(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) It's been only over four months in 2014 and contributions on Oman's only online donations portal, which facilitates donations to ten charities, have reached record levels. The portal had collected RO100,014.72 till mid-day on May 20 and is set to pass the yearly record of RO214,669.15 achieved in 2013 with ease this year.
Since its launch in 2009, the portal has seen continuos increase in the amount raised annually. From just RO1,824 in 2009, it went up to RO13,128 in 2010 and since 2011 has crossed the RO100,000 mark. It had received RO111,206 in 2011 and RO111,454 in 2012, while breaking the RO200,000 barrier for the first time in 2013.
This year the portal received a record sum of RO30,445.05 in January, which is way above the monthly average witnessed in the past.
In February, the donations came down to RO22,855.82, falling a little more in March to 17,359.70, while April saw a slight increase with RO21,980.20. Till May 20, the portal had collected another RO7,373.95.
With Ramadan approaching, the portal is expected to attract more donations as the holy month records the largest sum received in a calendar year.
The highest collection for Ramadan was witnessed in 2011 when the portal received RO74,336. It generated RO61,072 in the holy month of 2013 and RO41,561 in 2012.
The portal, which was set up in cooperation with the Information Technology Authority (ITA) and Ministry of Social Development in 2009, has since collected RO552,295.87 through 25,048 donors. It has been a one-stop portal for anyone looking to help the needy, whether in the form of zakat, sadaqah (voluntary charity) or to various initiatives run by the participating ten charities.
The portal's success could be ascribed to rapid development of information technology in the country and its access to common people. 'The purpose of the donations portal is to provide an opportunity for citizens and residents to make online donations to a charity of their choice. Designed for simplicity, making a donation is as easy as making a payment using a credit card authorised by an Omani bank.
In the past, physically visiting a particular charity for donations was a difficult process, but with the portal it is just a click away,' ITA states in its message to the portal visitors. Among the top three charities to receive the largest donations till date, Oman Charitable Organization is placed first with RO303,941 collected through 12,770 donors, followed by Dar al Atta'a with RO137,916.63 through 5,813 donors and Al Rahma Charity Team with RO77,758.24 through 4,341 donations.
The three charities are also the largest beneficiaries in 2014, with Oman Charitable Organization receiving RO46,084 till May 20, followed by Al Rahma Charity Team getting RO30,296.89 and Dar al Atta'a with RO17,641.83.
As for the top causes to attract donations in 2014, sadaqah leads with RO24,824, followed by Syria Help Campaign with RO19,358 and Orphans Care with RO19,296.
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