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Voluntary Sector Review
An international journal of third sector research, policy and practice

Analysing the donor behaviour of a Muslim diaspora in Australia

Authors: Aila Khan1, Siddharth Jain1, and Bruce Cameron1
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  • 1 Western Sydney University, , Australia
Article Category:
Research Article
Copyright:
© Policy Press 2022
Online Publication Date:
11 Jan 2022
Pages:
1–20
Publisher:
Policy Press
Volume/Issue:
Early View
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1332/204080521X16377818399015
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Diaspora communities are an important source of charitable giving to their original homelands. This study explores a Muslim diaspora's motivations behind donation-giving. A two-year donation dataset of an overseas charity organisation registered in Australia was analysed. Findings show that, overall, donations are significantly related to the prevailing consumer confidence levels (r = 0.4277). However, there was also a strong, inverse correlation (r = - 0.4376) during 2020, suggesting that the plummeting consumer sentiment during COVID-19 did not impact donation revenue. As expected, during periods of religious significance (Ramadan) across both years, donations to the charity increased substantially, with the relative effect of Ramadan calculated as over 800%. This study makes a contribution by providing insights to donor behaviour through the examination of a donation dataset. This study also uses ‘causal impact analysis’ to calculate the effect of Ramadan on donations. Results have implications for the not-for-profit sector in Australia and other countries with Muslim diaspora communities. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

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