Islamic Relief Worldwide raised a record amount of money last year as its spending exceeded £300m for the first time, its recently filed accounts show.
The charity’s overall income reached a record £276m in the 2024 calendar year, up from £275m in 2023, driven by money transferred from global Islamic Relief member charities.
Donations and legacy income from Islamic Relief’s UK operations declined by 7.1% year-on-year to £73.3m (2023: £78.9m), which the charity said reflected a “competitive and challenging fundraising environment”.
The charity spent more money on raising donations (£19.2m, up from £17.2m), driven by greater investment in donor acquisition and digital marketing, which it said would strengthen its regular giving income and yield returns within three years.
Islamic Relief’s record £304m expenditure, up from £235m the year before and more than double its spending in 2020, included £62.4m spent on livelihoods support, up from £16.9m in 2023.
The charity reported delivering aid to over 14.5 million people in 38 countries including more than 1.8 million people in both Yemen and Syria.
Islamic Relief employed 534 people on average in 2024 (2023: 494) and spent £20.6m on staff costs (2023: £18.2m).
The charity paid chief executive Waseem Ahmad £142,000 in 2024, up from £125,000 the year before.
It spent £106,000 on redundancies, up from £22,800 in 2023.
Launching the report, Ahmad said: “Thanks to our incredible global family of staff, supporters, volunteers and partners, Islamic Relief touched millions of lives in 2024.”
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