A mosque’s office software holds its financial records, its membership list, the weekend school’s student records and the results of board elections. Switching later is hard, so ask these questions before you sign anything, and ask every vendor, including us. Ask them in writing and keep the answers with the board’s minutes.
1. Who owns the data?
A good answer: the mosque does, and the contract says so in plain words. The vendor uses the records only to run the service for the mosque, never sells them, never shows ads to the mosque’s members, and says what happens to the records if the mosque leaves or the vendor closes. Also ask where online donations go: straight to the mosque’s own account, or through the vendor first.
Ahsan’s answer: the mosque does. It can export every list at any time, including if it leaves. Once online giving is live, card donations will go straight to the mosque’s own Stripe account, and Ahsan never holds the money.
2. Who sees what?
A good answer: each person sees only what their role needs. A teacher sees their own classes, a parent sees their own children, a counter sees the count sheet, and only a few named people can see the giving history, requests for help or children’s records. Ask whether there is an activity log that shows who changed or downloaded what.
Ahsan’s answer: each role sees only its own work. The treasurer, the principal, the teachers and the board each see only their own areas, an activity log shows who changed what, and every list download is logged.
3. Can we export everything?
A good answer: yes, every list, at any time, as a spreadsheet anyone can open, without asking the vendor and without a fee. Don’t take their word for it: during the trial, export the household list and a year of donations, and open the files.
Ahsan’s answer: yes. You can download households, donations, members and students as spreadsheets at any time.
4. What will it cost in total?
A good answer: a written price that covers everything the mosque will use. Ask about setup or migration fees, whether the price is per mosque or per member, any fee the vendor adds to online donations on top of the card processor’s fee, add-ons for the weekend school or messaging, how long the contract runs, and how much announcement you’ll get before a price increase.
Ahsan’s answer: we haven’t set prices yet. Founding Mosques get a founding rate, agreed before anything is signed, and the demo is free to try.
5. Does it work on phones?
A good answer: the jobs that happen every week can be done on a phone, by a volunteer with no training: recording a gift, counting the Friday collection, taking attendance, posting an announcement. Heavier work, such as monthly reports, can stay on a computer.
Ahsan’s answer: yes, for the everyday jobs. Record a gift, count the Friday collection, take attendance and post an announcement from a phone.
6. How do board elections work?
A good answer: one secret ballot for each member on the roll, a way for each voter to check their ballot was counted without revealing it, and a result the election committee can certify. If the software can’t run the election, ask how the mosque would run the vote alongside it. The guide to running a board election walks through the steps.
Ahsan’s answer: by secret ballot, from members’ phones. Every voter gets a receipt code to check their ballot was counted, and the code isn’t linked to their name.
7. How do we start?
A good answer: the board can try the software on its real, everyday tasks before anyone signs anything, and the vendor has a clear plan for moving existing lists in, training volunteers and providing support afterward. Try it as the people who will use it: the treasurer counts a Friday collection, the principal takes attendance, a parent looks at their child’s record.
Ahsan’s answer: start with the demo, which opens a sample mosque in your browser with no account needed. Founding Mosques then get free help moving their existing lists in, and priority support from the people who build Ahsan. Accounts open on November 15.
Making the decision
- Put two or three people on it, including someone who will use it every week, not only the board member who is good with computers.
- Score the answers side by side, in writing, for each vendor.
- Before you start, agree on what happens if it doesn’t work out: how the mosque would export its records and leave.