News story

Ramadan: safer giving

Advice from the Charity Commission on how to give safely during Ramadan.

From:: The Charity Commission
Published: 18 June 2015
Last updated: 6 June 2016 — See all updates

Ramadan is a time of very generous charitable giving. People have a right to feel confident that their generosity is not abused and that their donations are being used for legitimate charitable purposes.

Ramadan video

As part of its ‘Change the picture’ campaign, the commission has produced a video encouraging people to check before they give. It illustrates how people can help make sure their generosity makes a real difference to those in need by giving to legitimate, registered charities.

Sarah Atkinson, Director of Policy and Communications at the Charity Commission said:

Ramadan is very much a time for giving, but unfortunately there are individuals prepared to exploit this. We want to ensure that the generous donations made by people from Muslim communities end up supporting the deserving causes for which they were intended. The commission is committed to ensuring that trust and confidence in charities remains high, so we would encourage the public to follow our simple tips before making donations.

Top ten tips from the commission to make sure you give safely this Ramadan:

Before giving, check the charity’s name and registration number against the online charity search tool: Find a charity – register of charities
Fundraisers require a licence from the local authority (or the Police in London) to collect in a public place. Check that they have this. If the collection is in a privately owned place, check that they have the owner’s permission.
When approached by collectors, check whether they are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed.
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.
Genuine fundraising materials should feature the charity’s name, registered name and a landline contact number. Be wary of those that list only a mobile number.
Make sure when you give to radio and television appeals that the process is secure. Ofcom lists the rules for radio and television charity appeals on its website: Licensing – Ofcom website.
Take care when responding to emails or clicking links to a charity’s website to ensure that they are genuine. Instead, search online for your chosen charity to check you have the right web address. For further guidance see: Guidance for donors – Get Safe Online.
Carefully review collection bags for clothing and household goods to ascertain whether they are from a genuine charity.
After making these checks, if you think that a collection or appeal is not legitimate, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and inform the Charity Commission: Action Fraud – Police.
Don’t be pressurised to give to a collection immediately. If in any doubt, donate directly to charity.

Safer giving posters

Change the picture City - English

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