Frequently Asked Questions
Management and Governance
GLMCC is split into departments with the CEO overlooking the whole organisation.
There are five main departments, each with a dedicated lead:
1) Operations, 2) Services, 3) Fundraising & Marketing, 4) Dawah, 5) Education.
Trustees are voted in by the GLMCC membership. A term for a trustee is three years after which their position is up for re-election.
Our annual report and accounts are published every year which are audited by external auditors and provide an overview of our work. We organise an annual community open day. There is a dedicated email address, feedback@greenlanemasjid.org which is accessible to the trustees and CEO. Every last jummah of the month, the CEO and management are available for people to discuss any suggestions and feedback.
We currently employ three Imams. The role of each Iman varies from leading salah, organising Dawah lectures and engaging with youth.
At GLMCC we have qualified Imams who have graduated from prestigious Islamic universities and have strong links to some of the major scholars of our time. Every religious decision that is made is passed through them.
The process of recruitment is managed by our HR department. All roles are advertised via our marketing platforms. A team of senior managers interview candidates and after an internal discussion decide which applicant gets the job.
The current ratio of workers by gender is roughly 50:50.
Yes, we have a code of conduct that all staff and volunteers must adhere to at all times.
Finance and Fundraising
Taskforce GLM was set up as a way to collect funds to support various projects overseas, delivered by partner humanitarian charities. . The benefit of the Task Force (TFGLM) was to hold the charity partner to account and oversee the projects on behalf of our congregation. Alhamdullilah 7 years later we are still performing this function and have overseen 7+ million pounds distributed. Our Taskforce still continues to be run by volunteers.
The fundraising capacity and opportunities at the masjid are limited. In order for us to effectively raise money for our charity projects abroad, a significant proportion of the available fundraising opportunities are allocated to TFGLM including the 27th night of Ramdan where hundreds of thousands of pounds are raised. In line with a return that is average for the charity sector, the masjid does receive sponsorship money to support our projects.
At GLMCC we are careful to ensure that all funds are spent on services which benefit the community most. We oversee the delivery of over 40 unique services alhamdulillah. As a masjid, we also invest a considerable amount of money in Dawah efforts. Regular tendering takes place to ensure good value across all services. Additionally, we have a multiple approval process for recruitment and rely year-round on a large base of volunteers who offer brilliant support.
The running cost of the masjid and its activities are entirely covered by the congregation which is a mix of weekly donations (jumuah and donation boxes), educational and activity fees, tenants’ rental and online fundraising. We have also started to explore local grants for our welfare work. As a masjid, we do not receive overseas government funding for our running costs. We did receive a donation from some donors in Kuwait towards the refurbishment of the building a few years ago, and they continue to support the Islamwise project. Other than this, all income is from the local community alhamdulillah.
All roles at the masjid are benchmarked against the charity sector. Currently, the masjid is paying below-average salaries when compared to the sector and other Islamic organisations in general, with many staff just above the minimum living wage. We have over 60 staff, mainly part-time madrasah and education teachers, and have an annual salary bill of circa £500k. This is something that we are looking to address going forward inshaAllah.
All gift aid collected by the masjid from all departments is put towards the running costs of the masjid. This is particularly important as sometimes some departments have a funding shortfall which can then be covered by this fund. We have also used gift aid to sponsor humanitarian aid and other projects.
We have over 40 services which are run from our centre all of which require financial resource. These services fall under five main departments: Dawah, Welfare, Youth, Education and Operations (for a full list of services and financial breakdown please visit our website and read our annual reports). We recently won two awards from separate organisations for best run mosque in the UK. These awards are not mentioned in an attempt to elicit praise; however, we hope that it reflects that our work and efforts are recognised nationally.
Yes, we actively apply for grants that are in line with the masjid’s values.
If you look at the GLM annual reports, you will see that for the last few years we have had an excess of £2,000,000 coming into our account. The vast majority of this money is raised by our humanitarian wing, Task Force GLM (TFGLM), for humanitarian projects abroad. This money has been donated to a specific cause so MUST be spent on what it was raised for. This is not our money to use – it would be both haram, and illegal. These funds come into our account and are then transferred to our charity partner.
As GLMCC has grown, naturally our expenditure has gone up. We are currently expanding our services to the wider Muslim and non-Muslim community and are putting more funding into welfare services, dawah/outreach, education and social campaigns, which has increased our base costs. In the last year we have done more talks, conferences, school visits, mosque tours, weekend courses, welfare activities, social campaigns, media engagement, community engagement and community partnering than before. With the growth of our projects (alhamdulillah), we have more users which then means we need to scale up. As we continue to grow, naturally, we need more funding. Our accounts show that there was a shortfall last year, which displays that we are not storing money but spending it to benefit our community and the ummah as we receive it.