The most common question a masjid treasurer hears is some version of “Is my Zakat going to Zakat?” Donors want to know that obligatory charity is kept apart from the building fund and the utility bills. The easiest way to answer that question is to never mix the money in the first place.
One cause per type of giving
Give each type of giving its own cause, so every donation arrives already labelled:
- Zakat al-Maal, for obligatory annual Zakat, distributed to eligible recipients.
- Zakat al-Fitr, the per-person amount collected before Eid prayer.
- General Sadaqah, voluntary charity your committee can direct where it is needed.
- Lillah, for the running of the masjid itself: utilities, maintenance, staff.
Because the donor picks the cause before the chat opens, the WhatsApp message already says “I would like to donate to Zakat al-Maal”. Nobody has to ask, and nobody has to guess later.
Group causes into funds
Funds are the shelves your causes sit on. A typical masjid might use Zakat, Sadaqah, Building & Sadaqah Jariyah, Ramadan and Education. Donors browse by fund on your giving page, and your reports can be read the same way.
Preset amounts that match real decisions
Offer amounts that mean something: the local Zakat al-Fitr amount per person, $50 or $100 for Sadaqah, a monthly option for Lillah. A donor who taps “$12 × 4 people” has made a decision in one step.
Ask your scholar, then write it down
Rulings on who may receive Zakat and how it can be distributed vary, so agree the policy with your imam or a trusted scholar and put a short version in the cause description. A single sentence such as “Distributed to eligible local families before the end of Ramadan” answers most questions before they are asked.