Fast-a-thons are a great way to combine community-building with charitable giving. In this article, I’ll share how to host one successfully, with tips to maximize your success this Ramadan.
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Approximately two billion Muslims worldwide observe Ramadan every year.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Interfaith fast-a-thons are a wonderful way for you to invite non-Muslims to participate in Islamic traditions, raise awareness of food security, and encourage charitable donations.
In this article, I’ll explain exactly what an interfaith fast-a-thon is. I’ll also share a step-by-step guide for hosting a successful fast-a-thon that builds community and raises critical funds in support of Islamic organizations and charities.
An interfaith fast-a-thon is an event where Muslims and non-Muslims commit to fasting for a day to increase awareness of Islamic traditions while pledging the money they would spend on food to charity instead. Fast-a-thons are also held to raise awareness about hunger issues and foster a sense of community.
At sunset, everyone gathers for iftar – the breaking of fast during Ramadan – and shares their unique experiences.
The first fast-a-thon was hosted by the University of Tennessee’s Muslim Student Association after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Since then, fast-a-thons have grown in popularity among student associations, Islamic organizations, and beyond.
Your event committee will assist with important tasks, such as securing a venue, formulating a ticket pricing strategy, sending out invitations, and more.
Depending on the scale of your fast-a-thon, your committee should comprise board members, major donors or recurring supporters, key staff members, and volunteers. Remember to appoint committee members with the right skills and experience and assign roles to each one.
If you’ll be hosting an interfaith fast-a-thon, make sure your event committee includes people from various religious backgrounds.
Next, decide how people can participate. A few simple choices – full-day fast, water-only, or making a donation – make it easier for more people to get involved.
Pro tip: Appoint a Muslim guest speaker to lead discussions before or after the iftar and share insights about Ramadan and Islam. This can be a Muslim social media influencer who’ll help promote your event online, or an Imam from a local masjid.
Work with your committee to clearly define the goal of your fast-a-thon. Do you want to raise awareness of Islamic traditions like fasting and Ramadan? Are you an Islamic charity looking to increase donations and raise awareness around food insecurity in the ummah?
If you’ve hosted Islamic fundraisers in the past, analyze what worked and what didn’t, and apply those learnings to your upcoming event. Make sure your goals are in line with your mission and fundraising message, too.
For example, if you are a Muslim student body committed to supporting Muslim students, you may want to raise awareness of the sacrifices those students make during Ramadan by inviting other non-Muslim students to participate. Since Ramadan is also a time for increased charity, encourage people to give sadaqah before and during your event.
When setting goals, make sure that they are realistic and achievable. Use our free SMART Goal-Setting Worksheet to get started:
Once you’ve formed a committee and defined the goal of your fast-a-thon, the next step is to secure sponsorships.
Work with your committee members to get sponsorships from local restaurants for in-kind donations of food for iftar, or secure corporate sponsorships in exchange for marketing on your event materials.
Create a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to encourage your supporters to secure pledges in the days leading up to your fast-a-thon.
Peer-to-peer fundraising lets your biggest supporters fundraise for you, expanding your reach and helping you acquire new donors – and donations.
Use a platform like Donorbox Peer-to-Peer to create a “parent” campaign that includes your fundraising story, compelling visuals, and your fundraising goal. Then, invite participants to fundraise on your behalf and secure pledges, or allow anyone to sign up from your main campaign.
See how this fundraiser raised close to $50,000 on behalf of International Aid Charity with Donorbox Peer-to-Peer. Donations helped feed refugees in Gaza, Turkey, or Afghanistan during Ramadan:
Amplify Your Ramadan Fundraising with Donorbox Peer-to-Peer
Be sure to market your fast-a-thon to spread awareness and ensure participants. Create an attractive event page online and include all the relevant information for guests using an event ticketing tool like Donorbox Events. See the example below:
Sell Tickets to Your Fast-a-Thon with Donorbox Events
Set up a virtual group chat or forum on platforms like Slack or WhatsApp and encourage participants to share regular updates on the day of your fast-a-thon.
This will increase engagement and keep everyone motivated until the breaking of the fast.
Most people don’t carry cash, so be sure to facilitate cashless giving during your iftar, when everyone comes together to break the fast.
Use an in-person fundraising app to collect cashless donations. For example, Donorbox Live™ transforms your tablet or Android smartphone into a powerful mobile giving station so guests can donate swiftly using their credit/debit cards and digital wallets.
Raise More This Ramadan with Donorbox
This is also a great way to collect valuable donor information for future outreach.
After the iftar, provide a platform to share motivations for participation and interfaith dialogue. Many other religions and cultures have interesting fasting principles, so encourage guests to share and connect on a deeper level.
Alternatively, have committee members representing different religions and cultures lead a more formal discussion.
If you’re appointing a Muslim guest speaker, have them share interesting facts about Islam and educate attendees about Islamic traditions and values. This person can create conversation cards ahead of time to encourage dialogue and facilitate formal discussions effectively.
As an Islamic charity, this is also a good opportunity to educate new supporters about your mission and impact on the ummah thus far.
Check out this Donorbox webinar where Sarah Ali, Executive Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Network and international fundraising consultant, shares powerful fundraising strategies to double your donations during Ramadan:
A fast-a-thon can help you effectively engage supporters while raising awareness of Islamic traditions like fasting during Ramadan. Since nearly 70% of American Muslims donate to charity during Ramadan, it’s also the perfect opportunity to collect donations for worthy causes.
100,000+ organizations – including Islamic charities and masjids – trust Donorbox’s powerful fundraising features to help them raise mission-critical funds so they can continue supporting the needy. And you can, too.
If you haven’t already, sign up to start fundraising and make it easy for the ummah to support your organization.
For more fundraising tips and ideas, visit our Nonprofit Blog.
Fast-a-thons are typically held by Islamic organizations, masjids, Muslim student groups, and interfaith organizations. While anyone can host a fast-a-thon, make sure you partner with a Muslim community member so your event aligns with Islamic practices and traditions.
Set up an online donation form to collect fasting pledges and use an event ticketing tool for promoting and selling tickets online. Fundraising platforms like Donorbox offer intuitive peer-to-peer fundraising tools and additional features to make events like fast-a-thons a success.
Fundraising platforms like Donorbox offer powerful event ticketing and registration software for registering participants for a fast-a-thon. In addition to this, look for platforms offering robust online fundraising tools, like highly customizable donation forms and fundraising pages.
Jamy-Lee has over 7 years of experience in copywriting and content marketing. With experience teaching in underserved communities and volunteering for animal rescue organizations, she has a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by mission-driven organizations. She now uses her passion for writing to share practical insights that help nonprofits fulfill their missions.
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