Key Takeaways:

1. Go Digital to Reach Muslim Audiences: Digital platforms and Muslim-focused ad networks are essential for targeting and engaging the global Muslim community.
2. Align Messaging with Islamic Values: Tailoring your campaigns to reflect Islamic values like Zakat and Sadaqah ensures that your message resonates with Muslim donors.
3. Foster Long-Term Relationships: Building ongoing, year-round engagement programs with Muslim communities will result in stronger relationships and recurring donations.

In our previous blog (part 1), we covered how inclusivity, Ramadan-specific campaigns, and partnerships with Muslim influencers can help charities better engage Muslim audiences. Now, we turn our attention to leveraging digital marketing and creating long-term engagement strategies to sustain your charity’s relationship with Muslim donors.

1. Incorporate Digital Marketing Tactics

Digital marketing has revolutionized how charities engage with donors, and for Muslim audiences, it’s no different. From social media platforms to specialized ad networks (such as ours), digital channels offer an unmatched opportunity to raise awareness and drive donations.

Using platforms like Muslim Ad Network, charities can effectively target Muslim audiences worldwide. Precision marketing tools ensure that your campaigns reach the right audience, while respecting religious and cultural sensitivities. As we note in a previous article, “Advertising through Muslim-focused platforms ensures that your messaging is culturally relevant and seen by engaged Muslim users” (Muslim Ad Network).

Actionable Tip:

Utilize digital ad platforms like Muslim Ad Network to target your campaigns to the Muslim audience directly. By using our niche platform, you can bypass the pitfalls of generic advertising and ensure that your campaigns reach Muslims who are more likely to be interested in your cause. Also, integrate your marketing efforts with social media campaigns on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, where many younger Muslims actively engage.

2. Tailor Your Messaging to Appeal to Islamic Values

Islamic values such as compassion, community, and responsibility for the less fortunate are at the heart of Muslim charitable giving. To engage Muslim donors effectively, charities must clearly align their messaging with these values. As DTV Group states, “Appealing to Islamic values not only taps into religious motivations but also inspires deeper emotional connections with your cause” (DTV Group).

Muslim donors want to see how their contributions directly impact the needy, and how their donations align with their religious duties, particularly Zakat.

Actionable Tip:

Clearly communicate how donations fulfill Islamic obligations such as Zakat and support essential causes like healthcare, education, and humanitarian relief. Provide transparency in how funds are used, and highlight how your charity is structured to meet the ethical requirements of Islamic giving. Include tools like Zakat calculators to make the donation process easier for Muslim audiences. Also, when tailoring charity messaging to appeal to Islamic values, it’s important to try to reference key Quranic verses and Hadiths that highlight the significance of charity in Islam. This not only strengthens your campaign’s religious appeal but also connects with Muslim donors on a spiritual level.

3. Develop a Long-Term Engagement Strategy

While specific campaigns such as those around Ramadan can drive significant short-term success, fostering long-term relationships with Muslim donors requires consistent outreach. Building long-term engagement is essential for securing recurring donations and cultivating brand loyalty.

As HubSpot suggests,

“Sustained engagement keeps your charity top of mind for donors, allowing you to build stronger connections over time” (HubSpot).

For Muslim audiences, this means engaging them all year-round, not just during key events.

Actionable Tip:

Develop year-round programs and content that keep your Muslim audience engaged beyond Ramadan. This can include special initiatives around Islamic holidays like Eid, regular updates on how donations are being used, and creating opportunities for Muslims to participate in your charity through volunteering or community-building events.

Conclusion: A Path to Meaningful Engagement with Muslim Audiences

Muslim audiences represent a significant and highly motivated donor base, but engaging them effectively requires thoughtful, targeted strategies. From leveraging digital marketing to aligning your messaging with Islamic values, these approaches will not only help you connect with the Muslim community but also build lasting relationships with Muslim donors.

Ready to elevate your charity’s marketing? Muslim Ad Network specializes in helping charities reach and engage Muslim audiences through culturally sensitive, targeted advertising. Contact us today to learn how we can help you expand your reach and maximize your impact.

By incorporating these strategies, your charity will not only boost engagement with Muslim donors but also establish a long-term connection with a community that values charitable giving as an essential part of Islam.

The post Enhancing Charity Marketing Strategies to Engage the Muslim Audience (Part 2) appeared first on Muslim Ad Network.

Key Takeaways:

1. Inclusivity is Key: To effectively engage the diverse Muslim community, your marketing materials must reflect cultural and religious diversity, showing genuine understanding and respect.
2. Capitalize on Ramadan Giving: Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam and presents a massive opportunity for charities, as Muslim donations can increase by up to five times during this period.
3. Partner with Trusted Muslim Influencers: Building relationships with Muslim community leaders and influencers will help foster trust and amplify your cause.

Engaging the Muslim community is an important and often untapped opportunity for charities worldwide. With over 1.8 billion Muslims globally, many of whom consider charitable giving to be a core part of their faith, the potential for charitable organizations to make a meaningful connection with this audience is enormous. However, many charities fail to capture the attention of Muslim donors due to inadequate outreach strategies that do not fully consider the values, cultural nuances, and religious practices that guide Muslim giving.

Muslims contribute an estimated $1 trillion annually to charitable causes, driven by obligations such as Zakat (a mandatory charitable contribution) and Sadaqah (voluntary charity) (Ashby Jenkins Recruitment). To unlock this potential, charities must refine their marketing strategies, ensuring that their campaigns are culturally relevant, religiously sensitive, and authentically connected to the communities they seek to engage. Below are some key strategies to help your charity build trust and engage long-term support from the Muslim community:

1. Understand the Value of Inclusivity

Muslim communities are diverse, spanning different cultures, languages, and traditions. A successful marketing strategy cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. In a previous article we stated, “Muslims come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, speaking different languages, with varying cultural practices and interpretations of Islam” (Muslim Ad Network). To effectively engage Muslim audiences, charities need to invest in understanding the rich diversity within the Muslim world and reflect that diversity in their marketing materials.

Actionable Tip:

To ensure inclusivity, incorporate culturally appropriate imagery and messaging in your campaigns. Instead of relying on stereotypical portrayals, showcase the true variety in Muslim attire, traditions, and cultures. This helps build a more authentic connection and demonstrates respect for the community you wish to serve.

For example, if your charity is operating in regions with a predominantly Southeast Asian Muslim population, the messaging, language, and even visual elements should reflect that local context. A charity campaign that resonates with Muslims in the Middle East may not necessarily work for audiences in Indonesia or sub-Saharan Africa.

2. Leverage the Power of Ramadan: A Charitable Season Like No Other

Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam, presents a golden opportunity for charities to maximize their fundraising efforts. It is a time when Muslims are especially motivated to give to those in need, driven by the religious obligation of Zakat and the desire to perform Sadaqah (charitable deeds). During this month, the willingness of Muslims to contribute to charitable causes skyrockets, making Ramadan a key fundraising season for charities globally.

Working with us can significantly amplify your charity’s success during this period. Charities that run Ramadan campaigns with Muslim Ad Network see impressive returns—on average, a 3-5x increase in donations during this peak giving season. This is due to the unique focus on reaching Muslim audiences through culturally relevant and spiritually resonant advertising campaigns. The results are often even more pronounced during Ramadan, when charitable giving becomes a religious duty and community focus.

To illustrate this opportunity, let’s look at a success story:

These figures demonstrate the immense potential that Ramadan campaigns hold when done right. The exponential increase in donor engagement during Ramadan is a testament to the power of religious and cultural alignment. By focusing on how their contributions help fulfill Zakat obligations and create real impact, charities can connect more deeply with Muslim donors, leading to higher conversions and recurring support.

As we point out in a previous article, “Ramadan is the prime season for Muslim donations, with charitable giving rising as much as fivefold during this period” (Muslim Ad Network). Charities that align their campaigns with the values of Ramadan—emphasizing compassion, community, and the importance of giving—stand to benefit significantly from this surge in generosity.

Actionable Tip:

Develop tailored Ramadan campaigns that highlight how your charity’s work directly aligns with Islamic values, particularly Zakat. Streamline the donation process to make it easy for Muslims to contribute, and provide helpful tools like a Zakat calculator to help them determine their obligations. Show transparency by highlighting how the donations are used to help those in need, particularly focusing on causes like hunger relief, healthcare, and education, which resonate strongly with Muslim audiences.

3. Partner with Muslim Influencers and Leaders

Influencers and trusted figures in the Muslim community—such as religious scholars, community leaders, and social media influencers—play a crucial role in building trust and credibility. As Ashby Jenkins Recruitment highlights, “Long-term relationships with influential Muslim leaders can significantly enhance the success of your charity campaigns” (Ashby Jenkins Recruitment).

Muslim audiences place great value on recommendations from trusted voices within their community. By partnering with influencers who share your charity’s mission, you can expand your reach and deepen your connection with your audience. Influencers can lend authenticity to your campaign and help ensure that your messaging aligns with Muslim values and expectations.

Actionable Tip:

Identify key Muslim influencers whose values align with your cause and collaborate with them to promote your campaigns. Whether through social media takeovers, endorsements, or event partnerships, these collaborations can lend credibility and increase engagement within the Muslim community.

Religious scholars, in particular, can help explain how supporting your charity fulfills important Islamic obligations like Zakat, while influencers on platforms like Instagram or YouTube can bring awareness to younger, tech-savvy Muslim audiences.

Conclusion

Ramadan offers a once-a-year opportunity for charities to connect deeply with Muslim audiences who are highly motivated to give during this time. The success story of World Food Program (USA), which raised nearly $200,000 in one campaign through Muslim Ad Network, highlights the tremendous potential for charities that invest in Ramadan-specific campaigns. By creating culturally relevant campaigns that appeal to Islamic values, and leveraging partnerships with influencers, your charity can see exponential growth in donations.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we will discuss how digital marketing strategies and year-round engagement can further boost your charity’s efforts to engage Muslim donors.

Ready to maximize your charity’s impact this Ramadan? At Muslim Ad Network, we specialize in helping charities reach Muslim audiences through targeted, culturally aligned advertising. Contact us today to discover how we can help you run a successful Ramadan campaign and reach Muslim donors worldwide.

The post Enhancing Charity Marketing Strategies to Engage the Muslim Audience (Part 1) appeared first on Muslim Ad Network.

Ramadan Charity Campaign

Ameera just stood there in panic, her senses amplified. She could hear her heartbeat and even feel the blood flow through her veins. At the same time, the office ambiance became muffed.

She didn’t make eye contact with Roger, her boss and Marketing Director at Giving Today Charity. She just stood there shaking from the inside, the whole 5 feet 2 inches and 120 pounds of her.

“But sir, I haven’t done anything like this on my own,” she said. “I can’t run an entire Ramadan campaign on my own; I’m just an assistant.”

Roger, a tall caucasian guy with broad shoulders who always wore designer suits, stood up, towering over Ameera, and said, “You’ve got this Ameera, no one knows the Muslim persona more than you.”

He walked up and opened the office door signaling to her that she could leave.

“It’s a family emergency or else I wouldn’t go,” he said, as if pleading with Ameera.

“Can I count on you?”

“Yes sir, I’ll do my best.”

And that was it, Ameera was now carrying the burden of the world. She knew how important the Muslim consumer was to her manager’s marketing strategy. This would be the first Ramadan campaign the company would run.

The idea to run such a campaign was Ameera’s after she had read about how much Muslims spend on charity during Ramadan. But she had thought that all the heavy lifting would be done by Roger.

As she sat at her desk, Ameera felt a knot tighten in her stomach. The office buzzed with the usual hum of keyboard clicks and muted conversations.

She stared at the screen, fingers hesitating over the keys as she began to research and plan. But she couldn’t focus and just sat there staring at the screen. She felt like an imposter as everyone around her seemed confident and sure of what they were doing.

Later that evening, as she stepped through the front door of the family home, the weight of the day still clung to her like a heavy cloak. The scent of her sister’s favorite perfume floated through the air as Farida emerged from the kitchen, a radiant smile on her face.

“How was your day?” Farida’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

Ameera hesitated at first. But then, the floodgates opened. She didn’t even take the time to remove her shoes and jacket. She just explained everything that had happened at the office and how stressed she was.

Farida listened to her sister’s turmoil and enveloped her with a warm embrace. “You’ve got this Ameera; I believe in you.”

At that moment, the contrast between the two sisters couldn’t have been starker – one grappling with self-doubt, the other radiating in confidence.

The Muslim Ad Network Presence

The next day at the office the aftermath of the shock was very much present. Her shy demeanor became more pronounced, her normally quiet voice almost a whisper as she interacted with coworkers, desperately trying to mask the unease of the situation she was in.

That day, she didn’t take any breaks except to go to pray and she stayed at the office till late in the evening even after everyone had gone home.

She hadn’t realized, but the cleaning lady had arrived. As she was about to finish cleaning, she approached Ameera and said, “Busy day?”

The middle-aged lady with neatly braided hair had the biggest, most genuine smile in the world. Perhaps for just that reason, Ameera felt socially safe to talk to her. It was a good temporary distraction from her tedious project.

As the cleaning lady was about to leave she said to Ameera, “You know, work and pleasing your boss isn’t everything. It’s about being happy with who you are and enjoying God’s blessings.”

“Right, I need to focus now”, Ameera told herself as the door shut and the cleaning lady disappeared out of sight.
She took a deep breath and started typing into Google: Ramadan charity stats.

And right there, sandwiched between the two search results by Statista stood the Muslim Ad Network article that had put her in this predicament. The article that had convinced Roger that Giving Today Charity needed to capitalize on the Muslim consumer’s generosity during this year’s Ramadan.

“No, I need something specific for a campaign”, she thought aloud. 

She then typed in: Ramadan charity campaign, which seemed to yield a better result page. Right at the top, in the sponsored ad section of the Google result, she saw exactly what she wanted.

It looked like this was from Muslim Ad Network as well. She thought to herself, “Well if they got me into this.”

Time to Step Up

That night when she walked through the door, it was later than usual. But to her surprise, everyone was still up chatting in the kitchen. 

Her mom was crying joyous tears and her dad stared proudly at Farida.

“What’s going on?” she asked, confused.

“Your sister has been shortlisted for the Nobel Prize!” her dad said.

At first, Ameera didn’t say anything.  She just stared at her sister, Farida, who stood in the spotlight of their living room, glowing with success. The room felt smaller, the air heavier, as the unspoken envy within Ameera swelled to an overwhelming magnitude. The weight of it pressed on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

But then she put on the biggest fake smile on her face and broke the dam of her silence, “Congratulations, you deserve it.” 

At that, she ran upstairs to her room and started crying, her tears carrying the weight of years of suppressed feelings. “It’s just… I don’t know how she does it.” She murmured to herself as she always did when she was upset. “I can’t help but feel… left behind.”

That night she had trouble sleeping despite being exhausted at work.

The next morning she woke up with a determination to do something with her life. Even if she was never going to win the Nobel Prize, she had to do something.

As she sipped on her morning coffee going through her inbox, she got a call from a Sales Representative at Muslim Ad Network.

“Yes, that’s true, I downloaded the Ramadan Charity Report.”

“So one platform for all my advertising?”

“Yeah, I figured that you were the biggest platform specializing in advertising to Muslims.”

She knew right there and then that this was her opportunity to shine. And best of all, she would have to put in minimum effort. Muslim Ad Network would take care of all her Muslim-targeted advertising needs

Due Diligence

Ameera was excited about working with the biggest and only advertising platform that specialized in serving ads to Muslims.

But of course, she needed to do some due diligence. She looked at case studies of organizations that worked with Muslim Ad Network. One that appealed to her most was the UNHCR case study.

“In just three months 116 recurring donors versus a target of 91?”

“ICNA Relief had close to 94% ad viewability and more than half a million new donors, that’s impressive.”

A week later, Ameera had a long one-on-one meeting with one of the owners at Muslim Ad Network at the office, which went quite well.

She was now convinced that she had made the right choice as all her questions had been answered.

She went home proud that evening. Yet she was not happy. Something was still missing. But she could not figure out exactly what it was that was bothering her.

When she told her family about her accomplishments at work, they seemed happy enough for her. But there was no real buzz.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Ameera sighed, her recent achievement lingering uncelebrated in the quiet of their living room. 

When she was alone with her sister it all came out.

“I don’t know how you do it, Farida. Everything you touch turns to gold. I can’t help but feel… left behind.”

Farida’s expression softened, sensing Ameera’s pain. She reached out, comforting. “You’re not left behind. We’re on different paths, and your journey is just as valuable as mine.”

“I wish I could be as confident, as successful as you,” Ameera confessed, her voice a whisper.

Farida smiled gently, understanding. “You’re more capable than you think. Success takes different forms. Believe in yourself, you matter the way you are, no one can take that away.”

Farida’s kindness took her by surprise. She had been harboring resentment for her all this time and even after confessing to it, Farida was still kind to her.

Top Ramadan Advertising Results 

Ramadan 2024 went on to become one of the most successful donation periods for the charity thanks to the new Muslim donors they had acquired.

Although everyone at Giving Today Charity sang their praises and Roger promoted Ameera to Lead Campaign Manager, it didn’t feel as precious as that evening when her sister held her close and told her how worthy she was as a human being.

She remembered words she had long ignored from the cleaning lady, realizing how true they were: “It’s about being happy with who you are and enjoying God’s blessings.”

Have a blessed Ramadan – Ramadan Mubarak!

The post Ameera’s Ramadan Charity Advertising Jitters appeared first on Muslim Ad Network.

Understanding the Motivation Behind the Surge of Charity Donations During Ramadan

Muslims worldwide, take the opportunity that Ramadan presents to give more to charity. Muslims believe the rewards for good deeds, during the holy month of Ramadan, are multiplied immensely.

According to Give Brite, UK Muslims donated 150 million pounds to charity during Ramadan in 2020. In 2022, over a million donations were made on just one online platform during Ramadan, which raised over 47 million dollars. 

It is also beneficial to expand on the concept of Zakat. Zakat, which is similar to tithing for Christians, refers to obligatory charitable donations. Muslims are required to pay 2.5% of their qualifying wealth to ‘the poor and needy’.

During the month of Ramadan, many Muslims choose to pay their Zakat. During Ramadan 2021, Muslim Americans donated $1.8 billion to domestic and international causes. Furthermore, the average household gave more than $2000 to charity.

For more stats read the “Ramadan Charity Campaign Report”.

This opportunity is not strictly limited to donations to Muslim charities but to all sorts of mainstream charities. One must remember that the Quran does not command Muslims to feed the Muslim poor or take care of the Muslim orphan but commands Muslims to do so for all poor and needy. 

And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan, and the prisoner, for love of Him.

Source: Quran 76:8

So if you are a mainstream charity reading this, know that there is an amazing opportunity to receive donations from Muslims, especially in the holy month of Ramadan.

However, there is a certain approach you need to take to recruit Muslim donors during Ramadan and this article will help you advertise your charity to Muslims effectively.

Basic Tips for Creating a Successful Ramadan Charity Campaign

Launch a Dedicated Landing Page for Ramadan Donations

You want Muslim visitors to your website to land on a specific page for Ramadan donations. You do not want them to work hard to find a way to donate their money as this will only cause them to leave and look for another website.

Why is this important? They want to know that the money they are donating goes to charity causes explicitly for the holy month. Better yet, they would love to make sure that their donations are received and donated to the poor and needy during Laylatul Qadr. To understand what Laylatul Qadr is and its significance here is a simple explanation by one of our Charity Clients ICNA Relief.

Make sure you get the basics of creating a great landing page absolutely correct, down to the last point. Doing so will increase your chances of converting visitors to donors. If you are new to advertising to Muslims, we suggest you read our article “Halal Marketing – All You Need to Know”.

Help Potential Muslim Donors Calculate the Zakat

We mentioned earlier that many Muslims tend to pay their obligatory charity donations (Zakat) during the month of Ramadan. Whereas decades ago they would need to go to a scholar to help them calculate their Zakat, today Muslims look for “zakat calculators” online.

This is an enormous opportunity for your charity organization to attract Muslim donors while they are considering paying zakat shortly. Out Charity organization client Zakat.org has a very easy-to-use zakat calculator that you can get inspiration from. You can see that it also has a call-to-action to donate zakat right away after the calculation.

Create a Community Around Ramadan and Beyond

You do not want to have donations from Muslims only during Ramadan and forget about them for the rest of the year. If you do so, your charity organization will struggle the following year to get anything close to what you had in the past.

Community is an extremely important part of Islam and Muslims all over the world. Some of the things that Islam serves to advocate for are strong family bonds and values, and a strong community, which subsequently lead to strong societies and nations.

You can create a community that engages Muslims worldwide for 365 days a year and work with them toward creating a better world. Read also “Creating a Community Around Your Brand for Ramadan”.

Create a Dedicated Ramadan Donation Video

According to LemonLight, in 2022, video content accounted for 82% of global internet traffic. Video viewers claim that they can retain 95% of a message when they get it from a video.

But budgets are not infinite and so your charity organization needs to know which type of video is the most effective we covered this in the article “The #1 Video Advertising Trend for Epic Muslim Consumer Engagement in 2022”.

Use the list below as a guide for the types of content your videos must have as a bear minimum:

1. Charity Brand Video: The brand video for your charity should be a creative introduction to the charity’s mission and how it relates to a Muslim’s mission during Ramadan. Try to keep it between 30 and 45 seconds long and make it entertaining and rewarding to watch.
2. FAQ Video: Make a video that answers important donor questions. These videos can be up to two minutes long to give Muslim audiences a comprehensive overview of your charity’s impact and core values that match with theirs.
3. Case Study Video: Real-life stories will make your Muslim audience think about the people your charity helps. Case study videos of up to three minutes in length can be extremely effective. Tell human-interest stories about your beneficiaries first, facts and statistics can come later.
4. Livestream CTA Video: A livestream call-to-action video is one of the best format videos to get people to take action. Trends show that 80% of Muslim consumers prefer livestream video over written content. So why not get them to take action within a content format they love?
5. Legacy Video: Legacy videos are great for retention and loyalty. Don’t just create videos that ask for donations for a certain project. After a while, send your Muslim donors a video explaining the positive impact their past Ramadan donations have made in the past ten months or so. That way you time the video a month or so before the next Ramadan season.

Ramadan Charity Campaign Report

Important Note

One tip that we would like to leave you with is being authentic. Sometimes brands get tempted to just design a campaign and not really take the time to understand the Muslim audience that they are advertising to. The result could be less than satisfactory if your charity organization goes down that road. 

Get the knowledge you need to understand the Muslim consumer by reading the only Muslim consumer guide available online. Philanthropy and Islam go hand in hand so it should not be difficult for your charity to find common ground.

Most importantly, partner with experts in the field of advertising to Muslims so that you do not waste your budget on impressions that mostly do not reach Muslims. Muslim Ad Network is the only specialized platform for advertising to Muslims and we will be happy to help. Every Ramadan we have special offers exclusive to charities. So please feel free to contact MAN or hit the button below to get started with your charity’s Ramadan campaign today.

The post $1.8 Billion in Donations Raised in Ramadan and How Your Charity Can Capitalize appeared first on Muslim Ad Network.