# Ramadan Giving

> Pack four hundred iftar boxes in the afternoon and hand them out at the roadside before sunset. The only CSR package in the catalog where the team meets the people they are helping.

Package J-04 from Offsyte, corporate recreation in the UAE · [CSR & Wellbeing](https://offsyte.ae/catalog/corporate-csr-and-volunteering/) · Web page: https://offsyte.ae/packages/ramadan-giving/

- **Duration:** 4 hrs
- **Ideal start time:** 14:00 — packing done by 16:30, distribution finished before the call to prayer
- **Departure window:** 13:30–15:00
- **Group size:** 30 min — 150 max
- **Emirate / venue:** Dubai or Sharjah — packing venue plus a permitted distribution point
- **Season:** Ramadan only. Ramadan 2027 runs approximately 8 February – 9 March
- **Booking lead time:** 21 days — the distribution permit, not the boxes

## Price per person, excluding 5% VAT

| Group size | Per person | Billed for at least |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| 30–59 people | AED 400 | 48 people |
| 60–99 people | AED 350 | — |
| 100+ people | AED 310 | — |

A group smaller than a band's "billed for at least" figure is still served, and is invoiced for that many people.
Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 53–59 are billed as 60 people at the rate for 60–99 people; groups of 89–99 are billed as 100 people at the rate for 100+ people.

Payment: 50% advance on signature. 100% cleared 3 working days before the event. Numbers lock 7 days prior.

## Why this is not the retail version

Every company in the UAE distributes iftar boxes in Ramadan, and a great many do it by writing a cheque to a charity. That is a perfectly good thing to do and it costs the price of the boxes.

**The difference here is that the team is in the van.** J-03 Pack for Good produces a pallet that somebody else delivers; this one goes to the distribution point and hands the boxes over. That single change is why this is the package people talk about the following year — **most of a UAE workforce has never met the people who build the city they live in**, and forty minutes at a roadside distribution point in February is not something a briefing can substitute for.

**The permit is the second thing, and it is the reason this cannot be self-organised.** Roadside distribution in Dubai and Sharjah requires permission and a designated point; a company that turns up with boxes and good intentions is creating a traffic incident and a compliance problem. The 21-day lead time is that permit.

**And the timing is the third.** Finishing at 18:30, before maghrib, so recipients have their box before they break their fast and attendees go home to break theirs. An event that runs past the call to prayer has misunderstood what it is doing.

## Timeline

- **14:00** — Arrival at the packing venue. Gahwa and dates for those not fasting, quietly and to one side
- **14:15** — Charity partner briefing — who receives these, where they work, what a labourer's iftar looks like without one
- **14:35** — Packing-line briefing. Stations set, target called
- **14:45** — The line runs. Teams compete, live count board
- **16:15** — Count-out, quality check, loading into vans
- **16:45** — Transfer to the permitted distribution point
- **17:15** — Distribution. Teams hand boxes directly, with the charity partner's staff alongside
- **18:15** — Boxes finished. Group photograph
- **18:30** — Close — before maghrib, so everyone breaks their fast where they choose

## Included

- Packing venue, half day (or the client's own space at a AED 1,400 reduction)
- All packing goods — iftar box contents, cartons, labels, sealing
- Charity partner — briefing, quality standard, recipient identification
- Distribution permit and route plan
- Vans and loading for the distribution leg
- Gahwa, dates and refreshments for non-fasting attendees
- Facilitated packing line with live count board
- Branded welcome setup
- Photographer, half day — 40+ retouched stills within 5 working days
- Same-day 60-second social edit
- Impact pack — box count, charity receipt, signed certificate, photo set licensed to the client
- Event coordinator on site

## Not included

- Iftar meal for attendees — deliberately, see below
- Additional box contents beyond the standard specification
- Branded t-shirts
- 5% VAT

## Weather and backup plan

- **Trigger:** Rain at the distribution point — uncommon in February but not rare.
- **Fallback:** The packing half always runs, indoors and unaffected. If distribution cannot go ahead, the boxes are handed to the charity partner for next-day delivery, the group is told before they load, and a AED 45/person reduction applies — the team did not get the part they came for and should not pay for it.
- **You are told by:** By 13:00 on the day.

## Customisation options

- Additional 200 boxes: AED 5,200
- Premium box specification — dates, laban, hot meal: AED 18/box
- Second distribution point: AED 2,400/event
- Beneficiary community visit with the charity partner: AED 2,800/event
- Branded t-shirts: AED 45–90/person
- Videographer + edited reel: AED 1,200
- Combine with an [I-06 Suhoor Majlis](I-06-suhoor-majlis.md) the same evening: Priced on I-06

## Questions about Ramadan Giving

### How much does Ramadan Giving cost per person?

AED 400 per person for 30–59 people; AED 350 per person for 60–99 people; AED 310 per person for 100+ people. All figures exclude 5% VAT. A group below a band's minimum chargeable size is billed at that minimum: 48 people in the 30–59 band. Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 53–59 are billed as 60 people at the rate for 60–99 people; groups of 89–99 are billed as 100 people at the rate for 100+ people.

### How long does Ramadan Giving take, and when does it start?

4 hrs. Ideal start: 14:00 — packing done by 16:30, distribution finished before the call to prayer. Departure window: 13:30–15:00.

### What is not included in Ramadan Giving?

Iftar meal for attendees — deliberately, see below; Additional box contents beyond the standard specification; Branded t-shirts; 5% VAT. These are stated before enquiry rather than raised at invoice time.

### What happens to Ramadan Giving if the weather turns?

Trigger: Rain at the distribution point — uncommon in February but not rare. Fallback: The packing half always runs, indoors and unaffected. If distribution cannot go ahead, the boxes are handed to the charity partner for next-day delivery, the group is told before they load, and a AED 45/person reduction applies — the team did not get the part they came for and should not pay for it. You are told: By 13:00 on the day.

### How far in advance do we need to book Ramadan Giving?

The booking lead time is 21 days — the distribution permit, not the boxes. Ramadan and December dates book out first.

## Read before you book

- [Corporate volunteering in the UAE: CSR that counts](https://offsyte.ae/blog/corporate-volunteering-csr-uae/): What makes corporate volunteering in the UAE count as real CSR — a licensed partner, logged hours, a receipt — and the permit most companies miss.

Request a proposal: https://offsyte.ae/enquire/?package=J-04 · proposals@offsyte.ae