How SGMuslims4 MigrantWorkers Took Back Control of Their Fundraising

ByZee

SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers was founded in 2018 by Ameera Aslam and Shirin Chua. It is a movement to remind the Muslim community that migrant workers also deserve zakat and continuous support. 

SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers had relied on third-party platforms to run their annual Ramadhan fundraising campaigns for seven years. 

When Ameera and Shirin posted on Instagram looking for someone to help them build their first website, I excitedly reached out. As someone who believes strongly in owning your digital home, I wanted to help them. 

The Challenges

SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers faced a couple of hurdles running fundraising campaigns on third-party platforms: transaction fees and delayed disbursement.

Transaction fees meant donors often had to top up their donations just to meet their intended zakat amount.

Delayed disbursement of funds could take between 2 to 8 weeks to be released after each campaign.

The Solution

After seven years of using third-party platforms, SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers decided to finally claim their own digital home. 

They secured their own domain name and I built their website on WordPress, with the GiveWP plugin to manage donations. Payment was set up using PayNow, a native payment system familiar to Singaporeans.

SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers website became a true digital home which carries the heart of their work. It reflects their branding and message clearly with details of current and past campaigns. The website is now the only space where donors can easily give, connect and understand their cause. 

The Results

In just 20 days, SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers raised S$82,600, a massive 65% above their original goal of S$50,000. 

It was their second-highest fundraising campaign ever.  

Testimonials

“Helped us build a brand new website that’s super user friendly and effective, which was not easy given our specs and requirements were quite unusual.” – Shirin Chua

“You took a big chunk out of the mental labour for us and we were happy to take your guidance on what the website needed.” – Ameera Aslam

Behind the Scenes

Designing and developing the SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers website was special for me. It was my first fundraising website. I wanted it to be easy for both the SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers team and donors to use the website.

I found that GiveWP offered the much needed free-from-transaction-fees application. I was also considering HitPay, which could automate payments consolidation, but it came with transaction fees and a one-day delay for disbursement. 

We went with the simplest flow: 

  1. Donors pick the amount they want to give (or enter any other amount). 
  2. Enter their name and email (or stay anonymous). 
  3. Scan the PayNow QR Code and send their donations directly to SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers.

While this meant manually tracking donations, it completely removed transaction fees. Most importantly, it gave SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers full control over when and how the funds are distributed. 

The Takeaway

This project was not just about me building a website for SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers. It was about claiming control and serving its main purpose. 

By moving their fundraising to their own site, SGMuslims4MigrantWorkers now runs their Ramadhan campaign on their terms. No delays, no hidden costs, no middlemen.

Freedom to run the fundraising their way. 

Trust boosted with their community. 

Control over disbursement of funds as soon as they can.

And that’s the beauty of owning your digital home. 

Ready to take control?
Let’s build a space that is truly yours.
Zee Tech Fairy helping you take control of your online presence.
✉️ me@ZeeTechFairy.com
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