Auditorium of Prof. Dr. Suwito, MA SPs UIN Jakarta, SPs NEWS - The Graduate School (SPs) of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta held the 2820th Thesis Exam at the SPs Theater Room of UIN Jakarta on Friday, July 24, 2026 with candidate Arief Budiman.

Arief, a student of the BAZNAS RI scholarship recipient of the Master of Islamic Studies program with a concentration in Islamic Philanthropy, wrote a thesis entitled "Optimizing Alfamart Consumer Alms Collection with the Implementation of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) in 2024–2025". This thesis dissects how an integrated marketing approach is able to mobilize public awareness massively through a nationwide retail network.

This qualitative-based research with a case study approach focuses on the effectiveness of the implementation  of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) in mobilizing community participation. In-depth data was explored through a combination of interviews, field observations, and documentation which was then processed using thematic analysis techniques to find the main meaning patterns behind the fundraising figures.

The analysis process is carried out strictly through the stages of data familiarization, coding, and the formation of an in-depth theme. This systematic step is presented to answer the main focus of the research, which is to map the key factors that drive success as well as obstacles in the communication chain of the consumer alms program.

The results of the study revealed that the IMC strategy implemented by Alfamart has proven to be effective in boosting public awareness and participation in donating. Synergy between communication elements, especially digital media optimization, has proven effective in expanding the reach of social messages to reach various layers of consumers from various backgrounds.

Despite showing positive achievements, this study provides a critical note of the challenges in the field that still need improvement. The two main points of concern are the consistency and intensity of direct invitations from the cashier, in addition to the importance of increasing transparency in fund management to maintain public accountability.

Interestingly, the success of collecting alms does not stand alone in a vacuum. Arief underlined the presence of external factors that are very decisive, ranging from the level of public trust in distribution institutions to shifting social trends in the community in responding to humanitarian actions in the modern era.

Theoretically, these findings further reinforce the classic study by Dahl, Eagle, & Low that the concept of IMC can be effectively adapted in social marketing. Communication models that were originally designed for commercial and business purposes have later proven to be highly effective when applied to change the social behavior of the public in donating.

In the context of consumer behavior in Indonesia, this study provides a new empirical contribution to social marketing practices  in giant retail chains. This thesis underlines that face-to-face interaction at the checkout counter through warm and precise verbal invitations remains a key determinant factor that drives consumers' intent to share.

Faisal successfully defended his thesis under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Yusuf Rahman, MA and Mohammad Adnan, LL.M, Ph.D, and was tested in front of a board of examiners consisting of Prof. Dr. Yusuf Rahman, MA, Mohammad Adnan, LL.M, Ph.D, Prof. Dr. JM Muslimin, MA, Dr. Fuad Jabali, MA.

After paying attention to the thesis writing, the comments of the examiner team and the candidate's answers, the examiner team determined that Arief Budiman graduated with the title of Cum Laude. Arief Budiman is the 2820th Master in the field of Islamic Studies, in the Master's program of the Graduate School of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. (Jay A)