Give safely to charities this Ramadan

11 May 2018 10:34 AM

When you give to charity this Ramadan, make sure your Zakat reaches the right people.

We are launching our annual safer giving campaign to help you continue giving generously to registered charities this Ramadan.

We highlight some simple steps, such as checking a charity is registered before you give, to ensure that your Zakat gets to the right people.

The Muslim Charities Forum have estimated that Muslims across Britain donate around £100 million during Ramadan. A huge variety of charitable work is delivered off the back of this generosity, saving lives and providing services to people all around the world.

We’ve produced a short video to help you check that you are giving to genuine registered charities.

Safer Giving: Ramadan

Nick Donaldson, Head of Faith Charities Engagement at the Charity Commission said:

All year round, and especially at Ramadan, the generosity of British Muslims is amazing - your money has a massive impact in your communities and for causes around the world.

We want to help you to continue giving safely – you deserve to be confident that your donation is going to those who need it most. Check that you are giving to a genuine registered charity by going to gov.uk/checkcharity

Fadi Itani, Chief Executive Officer at the Muslim Charities Forum said:

We know that Muslims in Britain are enormously generous in their charitable giving. Around £100 million is donated each year across Britain during the holy month of Ramadan alone.

We at the Muslim Charities Forum see first-hand the difference those donations make. That’s why we are supporting the Commission’s campaign and are encouraging Muslims to check before you give to ensure you are giving to a genuine registered charity and that your Zakat is going where it is intended.

Advice for safer giving at Ramadan:

• before giving, check for a charity registration number - you can verify by looking at the charity register gov.uk/checkcharity
• be more cautious about people collecting for general charitable causes, such as ‘for sick children’ - make sure you’re giving to a genuine registered charity
• when approached by collectors, check whether they are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed and undamaged
• if in doubt, ask the collector for more information - a genuine fundraiser should be happy to answer questions and explain more about the work of the charity
• never feel under pressure by a fundraiser into making a donation immediately
• if you want to donate online, type in the charity’s website address from your internet browser
• be careful when responding to emails or clicking links within them - don’t click-through from suspicious looking emails