A number of senior scholars have urged charities to work together because this will reduce costs and ensure greater efficiency in the fight against poverty. They agreed this is a “necessity” under Islamic law. Sheikh Abdulaziz Aal Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, said that while charities are responsibly fulfilling their duties, they need to coordinate their work. This would help them carry out their work more effectively and “guarantee” their continued existence. “Coordination would ensure that charities become more active and help reduce expenses because each of them would bear part of the duties. Everybody should cooperate because cooperation indicates honesty,” he said. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Sulaiman Al-Munea said that coordination is necessary because poor people should not be “knocking on the doors of several societies at the same time”. Dr. Saleh Ghanim Al-Sadlan, higher studies professor at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University, said joint action is a necessity to guarantee the money reaches those who need it most. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the first to organize charitable work when he appointed some of his companions to take charge of Sadaqa and other forms of charity. Dr. Ali Al-Marshad, a member of the board of directors of Riyadh's Al-Ber Society, said Riyadh has the most well-organized charities in the country. He said the “charity coordination symposium” that was held recently in Riyadh had achieved its goals and underlined the duties of charities. Dr. Abdullah Aal Bishr, supervisor of the Executive Office of the Higher Coordination Council for Charitable Societies in Riyadh, agreed that such symposiums can be the basis for organized charity work in Saudi Arabia. The council wants to promote the work of charities and volunteerism in society through symposiums. The council's other aims include improving services provided by charities and encouraging more research into new ways to strengthen the sector. Dr. Sa'ad Al-Shahrani, Director of the Makkah Charitable Society, said there is poor coordination among charities in the city. He said that a council should be formed to coordinate their work, exchange information and share databases as is done in Riyadh. Al-Shahrani said his organization has produced a database of all orphans, in collaboration with the orphanages in the city, which is handed out to all charities. He added that many poor families are not given any assistance because of a lack of coordination. “However, for coordination to happen societies must be flexible, and organizations must not encroach on each other's jurisdiction.” Al-Shahrani added that there are too few charities in Saudi Arabia, compared to other countries. He said that the Ministry of Social Affairs should not be given the sole responsibility for coordinating the work of charities. Charities should take collective responsibility to help the needy in the Kingdom. Faisal Bin Abdulrahman Al-Humaid, Director General of the Charitable Warehouse in Jeddah, said other problems facing charities include the absence of proper planning, but said this can be tackled by bringing together charities, government bodies and donors. He said donors must be brought into the equation because they often hand out cash and goods to those who are underserving. “Some of them insist on give their Sadaqa and charity themselves, thinking that it is better in terms of getting reward from Allah. But this results in the charity reaching those who are undeserving. The donors are often not aware of the conditions, circumstances and location of those who receive the donations.”
