Waqf Literacy Education: Transforming Waqf Management into an Endowment Fund Instrument
Rumah Zakat, in collaboration with various stakeholders, held an educational and literacy event on waqf attended by approximately 50 participants, including partners of PT Trimegah Sekuritas and Rumah Zakat donors. The event featured speakers Irvan Nugraha, Chief Executive Officer of Rumah Zakat; Didi Sabir, Chief Marketing and Digital Fundraising Officer of Rumah Zakat; and Hasbie Sukaton, Head of Mutual Fund Strategic & Partnership at PT Trimegah Sekuritas Indonesia.
Supported by the Bank Indonesia Representative Office for the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), the event was part of a programme to educate the public that waqf is not limited to physical forms such as land or buildings, but can also take the form of cash without any nominal limit. Waqf can become a potential productive resource instrument for long-term benefit.
In addition to partners and donors from Rumah Zakat and Trimegah, the event was also attended by invited guests from institutions directly involved in optimising waqf resources. These included Arif Wijayanto, Head of the Sharia Business Unit of Bank BPD DIY; Mahmudi from the Bank Indonesia DIY Representative Office; Professor Eduardus Tandelilin from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Gadjah Mada University; Nadhif Masykur from the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs DIY; Tri Sumardiyati from the DIY Regional People’s Welfare Bureau; and Muhammad Zahron from SAKAFA.
In his presentation, Irvan Nugraha stated that the significant potential of Islamic philanthropy in Indonesia does not solely come from zakat, infak, and sedekah, which tend to be distributed directly to programme recipients. He noted there is potential in waqf funds, where the principal remains intact and can be managed for productive instruments, ensuring that long-term financing for community empowerment does not depend on ZIS but rather on the productive returns from waqf management.
Hasbie Sukaton explained that waqf innovation has now transformed into a strategic endowment fund instrument that goes beyond instant social assistance. Through modern management, cash waqf is retained as a revolving productive asset, while the investment surplus is allocated for sustainable economic empowerment of the community.
During the event, a waqf auction was also held, offering participants the opportunity to support ongoing Rumah Zakat programmes, namely the Waqf for Clean Water Wells and Productive Cash Waqf. The waqf auction was facilitated by the collaborative funding platform gandenggendong.com, initiated by the Bank Indonesia Representative Office for the Special Region of Yogyakarta.