Philanthropic Fundraising in Higher Education: Alumni Engagement, Brand Equity, and Social Impact

Philanthropy has emerged as an alternative solution to address the high cost of education, which often exacerbates disparities in access to education. Within the context of higher education, alumni play a pivotal role as donors. This study aims to examine the influence of alumni engagement, university brand equity, and the social impact of philanthropic institutions on alumni’s philanthropic intentions towards their alma mater. The research focuses on alumni of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, which hosts Rumah ZIS, a philanthropic institution that has pioneered and set benchmarks for similar initiatives across other Indonesian universities. The analysis employs the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS software. The findings reveal that alumni engagement (AE), brand equity (BE), and the social impact of campus philanthropic institutions (SI) significantly influence alumni philanthropic intention (PI). This study proposes a model for philanthropic fundraising in higher education by integrating three critical components: alumni, universities, and philanthropic organizations. Enhancing alumni engagement, strengthening university brand equity, and optimizing the social impact of philanthropic institutions can effectively boost alumni philanthropic intentions. To expand their fundraising strategies, higher education institutions should leverage broader alumni networks, thereby positioning alumni philanthropy as a foundational pillar for financing higher education in the future.