There is no doubt that one of the most effective fundraising techniques in the Muslim community is to bring them under one roof, soften their hearts with some hadiths, ayahs, and stories of their pious predecessors, and then ask them to donate. We see this happening at fundraising galas very successfully, Alhamdulillah. So, why not utilize that same technique during times when the Muslim community is naturally gathering in large numbers, such as for Jumuah prayer, Taraweeh prayer, and Eid prayer?

As a Muslim organization planning an upcoming fundraising campaign, you want to maximize the number of times you get exposed to large gatherings of people from whom you can ask for donations.

When planning events for a fundraising campaign, make sure to:

1. Plan for a Fundraising Dinner or Iftar if held in Ramadan
2. Coordinate as many visits as possible to nearby mosques for Jumuah collections or Taraweeh collections in Ramadan

We all know it is very common within the Muslim community that different organizations visit each other for Jumuah collections and Taraweeh collections during Ramadan. Now, given that you have an upcoming fundraising campaign, you can start planning ahead of time and informing other Muslim organizations (most likely nearby mosques) of your upcoming fundraising campaign and requesting that they allow you to visit their community.

When people have been hearing about your campaign through social media, but didn’t get a chance to support it yet, then see you showing up at their Jumuah congregation asking for support, you are in a very favourable position to receive their support.

If you start early enough and follow a good strategy, you can land a good number of collections within your campaign period.

Here’s a five-step strategy that you can get some ideas from when approaching an organization:

1. Start by asking for a Jumuah/Taraweeh collection within your campaign period
2. If they do not grant that request, then ask for a joint collection, i.e. one in which you split revenue (you can argue that people usually donate more when there is a visiting organization)
3. If they do not grant that request, ask for a Jumuah collection any time, even if outside the campaign period
4. If they do not grant that request, then ask to be given a few minutes after Isha prayer some evening during the campaign period to talk to their congregation about the campaign
5. If they do not grant any of the above, ask them to at least inform their community through their mailing list about your upcoming campaign

It is always best to approach an organization in person. If you are not able to, then call them. If that is not possible, then you can resort to email.