LaunchGood, a fundraising platform for Muslims that has raised more than $318 million since it launched in 2013, didn’t start out as a philanthropic platform. Chris Blauvelt, its co-founder and CEO, initially wanted to create a platform to help Muslim artists, musicians and filmmakers raise money for their creative projects.
But he said that as soon as it launched, people were much more interested in raising money for charity. “That’s where Muslims’ hearts really are,” he said.
Zakat, the practice of Muslims contributing a portion of their wealth to those in need, is one of the five pillars of Islam — and an integral part of Ramadan. Since 2015, LaunchGood has hosted a Ramadan Challenge, which allows users to search through vetted charitable campaigns. They can also automate their giving for all 30 days of Ramadan or the last 10 nights.
Blauvelt, who was previously a film producer, said that his new passion is the “storytelling that comes with fundraising” which inspires people to give.
Earlier this month, The Times asked readers to share how they were giving back for Ramadan. As the holy month draws toward its end with Eid al-Fitr, tell us more of your stories by filling out our form.
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