Oldham Entrepreneur Helps To Raise £75million For Charities

A globetrotting Oldham entrepreneur equipped charities to raise a staggering £75million for various causes.

Ali Shaan, 38, was born in Nottingham and grew up in Oldham. He was raised in a challenging environment by his mum who was a single parent. Throughout his teenage years he was undecided about what he wanted to do in life.

Between 2001-2003 he studied at a seminary in Blackburn and memorised 10 chapters of the Quran.

He went onto study construction management at the university of Huddersfield but had a “chilling out” period following on from this.

Then he went “off the rails” due to mixing with the “wrong crowd.” He was a typical teenager who wanted to earn money and have a good time.

“The turnaround point for me was when I turned 25 and I got married and had kids. Responsibility kicked in. Then I visited Europe in 2015 a few times during the refugee crisis and the idea for GiveBrite was born,” Shaan says.

“GiveBrite is an online fundraising and donation platform. We aren’t out to make a profit, so we don’t charge a fee to use our platform. We want to equip charities with the latest tech without them paying a huge amount to third parties.”

It was established eight years ago and has processed over £75million in total. In 2023 alone GiveBrite processed £17million.

“These figures are huge for a small company like ours. I play the role of the marketing and sales departments. I am also the CEO and the finance department all in one.

“It is passion that drives me to push onward. I thank Allah that GiveBrite pays for itself now. But it has been growing at a snail’s pace,” he says.

He wants to move away from the charity sector and focus on the matrimony market. His latest venture – SimplyNikah is set to launch in late April. The app already has 60,000 sign ups, and he is working with the world-renowned Mufti Menk. Channel 4 and Islam channel have both reached out to Shaan.

He speaks candidly of life before success: “I come from a broken home. My mum raised us single-handedly. It was difficult, and a lot of us felt the pinch as we didn’t have money back then. There were days at school when I wouldn’t even have 10p to buy toast at break time.

“It was my experience with poverty that drove me to business. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is if you want to make money then you must network. Network as much as you can, and get out of your town, get out of wherever you are and connect with people. Doors will open for you, but you should always maintain a link with the mosque and pray to Allah.

“I have done my fair share of work including at the Littlewoods and JD William’s warehouses. I worked at a chemist for two years, then for two years in a chicken shop.”

He spoke of his travels and how he has even been to Singapore just for a one-hour meeting. In October he went to San Fransico for a day-long meeting. He has travelled throughout Europe, America, and makes regular trips to Dubai. He has travelled to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar and many other destinations.

“Seeing poverty across the world creates appreciation for everything Allah has given us. Poor people who have so little are actually happy, but we have so much yet we are depressed.

“It is travelling that gives me peace of mind. I am driven to help the less fortunate. Money does motivate me, but it doesn’t consume me. My standard of living is simple. If someone gives me burnt toast I won’t complain because I know people in Gaza aren’t even getting toast. I don’t complain about things like that because I live like a multi-millionaire compared to 70% of the world’s population.”

He told Salaamfeed: “While I was growing up it was hard to see mum struggling financially, and she had to work from home on the sewing machine. She would still give me gifts and would take me out on trips.

“Me and my family lived in a council house our whole lives. As a family we never owned our own home. When I was young, I was really impacted by not having a father figure in my life to look upto. Mosque teachers did help along the way. Had it not been for the mosque community I would have really gone off the rails and become a drug dealer. I could have easily gone down that path, but Allah saved me.

“Charity work changed my life for the better, so I help the charity sector in my own way. Allah has opened so many doors for me, not just financially but in terms of opportunities and the goodness that comes with it.”

He is harassed regularly by the counter terrorism unit and the border force at airports but it no longer phases him. Since the Covid pandemic his passport is flagged whenever he travels. They stop him and question him for hours on end.

“When you travel and see different people it expands your knowledge. I learnt to approach things calmly and not be quick to judge.  I believe we should go out there and enjoy ourselves and see the world,” Shaan told Salaamfeed.