KABIR QURBAN.
I get rooms
to say yes.
Yes to the cause.
Emcee, keynote speaker, and live fundraising closer. I have raised over half a million dollars for causes this year, hosted rooms from community halls to university stages, and trained hundreds of people to speak like they mean it. I work with nonprofits, startups, student groups, masajid, and Muslim changemakers across Canada.
$500K+
raised for causes in 2026
$50K
closed in a single live appeal
10+
university stages keynoted
6
languages spoken
CBC ✦ THE GUARDIAN ✦ VANCOUVER SUN ✦ HARVARD ✦ YALE ✦ STANFORD ✦ COLUMBIA ✦
Four ways to put me to work.
THE CLOSER
Live fundraising appeals
I run the ask at your gala or campaign night: the story, the matching moments, the live close. My record is $50,000 raised in one appeal. You set the goal, I get the room there.
THE SPEAKER
Keynotes & talks
Civic courage, community power, and telling stories that move people to act. Delivered from Harvard to hometown fundraisers, sized to your room and your moment.
THE HOST
Emcee & event hosting
Galas, award nights, community events. I keep the program sharp, the energy warm, and the room with you from doors to duas. Trusted on the biggest nights of IDRF, Penny Appeal Canada, and the Muslim Food Bank.
THE TRAINER
Workshops & training
Public speaking, pitching, and strategic dialogue, taught the way I run my own training floor: short frameworks, then reps on your feet. Teams leave speaking better that day.
I learned rooms from the inside.
Assalamu alaikum. My family arrived in Canada in 2007 and walked into a food bank as clients. I have spent the years since on the other side of the table: raising over $500K in 2026 for the causes that carried us, founding a civic organization whose stage has hosted the Hon. Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, and Members of Parliament, producing award winning films, and teaching a new generation to speak up.
When I take your stage, I bring all of it: the fundraiser’s math, the teacher’s patience, and the storyteller’s timing.
Booked in three steps.
01
Tell me the moment
Date, room, goal. Two minutes on the form below is all I need to start.
02
We talk within 48h
A 15 minute call. You get an honest read on fit, format, and what the night could do.
03
I show up ready
Scripted, rehearsed, and briefed on your cause. You run your event, I carry the room.
Tell me about your room.
Prefer to just talk?
Grab fifteen minutes on my calendar and we will figure out the right format together. No charge, no pressure.
Or email me directly:
salaam@jokabir.ca
The usual asks.
What do you charge?
Every room is different, so every quote is. Tell me the event and the goal, and you will have a clear number after one call. Community organizations and causes close to my heart always get an honest rate.
Do you travel?
Yes. Based in Vancouver, happy to travel anywhere the work matters. Travel costs are part of the quote, no surprises.
Which languages can you work in?
English natively on stage, with working fluency in Farsi, Turkish, Russian, Kazakh and Uzbek, and conversational French. Multilingual rooms are a specialty, not a problem.
How far ahead should we book?
Fundraising season fills fast. Four to six weeks ahead is comfortable; less than that, ask anyway and I will tell you straight.