What is fundraising?

Fundraising means more than just coming up with ideas and collecting money…

Fundraising for Salam Charity is a means for us to extend our work and relieve hardship for thousands of people who live in poverty every day. Through dedicated and sincere fundraising, you can make a lasting impact on the lives of many thousands of people, here in the Canada and across the World.

Raising money for charity can be challenging, but fun, creative and extremely rewarding. We’ve jotted down some exciting fundraising ideas to help get your imagination going.

Did You Know?

Salam Charity currently works in many countries around the world with a particular focus in Bangladesh, Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Indonesia and Pakistan. We have ongoing livelihood projects in Somalia and UK and Canada as well.

Our areas of work consist of emergency relief, supplying basic necessities such as: food, clean and safe water, shelter and clothing. Community Development and Livelihood Projects are key areas of focus, as we believe this to be crucial in empowering people, and enabling them to break out of the circle of poverty and hardship. Medical Aid, Child Sponsorship and Education Programs for both children and adults are also areas of work we continue to focus and deliver on.

We hope this guide inspires you to join and support our mission and vision to save and change lives for the better.

How to start

Carefully read through the Salam Charity Volunteers Handbook before you start. Contact a member of the fundraising team for guidance and support in realizing your idea.

Success in planning

Set up a fundraising plan with achievable targets; make a list of everyone you know and how they can best help you – some may have skills and resources, others may have networks and contacts.

Make some noise!

Let everyone know what it is you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Millions of people use WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube on a daily basis, so if you use these social media platforms, utilize them as a really effective tool to get your message out there!

Personalized emails and texts are a great way to catch the attention of your supporters and donors! People tend to pay more attention to a message when they’re addressed by their name.

Knowledge = Power

Equip yourself with vital information about how the money raised is going to be spent. Be prepared to answer any and all questions with confidence.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with Salam Charity, our work and more specifically the cause you wish to support!

MATCH-GIVING: Double your donations! Speak to your employer to find out if they are part of a Match-Giving Program in which they match the funds you raise. Banks are great for doing this!

BLOG SPOTS: Create your own personal blog and keep people in the loop with your updates, photos and videos. You can get a free blog on Blogger or WordPress.

ONLINE FUNDRAISING PAGE: Start an online donation page using our fundraising platform JustGiving making it super easy for friends and family to make donations.

Fundraising Ideas

DRESSED DOWN DAY: Try and get your school/ your child’s school to organise a non- uniform day. Students can pay up to $5 for the opportunity. Perhaps you can do the same at your place of work? Call centres, supermarkets and banks are great for this.

MOVIE NIGHT: Whether you hold this in a conference room or in your own home, it’s sure to be a success! Get people to pay what they normally would at the cinema. Oh! And don’t forget the popcorn!

DIGITAL AUCTION: Go digital and sell any items you would like! Be creative and engage bidders using eBay, Facebook or Instagram! Speak to friends and businesses to donate items or services you can sell.

YOUR VERY OWN BAKE-OFF: Organize a cake-bake sale, get other bakers involved and sell cakes, brownies, muffins and pastries individually or in boxes. You can set up a stall anywhere e.g. schools work, university campuses or city centres- as long as you get permission. If you can’t bake but you can sell, then set up cake-bake teams and compete!

MINI OLYMPICS: Great to carry this out at uni, college, work and even gyms! Think up some fun office friendly competitions, such as chair-racing, tug-of-wars or mini marathons.

RACE TO THE FINISH: Organize a walk, jog or run for charity! Raise money for the cause and see who reaches the finish line first for #BetterFutures. Add a theme, add flags and add some fun.

BBQ FUNDRAISER: An exciting, popular and inexpensive event. Pick a convenient location and start inviting colleagues, friends and family. Spice up the BBQ a little by adding a variety of fun outdoor mini-challenges. If you don’t fancy a BBQ, why not host an “indoor tea party” instead?

DO YOU DARE? Make this something that would make those who know you, REALLY DARE YOU. If you love your hair be dared to chop it all off or dye it! It’s simple – dish out dares and organize a day to follow through.

SELL A SKILL: Show off a talent or a skill to raise funds. Arrange anything from a cooking lesson to fitness classes, a baking workshop to a tuition evening. Tap into your creative spark, turn it into a course and charge people for attending at a discounted rate.

PIGGY BACK: Finding a ready-made platform to fundraise through is very efficient. Look out for events in your local community to piggyback onto. Find out what’s already going-on and ask if you can get involved and set up a charity stall.

MOSQUE CRAWL: Create a route to tour all mosques either in your area or your city. Gather your friends, think of a theme, grab some collection buckets, charity t-shirts and enjoy talking to the local worshippers about what you’re doing and why! You’ll be surprised by the barakah of raising this way. Be sure to gain permission from the mosques you locate prior to the tour.

EVENTS: Organize events from family fun-days, iftars, talks, comedy or open mic nights. It may seem daunting, but it’s a lot of fun! Get in touch with the Salam Charity volunteers team, discuss your plans as well as any resources you may need.

CHARITY DINNER: Host your own charity dinner, make people aware of what’s on offer. Charge dinner guests what you like! And put your cooking skills to the test.

SPORTS TOURNAMENTS: Charge a small registration fee of $35-$50 for teams to compete in an organized sporting event. You could request a small donation from spectators too! And, why not have a snacks stall to maximize funds?

TALENT/FASHION SHOW: Organize your own talent/nasheed or Qur’an recitation contest at school, mosque or even outside and keep it open to everyone. This could be a standalone event or built into another.

CAR WASH: Everyone loves a clean car and it’s so much better when the money is going to charity. You can speak to your local carwash or find a location with lots of cars – large supermarkets are a good option.

BE A CHAMPION: Take part in any of our national or international challenges! Think bike rides, skydives, marathons and mountain treks! Something courageous, something challenging.

Handling Donations

It’s always important to keep donations safe and secure, both when collecting them and sending them. Donating the money raised to Salam Charity is easy and can be done through various methods.

Contact Us

If you would like to discuss any aspect of your fundraising idea with us, please email us at info@salamcharityusa.org.