Al-Salam: Accessible Donations and Easy Management of Charitable Projects via CS-Cart
The Al-Salam Charitable Organization provides assistance to those in need in Middle Eastern countries. Their main areas of focus include humanitarian aid, educational programs, and projects aimed at improving living and health conditions. Al-Salam actively works to reduce poverty, provide access to education and healthcare, and supports initiatives aimed at sustainable development and improving the quality of life in vulnerable communities.
Field: Charity Country: Kuwait Website: Al-Salam
When Al-Salam approached us, they already had several donation collection websites that were not built on CS-Cart. The client needed a unified, modern, and user-friendly platform that could bring together existing ideas and features. We had previous experience creating similar projects, such as Direct Aid, Tanmeia, and IICO, so we suggested using the CS-Cart platform as a foundation, which had proven itself to be a reliable tool for creating websites for charitable organizations.
Key Objectives:
- Create a unified donation website that would integrate all previous developments.
- Provide a simple and secure interface for users.
- Automate donation management and reporting processes.
- Develop a flexible platform that could scale as the number of projects and donors grows.
We started with a detailed analysis of the client’s requirements, developed prototypes and designs that ensure ease of use. The design considered the necessary functionality for a donation collection service.
What We Did:
Created a Donation Platform
For Al-Salam, we developed a donation system, adapting the CS-Cart platform to meet the needs of charitable organizations. In a traditional online store, shoppers add products to a cart and proceed with an order for delivery. In our project, instead of products, there are charitable initiatives – for example, fundraising for medical aid or educational programs for orphaned children.
- Each initiative is displayed as a card with a description and suggested donation amounts. The user can select a campaign, specify an amount, and add it to their cart. Importantly, users can support several projects at once by adding them to the cart, just like regular products.
- The donation checkout process mirrors the experience of purchasing in an online store – the user selects a payment method, and after the transaction is completed, the funds are sent to the platform and directed to the respective charitable program accounts. There is no delivery stage.
- When providing an email or phone number, donors receive notifications about their donations, and administrators can set up alerts about completed campaigns or other significant events, helping to monitor the process.
- We retained the familiar and convenient CS-Cart interface, while modifying it to suit the needs of charitable organizations, making the process as simple as possible for users.
Grouping Projects into Large Campaigns
We added the ability to group individual projects into large charitable campaigns. For example, if funds are being raised to send humanitarian aid to different countries, each project can represent a fundraiser for one truckload of supplies. The campaign brings all these projects together, and donors can make a single donation that will be automatically distributed among all the trucks delivering humanitarian aid to various regions.
Implemented a Referral Program
For Al-Salam, we developed a modern referral system that incentivizes partners to attract donors by offering rewards for doing so. An administrator can register a partner in the system, assigning them the status of “affiliate,” after which the partner receives a unique referral code. This code can be shared through popular regional channels, such as WhatsApp or during live streams.
When a new donor follows the referral link and makes a donation, the system tracks this action and automatically credits the partner with a percentage of the donation amount. The entire system operates without the administrator’s involvement – rewards are assigned automatically.
For tracking partner activity and program effectiveness, there is a management panel where it’s possible to see how many donors each partner has attracted and to which projects donations have been made. The administrator can also generate reports to analyze the effectiveness of the affiliate program.
This system allows Al-Salam to increase the number of donors through partner networks, making cooperation beneficial for all parties.
Project Licensing Functionality
In some countries, organizations are required to obtain permits from government authorities to start fundraising. For Al-Salam, we added the ability to attach licenses to charitable projects, which helps ensure compliance with all legal requirements.
Improved Payment Methods
Regional Payments
For the convenience of Al-Salam’s users, we integrated regional payment systems and methods such as Knet and Fatoorah. These services are suitable for the various countries in which Al-Salam operates, including Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and others. Depending on the user’s location, the system offers available payment methods, making the process as convenient as possible for donors. Moreover, payment methods are available directly on the project card, without the need to add a project to the cart or log in.
Subscriptions
We also implemented a recurring donation feature, allowing donors to automate their contributions. A user can choose a campaign, set up regular payments (e.g., monthly), and specify a fixed amount. The system will automatically deduct funds from the donor’s card at the scheduled times.
This makes donations more convenient for donors, freeing them from having to manually confirm each payment. For Al-Salam, such a system ensures steady income, helping to better plan long-term projects.
Internal E-Wallet
We also added an internal e-wallet to Al-Salam’s system, which can be topped up and used for donations. This allows donors to pre-fund their wallets and then quickly and conveniently pay for donations without the need to re-enter payment details each time.
Unique Design
When creating the interface for the Al-Salam platform, we considered all the necessary functions and integrations to make it as user-friendly as possible.
Homepage
Project Page
Shopping Cart
Personal Account
Gift Certificates
We implemented the option to make donations in honor of another person using gift certificates. Users can select a charitable campaign, make a donation in someone else’s name, and send them an e-card notifying them of the donation. This feature makes the donation process even more personal and meaningful.
Extended Reporting
For Al-Salam, we developed a unique, extended reporting system that helps administrators monitor the effectiveness of campaigns. This was the first charitable service in our experience where there was a need for such flexible and diverse reporting options:
- It is possible to gather summary information for all projects or divide them into categories.
- There are several report export options: only donations, only emails, only referral partners, etc.
- It is possible to set custom time periods.
Integration of UTM Tags and Short Links
For Al-Salam, we implemented the ability to create UTM tags and short links for promoting charitable campaigns. UTM tags help track where donors come from – social media, email campaigns, or other channels. This provides accurate data on which channels perform best.
Short links make it easier to share project information. Instead of long, complex links, users can share short links, which are convenient for messengers and social media posts.
We created a modern charitable service using the capabilities of CS-Cart. Accessible donations and easy management of charitable projects. This project once again demonstrated that the CS-Cart platform is effective not only for online stores but also for creating comprehensive solutions for charitable organizations.
- Flexibility for any needs. The open code of CS-Cart allows for easy adaptation of the platform to the specific needs of charitable organizations. Functions for collecting donations, payment system integration, and other key elements can be tailored to the unique requirements of the project.
- Integration with payment systems. CS-Cart supports various payment system connections, making the donation process convenient and secure for donors. This simplifies working with both international and local payment methods, increasing accessibility for various user groups.
- Automated reporting. The platform offers tools for automating reports and analytics, allowing charitable organizations to efficiently track contributions, manage funds, and analyze their activities.
- Scalability: CS-Cart is easily expandable and adaptable, allowing the platform to grow alongside an increasing number of projects and donors. Organizations can add new features and modules as needed, ensuring the long-term sustainability and development of the platform.
- Intuitive Interface: The platform offers a user-friendly and easy-to-use interface for both donors and administrators. This lowers the barrier for users, making the donation process as simple and accessible as possible, while project management remains efficient and seamless.
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