Ramadan begins Monday evening. Whether you’ve been planning for months or you’re just now thinking about your charitable giving, this Ramadan giving guide has everything you need.
Consider this your one-stop resource. We’ll cover what to give, how to give, and the different vehicles available through AMCF — so you can choose what fits your situation and goals.
Let’s make this Ramadan your most intentional yet.
The Ramadan Giving Landscape
Before diving into logistics, let’s establish the framework.
Zakat is your obligatory charity — 2.5% of your zakatable wealth if you meet the nisab threshold and have held that wealth for a full lunar year. Zakat has specific rules about who can receive it (the eight categories in Quran 9:60), and it must be calculated precisely. If you haven’t calculated yours yet, use our zakat calculator to determine your obligation.
Sadaqah is voluntary charity — any amount, any time, to any cause. There’s no minimum, no calculation required, and the recipients don’t have to fall into zakat categories. Sadaqah is where you have complete flexibility.
Both matter. Zakat is obligatory worship. Sadaqah is beloved voluntary worship. Most Muslims give both during Ramadan.
The Last 10 Nights are when giving intensifies. Laylat al-Qadr — the Night of Power — falls on one of the odd nights in the final ten days of Ramadan. Worship on this night is better than a thousand months. Many Muslims spread their giving across all ten nights to ensure they catch it, or concentrate their largest gifts on the night most likely to be Laylat al-Qadr (the 27th night, which falls Saturday evening, March 15 this year).
The case for planning: Rushed giving at 2am on the 27th night means hasty decisions, forgotten organizations, and potential errors in your zakat calculation. The best Ramadan giving is planned Ramadan giving — with execution happening whenever you choose. A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) can help you track your historical contributions, so you better remember the amounts and specific projects you funded.
Your Ramadan Giving Guide: Options Through AMCF
Here’s everything available to you this Ramadan, all in one place.
1. Give Through Your DAF
If you already have a DAF with AMCF, Ramadan giving is simple. Your account is funded, your tax deduction is already secured, and granting takes about 30 seconds per charity.
Log in, select your recipient organization, enter the amount, fill up your giving cart, and submit. Whether it’s 10pm after tarawih or 3am during tahajjud, your giving infrastructure is ready.
If you have a DAF at another platform, it’s easy to transfer to AMCF. Simply open a DAF with AMCF and select AMCF as a recipient from your existing DAF. Choose a platform that aligns with your faith-based values.
Don’t have a DAF yet? Keep reading.
2. Open a DAF or Giving Account
It’s not too late to set yourself up — if not for this Ramadan, then for the rest of the year and beyond.
Our standard Donor Advised Fund has a suggested opening contribution of $2,500 and typically takes 5-7 business days to open and fund. If you start now, you may be able to use it during the last ten nights.
Our Giving Account has a lower suggested contribution of $1,000 and may process faster. It’s a great entry point if you’re new to DAFs.
Either way, you’ll have the only Shariah-compliant DAF in the United States — your charitable dollars invested according to Islamic principles while they wait to be distributed.
3. Support AMCF Operations
Here’s something most people don’t think about: behind every grant AMCF processes is infrastructure. Fund accounting. Compliance review. Investment management. Staff expertise.
When you support AMCF’s operations, your gift powers the system that moves millions of dollars to nonprofits. Your $100 helps facilitate thousands of grants annually. This is giving that multiplies.
Operational gifts are sadaqah (not zakat-eligible), but they’re powerful sadaqah — you share in the reward of every grant we process.
4. Give to a Nonprofit Endowment
Want your Ramadan gift to last forever? Consider giving to one of the 21 nonprofit endowments AMCF hosts.
An endowment is invested permanently. Only the returns are distributed, which means your gift keeps giving year after year, generation after generation. This is sadaqa jariya — perpetual charity — in its purest form.
You can support an existing endowment for a cause you care about, or talk to us about establishing one.
5. Join the Women’s Giving Circle
Collective giving multiplies impact. AMCF’s Women’s Giving Circle brings Muslim women together to pool resources, learn about philanthropy, and make grants as a group.
Joining during Ramadan means your membership contribution — and your share of the collective grants — carries the blessings of the month.
Learn about the Women’s Giving Circle →
6. Donate Appreciated Assets
If you have stocks, mutual funds, or cryptocurrency that have gained value, donating them directly can be more tax-efficient than selling and donating cash.
You avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation and receive a deduction for the full market value. It’s one of the smartest ways to give — and it works for both zakat and sadaqah.
Tools to Help You This Ramadan
We’ve built resources to make your giving easier:
Zakat Calculator — Walk through your assets step by step and calculate your exact obligation. No guessing, no estimating. Calculate your zakat →
The Power of Us Hub — Our complete Ramadan campaign page with all giving options, impact stories, and ways to get involved. Explore the hub →
Your Ramadan Giving Guide: A Summary
| If You Want To… | Consider… |
| Simplify giving all year | Opening a DAF |
| Make giving during Ramadan effortless | Funding your existing DAF |
| Multiply your impact | Supporting AMCF operations |
| Create perpetual charity | Giving to an endowment |
| Give collectively with other women | Joining the Women’s Giving Circle |
| Maximize tax efficiency | Donating appreciated assets |
| Calculate zakat accurately | Using our zakat calculator |
However You Give, You’re Part of Something Bigger
Since 2016, AMCF has distributed over $26 million to more than 1,000 nonprofits. We manage 55+ Donor Advised Funds and steward 21 nonprofit endowments — all with Shariah-compliant investing.
This Ramadan, however you choose to give, you’re joining a community of Muslim donors who believe in strategic, values-aligned philanthropy.
That’s the power of us.