Assalamualaikum! Thank you for your interest in the Bay Area Collective Giving (BACG). Our collective started in 2017 as a means to pool $5,000 of each of our households’ annual zakat in order to create a bigger impact within the Muslim community. To date, alhamdulillah, we have given over $500,000 in zakat as a collective over six years.
We would love for you to become a part of our giving community!
Our collective represents a unique opportunity to amplify our giving power and provide significant and meaningful support to zakat-eligible projects each Ramadan. Because of the size of our pooled zakat gifts, we are able to directly interface with the heads of the institutions that we are donating to, which has provide us with unfettered access to the leadership of some of the most successful regional Muslim non-profits such as CAIR-Sacramento, Khalil Center, Bayan Claremont, Stanford Children Hospital’s Crescent Zakat Fund, and ICNA.
Our annual giving cycle commences a few months before Ramadan and closes with two large zakat gifts being donated in the final days of Ramadan each year. We have a three-tiered membership format, providing flexibility with regards to required levels of participation. All membership levels must donate the requisite $5,000 of zakat during Ramadan, plus any additional administrative fees required to process the donation. Members seeking more engagement with our collective can opt into attending two in-person meetings each giving cycle and participating in all voting. Seasoned members also have a chance to serve at the helm of our collective in a leadership capacity.
In the early months of our giving cycle, members and organizations have a chance to pitch zakat-eligible projects to our collective for our consideration. These projects are presented to us at an in-person meeting and subsequently narrowed down to two finalists by popular vote, both of which will receive a zakat gift from our collective. Our final meeting occurs during Ramadan and we are joined by the leadership of these two finalist organizations to discuss the projects they wish to get funded. Our collective then votes to decide which of the two finalist organizations will receive the larger of our two annual zakat gifts.
We look forward to further growing our zakat giving potential with you and your family, inshaAllah!
Wasalam,
The BACG Families
We would love for you to become a part of our giving community!
- Our FAQ's are a good resource for basic information regarding our collective's governance structure and the different levels of membership and corresponding engagement requirements.
- Information about our past zakat gifts can be found here.
- You can fill out our membership form here.
- Key dates for this year's giving cycle can be found here.
Our collective represents a unique opportunity to amplify our giving power and provide significant and meaningful support to zakat-eligible projects each Ramadan. Because of the size of our pooled zakat gifts, we are able to directly interface with the heads of the institutions that we are donating to, which has provide us with unfettered access to the leadership of some of the most successful regional Muslim non-profits such as CAIR-Sacramento, Khalil Center, Bayan Claremont, Stanford Children Hospital’s Crescent Zakat Fund, and ICNA.
Our annual giving cycle commences a few months before Ramadan and closes with two large zakat gifts being donated in the final days of Ramadan each year. We have a three-tiered membership format, providing flexibility with regards to required levels of participation. All membership levels must donate the requisite $5,000 of zakat during Ramadan, plus any additional administrative fees required to process the donation. Members seeking more engagement with our collective can opt into attending two in-person meetings each giving cycle and participating in all voting. Seasoned members also have a chance to serve at the helm of our collective in a leadership capacity.
In the early months of our giving cycle, members and organizations have a chance to pitch zakat-eligible projects to our collective for our consideration. These projects are presented to us at an in-person meeting and subsequently narrowed down to two finalists by popular vote, both of which will receive a zakat gift from our collective. Our final meeting occurs during Ramadan and we are joined by the leadership of these two finalist organizations to discuss the projects they wish to get funded. Our collective then votes to decide which of the two finalist organizations will receive the larger of our two annual zakat gifts.
We look forward to further growing our zakat giving potential with you and your family, inshaAllah!
Wasalam,
The BACG Families