Your welfare trust runs a dastarkhwan, a school, a dispensary or a ration drive. Donations come in cash at the office, by bank transfer, through JazzCash and EasyPaisa, and in envelopes marked zakat. In Ramadan the volume jumps. Donors ask for receipts, some ask how their zakat was used, and the trustees ask whether the ration fund can lend to the school fund this month. If the answers live in a receipt book, a bank statement and a volunteer's phone, the trust is relying on goodwill instead of records.
Funds kept apart from the first rupee
The most important rule for a Pakistani trust is that money given for a purpose stays with that purpose. Zakat goes only to those eligible for it; sadqa and general donations have wider uses; a donation for a water well belongs to that project. The software makes the fund a required field on every donation, so nothing enters as unassigned. How zakat may be spent is a question for your scholars, and tax treatment of donations is a question to confirm with your tax adviser; the system's job is to keep the money traceable.
| Fund | What goes in | What the system must show |
|---|---|---|
| Zakat | Donations given as zakat | Every rupee received and each payment out, with the beneficiary |
| Sadqa and general | Sadqa, unrestricted gifts | Spending by programme and running costs |
| Project funds | Gifts for a named project: well, school, dispensary | Balance per project and progress updates |
| Ramadan and seasonal drives | Ration, iftar, Qurbani appeals | Collected against target, packs or shares delivered |
A donor CRM, not just a donor list
A donor record holds the name, phone, city, preferred language, past gifts, funds given to, and how they like to be updated. That lets the trust send a thank-you within a day, share a project photo with those who funded it, and remind regular donors before Ramadan without messaging everyone. Volunteers who collect in the field log gifts on a phone, and the office sees them at once. Our guide to CRM vs Excel helps decide when a sheet stops being enough, and WhatsApp automation for business covers sending receipts and updates.
Receipts for every gift
Each donation produces a numbered receipt with the trust's name, the donor, the amount, the fund and the date, sent on WhatsApp or email. Cash collected by volunteers is receipted in the field and handed in against their name, so the trust can match cash in hand with receipts issued.
Find or add the donor
Search by phone number; add the donor if new, with city and preferred language.
Choose the fund
Pick zakat, sadqa, general or the named project; the system does not save without one.
Record how it was paid
Cash, bank transfer, JazzCash, EasyPaisa or cheque, with the reference number.
Send the receipt
Issue the numbered receipt and share it with the donor on WhatsApp or email.
Close the day
Match cash and bank receipts against the day's donations before the next working day.
Projects and beneficiaries
Spending is recorded against a fund and a project: rations bought, fees paid, medicines issued. Where beneficiaries are registered, their records should be visible only to the staff who need them, with access set by role; our guide to roles and permissions explains how. Trustees then see each fund's balance and each project's spending on one screen. Trusts that run a school can link fee waivers and sponsored students to the right fund; our schools industry page covers the school side.
The website: where donors give and come back
A trust's website should explain its work in plain Urdu and English, show current projects with photos, list bank and wallet details, and take online donations where a payment gateway is set up, with the fund chosen on the form. Donations made online flow straight into the donor CRM. Operix builds websites in Pakistan and CRM software on the same base, so the two stay in step.
Annual reports for donors and trustees then come from the same records: money received per fund, money spent per project, and what is left, without a volunteer rebuilding the year from receipt books.
When a sheet is enough
A small trust with a few dozen donors and one programme can run on a well-kept spreadsheet and a printed receipt book. Software earns its place when volunteers collect in several areas, funds multiply, or donors start asking for updates you cannot easily give.
Operix has no NGO in its portfolio yet; we work from Old Clifton, Karachi, with on-site setup in Karachi and online setup elsewhere. Contact us with your list of funds and how donations reach you today.
Questions people ask
Can zakat and sadqa be kept separate?
Yes. Every donation must be posted to a fund, and spending is recorded against the same fund. Reports show each fund's money in and out on its own.
Can donors receive receipts on WhatsApp?
Yes. Each donation produces a numbered receipt that can be sent on WhatsApp or email, in Urdu, English or both.
Does the software decide who is eligible for zakat?
No. Eligibility is for your trustees and scholars to decide. The software records who received what from which fund, so the decision can be checked later.
Do you work with NGOs outside Karachi?
Yes, online. Operix works from Old Clifton, Karachi; trusts in other cities are set up and trained online, with visits when the project needs them.
