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• Research objectives and questionsWe focused on alumni participation in university operations as an extension of monetary donations. We explored specific determinants of participation and aimed to show that their effects vary across cultural contexts. Drawing on a conceptual framework combining charitable-giving and management-related concepts, we tested the impact of altruism, sense of belonging, need for reputation, social norms, and foundation image.• MethodologyA questionnaire was administered online to 330 alumni from Canadian universities (144 French-speaking and 186 English-speaking). Canada was chosen because it combines two cultural communities in a common historical, political, legal, and economic context. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (PLS-PM).• ResultsThe results show that participation is driven by altruism and need for reputation for Anglophones, while the foundation’s image is the primary determinant for Francophones. The injunctive social norm also plays a role in participation, but its intensity is moderate and does not vary according to cultural community. Sense of belonging does not affect participation.• Implications for marketing decisionUniversity foundations must consider the cultural origins of their alumni by differentiating their relationship strategies. Appealing to altruism or valuing alumni participation seems to work well with English-speaking Canadians, whereas emphasizing the foundation’s reputation would be more effective for French-speaking Canadians. Communication based on social norms, on the other hand, does not need to be differentiated.• OriginalityFirst, we focused on the Canadian context: two cultures and one country. Second, we used alumni participation to overcome the limitations of intention to donate. Third, we chose determinants not yet studied in cross-cultural comparison settings.