I'm sorry that happened to the donation box, but please don't let it stop you from fundraising in future. It does sound like he was on something perhaps, or maybe just so numb to the world and he figured the shopkeep wasn't going to fight him over it. I've stopped thieves before, and had a couple of them run off, but that always made me laugh, because what did they think I was going to do, tackle them to the ground as part of my $10/hr job to save the corporation a few bucks? When I worked at the 7-11, we were specifically told NOT to intervene for safety reasons. Generally thieves know they can get away with it, unless there's a mall cop who really loves their job around. So unless she was swinging a broom at his head, he was probably going to finish taking the money anyway. I mean it extra sucks that that was donation money, and that it was a mom and pop shop, but y'all are probably not in danger if you put the donation bucket back on the counter. Maybe just empty it more often.