If you are not one of them what are other options except just asking for donations?

You could post on the ripple forums or on a ripple thread at bitcointalk. However, instead of asking/begging for a donation you should offer something, e.g. some small number of bitcents, cash, a favour, a promise to pay back the XRP with interest, etc.

Will this be something all new users have to face in the future too?

I'm sure by the time Ripple.com is out of beta there will be an easier way to get started. Possibly gateways will offer a one time funding of a Ripple accounts either for free of via whatever other currencies the gateways use.

They have promised a more extensive giveaway when it's out of beta. There's also some people selling them outside Ripple itself. Here, for example:

https://www.bitmit.net/en/item/23007-321-free-ripples-to-get-you-started-321-xrps#

And here https://xrptrader.com/login

And here http://buyxrp.net

They've also promised that there will be an easier way to buy them soon, but without much details. Some people in the ripple forum are lending some of them interest free so you can buy your own within the system and pay back. I think they expect you to do the same for another newbie later.