I worry about my daughter’s dojo, where she’s studied for almost six years. Upper West Side Kenshikai in Manhattan, is owned by Jennifer and Matthew Fremon, who are parents. It’s a place of great spirit that has taught our child not just about martial arts, but life.

The dojo closed on March 20, though it’s doing online classes. Some students, financially struggling themselves, have stopped payments and the Fremons to date have lost a third of their income, and more students keep canceling. The small business loan they applied for hasn’t come through yet.

“There’s the very real fear that this community and passion we poured the last 15 years of our lives into won’t ever return in the way it was,” Ms. Fremon told me. “Sometimes, I just want to sit in a ball and cry.”

Ripple effects of the coronavirus are already taking a terrible toll on the economy. In a recent poll, 39 percent of Americans said they’ve lost work or income. Put that in the context of a survey published in May 2019 by NORC, the nonpartisan and objective research organization at the University of Chicago. It showed 51 percent of Americans couldn’t afford necessities, after missing more than one paycheck, without dipping into savings. And at that point, 38.1 million Americans were already living in poverty.

Ripple effects of the coronavirus will leave few sectors of the economy untouched. Behind all of these sectors are human beings. There are a broad range of ways to help, money being only the most obvious.

Want to donate cash? Know what you want to accomplish

Do you want to target dollars to individual people or businesses? To categories of people: laid-off restaurant workers, people who can’t pay rent? You could donate to established nonprofits addressing issues like homelessness, hunger, or aid for family farmers, which have pivoted to deal with the coronavirus.

“Many of the most vulnerable people are fed, sheltered and supported by not-for-profits,” said John MacIntosh, managing partner at SeaChange, a nonprofits advisory group in New York. “Those doing much of that work have been excluded from federal support. Covid-19 is going to be a nonprofit extinction event, unless government and donors step up, I really believe that.”

He suggests donating through city or state community funds, which support area nonprofits; search for “community trust” or “community foundation” and give to their coronavirus response. Before donating to individual nonprofits, do your homework. Websites like CharityNavigator or GiveWell evaluate charities for impact and efficiency. Or, call the organization to which you want to donate and ask questions.

Navigate or advocate

If you’re good at digging for information or steering through bureaucratic mazes, lend expertise to those in need. Government, and in some cases private, relief programs are continuously emerging. But sometimes the people who need them most need help accessing them.

James Wallace Fields is a security guard for a block in New York City. At 61, he lives alone in the Bronx, has no computer, and was laid off several weeks ago. His last paycheck didn’t arrive. Neighbors from the block he serves pitched in and raised $ 1,700 for him. Then one, a lawyer, got involved on his behalf.

“He called my boss and made sure I’d get my last check,” said Mr. Fields. “They were coming up with all kinds of excuses and he let the boss know he could be my attorney if things got bad.” The lawyer also helped him file for unemployment.

If you’re in a relevant profession, join others doing pro bono work (remotely) around coronavirus. There are sites offering opportunities for financial planners to help, as well legal professionals. If you can, volunteer to help someone with new tax prep forms or assist a person seeking a rent break. If you lack that kind of expertise, you can still refer someone to a social media group where people are learning together how to make relief claims. Or pass along the 211 number, available in many parts of the country, which can guide people or businesses to resources.

Help crowdfund

Crowdfunding efforts have mushroomed. On Kickstarter, people are working to keep a Brooklyn metal bar alive. On GoFundMe, they’re helping an out-of-work mom care for a sick child and trying to save San Francisco’s City Lights bookstore. To support a person or business, you could launch a funding campaign.

Tim Cadogan, chief executive of GoFundMe, said crowdfunding is powerful because it’s more personal and direct. Here are some of his tips for a successful campaign.

“The most important things are to be very clear about the situation and the need, and how the funds will help,” Mr. Cadogan said. “Then, share it as broadly as you can, however you connect with people digitally. Once you’ve done it, keep working on it, you’ve got to update people, say thank you.”

“Another thing that helps a lot is creating a team, having other people help you fund-raise. A very good predictor of campaign success is having more team members.”

Help community businesses and workers

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported on April 3 that more than 50 percent of all small businesses might close by mid-month. A significant number won’t reopen.

Businesses, contractors and sole proprietors are eligible for government loans but approvals are coming slowly. Fill in the gap. Check your favorite business’s websites. Some, like my daughter’s dojo, have donation buttons. You’ve likely heard this already, but it bears repeating: Buy gift cards for future use from movie theaters, bookstores, your hairdresser. The restaurant reservation website OpenTable has set up a page for this, as well. One day, you’ll use them.

Help the children

More than 55 million U.S. children aren’t physically in school. In a survey of almost 4,000 teachers done by the classroom-focused nonprofit Donors Choose, 97 percent said school closings are jeopardizing student learning. This tough situation is compounded for kids from poor, dysfunctional or abusive homes.

Donors Choose normally links contributors to classrooms around the country needing help; now it has created a “Keep Kids Learning” fund, targeting donations to teachers in low-income schools, who send supplies or food to children. First Book is getting reading material to kids who don’t otherwise have access. Family Promise is intervening with homeless or near-homeless children and parents to offer immediate aid.

Give food

Nicole Reisman, a Cordon Bleu-trained private chef, recently moved to Brattleboro, Vt. She let local residents on a Facebook page know she’d make free meals for those in need; some accepted. Then came the pandemic. Now she’s making 65 to 70 meals at a time, prepared and delivered using strict safety protocols. Word has gotten around: nearby farmers have contributed food and organizations like United Way have offered unsolicited funding.

“I get emails every single day: ‘We are completely out of food,’” Ms. Reisman said. “I have people saying, ‘I applied for unemployment but that was weeks ago and I haven’t heard anything.’ It’s gut-wrenching.’”

If cooking isn’t your strong suit, contribute to food banks, soup kitchens or pantries, where demand has skyrocketed. Local food pantries may accept nonperishable goods as well as money. Find more information and a ZIP-code-based locator on the Feeding America website.

How to give to a friend or relative in need

Your childhood friend, a single mom, was laid off. You want to lend her money. Think it through first, cautioned Bradley Klontz, a professor of financial psychology at Creighton University in Omaha.

“I used to have a college professor who said, if you want to get rid of a friend, loan them money,” Dr. Klontz said. “If there are any cracks or tension in the relationship, you increase the risk they’ll widen.”

Use three rules, Dr. Klontz suggested: Let go of expectations for how the money is used; be OK with not being paid back, since you may not be; never give money you can’t afford to lose. If you make a gift, even to family, you might pay tax on amounts over $ 15,000. If you make a loan, be clear about the terms. Past behavior often predicts future actions: Has the person typically been financially trustworthy? If giving money feels risky, send practical gifts or food instead.

“I know entire families resentful of one person because 20 years ago he borrowed money from their grandmother and never paid her back,” Dr. Klontz said. “Even though she’s been dead for 15 years. These things can be done and it’s OK to do it. But you have to have the right mind-set.”