Ramadan is a holy month celebrated by the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims. The Muslim Charities Forum estimates that the three million Muslims living in the UK collectively donate a massive £100 million to charity every year. Donations spike during the month of Ramadan, with many Muslims searching for Ramadan charity ideas. Here are some Ramadan fundraising ideas to get you started.
Every day during Ramadan, Muslims break their fast together at iftars. One of the most popular Ramadan charity ideas is to host an iftar for your local community for a small entry fee – with participants joining over Zoom.
Consider putting on some entertainment to shift more tickets and ask friends and family to help you prepare the meal and decorate your space. If you don’t have time to cook lots of food, ask everybody to bring a dish to enjoy together, and pass a collecting bucket around the tables.
Go one step further and ask local businesses, such as restaurants, if they would be willing to sponsor your charity iftar, perhaps by donating a cut of your big group’s bill to your Ramadan cause.
Running a race, or taking part in any exhausting event while forgoing water, does not bode well for your health. Instead, distract yourself from fasting by organising a mass gameathon. Rally some willing friends and play board games or video games non-stop for 24 hours in the name of fundraising.
Reach out to gaming influencers and ask if they could plug your gameathon and encourage other Muslims looking for Ramadan charity ideas to join in.
Muslims living in Western countries don’t expect their non-Muslim neighbours to take part in Ramadan, but it can be tough watching others eating and drinking during the day while they are fasting!
If you aren’t participating in Ramadan, consider supporting a friend who is with a sponsored fast. Put any donations towards their Ramadan fundraiser or start your own. If fasting isn’t doable for you, pledge to give something else up during Ramadan instead, such as coffee or takeaways.
Encourage others to join you in giving something up and ask that they donate any money saved from kicking bad habits to your fundraiser.
Find an old jar and give it a jazzy makeover at home so that it’s bound to be a talking point. Take it with you to the office and send an email round explaining that you’re fundraising during Ramadan and would welcome any contributions. Pop it at the end of your desk so that colleagues can donate some loose change as they walk by. Offer to make the tea as a thank you, so long as you can bear to while fasting!
Carrying around a ‘sadaqah jar’ is a great way to meet fellow Muslims, share Ramadan charity ideas, get more support while fasting and answer any questions that non-Muslims may have.
What better way to break your daily fast than with a sticky, sugary donut? Krispy Kreme sells boxes of their donuts at a discounted fundraising rate so that you can sell them on for a profit and donate the proceeds to your chosen cause.
During Ramadan, the opportunity is ripe to offer a donut delivery service at sunset, so that your Muslims friends can enjoy a yummy iftar treat. Knock on doors and you’ll no doubt find that non-Muslims will be happy to take some off your hands too. Ramadan charity ideas don’t come much more appealing, or delicious, than this!
Go the extra mile by taking on a virtual challenge this Ramadan and encourage your friends to do the same. You can choose any activity such as an outdoor walk, jog, run, cycle or even something indoor like yoga or press-up challenge. Simply pick an activity that you enjoy, improve your fitness and share your fundraising page by getting people to sponsor you by taking on a challenge.
Friends and family will be more willing to contribute to your Ramadan charity ideas if you make donating as faff-free as possible.
Make it clear who you’re fundraising for and choose a compelling header image that highlights the cause. Explain why your chosen charity needs financial help and what any funds raised will go towards. Tell an engaging story that illustrates how much good the charity does for society.
People won’t know about your Ramadan fundraiser unless you tell them about it, so remember to promote your GoFundMe page across social media and encourage others to do the same.
Successful GoFundMe Ramadan campaigns include the nearly £88,000 raised by Jamal Ahmed to sponsor iftar parcels for desperate and hungry people in Syria and the £1,600 raised by Zanjabil Qureshi to help Syrian refugees – more than triple her £500 goal.
In 2017, more than 3,500 people donated an incredible £128,000 to Shameela Islam-Zulfiqar’s Grenfell Tower appeal on GoFundMe during the last few days of Ramadan.
GoFundMe fundraising is quick and easy. Unlike other platforms we give 100% of the Gift Aid to charities.