Ramadan 2026 is expected to begin on 18th or 19th February this year, and across the UK, charities, schools and mosques will be preparing their appeals. But many organisations are missing the point. Ramadan fundraising isn’t just about timing your ask correctly. It’s about building genuine, year-round relationships with Muslim donors and communities.

The numbers tell a compelling story. Research by Blue State in 2024 found that British Muslims donate an average of £708 annually, which is more than four times the £165 given by the average UK donor, with total estimated giving of around £2 billion each year. Yet many organisations serving diverse communities haven’t built the understanding or relationships needed to engage meaningfully with this extraordinary generosity.

If you want to understand what drives this giving, a starting point is to listen to the BBC’s award-winning podcast series Sacred Money by Taqwa Sadiq (search BBC Sounds). This thoughtful series explores whether Zakat can help solve the UK’s cost-of-living crisis and offers invaluable insights into how sacred practices shape modern British Muslim life.

Understanding Zakat

Zakat isn’t simply charitable giving. It’s one of the Five Pillars of Islam, a religious obligation for eligible Muslims to give 2.5% of their accumulated wealth annually. Muslim donors aren’t just looking for worthy causes during Ramadan. They’re fulfilling a sacred duty with specific requirements about where and how Zakat can be given.

Surprisingly, research by the National Zakat Foundation found that Zakat is actually the least understood of all five Islamic pillars, with only 60% of Muslims feeling confident in calculating it accurately. Historically, 81% of UK Zakat has been sent overseas, even though 88% of British Muslims would be willing to give it locally if appropriate options existed.

Organisations that take time to understand Zakat properly: learning about eligibility criteria, the eight categories of recipients and the theological importance, demonstrate genuine respect. Those who simply bolt on a ‘Ramadan appeal’ without this understanding risk appearing tokenistic or worse, disrespectful.

The Generosity Gap

The patterns are striking. Despite 50% of the UK’s Muslim population living in poverty, compared to 17% of the general public (Heath and Li, 2015), Muslims in the £15,000-£29,999 income bracket give 3.7 times more than comparable earners. And higher earners Muslims donate ten times more on average (Blue State, 2024).

The generosity extends beyond money. 17% of British Muslims volunteered last year (vs 11% nationally), and they’re twice as likely to participate in fundraising and challenge events (Blue State, 2024). This is a community that gives time, energy and resources throughout the year.

Beyond Ramadan: the year-round reality

27% of British Muslims spread their Zakat throughout the year, not just Ramadan. When it comes to general charitable giving (Sadaqah), 29% actually give more through Sadaqah than Zakat, and another 43% give equally through both.

Crucially, one in two British Muslims would consider giving Zakat to non-religious organisations if those organisations improved their communications. Currently, only 14% give Zakat to secular charities versus 61% to Islamic charities. The barrier isn’t religious exclusivity. It’s about trust, transparency and genuine understanding.

What makes your organisation Zakat eligible?

Many UK charities are already doing Zakat-eligible work. They just haven’t articulated it clearly. Zakat can support people experiencing poverty, those in debt, refugees and asylum seekers, and several other specific categories.

If your charity provides food banks, welfare assistance or helps people escape debt or financial hardship, your work likely qualifies. The key is being transparent about how Zakat donations will be used for direct relief to eligible recipients.

But rather than making assumptions, engage with local Muslim communities, scholars or organisations like the National Zakat Foundation. Ask questions. Listen. Be humble about what you don’t know. This builds trust far more effectively than any glossy appeal.

Some practical steps

With weeks until Ramadan, focus on building authentic relationships.

Start conversations now. Reach out to Muslim community leaders and local mosques. The Blue State research found that transparency about where money goes, including overheads, is the most significant factor in Muslim donors’ giving decisions.

Get your information right. Work with knowledgeable advisors to ensure you can clearly articulate which activities are Zakat-eligible and provide assurance that Zakat donations will be tracked appropriately.

Think beyond the month. How are you engaging with Muslim communities year-round? Are Muslim voices represented in your governance? While at least £200 million of Muslim giving happens during Ramadan, relationship-building shouldn’t be a once-a-year exercise.

Make it easy. Ensure donation processes allow donors to designate Zakat and provide appropriate receipts. Consider whether your website and materials are welcoming to Muslim donors, not through tokenistic imagery, but through demonstrating genuine understanding and respect.

Deeper opportunities

This isn’t really about extracting donations from Muslim communities. It’s about recognising that many organisations exist to serve diverse communities yet their fundraising approaches remain focused on traditional, largely non-Muslim donor bases.

When you build authentic relationships with Muslim donors, you’re not just accessing Ramadan funds. You’re strengthening connections to communities you serve, bringing new perspectives into your organisation, and demonstrating that you genuinely value the diverse society we live in.

Muslim donors, like all donors, can tell the difference between organisations that see them as ATMs and those that genuinely care about building inclusive, respectful relationships. Consider this: despite facing higher financial insecurity and poverty rates, British Muslims give at rates far exceeding the national average. As the Sacred Money podcast explores, this commitment to community has the potential to transform how we address poverty and inequality in the UK.

Getting started

We recommend you start small. You don’t need to become a Zakat expert overnight, but you do need humility, respect and genuine curiosity.

Ask yourself: Are we serving our Muslim communities well? Do we understand their giving traditions? Have we made it easy for them to support our work? Are we listening year-round or only when we need donations?

The organisations that get Ramadan fundraising right understand it’s not really about Ramadan. It’s about making asking for support during Ramadan a natural continuation of an ongoing partnership all year round.

Resources to explore

Want to know more?

At Craigmyle Fundraising Consultants, we help charities, schools and faith organisations identify their strongest relationship opportunities and build sustainable fundraising strategies around them. Want to discuss how to apply these principles to your organisation? Get in touch or send us an email at first@craigmyle.org.uk