Donor Fatigue - Why the Lavish Marketing?

tl;dr Are multi-national charities really the most effective (spiritually and materially) modes of spending in the way of Allah? With the ever-increasing number of humanitarian issues in Muslim countries, I argue they're not.

Assalamu Alaikum Dear Reader,

It is December 19th, and I am attending the RIS conference for the 20th time. As soon as I enter the bazaar doors, I am greeted with booth after booth of large multi-national charities. It isn't just one booth per organization; some have four, with each space costing at least $2,000. That doesn't even account for the lavish banners, the professional branding, or the floor-to-ceiling LED walls playing curated videos of orphans for maximum emotional appeal. It forces me to ask: Are these multi-national models really the most effective way to spend fi sabil liLlah? I don't believe they are.

وَءَاتِ ذَا ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ حَقَّهُۥ وَٱلْمِسْكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا

Give to close relatives their due, as well as the poor and children of the roads - al Isra (17:26)

It's a Qur'anic injunction that insists we help less fortunate. The Ummah should be in inconsolable pain when our fellow Muslims are in pain in Palestine, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, Kashmir, Burma, Somalia, India, and others. We should want to dispense everything at our disposal to relieve their pains! But at what point do we question the modality in which our money is being used?

It's basic marketing that for every $1 you put in, you get some multiple back in revenue. While I understand the necessity of marketing for non-profits, the sheer scale of the overhead I witnessed - the professional branding, the high-end booth rentals, the paid speakers, the lavish marketing packages - makes me question if we have lost the spirit of sadaqah. These concerns began when I saw at our local masjid a few famous speakers give short speeches after Isha during Ramadan. They were invited to do a 'Canada Tour' for a charity. I couldn't tell you their exact speaker fees, and I’d rather not know; I’ve seen too many instances of exorbitant honorariums for lackluster appearances even for simple Zoom calls with university MSAs!

If I give $1 to a charity, I can understand some of it being used for administration costs. If you're showing me a Palestinian flag or the images of orphans, my intention is that my money goes there. Are these charity orgs sponsored by external donors for these specific operational and marketing expenses? Possibly. But the crux of the issue here is metaphysical utility in giving to charities. We saw the trucks lined up outside Gaza. Waiting. We also saw what happened to them once they entered. The solution isn't simply spending more money. The real solution is deeper; spiritual.

ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Corruption has spread on land and sea as a result of what people’s hands have done, so that Allah may cause them to taste [the consequences of] some of their deeds so perhaps they might return [to Him] - al Rum (30:41)

The injunctions to give to close relatives and being good to them often comes before listing out the other groups of people. There are starving, cold orphans in our neighbourhoods. There are children suffering from the loss of parents and caretakers. Refugees, orphans, single-parents struggling to keep their lights on. Our neighbours have more of a right to us. We should look for local orphanages, shelters, and foodbanks and help them. I know that's where my money goes.

With Peace,

Junaid

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