Ready to raise more for your Islamic charity? If you’ve been running the same fundraiser year after year, it may be time to try something new. In this article, we’ll share 17 easy and exciting fundraising ideas for your Islamic charity to try out.
Islamic charities do so much good for many different kinds of people. The number of people benefiting from donations like zakat and sadaqah is a whopping 6 million – that’s a lot of good! But if your Islamic charity is in a slump or looking to revamp its fundraising program, it’s time to come up with some new ideas to raise more.
We’ve got you covered. This article will outline 17 creative ways to raise more money for your Islamic charity.
Let’s first talk about Islamic fundraising in general.
There are several types of charity described in the Quran. Some of them, like zakat, are mandatory for people who have a certain amount of wealth. Others, like sadaqah, are entirely voluntary.
In any case, giving in Islam multiplies blessings back onto the giver. The donations or acts of charity are dedicated to helping people in need and making a big difference in the community.
That’s why fundraising for Islamic charities is so unique and important.
Having the right donation platform is vital for masjids and Islamic charities to make the most of their fundraising. Donorbox is here to help!
With comprehensive online and in-person fundraising tools, Donorbox is a one-stop shop to make any of your Islamic fundraising ideas come to life.
Watch this short video to learn how you can get started for free in just four steps –
Here are 17 simple yet creative Muslim fundraising ideas so you can raise the most possible for your Islamic charity.
Need help spreading the word about these giving opportunities? Check out this guide to learn how to write effective Islamic fundraising messages.
You can choose to host a silent auction, where people bid on items on a sheet of paper, or a live auction. Live auctions are exciting and can sometimes drive bids up with the spirit of friendly competition!
We have some great resources to help you plan your auction, including how to create silent auction bid sheets (with a template!) and 9 affordable or free online auction sites.
Your auction items should be donated or cost you very little. Think of packages like experiences, meals at local restaurants, and sports memorabilia. Your charity should aim to receive most or all of the money spent on the item at the end of the auction.
You can collect payments for your auction with Donorbox! Use the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app to turn your tablet and card reader into a powerful donation kiosk for in-person donations. Collect payments via cards, smartphones, or smartwatches.
This campaign encourages supporters to make a big difference right from their smartphones. Simply enable Text-to-Give on your Donorbox fundraising campaign. Then, once you share your credentials with your audience, all they have to do is send a text to receive a link to your donation form!
Donorbox offers two Text-to-Give plans. With the basic plan, you’ll share your unique campaign ID and the longer text-to-give number with your supporters. The shortcode plan allows you to create a custom keyword, as shown in the example below. And your supporters have access to the shortcode number, 801801, making it even easier to remember and send a text!
If you’re hosting an event, launch a competition for the last person to send in a donation via text-to-give. This is especially easy with the Repeat Donation feature – where donors can simply repeat their donation via text.
Every donation that comes in through text will flow to your Donorbox account. You can track your campaign’s success and review your strategy while your campaign is still in progress.
Check out these 10 successful text-to-give campaigns for more inspiration!
Get your volunteers together to wash cars for a cause! Advertise your car wash fundraiser in local news outlets and host it in a prominent location.
Charge for each car washed. This fundraiser has few costs aside from the materials needed to wash cars, a location, and water. Your organization will keep any funds left over after these costs.
Accept in-person payment using the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app, a tablet, and a card reader. Check out our blog on masjid donation kiosks to learn more about this valuable fundraising tool!
Especially around Ramadan, a bake sale full of traditional Islamic treats like shahi tukda or umm ali is a great way to raise money!
You should ask volunteers and sponsors (like local bakeries) to help out with providing the treats. Then your Islamic charity can benefit fully from the sales.
Donorbox can help you sell your treats! You can use these tools –
Islamic charities can fundraise by hosting Iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan. Simply plan the meal and invite supporters to join you for it.
Sell tickets and collect donations before, during, and after your meal.
Donorbox Events helps you sell more tickets online. With unlimited ticket tiers, you can customize your ticket levels by price or quantity (tickets for one person vs. a family of four, for example). You can choose to ask purchasers for an additional donation on top of ticket sales, too!
Your ticket purchasers then receive an automated receipt with their tickets. Each ticket has a unique check-in code and QR code you can enter or scan to quickly check each guest in during your event.
Tarjimly used Donorbox Events to sell tickets to their community Iftar – and they sold out quickly! So they started collecting donations online to keep the momentum of their event going.
Choose your movement – walking, dancing, running, etc. – and ask your participants to collect pledges supporting their participation. Then host a virtual or in-person event where everyone can move together for your cause!
Your organization will receive any funds raised by participants; expenses will vary depending on the scope of your event.
Donorbox Peer-to-Peer is a great way to raise more from this event by allowing your supporters to create their own fundraising pages. Simply create your campaign and choose to either invite participants by email or allow anyone to fundraise on your behalf. Your participants will then personalize their pages and share them with their network. Any funds they raise will flow back to your Donorbox account.
Check out our essential guide to organizing a walk-a-thon for more ideas!
Crowdfunding involves many people donating toward one common goal. You’ll choose a specific issue or need to focus on and reach out to your community to ask for donations.
Crowdfunding helps generate a lot of momentum – and can bring the community together!
You’ll need to set up a crowdfunding page on Donorbox. You can choose to enable features that will amp up your momentum, like –
The Association of Mulsim Chaplains has a Donorbox Crowdfunding campaign with over 150 donations. We love how they highlight the importance of monthly giving right on their donation form!
A fundraising gala can include many things, but typically it involves dinner, entertainment, and a fundraising feature like an auction. These are usually more expensive to host and attend, as they are elegant events.
You’ll raise money selling tickets to your gala. You can also collect donations during the event through a donation kiosk, text-to-give, or QR codes.
Pro tip: When selling tickets, be sure to demonstrate how much of each ticket tier is tax deductible to encourage people to pay more for tickets!
You’ll need volunteers to be your models and some donated (or loaned!) clothing to show off. This event can be fun for all ages and genders!
Sell tickets to your fashion show using Donorbox Events. In some cases, you might be able to auction off pieces from your fashion show, which can increase your revenue!
You can also collect donations during your event using text-to-give, QR codes, and a donation kiosk.
Ramadan is a time of reflection and sacrifice. While already giving up food during the day, you can ask your supporters to think of something else they might give up – like coffee, watching TV, or shopping. This is a fun challenge that can bring more awareness to your cause.
Ask participants in this event to donate the cost of the item they’re giving up for the month. So for example, if they normally spend $30 a month on their television subscriptions, they should donate that to your charity instead!
They can easily donate through your fundraising page or donation form on your website. Yayha Foundations’ Ramadan donation page simply has a custom donation amount, which would be perfect for participants to donate the amount they’re “giving up” for Ramadan.
This fundraiser is especially great if your organization deals with kids – but it can be fun for adults, too! There are a lot of possibilities with a video game fundraiser, including a tournament, a game-a-thon, or even just having professional gamers stream while asking for donations.
Depending on the nature of your event, you’ll raise money by –
However you decide to host your video game fundraiser, you can raise a lot of money with this exciting technology.
Eid, or the celebration at the end of Ramadan, is an excellent time to host a festival and bring the community together. Games, food, and vendors are all great additions to your Eid festival.
You can raise money by selling tickets to your festival. You can also sell –
Feel free to collect donations during the event, too. Your attendees will want to support your cause.
Ask volunteers in your community to come sell their crafts! This is especially great around the time of Ramadan gift exchanges. You’ll need to provide the space to host the fair as well as some tables and chairs for each booth, but the rest can be up to the crafters!
Selling tickets will be your primary way to raise money from a Ramadan craft fair. You can also ask vendors to donate part of their proceeds to your cause.
Peer-to-peer fundraising involves your supporters fundraising on your behalf. To host a contest, simply set categories with prizes like most overall donations, largest single donation, and most raised.
This will increase your fundraising with a fun competitive element!
With Donorbox Peer-to-Peer, your supporters customize fundraising pages that are linked to your original campaign. This means they can tell their own fundraising stories on their pages, but all donations flow directly to your Donorbox account.
Check out how MACA enabled peer-to-peer on their annual fundraiser. This campaign raised $154,157!
In addition to the option of inviting supporters by email, MACA chose to allow anyone to fundraise on their behalf with a button at the top of the page.
This Islamic fundraising idea is tried and true! A raffle involves selling tickets for the chance to win a high-value item.
Similar to an auction, your raffle prizes should be donated or deeply discounted. Your organization will keep the money from selling raffle tickets.
You can sell raffle tickets using a Donorbox fundraising or Events page. You can also sell tickets in person using a donation kiosk, text-to-give, or QR codes.
Check out this guide to learn how to host a virtual raffle!
This fundraiser involves teaching a group how to make a delicious meal. It should be a fun, laid-back event hosted by a chef. You can teach traditional Islamic meals to further connect this event with your charity.
You’ll raise money by selling tickets to your cooking class. Use Donorbox Events to sell tickets and collect any additional information you need from your attendees, such as dietary restrictions.
The last 10 days of Ramadan are the holiest – and a great opportunity to ask for more donations. According to the Quran, any good deeds done in the last 10 days of Ramadan are multiplied as if you’ve done them for 83 continuous years, so any donations made to your fundraiser will be well rewarded!
Use recurring donations to allow donors to easily donate daily. For example, we love how this organization used Donorbox to collect daily donations from their donors for the last 10 days –
Make the most of this powerful giving time by streamlining your fundraising process as much as possible!
Whether you’re new to fundraising or a seasoned pro, it never hurts to have more Islamic fundraising ideas in your back pocket. Islam is full of great reasons to give, and the right idea might be all you need to boost your fundraising and grow your important work.
These 17 Islamic charity fundraising ideas range from simple to more involved, so there’s something for every level and interest. Get creative and try something new!
When you’re ready to get started, Donorbox has you covered with powerful tools to collect more donations! From events to everyday fundraising, we have something you can use to sharpen your strategy.
Check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog for more ideas. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a list of curated blogs delivered to your inbox every month.
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
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Lindsey Baker Bower