In Part 1, we explored the immense opportunity Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) present and why nonprofits must be proactive in engaging with them. Now it’s time to turn that insight into strategy. If your organization is ready to unlock the full potential of DAF donors, it starts with making their experience frictionless, relational, and personal.
Making it easy: How to invite and facilitate DAF giving
If you want donors to give through their DAFs, you need to make it effortless. Just like with online giving or monthly donations, friction kills momentum. DAF donors are ready to act—but the experience must be seamless, clear, and confidence-building.
Be visible, be clear
Start by making the ease of giving to you through a DAF visible.
- Add a dedicated page or section on your website that explains how donors can recommend a grant from their DAF.
- Include your legal name, tax ID number, mailing address, and a development contact person for questions. A surprising number of donors stop short of giving simply because they can’t find this basic information quickly.
- Even better: integrate a DAF-specific giving widget or link (Chariot, a newer DAF payments company, enables an “express checkout” experience called DAFpay within a nonprofit’s donation forms, akin to Google Pay or Apple Pay. There are others too, including DAF Direct and dafwidget). This removes extra steps and shows donors you are willing, ready and able to receive their support.
Use every channel
Include DAF language across your fundraising materials—appeals, newsletters, thank-you notes, event programs, and especially your year-end giving campaign. Messaging doesn’t have to be complex. A simple note like “You can recommend a grant from your Donor Advised Fund to support this work” makes a big difference.
Also consider segmenting your donor database to identify and reach out to known or likely DAF holders. You might ask in donor surveys or through gift processing: “Do you give through a Donor Advised Fund?” Once you know who’s using DAFs, you can personalize your stewardship and inspire more frequent grants.
Make it personal
Just as with any donor relationship, the key to DAF engagement is personal connection. If a donor gives through a DAF, thank them just as warmly and promptly as any other supporter. Invite them into the impact they’re helping make possible. Share stories and updates powerfully demonstrating how their giving—however it’s structured—matters deeply to your mission.
The goal isn’t just to receive a one-time grant. It’s to build lasting, values-aligned relationships with donors who are planning their giving for years to come.
Building relationships beyond the gift
Receiving a DAF grant is not the end of a transaction—it’s the beginning of a relationship. Donors who give through DAFs have already demonstrated a high level of intentionality and commitment. They’re not just writing checks—they’re shaping a legacy. A recent report, Reinventing the Cycle: Adapting Relationship Fundraising for Donors Who Use DAFs, divided DAF donors into three groups: Tubs, who move money in and out of their funds quickly (strategy: ask for an annual donation); Tanks, who move large sums in and parcel it out over a few years (ask for an annual or major gift); and Towers, who put large sums in and spread their contributions out over longer periods (ask for an annual gift, but highlight planned gift options). Whatever group your donor is in, your role is to help them see how their vision and your mission can grow together.
Connect their values to your impact
DAF donors often approach their giving with a strategic, values-based mindset. They’re looking for more than outcomes—they’re looking for alignment. Take the time to understand what drives their philanthropy. When you can show them how your work advances the change they care most about, you move from being one of many amorphous nonprofits to being one of their nonprofits.
Your goal is to get to the point where the donor thinks: “We always give to… through our DAF. What impact do we want to make this year, and how much shall we give this year?”
Invite them to the dance
Make DAF donors feel like the chosen ones, and they’ll become some of your most passionate advocates and generous partners. Do not treat them like second-class donors just because the money came from a third-party institution. Most DAF donors self-identify (only 4% of grants made are completely anonymous) and want to be stewarded. Offer opportunities to engage beyond the gift: conversations with leadership, behind-the-scenes briefings, site visits, or storytelling events. Create spaces where donors feel seen, heard, and part of something bigger than themselves.
Some may also be ideal candidates for planned giving or multi-year commitments, especially if they see their DAF as part of their long-term charitable strategy. Others may be moved to rally their peers—friends, family, colleagues—to recommend grants of their own.
In every case, the key is this: Don’t treat a DAF gift like a detached transaction. Treat it like the seed of a meaningful, evolving partnership.
Conclusion: DAFs are a door – open it
DAFs represent one of the most powerful opportunities in modern philanthropy — yet too often, that opportunity goes unrealized. Not because donors aren’t willing to recommend a grant to you, but because they’re waiting for a signal. A sign your organization understands, is prepared, and is ready to turn their stored generosity into active, meaningful impact.
That’s your invitation.
- When you talk about DAFs, you show donors you speak their language.
- When you make it easy to give, you lower the barriers to action.
- When you connect their purpose to your work, you do more than receive a gift—you build a future together.
It’s not just about unlocking more dollars—it’s about opening more doors. Doors to deeper relationships. To transformational giving. To missions fully resourced and communities truly served.
DAFs are not just a financial tool. They are a portal into a new era of giving—strategic, values-driven, and brimming with possibility. It’s time to open that door.
“DAF gifts this way! DAF gifts this way!”
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