Ambassador Training

ANFIQ's ambassador training workshop provides a unique opportunity for Masjids and Islamic institutions to mobilize their local community before an upcoming fundraising campaign. Attendees learn practical tips on how to raise funds for their local Masjid's multi-million dollar project or for the expansion project of the Islamic schools their children attend. The burden of raising funds for such large projects cannot and should not be placed on the shoulders of a few people running an organization.

By involving members of the local community and forming an ambassador team, it becomes a joint and collaborative effort to raise funds for the institutions that serve us all.

Ambassadors are members of an organization's local community who are, in one way or another, associated with that organization. They are the regular attendees of a Masjid, members of a volunteer committee, or educators at a weekend Islamic school.

Each ambassador has the ability to leverage his or her contacts in different ways. In fact, ambassadors add a variable dimension to a fundraising campaign because we all have different sets of contacts. Some of us may have old friends from University who are open to supporting a Masjid project that is in the area that we live in. Some of us may know people who are considered 'celebrities' and can influence the visibility of a campaign, making it go viral on social media. Others may be able to connect with individuals willing to make generous donations for a worthy cause.

By equipping ambassadors with the necessary tools and knowledge, organizations have a better chance of raising their needed funds within the required time.

As mentioned before, ambassadors add an invaluable dimension to a fundraising campaign and have the ability to sway the results of a campaign beyond imagination. Ambassadors need not know wealthy or successful business people in order to feel they can contribute to the success of a campaign. With some careful consideration, coordination, and guidance, ambassadors can leverage their contacts to the fullest.

At the workshop, we introduce the fundamental principle of fundraising and get attendees thinking about the reasons people choose to donate. We also categorize contacts and explain in practical ways how one can reach out to his or her contacts using both direct and indirect methods. We mainly focus on online techniques of reaching one's contacts, although there are some offline ideas that we also discuss. We present the benefits of storytelling in the nonprofit industry and how ambassadors can be transformed into storytellers, telling powerful stories about the positive impact their Masjid or Islamic Centre is making on its local community. Topics covered at the workshop include:

• The fundamental principle of fundraising: Ask and you Shall be Given!
• Why do people donate and what are the main aspects of a campaign that influence one's decision to donate?
• Guidelines to follow when reaching out to contacts and the online tools to use
• Examples of practical things done by ambassadors of previous campaigns that led to generous donations
• How storytelling can benefit a Masjid or Islamic institution and how ambassadors can become effective storytellers

Organizations that hosted an Ambassador Training Workshop in the Past

• Darul Khair Center, Stouffville in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada
• Hamilton Downtown Mosque in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Tarbiyah Learning Academy in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Al-Furqan School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Islamic Society of Kingston in Kingston, Ontario, Canada
• École Ibn Batouta in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada