How to Help Out Someone in Need: 13 Compassionate & Actionable Ways

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Give back to your community & underserved groups with these tips

Co-authored by Justin Barnes and Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: December 15, 2024 Fact Checked

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• 13 Ways to Help Those In Need
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• Finding Opportunities to Help
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• Benefits of Helping People
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• Common Issues Leading to Need
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• How far should you go to help others?
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• Q&A

|Show more |Show less

We all like to think that we do what we can to make the world a better place, and helping people who are in need is a great way to do that. From the smallest acts of kindness to global humanitarian efforts, there are numerous ways in which you can help out your fellow humans. Wondering where to start? Keeping reading for our guide to how you can start helping out others today (including specific suggestions for organizations to get involved with!). We even interviewed experts about the best ways to better the lives of people around you so that you can get to work today on helping people in need in your community and beyond.

How do you help people in need?

• Take direct action by donating food, money, or goods to a charitable organization or nonprofit like Feeding America or Goodwill.
• If you don’t have items to give, consider volunteering your time and skills for a cause you believe in and can get passionate about.
• Make small (but impactful) change by committing daily acts of kindness and providing emotional support to people in your community.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

How to Help Other People in Need

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1. 1
   Donate money or supplies to an organization that helps people. Making a donation is one of the easiest and most effective ways to help others—according to experts at award-winning humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief, “the best way to fix a problem is by funding local organizations.” However, money isn’t the only thing that you can donate to have a charitable impact—you may even have some unused items sitting around your home that could go to someone in need. Here are some ideas of what you could donate to help out others:

   • Donate money to a vetted organization that supports a cause you care about.
   • Donate unneeded furniture and clothing to a shelter for homeless people or a charitable organization like Goodwill.
   • Donate food items (like unopened spices, canned soups, and canned beans) to a food bank like Feeding America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger in the U.S.
   • Donate toys to local shelters, food banks, childcare centers, or organizations like Toys for Tots.
   • Donate school supplies, furniture, and technological items to schools, either directly or through a platform like Donors Choose.
   • Donate your birthday and holiday gifts by asking your loved ones to redirect them to charity.
   • Donate your car to a nonprofit or charity like Vehicles for Veterans.
   • Donate your hair to Locks of Love.
   • Donate your blood, if you can, to an organization like Red Cross.
   • Thoroughly research an organization with the help of legitimate websites like the Better Business Bureau, Charity Watch, or the Federal Trade Commission before donating. As Direct Relief explains, “you work hard for your money and ought to feel confident that—when you’re feeling generous—your money is doing as much good as it possibly can.”
2. 2
   Participate in local or online fundraising efforts. If you don’t have the money or goods to donate yourself, assist in fundraising resources from the people who do. Offer to help with fundraising for a local organization or business, or set up your own fundraiser for a cause you care about. You can also spread the word about online fundraisers by sharing posts on social media. So, the next time you see a GoFundMe or other virtual donation opportunity, just click “Share!”

   • “If you have any kind of specialized skill set,” consider organizing a fundraiser around that skill, suggests Direct Relief. If you play video games, for example, “live-streaming has really emerged as an incredible way for people to come together with very little overhead and raise a lot for a cause.”
   • If you have an AirBnB, continues Direct Relief, you can “host families and evacuees.” Or, if you own a business, you can “create registries with lists of needed items,” invite your customers to purchase them, and then give the purchased items to those in need.
   • If you have children, encourage them to set up their own fundraising efforts! Describing some of the successful fundraisers that they’ve seen children host, Direct Relief shares how “they’ve had kids create lemonade stands, bake sales, or donate their Christmas money. Kids find some pretty incredible ways to support causes, and it reinvigorates everyone’s belief.”
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3. 3
   Volunteer at a local food pantry or other charity organization. One of the best ways to make an impact in your local community is to volunteer with an initiative, organization, or charity that operates in your area. Consider volunteering to organize donated goods at a food pantry, work in a soup kitchen, or help out at a homeless shelter.

   • You can volunteer with these organizations year-round or join up in the aftermath of a specific event. For instance, if a town is affected by a hurricane, they often need volunteers to pack and deliver donated supplies or help rebuild houses.
   • You can also support local initiatives that address the root causes of issues that lead to poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and more. For instance, you could campaign door-to-door for a local environmental organization or advocate for an educational program that serves underprivileged youth.
4. 4
   Volunteer your time as a tutor or teacher. Education is one of the most empowering tools that we have at our disposal—by teaching someone even the most basic-seeming of skills, you’re enabling them to better take care of themselves and their community. Volunteer as a tutor for children or adults in any subject that you’re skilled in—like math, technology, or a foreign language. You can even do something as simple as teaching your coworkers how to use the office copier or showing your neighbor how to make some easy meals.
5. 5
   Send a thoughtful note or care package to someone in need. Consider putting together a care package for someone in your life who’s feeling isolated or who needs support—or, send the package to someone you don’t know personally who may need some extra care, like a teacher or veteran! You can also opt for a heartfelt, handwritten card, which can be just as touching and meaningful as a gift package.

   • You can put together and send your gift yourself, or work with an organization that facilitates the production and delivery of these care packages and notes. Here are a few potential companies that you could work with:
     • Assisted Living Store
     • Teacher Care Crate
     • iCare Packages for Inmates
     • Troopster for Deployed Military Personnel
6. 6
   Use your platform to raise awareness for social issues. If you use social media and feel comfortable posting about political and social issues on your account, using your voice online can be a powerful way to spread important messages and increase the number of people who care about and contribute to a cause. Advocate for causes by sharing stories, fact-checked information, and routes for others to mobilize resources and take action.
7. 7
   Express appreciation for someone in your life that needs support. Sometimes, the people that are most in need are those right in front of us. And, sometimes, the best thing you can do for those people is to show them just how much you appreciate their presence in your life. Depending on the circumstances and your relationship with this person, consider giving them a small gratitude gift, sending them a nice email, or showing them public appreciation at a family dinner or company party.
   

   Angelina Jolie, Actress & Humanitarian

   Live empathetically and help others to the best of your ability "We have a responsibility to be aware of others. We need to make justice the norm, not the exception."
   
8. 8
   Check in on and help your neighbors, friends, and family members. All of us experience moments in life where we need a little bit more support, and it’s sometimes difficult to know when the people in your life are feeling lonely, isolated, or unappreciated. In order to help out those in need of some company or emotional support, check in periodically on your friends, neighbors, and family members—especially those who are elderly, live alone, or are experiencing grief. Even if they don’t explicitly need something from you, you’ll still likely brighten their day!

   • If you check in on someone and they do express a need for emotional support, the best thing to do is to empathetically and actively listen to what they’re going through. Hear them out without judgment and express that you’re there for whatever they need.
   • Moving forward, consider ways that you could actively but unobtrusively help them. For instance, maybe you set up a weekly nature walk or movie date to make them feel more connected. If they seem harried or overwhelmed, offer to run their errands for them or babysit their child.
   • If you know someone who’s experiencing severe mental health struggles—such as depression or suicidal ideation, check in on them often and do everything you can to make sure they’re getting the help they need. Encourage them to visit a therapist, if they can, or to call a crisis hotline.
9. 9
   Advocate for mental and physical health. Access to healthcare—both mental and physical—is one of the main factors affecting people’s ability to have their basic needs met. Mental health challenges, in particular, often fail to be treated because of stigma and a lack of public resources, which worsens the hardships of those who are already struggling.

   • To help combat these issues, continue volunteering for or donating to initiatives that support healthcare access and mental health support, like Planned Parenthood or the National Hotline for Mental Health Crises and Suicide Prevention.
   • On a smaller scale, you could help out people in your community by organizing daily walking groups, teaching a nutritious cooking course, or hosting regular neighborhood events to ease feelings of isolation.
10. 10
    Shop small at local businesses. Shopping at small, independent businesses in your community helps to support your local economy, create jobs, and promote smaller carbon footprints. Choosing to shop small also helps to support your neighbors’ livelihoods and encourage your local government to put more resources into neighborhood growth and prosperity. Plus, it’s easy and fun to shop small!

    • Walk around your city or town, look for shops that look cute or have the goods that you need, and purchase these locally-made products, knowing you’re doing some good at the same time.
11. 11
    Commit to small acts of kindness whenever you have a chance. “It doesn’t have to be a big action or a lot of money that you’re donating,” says professional life coach Amber Rosenberg. Even the smallest acts of kindness and goodwill can help out people as they go about their day-to-day lives. Go out of your way to treat people with kindness and patience—be polite to service staff, smile at people passing by, and be empathetic toward those that may be having a tougher day than you. Stop when you see someone who seems to need assistance and intervene when you see something that doesn’t seem right to you—like a kid or dog sitting in a hot car.
    EXPERT TIP

    

    Amber Rosenberg, PCC

    Pacific Life Coach

    Amber Rosenberg is a Professional Life Coach, Career Coach, and Executive Coach based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the owner of Pacific Life Coach, she has 20+ years of coaching experience and a background in corporations, tech companies, and nonprofits. Amber trained with the Coaches Training Institute and is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

    

    Amber Rosenberg, PCC
    Pacific Life Coach

    Even little acts like smiling at strangers can go a long way. Or, giving back in some way by donating blood, volunteering, being a good Samaritan, opening doors for people, etc. It’s about the big things and the little things.
12. 12
    Be proactive about gaining the skills to help others. There’s nothing wrong with deciding to help out others in a reactive way—for instance, donating money in response to a current emergency like a natural disaster, epidemic, or political conflict. However, it’s equally (if not more) important to consistently and proactively practice the skills and seek out the opportunities to help others. For example, consider getting trained in CPR and first aid skills so that you’ll be ready to help out others when needed.
13. 13
    Work on yourself and your personal growth. As Rosenberg explains, “the most important thing…is to really work on yourself. You’re doing everyone in your immediate circle—as well as your community—a favor if you can work on being the best person you possibly can be. Take steps to improve yourself, whether it’s through therapy, coaching, exercise, or how you interact with people and in personal communication.” In a nutshell, put on your own oxygen mask before helping others!
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Section 2 of 5:

How to Find New Ways to Help Others

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1. Look for opportunities in your community that you feel passionate about. It can be difficult to know exactly how to begin actively helping others, especially if you want to get directly involved in your local community. “It’s important that you think about what matters to you,” according to Direct Relief, so start by considering your own passions: what issues and circumstances are you most passionate about helping with?

   • If you’re more passionate about the work you’re doing, your motivation and impact are likely to be stronger and more meaningful—as developmental psychologist Dr. Leslie Bosch affirms, “You’ll get out of it what you put into it.”
   • Then, reach out to community leaders, friends, and family members who may have ideas for how you can help. Tell them about the ways in which you’d like to begin helping others and see if they have any suggestions or connections.
   • Remember that helping others doesn’t need to include novel ideas or grand gestures. Start with the simple things like holding the door for someone or offering a genuine compliment.
   EXPERT TIP

   

   Direct Relief

   Humanitarian Aid Organization

   Direct Relief is an award-winning humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. They focus on helping people affected by emergencies and natural disasters. Direct Relief has been highly rated by Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at University of Pennsylvania, for their effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

   

   Direct Relief
   Humanitarian Aid Organization

   Absolutely one person can make a difference. Every single penny helps. Every single act that brings awareness about an issue helps.
   

Section 3 of 5:

Advantages of Helping Out Those in Need

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1. Helping out others can boost your self-esteem and sense of belonging. Of course, the major advantage of helping people in need is that you’ve helped people in need, but there are also many benefits for the person who’s doing the helping—aka, you! Being generous and responsibly unselfish can enhance your life in many ways, but a few of the main advantages include:

   • Lowering blood pressure
   • Boosting your social skills
   • Increasing your self-esteem
   • Giving you a sense of community
   • Starting a chain reaction of kindness
   • Contributing to the world becoming a better place
   • Decreasing your chance of depressive symptoms
   • Building connections and relationships with others
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Section 4 of 5:

Common Issues that Cause People to Be in Need

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1. A range of systemic issues and disparities can cause people to be in need. Countless people all over the world struggle with daily and ongoing hardships, often due to systemic and infrastructural issues that lead to a lack of access to human needs and rights. While it’s important to help people when they’re in need, it’s also important to address the root causes of that need so that fewer people will encounter that situation in the future. Here are just a few of the common issues that lead to people needing support:

   • Extreme Poverty: Nearly 700 million people live on less than $2.15 a day, which is the official definition of extreme poverty. These people are often unable to access basic necessities like food, clean water, and shelter. Without having these basic needs met, those in extreme poverty often lack adequate nutrition, education, and health services, making it nearly impossible to escape the cycle of poverty.
   • Lack of Mental Health Support: 1 in 4 people are affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives, and those experiencing poverty are more heavily affected than others. Due to stigma and lack of access when it comes to mental health care, many cannot and do not get the support they need and experience long-term consequences like lower earning potential and increased social isolation.
   • Housing Instability: Homelessness (or houselessness) is a major issue worldwide with the rising cost of housing, lack of affordable housing, widespread financial instability, and unchallenged discrimination and domestic abuse. Homeless shelters are often at capacity or without the resources to accommodate more people, and these individuals will struggle to find employment or access education without access to stable housing.
   • Health Disparities: Adequate and affordable healthcare is still out of reach for many people across the globe—even in some of the world’s wealthiest countries. Limited access to healthcare services, nutritious food, and clean water makes it more likely for an individual to contract diseases, and the fact that individuals without healthcare access are typically from low-income communities means that they may remain entrenched in a cycle of need.

Section 5 of 5:

How far out of your way should you go to help others?

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1. Help others as much as you can without damaging your own well-being. It’s a great thing to go out of your way to help others and to do things that don’t directly benefit you. It’s generous and unselfish to support others even when it’s inconvenient for you or takes away from your own time, energy, or resources. However, said help should only be somewhat inconvenient or reasonably take away from your own time and resources. Helping others shouldn’t put you in the position of someone in need.

   • Some warning signs that you’re going too far to help others may include feeling burnt out, damaging your relationship with loved ones, losing your privacy, becoming mentally unwell, or not being able to afford your own living expenses.
   • If you can’t avoid these warning signs for your own good, consider that all of these negative effects will make you less effective in helping others. You can’t pour from an empty cup!
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Where can you donate food?

  

  Community Answer

  Try your local food bank, homeless shelter, or soup kitchen. You can also see if your local Red Cross is accepting donations.

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• Question

  How can I help a person who needs clothes?

  

  Community Answer

  Contact Goodwill, Salvation Army or local churches. They can direct you in the best way to donate.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  I get so upset with myself when I'm in my car and a person of need comes up to my car and I don't have money to give them. Honestly l don't, and the look they give makes me feel terrible. How do I fix this?

  

  Community Answer

  Try to always have at least a little cash on hand, even if it's a spot in your car you keep loose change. Or just make sure to have food with you in the car to give them that.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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