When Muslims traditionally donate, that donation is spent immediately. Of course we receive good deeds but often, that’s where the impact stops. To establish continuous good deeds with our donation, our options are limited to causes such as a mosque or maybe a water well.
But, is that the best we can do?
What if we widened our focus to include the actual, long-term impact of our donations beyond ‘good intentions’?
What if one good deed. one donation, could become many?
A story of palm trees and infinite giving
During the time of the Prophet, people would plant palm trees, sell the dates every year, and then donate money to different causes.
The benefit was clear: by planting a single palm tree, they could consistently do good, over and over again.
This simple idea, called a “waqf,” was powerful enough to sustain the Islamic civilization at its peak. How much good can we do with a digitised, global version of it?
Afterfund: a Digitised Sunnah
Our Founders fellow, Dzanan Ganic, with his co-founder Omar Yunus, launched Afterfund to enable anyone to create a lasting legacy for any cause they care about.
It’s a platform which makes your every donation perpetual. Instead of burning through it immediately, your donation gets invested in a halal investment fund that grows. The profits continuously supports the cause you picked, while your initial donation stays invested and continues multiplying.
Just like the Companions planted palm trees, Afterfund enables us today to “plant our own palm trees” that keep on giving. What does that mean for you? Over an average lifetime, with the same donation, you could create 30x larger impact.
The importance of Afterfund for building Muslim institutions
Getting a 30x larger impact for the same donation amount seems like a no-brainer from a donor’s perspective, but Afterfund believes that this approach can strategically grow and strengthen Muslim institutions as well.
Today, Muslim institutions, especially in the West, depend on ad hoc fundraising. They’re living from day to day, week to week, year to year.
When you’re stuck fundraising for today, it’s difficult to build strategically for tomorrow.
That’s why Afterfund partners with registered 501c3 nonprofits to establish long-term support for their projects. Afterfund enables them to create continuous and sustainable income.
With this approach, Afterfund is creating a network of strong, independent Muslim institutions. And it’s fueled by the next generation of Muslims, who get continuous good deeds in return.
“Afterthoughts”
Afterfund launched two pilot funds that provide meals and education. Muslims from 9 different countries joined the movement, and Afterfund is about to release its major update next week.
Find out more at Afterfund.co
