Happy List 2022: GoFundMe wants you to ask: ‘How can I help?

At GoFundMe thousands of people sign up to help others everyday, says Helen Whitehouse

(GoFundMe)

None of us make it through life on our own. Whether it’s a big leg up or a smaller helping hand we all need support sometimes. It’s part of being human - as social creatures we lift each other up when we need it. Most people would be happy to help a friend, neighbour, colleague or even a stranger if they needed it - but a lot of people are too afraid to ask.

In fact, according to online research from YouGov into the cost of living, even if people are struggling financially, 77 percent would be very unlikely to ask for help. We think that needs to change. There is power in asking for help and there is joy in giving it.

At GoFundMe we see thousands of people sign up to help others everyday. In February, as Russia invaded Ukraine, fundraisers sprang up offering support to those who needed it the most. During the first week of the war a donation was made every minute towards the people of Ukraine. Every single one of those donations came from someone who wanted to help.

From the word go, the Association of Ukrainian’s in Great Britain started a fundraiser to get humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees. They managed to raise more than £2,600,000 so far - making it the biggest campaign ever seen on GoFundMe in the UK. That’s a record breaking amount of help.

We’ve seen help from individuals who were so affected by coverage they were seeing on the news they were moved to help. Laura and Ken packed up their motorhome Molly with essential supplies and sweets and drove to the Ukrainian border to help refugees who had just fled. By asking people to sponsor their trip they raised more than £6,000 to donate to British Ukrainian Aid.

David Fricker and his friends have travelled to Ukraine to deliver thousands of teddy bears for displaced children - complete with translated messages of love from kids in the UK. His main goal is to make children feel safe when they cross the border.

Closer to home, as the UK experiences a major cost of living crisis, the most vulnerable in our society are choosing between heating, eating or paying their bills. In April, after Ofgen lifted the energy cap, bills rose by a massive 54 percent and they are expected to go up again come autumn.

Lancashire plumber James Anderson has been helping those in need since last year with his community initiative Depher, fixing boilers for free and paying off heating bills. And when the crisis hit this year, he teamed up again with GoFundMe to launch an emergency appeal to help those struggling with the rising costs.

One woman helped by the initiative described how she was left ‘actually in tears’ when she found out she would be able to put her heating on.

As times get tougher help, happiness and community is needed more than ever. That’s what society is all about - stepping up and helping those when help is needed. That’s why GoFundMe is supporting the Independent’s Happy List, which shines a light on the people who’ve changed the world for the better by offering a helping hand. Each of the people or groups chosen have done something which is worth celebrating.

If you’re reading this and thinking that there’s something, someone or charity you want to support, why not ask ‘’how can I help?’’ and start a GoFundMe today.

*YouGov cost of living research was carried out with 2,144 adults between 5th - 6th April 2022. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).