The Journal of Management Theory and Practice (JMTP) ISSN: 2716-7089, Volume-2, Issue-3 (Special Issue), http://dx.doi.org/10.37231/jmtp.2020.2.3.170 https://journal.unisza.edu.my/jmtp The Journal of Management and Theory Practice 10 Heritage Conservation Through Public Donation in Malaysia: A Potential for Islamic Crowdfunding 1 * Muhammad Shahrul Ifwat Ishak 2 Muhammad Huzaifah Kamaruddin 1,2 Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Terengganu, Malaysia *Corresponding Author Email: shahrulifwat@gmail.com Received: 02 th September 2021 Accepted: 26 th October 2021 Published: 14 th November 2021 ABSTRACT Heritage tourism sites are vital to be preserved due to their multiple benefits for society and nation. Nevertheless, over the years, some of these sites have been threatened due to the lack of funds to support conservation costs. While heritage sites need financial aids for their sustainability, the government allocation on this matter may be restricted, as they need to emphasise crucial areas like people welfare and economic development. In this regard, this study aims to explore the applicability of Islamic crowdfunding for heritage conservation in this country. In fact, crowdfunding has been successfully proven its role in supporting community-based projects. Through library research, two models are developed: infaq-based and waqf-based models. Despite this study is considered conceptual, its finding proposes two practical models that can be applied as crowdfunding platforms to support the conservation of heritage tourism sites in Malaysia. Keywords: Heritage Conservation, Crowdfunding, Islamic Crowdfunding OPEN ACCESS INTRODUCTION Heritage is a broad term that includes history, culture and civilization. It serves as an irreplaceable source of inspiration for a nation. In this regard, preserving heritage means preserving the identity of the nation. At the same time, this effort entails economic return through the tourism sector. In the case of Malaysia, tourism has contributed a total of MYR 102.22 billion to the country’s GDP (Statista, 2021). Furthermore, this effort could potentially obtain other financial awards like the case of Georgetown, in which the city has received US 80,000 from the American Express Foundation in 2002 for its conservation effort (Said et al., 2013). Nevertheless, heritage tourism sites have been threatened with insufficient funds due to various factors. For example, Lenggong Valley Archaeological Site, whereby Perak Man was found and its site has been recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage, currently seems to be abandoned (Bavani, 2019). The lack of visitors to the site has negatively affected its development (Komoo, 2020). At the same time, insufficient fund faced by the authority has made them to cut their budget for conservation. Pengkalan Kempas Megalithic Site, one of National Heritage Archaeological Sites, illustrates this situation when the site seems to be not well-managed. According to the state authority, the cost of maintenance for the site is no longer be able to be borne by them (Tun Tuah, 2016). In fact, conservation efforts involve a high cost of spending. The cost includes hiring experts or consultants and buying related materials (Muhamad, 2009). At the same time, the lack of public awareness could threaten heritage conservation. This happens when owners of any historic building prefer to demolish their property without realizing the historical value of the building. For example, Runnymede Hotel that was built in 1920 has been demolished for the sake of modernization (Halim & Tambi, 2021). In fact, nearly 39,000 historic buildings built from 1800 to 1948 across the country are worthy for conservation (Sodangi et al., 2014). Neglecting this effort could threaten the identity of the nation as well as it can minimize a potential income revenue for the country. In this regard, this paper aims to explore the potential of Islamic crowdfunding as an alternative fund to support heritage sites in Malaysia, particularly in covering the cost of conservation. It is learned that crowdfunding has successfully proven in supporting many projects, particularly community- based projects. With the power of the internet coupled with the transparency of campaign process, applying crowdfunding to support heritage conservation could attract modern society. Since heritage manifests the identity of a nation, the public should actively involve in this effort. Thus, crowdfunding seems to be among the practical tool for this purpose. This would reduce the burden of the government as well as to nurture awareness among society regarding their heritage.