Restoring Public Trust, Big Challenges For Philanthropic Institutions

JAKARTA - Public trust is an important asset for philanthropic institutions such as Dompet Dhuafa. However, when a well-known philanthropic institution is shaken by integrity issues, the impact extends to similar institutions. Maintaining and restoring public trust is a very challenging task.

Ali Bastoni, General Manager of Literacy and Collection of Dompet Dhuafa Waqf, admitted this during a visit to the VOI office on Jalan Tanah Abang III, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, August 14.

"When a philanthropic institution was reported to the authorities some time ago, the impact was also felt by our institution. The community became more thorough and careful. They questioned whether the zakat or waqf distributed were actually distributed according to the Shari'a," said Ali.

Ali also added that the philanthropic world had experienced a crisis of trust due to several legal cases involving institutional administrators. "Even though there was this incident, Alhamdulillah, Dompet Dhuafa still gained public trust," he said.

To restore this trust, Dompet Dhuafa strengthens the institution's portfolio and increases the exposure of activities. "We are collaborating with the media to expand information to the public. The more people who know our programs, the more people and donors understand our performance," Ali explained.

Ali Bastoni hopes that similar steps are also taken by other philanthropic institutions. Thus, the program being implemented can provide greater benefits for the people.