Union...you're crazy LOL.

If the guy is good for it he will use cash. If cash is not Availible you can use a discreet form of a credit card payment. If he uses a debit more than likely he will have to phone the bank ahead if time.

You can set up a Green Dot account, and have them only transfer a little at a time once a week, vs. all at once. I think they have lowered the amount you can put on one card, so best to do them in installments. I have always preferred a money order mailed to a P.O. Box, and then I can use it for whatever. A money order does not trace back to the one sending it...only to the one cashing it.

She gave me an account # to deposit to.
I thought it was risky as hell, but everything worked out fine. I have no idea what she was thinking though.
I'm pretty sure I could have used that number to find out things I shouldn't know.
I also was concerned that if I screwed up the number, a random person would have gotten a surprise.

Most providers don't have an account in their real name, for this. They use a friend lol.

It's probably a corporate (off-the-self) bank account. I am not sure who would be willing to let someone else to use their bank accounts. The tax consequence could be very serious, if it's not handle properly.

With PayPal, you can set up a "corporate" account, and when you send or receive money, only the business name will show up. You make up the business name to be whatever you want, don't have to show proof of a business or a separate EIN. I think you do have to use your social though - not sure on that. The downside is you have to use your bank account and real information on PayPal itself. The clients can then use their own PayPal account to send money. Other downside is that you end up paying fees on the amount sent - you'd need to compensate for this in your initial charges.  

We are talking maybe one or two transactions a MONTH in that account. It is not the same bank account most use to pay bills with, like you would think. If a provider is paying her taxes, the only thing she is protecting is her name from random guys.

I had legal transactions with firearms accessories I was selling online.  PayPal decided it was an illegal transaction & locked the account for months.

They begged me for months to put their seal on my HOOKER website to take deposits, so I finally caved. After ONE transaction these idiots froze the account for "suspected illegal activity" lol. I was like, "You dumb fks! YOU spammed me to open an account! Did you miss my naked body and rates page?"