# It’s not just about Zakat in Muslim giving

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/02/03/its-not-just-about-zakat-in-muslim-giving/
- Published: 2020-02-03T10:30:38+00:00
- Author: Guest Blogger

**Despite some Muslims in the UK being from the poorest social and economic communities,
Muslim giving to charitable causes in the UK is estimated at over £500 million to
£1 billion annually, with over £100 million of that given in the 30 days of Ramadan
alone. **

The generosity of the Muslim community has thus gathered an increasing amount of
attention over the past few years, especially amongst fundraisers from ‘non-Muslim’
or ‘non-faith’ based charities looking to replace their traditional sources of income
amongst an increasingly diverse population.

(I am using the term **‘non-Muslim’ charities** to designate those charities that
have not been specifically set up with an Islamic ethos or by Muslims as an extension
of the their Islamic faith obligations. Of course both Muslim and non-Muslim charities
do not distinguish themselves based on those they serve, as that in itself would
be considered un-Islamic).

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## Publishing a Zakat policy is not enough

Discussions with non-Muslim charities often lead to the topic of Zakat, the obligatory
tax/charity that every able Muslim should give from their savings above their expenses
each year. Unlike other types of charity in Islam, Zakat is one of the five major
pillars of the faith and thus like all the pillars, has very strict conditions on
how it is calculated, collected and who it is distributed to. This has led to an
increasing number of non-Muslim charities thinking that by simply publishing a Zakat
policy on their website, backed by religious authority will cause Muslims to flock
to their donation pages. For those that have tried, they will tell you, this is 
simply not the result.

Like any minority community in the West, engaging with the Muslim donor can be done
at many levels that do not require non-Muslim organisations to prove how Islamic
their organisations are. Our research with Muslim charities shows that less than
50% of their collected income is designated as Zakat, which means that potentially
£500 million of non-Zakat donations are available every year for almost any good
cause you can think of.

## How better to engage with the Muslim community?

So, how can your organisation better engage with the Muslim community? Ensure your
fundraising strategy invests in the following;

• **Not every cause is for every donor.** Similarly, you need to assess if the Muslim
market is right fit for your cause. More specifically, not all Muslim communities
are the same either, so do some research into which Muslim communities are likely
to be attracted to your cause and where they are.

• Like any religious community, the levels of religiosity are different so don’t
assume that by adopting Islamic/Muslim branding and personalities will bring in 
the donations. **Be sensitive to the different cultures that exist within the same
Muslim community**.

• **Don’t always ask for money.** If you turn up to the mosque or only advertise
in Ramadan then you are competing with when Muslim charities already do most of 
their fundraising for the year. Work on projects with local Muslim communities throughout
the year so they are aware of you before you ask for donations.

• **Your charity’s recruitment and diversity**. It is especially hard to show you
are serious about engaging with a community if they cannot see themselves represented
in your work, especially if you are claiming to help others like them. There are
a lot of other benefits to diversify but this will show you are serious about engagement.

 

_**Kashif Shabir** is founder and principle consultant at Ethical Consulting Group,
specialising in Strategy development, Governance and Faith Based Giving. In his 
recent role he was Director of a private fund investing in education and social 
welfare __programs in Africa and Asia._

_Previously he was Head of Knowledge Management and Learning at Oxfam and at the
British Red Cross as part of the Strategic Change Management Team. Kashif has been
consulting as an interim executive for a number of faith and non-faith based charities
for over a decade. He holds a Masters degree in NGO Management from CASS Business
School in London and lives in Berkshire with his family._

[⌊Fundraising from and marketing to the Muslim Community - course details⌉⌊Fundraising
from and marketing to the Muslim Community - course details⌉[

**Kashif Shabir and Ikhlaq Hussain are again running their one-day course [Fundraising from and marketing to the Muslim community – a crash course](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fundraising-from-and-marketing-to-the-muslim-community-a-crash-course-tickets-85576454479).
It takes place in London on 18 February.**