With Ramadan fast approaching, many Muslim charities are gearing up for what is usually the busiest time of the year in the Muslim charity sector. The commencement of Ramadan often brings a huge influx of donations and interest in charity work, that’s why it’s an important time to get clued up about the charity sector. If you’re regularly giving to charities, or even making a one-off donation in Ramadan, here are some practical pointers to help you ensure your money is getting where it needs to go.

1. Check the charity status on the charity commission website.

Before you give any money to charity  – make sure the charity is registered with the UK charity commission (or equivalent in your country). You can do this by searching the Charity register for the charity name or by using the charity registration number (this is usually displayed on fundraising materials or on the charity website).

Being registered as an official charity with the UK charity commission means they have been vetted and are liable to submit information about the funds they collect and the activities they do.

The Charity Commission exists to safeguard donors and charities and ensure funds are safely collected and used.

The CC will also let you know if the charity is “under investigation” – this usually happens when the CC has concerns about a charity and could mean that funds you donate will be stored until the investigation is complete, or that the charity will ultimately be closed down. The Charity Commission will always publish a public report with their findings once the investigation is complete. Some very small charities are not required to register with the Charity Commission (if they have an income of less than £5000 a year), you can always double-check their status with the CC.

2. Check their Charities Choice report

Charities in the UK are allowed to use some of the funds they receive to cover admin and fundraising costs, but it’s important to make sure the amount taken from your donation is reasonable and spent in a productive way. Charities Choice is a website that can help you find a comprehensive breakdown of how the average £1 that you donate to a specific charity is spent (i.e 96% on Charitable activities, 3% on Fundraising etc). This data is based off the Charity’s financial reports submitted to the Charity Commission.

NTE Here is a sample report of Save The Children (2016), you may wish to screenshot.

3. Find out what they really do

A lot of charities claim to do a lot of really amazing things, but often have nothing to show for it. If you’ve ever attended a large Muslim event, it’s likely you’ve been approached numerous times by people with buckets telling you about the work charities do in war zones – it’s important to make sure the information they provide you with is accurate before you dig deep. Before you give to a charity, find out more about their projects; what they entail, where they’re located and how they’re supported. Most charities produce Annual Reports each year for the benefit of their partners and potential donors, these usually provide insight into projects in more detail than a simple website or social media feed.

If you can’t find a charity’s Annual Report on their website, reach out to them directly and request it, if they’re proud of their work they’ll be more than happy to share it! Their Charity Commission reports should also have some information about their activities.

4. Does the charity have access to the country they claim to be working on?

Unfortunately, many of the conflicts and humanitarian crises dominating the headlines today are taking place in the Muslim world, and are so severe that access to many of these locations is extremely difficult, if not illegal or impossible. This is forcing many charities to cease operations in specific areas or rely on local partners to deliver aid on their behalf. When choosing a charity to donate to, especially in the context of hard-to-reach places like Syria, Bangladesh, Yemen, or Gaza, do your research carefully to make sure your donation is actually going to get there.

Access to these countries is extremely limited. Gaza is landlocked between Israel and Egypt, with the Egyptian border opening very irregularly meaning much of the aid distributed in Gaza comes from within the city. A foreign charity turning up at the Egyptian border will have little chance of crossing through. In Bangladesh, the refugee camps in Cox’s bazaar have strictly controlled access and the Bengali government has strict procedures in place regarding which charities are able to operate in the region. 

Many charities claim to work in these conflict zones but instead work with families displaced in neighboring countries who hail from these regions, for example, a charity claiming they work in Syria but only actually work at the Turkish border with Syrian refugee families.

Some charities have even been banned by local governments and are not permitted to carry out aid work in specific countries, meaning your donation is either being stored for use at a later time, or rerouted through a partner (see point 6!) Charities that do not have access to specific areas (say for example Yemen) will often store collected funds until they are able to gain secure access to the country/region. This is extremely problematic and a breach of trust, when donors donate under the impression that their funds are being used immediately, only for the cash to be stored for months or years on end awaiting (uncertain) access.

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5. Look for documentation and evidence.

Charities need to be able to prove that the money they collect is being used for the purpose intended, this means that there will always be some form of documentation of their activities`. This could be in the format of photos or videos of distributions, it could be reports from teams on the ground. Documentation is important proof for both donors and the Charity Commission who may request evidence of activities.

When you’re donating to a charity, always look for documentation – particularly if they are claiming to operate in besieged or hard-to-reach areas. When you’re donating your money to places where it’s really needed – it’s important to make sure it’s getting there. Many charities share this documentation through their social media feeds or websites.

If you cannot find this in public, feel free to request it from the charity. Look out for signifiers in photos or video that tell you where or when the images were taken (i.e Does it look like a refugee camp? Does it seem like a recent photo – is the season correct? Does the location look correct?). If you have doubts about a photograph being genuine you can reverse image search it on Google to see if anything comes up.

6. The difference between On The Ground and Working With Partners.

Many charities claim to work in a huge array of countries but what they don’t often publicly state, is that a lot of the work that goes on in other countries under their name is carried out by partners, rather than their own staff.

Pay attention to the language used by charities, are they claiming to have a team on the ground? This may be possible if they have staff from the country itself or expertise in specific regions. This is especially useful in the context of war and conflict zones, local staff will usually be able to speak the language, understand the culture, and fair better when it comes to navigating logistics at a time of crisis. Do they admit to using partners? Working through partners on the ground can be a very invaluable way of getting aid where it needs to go in hard-to-reach areas (and ensuring your donations get in) – but a charity should not claim the partners to be their own staff and should ensure that partners are carefully vetted to ensure best practices for money-handling.

7. Admin fees are important.

Don’t be put off by Admin fees! All charities no matter how big or small will have admin fees, the key thing is to find a charity with reasonable admin fees, who will deliver your donation securely and honestly.

Charity admin fees are unfortunately perceived very negatively in the Muslim community, but it’s important to understand why they are often necessary. When you donate to charity, you donate expecting your personal details and donation to be treated with the utmost security and privacy. You expect your donation to be transferred abroad (or locally) and reach the neediest of people. All of this requires staff, especially in a large operation – It requires someone to build a secure website that will encrypt your donor details so they cannot be stolen, it requires someone to do a field visit and scout locations and find families to help, it requires admin tasks of finding aid providers, logistical support to get the aid where it needs to go, it requires people to do individual distributions – the list of tasks associated with a single donation is endless! All of this takes time and costs a lot of money. Admin fees go a short way towards covering that, so next time you make a donation remember that.

8. Don’t forget the Gift Aid!

If you are a UK taxpayer, don’t forget to claim Gift Aid on your donation! This means charities can claim an extra 25p per £1 you donate, from the government, at no extra cost to you. Contact the charity directly for a Gift Aid Declaration form. Gift Aid can help charities cover admin costs and take less from individual donations – and it costs you nothing!

Find out more about Gift Aid here.