Oaktree Institute

09/10/2026

On September 21, Oaktree Institute ran a full-day fund development regional training for ICNA Relief's regional leaders. Senior trainer Nadeem Riaz facilitated.

Every leader left with a written 90-day growth plan. Three commitments, each with a metric, a deadline, an owner, and evidence.

May Allah reward ICNA Relief for their investment in their team and strengthen their impact, ameen.

07/10/2026

Alhamdulillah, Oaktree Institute recently led a communication webinar for the Helping Hand USA team of over 100 people, a major international relief organization serving communities worldwide.

The goal: give the team practical tools to communicate better with each other ahead of its busiest season.

Senior trainer Mohammad Hasan taught two frameworks. One for speaking clearly. One for listening well.
- The CLEAR framework helps your team cut through noise in every email, meeting, and call.
- The six moves of active listening help teammates feel genuinely heard. Not just managed. Actually heard.

When a team communicates with clarity and care, it works better, decides faster, and holds together under pressure.

Swipe to see both frameworks in full.

05/10/2026

Malika took over Masjid Al-Ansar Food Pantry in 2017. It has grown from 30 families to 300 at peak during COVID, and serves about 200 families a month today. Now she's building something bigger: turning it into a full food bank.

The biggest shift came from a simple idea Oaktree senior trainer, Nadeem Riaz, suggested to her: hire a fund development person FIRST, before anyone who organizes the shelves. Because funding is what makes it all run.

With Oaktree's step-by-step guidance, she's planning the pantry's first fundraising dinner and learning how to run it well, instead of struggling through it.

"Every step of the way has been very professional, easy. I definitely would recommend it."

May Allah support the continued growth and success of the Masjid al-Ansar Food Pantry, ameen 🤲

03/10/2026

Alhamdulillah, Oaktree recently partnered with the Islamic Center of Long Island (ICLI), a flagship masjid in Nassau County, to facilitate a strategic planning session establishing their 4-year masjid roadmap.

The session drove crucial alignment around governance, youth engagement, staff/volunteer management, and future community growth.

Facilitated by Oaktree senior trainer Rami Kawas.

May Allah reward the ICLI Board of Trustees and Executive Committee for investing in their community, ameen.

01/10/2026

This September, 40+ Baitulmaal staff met in Dallas for an all-hands retreat with Oaktree, where senior trainers Nadeem Riaz and Rami Kawas led Fund Development Training and Staff Development Training in person.

Staff walked away with practical skills to grow support for the mission. And the team came out more aligned, ready for the seasons ahead.

This is what building a stronger institution looks like, one step at a time.

28/09/2026

Alhamdulillah! Oaktree Institute hosted an in-person staff development workshop with the ICNA Relief Refugee Services team in Dallas, TX and Austin, TX.

Behind every impact story is a team doing the heavy work of coordination, care, and service.

Hawanatu Ibrahim, Program Manager at ICNA Relief, said, "Alhamdulilah it was the best training in a while. I really appreciate the overall training."

Our workshop focused on strengthening internal communication, workflow alignment, and operational capacity so the team can continue serving refugee families with excellence.

May Allah bless and preserve the ICNA Relief team for their tireless work in our communities, ameen.

14/07/2026

📣 We're Hiring!

Every powerful story has the ability to inspire action, strengthen communities, and advance a mission.

At Oaktree Institute, we're looking for a Marketing & Storytelling Manager who is passionate about using creativity and strategic communication to elevate the work of Muslim nonprofits and the leaders who serve them.

If you're someone who loves crafting compelling content, telling meaningful stories, building marketing campaigns, and helping mission-driven organizations grow, we'd love to hear from you.

This isn't just a marketing role—it's an opportunity to help shape the narrative of leadership development across the Muslim nonprofit sector.

✨ Join a team committed to strengthening the leaders who strengthen our communities.

📩 Apply today oaktreeinstitute.org/careers

Tag someone who would be a great

See less

📣 We're Hiring!

Every powerful story has the ability to inspire action, strengthen communities, and advance a mission.

At Oaktree Institute, we're looking for a Marketing & Storytelling Manager who is passionate about using creativity and strategic communication to elevate the work of Muslim nonprofits and the leaders who serve them.

If you're someone who loves crafting compelling content, telling meaningful stories, building marketing campaigns, and helping mission-driven organizations grow, we'd love to hear from you.

This isn't just a marketing role—it's an opportunity to help shape the narrative of leadership development across the Muslim nonprofit sector.

✨ Join a team committed to strengthening the leaders who strengthen our communities.

📩 Apply today oaktreeinstitute.org/careers

Tag someone who would be a great

09/07/2026

📣 We're Hiring!

Every powerful story has the ability to inspire action, strengthen communities, and advance a mission.

At Oaktree Institute, we're looking for a Marketing & Storytelling Manager who is passionate about using creativity and strategic communication to elevate the work of Muslim nonprofits and the leaders who serve them.

If you're someone who loves crafting compelling content, telling meaningful stories, building marketing campaigns, and helping mission-driven organizations grow, we'd love to hear from you.

This isn't just a marketing role—it's an opportunity to help shape the narrative of leadership development across the Muslim nonprofit sector.

✨ Join a team committed to strengthening the leaders who strengthen our communities.

📩 Apply today oaktreeinstitute.org/careers

Tag someone who would be a great

19/06/2026

⏰ Only a few days left to register!

Strong teams don't just happen—they communicate with clarity, trust, and accountability.

Join us for our June Monthly Webinar:

How High-Performing Teams Communicate
Building Clarity, Trust, and Accountability in Mission-Driven Organizations

📅 Wednesday, June 24
🕘 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST
💻 Live on Zoom

Whether you lead a nonprofit, masjid, school, or volunteer team, this session will help you:

✔ Navigate difficult conversations with confidence
✔ Build stronger team culture and trust
✔ Improve alignment and accountability
✔ Reduce misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict
✔ Create healthier, more effective teams

Great missions require great teams—and great teams are built through intentional communication.

Don't miss this practical conversation designed specifically for leaders and changemakers.

🔗 Register today: oaktreeinstitute.org/webinar or Link in bio.

03/06/2026

What a weekend at convention. Oaktree Institute showed up with two sessions, a room with some of the most respected leaders in the American Muslim nonprofit space, and conversations that we believe will stay with attendees long after they left the building.

On Saturday, Oaktree Executive Director Rami Kawas moderated a powerful panel on Nonprofit Management in the World of AI, joined by Senior Strategist Mohammad Hasan and an exceptional group of organizational leaders including Sheriff Ahmed of MAS NY, Rasha El-Haggan of Tarbiyah Academy, Dr. Saima Azfar of ICNA Relief, Naeem Muhammad of Islamic Relief USA, and Edward Ahmed Mitchell of CAIR. Together they tackled the real questions: how AI is reshaping Islamic institutions, what is actually working on the ground in 2026, and what every nonprofit leader needs to start doing right now. The room was packed, the dialogue was honest, and the energy matched the moment.

Sunday brought a different kind of depth. Rami Kawas and Mohammad Hasan were joined by Sheikh Mohammad Elshinawy for a session on Leadership that Unites, Not Divides: exploring how Muslim leaders can navigate difference, manage conflict rooted in ikhtilaf, and build the kind of collaborative, principled leadership our communities genuinely need. It was grounding, practical, and long overdue.

Two sessions. Two different dimensions of what it means to lead well in 2026. We are grateful to everyone who joined us, engaged with us, and challenged us. This is the work and we are just warming up.