18 Awesome (and Creative) Ways to Give back this Ramadan

We’ve put together a list of some of the most pressing issues facing the community and world this Ramadan that need your support! From the Floods in Pakistan to your backyard, here are several ways you can help and take action during this blessed month to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Some require a simple monetary donation, while others just some time to volunteer. There’s even contests where you can win amazing prizes and a site that promotes reviews for charity- ways you can give back to your community that you never even though of! Pass along this list to family and friends inshAllah!  And don’t stop here, take initiative and see what’s going on in your neighborhood. Remember there’s always a way to give, even a smile is an act of charity (sadaqa).

(Check out Feature Organizations helping Pakistan in our Post – Below)

Islamic Relief UK – Emergency Appeal – Helping the Flood Victims in Pakistan

1. Zaytuna College – The First Muslim College in America located in Berkeley, California needs your support this year as the First Inaugural Freshman Class comes aboard!

2. M100 Foundation –   M100 Foundation is taking Sadaqa to a whole new level. Through the support of the community, this Ramadan they are giving out grants every day. Known as the 30/30 Campaign, M100 has already received National attention for their work and situated itself as one of the leading grant giving organizations in the MD/VA/DC Area. Check out their blog and help them as they come down the home stretch of raising $30,000 this Ramadan for the community.

3. 60 Second Sadaqa Video Contest - We had to give a major shout-out to this opportunity since our Team at the Creative Muslims Blog is leading this endeavor in collaboration with M100 Foundation. Submit a 60 Second Video Clip showing us what you are doing in your community this Ramadan – we want to share your inspiring stories with the Nation. And what’s in it for you? You have a chance at winning tickets to Poetic Vision Tour, a Flip Cam and even an Apple iPAD!

4. HalalTrip Reviews for Charity – For every review you submit online, HalalTrip will donate a $1 to charity. What are you waiting for? This is a quick and fun way to give back, just by sitting at your computer at home. They also have an awesome contest – share a creative way you are promoting their Ramadan Campaign and you could win a Camcorder, a Muslim Friendly Travel Package or $50 in Amazon money. Sounds like a great Eid gift, don’t you think?

5. Islamic Relief - There’s no doubt, helping the flood victims in Pakistan is on everyone’s mind this Ramadan. Islamic Relief has an Emergency Appeal. They are asking for donations so that they can provide clean drinking water, food and supplies. An estimated 17 million people have been affected, and they need all the support they can get.

6. Day of Dignity 2010 – Philly, Atlanta, Dallas, Flint, Baltimore and Detroit will have Day of Dignity in their city during Ramadan this year. Day of Dignity is supported by Islamic Relief. The community comes together to volunteer their time to give back and help those in society who are facing hardships during these tough economic times. Find out how you can help in your city on their website.

7. Zakat Foundation & Several More Organizations Helping Pakistan! - We found out via MuslimMatters.org that Zakat Foundation is also one of many prominent organizations helping the flood victims in Pakistan. Help them provide food, clothing and shelter by donating today. Other well known organizations helping the Flood Victims include:  Edhi Foundation (the largest welfare organization in Pakistan with over 300 centers across the country), Helping Hand ( raising a $5 Million Relief Fund), Oxfam America, and  Islamic Relief UK (they have photos and high quality video footage on their site of their daily work in Pakistan helping the Flood Victims – see video at the top of this post).

8. Heal the Hood – IMAN Central – Known as the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, IMAN Central has launched a Ramadan Campaign to raise $50,000 to improve the health and safety of neighborhoods in Chicago. What do we find amazing about their organization? Their the people that bring you Takin it to the Streets (an event that brings thousands in the community together around Arts & Culture every year in Chicago), they also have an abundance of services, including a no-cost Health Clinic for the Community, Career Development Courses and Youth Groups. Did we mention that they are on top of the latest Social Media Tools – Find them on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.

9. Google Crisis Response – If you haven’t heard, even Google has a page dedicated to helping the Flood Victims in Pakistan. You can use your phone to donate to two organizations exclusively featured on Google’s Crisis Response Page for Pakistan – Islamic Relief and Unicef. There’s also two more news worthy tools you can find on the page – a People Search Finder and a Resource Monitoring Tool for Crisis Responders. Pass this information along inshAllah.

10. Charity Water – I had to mention these guys because their mission is simple and beautiful – To provide clean safe drinking water to every single person in the world. There’s a promo video on YouTube of their story and their message that I watched several months ago. Trust me – when you hear the simplicity of their mission and what they are doing to make their mission a reality, it will leave you in tears. Check out the video. If your birthday’s in September, or heck, any day of the year this video speaks to you. Watch it and you’ll know what I mean.

11. HalfDate – A unique way of promoting sadaqa in the community. Suggest a project and HalfDate promotes and raises money. Their current campaign is “My Sadaqa Buffet”.

12. Demand Mooz-lum to Come to Your City – Supporting Arts & Culture in our community and in this case a movie about the Muslim American Identity can go a long way in helping people understand the muslim community and Islam. Mooz-lum, directed by Qasim Basir, has already captivated the attention of mainstream news outlets including Illume Magazine, Huffington Post, and the Chicago Tribune.

13. Free Rice - Free Rice was all the craze a year ago, let’s keep this idea going. The more you play this fun “Define the Word” game online, the more rice you will donate to those in need. Build your vocabulary and feed the hungry! It’s a win-win situation for all. This project is a part of the UN World Food Programme.

14. Pepsi Refresh Project – Pepsi is giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to people, businesses and non-profits that will have a positive impact on the community. Every month they will accept 1,000 submissions for ideas. And they will open up the voting polls to let the nation vote on who should receive funding. Have an amazing idea?, submit your application today to be ready for the next round. Also don’t forget to vote!  Two organizations we found that support muslim endeavors were Projected H.O.M.E in Baltimore (championed by the Muslim Social Services Agency) and Distributing Book Bags with School Supplies to Inner City Kids (championed by Young Muslims of North America).

15. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – CAIR is raising $250,000 this Ramadan to support their work on Civil Rights, Challenging Islamophobia and Sponsor a Quran project. Do you know someone who would like a copy of the Quran? Let them know that they can Request a Quran at the Explore the Quran Project, a CAIR initiative that has received National Attention from sources such as the New York Times, ABC News, and the Washington Post.

16. Follow Attia Nasar – We had to mention her idea because it’s one of the most creative we’ve seen by far! Attia Nasar is a public diplomacy graduate student at Syracuse University. For every new follower that she recieves on Twitter during this Blessed month, she has committed to donating $1 to charity to help the Flood Victims in Pakistan. RT the following to spread the message – “@attianasar: Every new follower I get for the month of#Ramadan I will donate $1 to support #pkfloods pls RT! (I have 428 right now).”

17.  ReliefWorks FeedMe Campaign – Reliefworks promotes local relief efforts through the Islamic arts, music and inspiration. They are fighting to end hunger in Canada with Meal Exchange. Their FeedMe Winter Campaign, started last Christmas runs until September 15th of this year. How can you help? You can attend their events and register as a Leader In Deed to collect donations from your community. Prominent muslims/groups who support this initiative include Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Imam Zaid Shakir,  MSA Nationals, and CAMP Toronto.

18. Your Masjid, Your MSA, Your Community Needs you – Whether its preparing for Fast-a-thon, volunteering to coordinate masjid iftars, connecting with your local schools donation drives, your community needs you.

Tell us what your supporting this Ramadan by leaving us a message below!