Doha News has partnered with SocialFund.org to launch a new charity initiative: The Doha Fund.

The aim of the project is to bring together the community – Qataris and expatriates alike – for charitable giving.

Like popular crowd-funding sites Kickstarter and Indiegogo, SocialFund.org collects small amounts of money from groups of people to raise larger sums of cash for a cause.

The difference with SocialFund.org, though, is that groups of people first save money together for several months at a time and then decide how to spend those funds. And of course, they spend it on a charity.

So here’s how the Doha Fund will work:

1. Join the Doha Fund for at least 20 riyals a month. 
2. Nominate charities to receive grants from the fund. Anyone who donates to the Doha Fund gets the ability to nominate charities and comment on other recommendations.
3. Vote on nominations in a democratic process. Nominations that receive a majority of votes are automatically funded.

The first round of voting takes place in late May and grants will be sent out June 1. After this first round, voting will take place every six months.

More than 1.8 million charities can be funded through SocialFund.org, and the site is working to add local organizations, including Reach Out To Asia and Qatar Charity, in the near future.

The site is based in the U.S. and was founded by Andrew Chappelle, a producer for Al Jazeera English who lives in Qatar.

Here’s what he has to say about the project:

“[The Doha Fund] is a bit experimental as the local culture isn’t really accustomed to crowdfunding or online transactions. Qataris give to charity, but through more traditional means (determined by religious institutions & holidays).

This fund has a lot of potential to bring Doha together in support of a charitable project.

If we can get a large group of people to contribute a few riyals a month, we’ll be able to dig wells, shelter refugee families or any number of other projects. We can improve the lives of people around the world.”

You can get started by clicking “Sign In” or one of the social media icons at the top of SocialFund.org.

So, who’s joining us?