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HOST YOUR OWN IFTAR Guide Book

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“Whoever feeds a fasting person will have a reward like that of the fasting person, without any reduction in this reward.” [Al Tirmidhi]

Join Interpal and feed as many vulnerable Palestinians as possible this Ramadan by organising your very own charity iftar! This could be in your home, local restaurant or community centre. Share your iftar meal with your friends, family and members of your community while raising vital donations to feed the fasting in Palestine.

The minimum fundraising target is £100, which can feed 20 people in need.

Charity Iftar

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A charity iftar is great way to appeal to your friends and family to give to charity.

You can host an evening and either directly appeal for donations and/or sell tickets, with the profits going to charity.

It isn’t always necessary, but you can provide your guests with information about your cause to help your appeal.

By donating to Interpal’s Refugee Relief Programme, your guests will be providing a lifeline of support to vulnerable Palestinian refugees.

What exactly is a charity iftar?

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Although you can select any date that suits you, we have learned that the best time to organise an iftar is in the second week of Ramadan, which is when people are more likely to make arrangements with friends to eat out.

The best day to organise an iftar is a Saturday as this is when most people are available and looking for something to do.

Pick a date1

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When organising your iftar, knowing your target audience will allow you to create a much more useful and tailored plan to stick to from beginning to end.

The following are a few things to consider:

Is it a male or female only event or family orientated?

Is it predominantly for students or professionals or just your own family and friends?

How many people are you expecting?

Establish your target audience

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“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Now that you have a target and date in mind, make an action plan of what needs to be done and who will be doing it. The remaining points outlined in this document include the actions needed to be taken.

The plan should include:

Action plan: who is doing what and by when? Itinerary: Make an itinerary for the event - what time will guests arrive? What time will guest speakers speak and for how long? What time will food be served?

Be sure to factor in setting up time and packing up.

Make a plan3

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Ideal for 30+ people

Many Muslim owned restaurants offer charities a subsidised rate during Ramadan on fixed menu “iftar meals”. Come to an agreement for a discount, for example, if a meal is £10-12 per person, try to negotiate this down to £8-9 per person. This way, you can sell tickets at £10-15 and make a £2-5 profit per person before your dinner has begun.

If negotiating isn’t your forte – no problem! Simply sell tickets at the cost price and raise money on the night!

Ideal for 10+ people

If the above sounds a little daunting for you, don’t worry! Why not organise something on a smaller scale in your home and invite friends over for iftar? We can provide you with appeal videos and other resources to show how their donation can benefit the most vulnerable in Palestine.

Contact a local restaurant/Caterer

Or – Arrange an iftar in your home

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Speak to your local masjid and see if the local Imam or another person of knowledge is available to attend to give a beneficial talk to members of the community. If the masjid also has its own madrasah, ask if the children can recite Quran or perform nasheeds.

Arrange a local speaker & entertainment

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You could also try:

Contacting a nasheed artist or spoken word artist who is a member of your community to perform

Organising a fun quiz and test people’s knowledge on a given subject

Making the event Ramadan focused to make it beneficial to this holy month as well

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Contact local shops for items or upcoming artists to donate a piece and in return, offer free exposure to our large network of over 75,000 people by including their logo on the event poster.

Popular auction items include:

Canvas painting or artwork

Cake (Patisserie Valerie and Hummingbird Bakery are well known to donate cakes towards charitable causes)

Restaurant meal tickets for two

Arrange auction items6

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For public events – sponsors can donate an item for auction or donate cash.

Any amount is good, but for a small event of maximum 75 people, £50 is sufficient and can help you in terms of decorating the event, buying drinks if they are not included or covering travel expenses for special guests.

Contact local businesses for sponsorship

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Invite your family and friends, get a poster out (Interpal will make this for you) and promote your iftar on social media.

If you get stuck at any point or just need a helping hand or some advice, feel free to contact us on 020 8961 9993.

All the best!

Spread the word!8

Host your own Iftar Interpal 12Interpal is a charity registered in England & Wales: 1040094

fundraise.interpal.org