Breaking down the new National DAF Donor Survey

13 takeaways for Nonprofits and DAF Providers from the latest research published by The Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative, surveying 2,100 DAF donors.

In April, the Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC) released the last piece of a three-part research initiative called the National Study on Donor Advised Funds. The latest report provides incredible insight into DAF account holder behaviors, motivations, perceptions and challenges via an 86 question survey of 2,100 people with DAF accounts. 

Check out our analysis of the other two pieces of this initiative:

While the pool of respondents wasn’t totally representative of the full population that uses DAFs*, the information revealed is still directionally informative and incredibly useful to any nonprofit that’s fundraising from DAF donors and any DAF hoping to improve their offering and their impact. 

While we recommend that everyone download and review the full report, we also wanted to provide our key takeaways and action items in 4 categories: 

• Assessing the value of DAF giving to nonprofits 

• Better understanding DAF donors

• Biggest Opportunities for nonprofit fundraisers

• Opportunities for DAF providers 

*The DAFRC relied upon participating DAF Providers to disseminate the survey to their account holders, and that group included many more community foundations and single-issue charities than would be representative of the total DAF holder population. Ultimately, 66% of respondents held their account at a national DAF provider vs. 89% of all DAF accounts being held at national DAF providers (according to National Philanthropic Trust 2024 Annual DAF Report, analyzed here). Surveys of this length are also highly dependent upon people having the time and interest in responding. Participant demographics (age, gender, account size) all skewed more male, older and wealthier than what is understood about the overall DAF donor audience.  

Assessing the value of DAF giving to nonprofits 

1. DAF usage increases annual giving

While there’s long been a concern among some fundraisers that donors are contributing to a DAF in lieu of giving, this report provides even more evidence to the contrary. 94% of respondents reported sustained or increased giving once they opened a DAF (43% the same, 32% more, 19% much more). This is directionally consistent with actual giving data reviewed by the 2024 DAF Fundraising Report which found that over 90% of donors who switched to donating from a DAF during the 5-year study period increased their support of the same organization. 

Why does this phenomenon of increased giving occur? For the donors surveyed who reported increased giving, 73% said it was because they “have become more strategic and attentive to my philanthropy.” This reason was the second most common response after having “more financial resources overall” at 76%. 

“Demonstrating your familiarity with how DAFs work, why people enjoy them and when they make contributions will build trust among your audience and keep you top of mind when using their DAF.”

2. DAFs lead to repeat giving

DAF donors are known to be some of the most loyal, with several pieces of research pointing to their propensity to provide long-term annual support to organizations. In this study, 61% of donors said over 75% of their DAF grants were directed to the same organization year-after-year. Fidelity Charitable’s 2025 Giving Report (analyzed here) found that nearly 80% of gifts were either recurring grants or re-grants.

The 2024 DAF Fundraising Report found similar behavior when looking at nonprofits’ historical fundraising data: DAF donors showed significantly higher year-over-year retention figures than non-DAF donors (15pts, on average, over the study period).  

While these findings don’t prove causation - that having a DAF leads to greater loyalty - we do know that DAF donors typically cite the ease of regranting out of their DAF portal because it shows them all their prior year DAF gifts in one place. This is a key element of donation streamlining that DAF donors often praise.   

Nonprofit Action Item: Have you provided education to your donors about the value of DAFs? While fundraisers should not be providing financial advice, they absolutely can share information about DAFs and the value other supporters find in them. The more of your supporters using DAFs, you’re likely to receive larger and more consistent giving. 

Here’s 3 things to get you started:

• You can leverage this 1-pager on DAF benefits to create an asset for your organization. 

• Participate in DAF Day 2025 to boost DAF awareness among your supporters. 

• Ensure you have DAF giving information on your website - a high quality Ways to Give section that prominently highlights DAFs goes a long way. You’ll find guidelines and examples in this article. 

Better Understanding DAF Donors 

3. DAFs provide several layers of value to donors 

Knowing the top reasons people use DAFs is key to having thoughtful conversations with donors about their giving goals and priorities. A key question the survey asked was what a donor’s motivation was for setting up a DAF in the first place, selecting how much various factors influenced their decision. The top 5 answers that had a “A Lot” or “A Great Deal” of influence were: 

• Tax Advantages (62%)

• Ease of non-cash contributions (35%) 

• Investment Growth Potential (32%) 

• Streamline giving (32%)

• Professional Recommendation (29%)  

4. DAF Donors are highly strategic about contributing to their DAF 

When asked about the reasons they contribute to their DAF after the initial set up, the most common answers demonstrated a thoughtful approach that maximized giving potential. 

• 57%: The ability to contribute large amounts to the DAF when they had more to give & grant out over time.

• 51%: Being able to reduce capital gains tax by donating appreciated assets. 

• 41%: The ability to "bunch" charitable contributions (i.e., give enough to my DAF(s) to itemize charitable deductions in one year)

Nonprofit Action Item: Highlight these benefits to donors in any materials you create about DAF giving or conversations with supporters. Demonstrating your familiarity with how DAFs work, why people enjoy them and when they make contributions will build trust among your audience and keep you top of mind when using their DAF.  

5. DAF Donors are most motivated by duty, community & connection 

The most common question from fundraisers about DAFs is, “how can I get more DAF donors supporting our organization?” While your strategy to appeal to DAF donors is going to sound similar to how you recruit donors overall, there are a few commonalities among DAF donors that you can work on appealing to more specifically. When asked about their motivations for giving from their DAF, these were the top 5 responses: 

• 74%: Give Back: Seeing it as my duty to give back because I can. 

• 71%: Special Cause: Having a personal or emotional connection to a cause or organization.

• 67%: Personal Satisfaction: Feeling good about sharing my wealth.

• 63%: Impact: Supporting sustainable change for causes that matter to me. 

• 59%: Community-Related: Wanting to see my grant make a difference in my local community.  

Nonprofit Action Item: Try to address these motivators when creating appeals specifically to folks that you know have a DAF, or in general appeals when you’re highlighting DAF giving. It’s critical to appropriately track DAF donor data to be able to effectively segment them for this kind of targeted communication. Learn more about the best practices on this topic in our Guide to DAF Donor Data.   

Biggest Opportunities for Fundraisers 

6. Planned Giving is of high interest to DAF Donors 

Donor Advised Funds should be a part of every planned giving conversation a nonprofit has with a donor. Every DAF offers the ability for a fundholder to name a successor advisor and / or a beneficiary to receive funds upon the holder’s passing. 30% of donors surveyed would consider including a charity in their succession plan if approached (only 26% said they’d be unwilling to consider it). 

It’s also wise to try and include family members in these conversations if they are involved in the management of the DAF account. 72% of donors surveyed use their DAF with family - 94% of those include a spouse and 18% include children. 

While typical planned giving conversations have some tension with whether inheritance should pass directly to family members or to nonprofits they support, DAFs present a starkly different dynamic. When asked if they want to pass their DAF to their children or grandchildren, the majority of survey respondents (57%) did not agree: 22% were neutral & 35% disagreed.

Nonprofit Action Item: Audit your planned giving materials, webpages or talking points to make sure Donor Advised Funds are mentioned everywhere. It’s a prime opportunity that is genuinely helpful to your donors and could provide a windfall to your organization. 

7. DAF Donors crave better communication from nonprofits 

There were a few points in the survey that highlighted some donor frustration in their experience with nonprofit organizations. The first area was how they were being solicited: Only 56% agreed that they are asked to grant in meaningful ways by charities they are excited about. This seems to imply that DAF donors would prefer more differentiated communication, likely because they often have more considerable means to support. Even more reason to effectively track your DAF donors & tailor communications. 

The other major gap is in the stewardship cycle for DAF donors. Less than half of DAF donors surveyed (49%) report Always or Almost Always being acknowledged for DAF grants. Given how few of them intentionally give fully anonymously, it makes sense why this is a point of frustration. While DAF Providers can certainly make these options clearer (discussed further below), it’s also critical that fundraisers prioritize timely thank yous when DAF gifts are received. 

Nonprofit Action Item: Institute a playbook for DAF donor stewardship at your organization to make sure they are acknowledged and re-solicited in the most effective way possible. Check this guide to DAF Donor Stewardship and this case study on how the Michael J. Fox Foundation reached unprecedented donor engagement by sending immediate thank you emails for DAF gifts (which was made possible by implementing DAFpay, where DAF donors share their email with the nonprofit right when a DAF grant request is submitted).   

8. There are too many places DAF donors DON’T use their DAF 

Nearly every DAF donor reports still making direct cash gifts to a nonprofit regularly. This is a problem for DAF providers (discussed further below), but an even bigger problem for fundraisers. Donors are proven to make significantly larger gifts through their DAF than other means, because of the psychological impacts of "pre-committing" funds to giving (see more on this phenomenon in Daffy’s 2024 annual report). It’s similar to being able to use a gift card vs. cash in your pocket while shopping - you use it much more freely. 

One of the most fascinating elements of this survey was digging into the giving opportunities where DAF donors are most likely to not use their DAF. The top 5 scenarios when DAF donors were “Somewhat More Likely” or “Much More Likely” to give directly vs. through their DAF were: 

• Small Gift (86%)

• Gift for an event (71%) 

• Spontaneous Gift (62%)

• Emergency Relief Gift (50%) 

• Gift to a new organization (44%) 

While the survey didn’t go on to ask exactly why someone is more likely to give directly instead of using their DAF, we at Chariot have conducted 1,000s of 1x1 donor interviews and the most common reasons given for these scenarios are: 

• Extra steps to make a DAF gift (“not worth it” for small or spontaneous gifts). 

• Delay in getting funds (a blocker for time-bound campaigns - giving days, peer-to-peer events - or crisis response).

• Confusion on the restrictions (while DAFs can’t be used to buy a ticket or table, they certainly can be used for general gifts at an event or gala). 

• Concern about a gift getting to the exact right campaign, chapter or organization given the lack of specificity in a DAF portal and similarities of different organizations’ names.  

Nonprofit action item: Try to incorporate DAF giving into all of these giving experiences. Chariot’s DAFpay is the only DAF payment option, that lets donors complete a grant recommendation from their DAF account in 15 seconds without leaving your website. It is particularly transformative for live events, peer-to-peer fundraising, giving days, crowdfunding campaigns and crisis response.

If your fundraising platform already has DAFpay integrated, make sure it is turned on. If not, request the feature from your provider. Here is the full list of our current integrated platforms. 

Opportunities for DAF Providers

9. There’s much more “giving wallet share” for DAFs to gain

88% of the donors surveyed still make regular direct gifts to nonprofits, almost as high as the 95% who still actively make DAF gifts! The next highest way of giving is IRA rollover at 18%, which is considerably lower. While some of that giving may be for things that aren’t eligible (like tickets or auction items), it’s clearly not the main driver given the responses listed under number 8 above. 

It is also not a rare or one-off occurrence when a DAF donor gives outside of their DAF. In fact, 37% of respondents said they do less than half of their total giving through their DAF and only 17% of respondents do more than 95% of their giving through their DAF. All else being equal, a donor should have a strong preference for using their DAF funds because they are the most tax-advantaged, and therefore lowest “cost” to the donor. Any dollars being donated outside of the DAF (with the exception of ineligible gifts) is a missed opportunity for a DAF Provider. Not only would they benefit from the funds passing through their program, but the more someone uses their DAF for giving, the more likely they are to regularly make contributions too.  

Another question asked about the frequency of making spontaneous gifts from their DAF: 76% of respondents said Never, Almost never or Occasionally. This should be a red flag that even if donors don’t express dissatisfaction with the experience using their DAF portal over all, that it is nothing like an express checkout option (Apple Pay, Google Pay and DAFpay) on a donation form where someone is spontaneously inspired to give.  

If donors aren’t using their DAF account for reasons other than an ineligible grant purpose, it means there are barriers and friction to giving. In fact, for those DAF donors who had periods of inactivity, 53% cited giving other ways as the reason. So these barriers don’t just limit DAF account growth, they limit DAF usage as well.   

DAF Action Item: Ensure your program is connected in DAFpay so that your fund holders can easily and securely make grant recommendations from their account in all the places they are inspired to give online. Contact the Chariot team to learn more about getting connected, or customizing your current connection. 

“Your ‘competition’ as a giving tool, is not just other DAF platforms - which the fundholder is probably not even familiar with - it is really other kinds of online checkout experiences.”

10. There’s room for improvement in the DAF giving experience

For any DAF providers that are focused on optimizing their user experience, this survey reveals a few areas of improvement to be investigated.  

• 17% of donors didn’t find the Charity Search Function to be easy. 

• 19% of donors didn’t find navigating the DAF platform to be easy.

• 25% of donors didn’t find the mobile app to be easy (only 32% of over all donors had even used a mobile app for their DAF)    

DAF Action Item: Try using a DAF at some “competitive” providers that have invested more in their technology, user experience and mobile accessibility. Here is a list of the most accessible DAF options to test out. When you put yourself in your fundholder’s shoes and compare their potential giving experiences, you’ll be able to spot the clearest areas for improvement of your own program and platform.  

You could also do a survey of your own fund holders, and ask more pointed questions on this front, like “how does using your portal compare to using Apple Pay?” Your “competition” as a giving tool, is not just other DAF platforms - which the fundholder is probably not even familiar with - it is really other kinds of online checkout experiences.   

11. Donors want more clarity on succession planning 

53% of respondents said that they’d never even considered the possibility of directing funds to a charity or a fund at the DAF sponsor as part of their succession plan. Planned giving is such a valuable opportunity for community foundation DAF sponsors and nonprofits alike, providing visibility on long-term support. Empower your fundholders to maximize their impact during and after their lifetimes with improvements in this process. 

DAF Action Item: Go through your own sign up flow and portal experience to test how someone would learn about succession planning, or take steps to update their own beneficiaries or successors. If there’s anything unintuitive to you, think about ways to boost your education and user experience on this front. 

12. Account minimums are a barrier 

19% of donors either Agreed or Strongly Agreed that the minimum balance was a barrier to grant making. It’s likely to be more effective for your total AUM, and certainly more impactful for your community, to focus on boosting contributions vs. enforcing a minimum account balance. Removing barriers to giving is key to donor experience and greater long-term engagement with their account. 

DAF Action Item: Evaluate how reducing minimums - both on the account balance and gift size - could open up your user base to a wider range of donors. If you are concerned about higher volume, smaller dollar grant making being too operationally burdensome for your team, be sure to explore Chariot Disbursements: the faster, easier, cheaper and more secure way to send and receive grant payments. 

13. More optionality is needed around anonymity & confidentiality 

    
    

One of the most interesting suggestions by the researchers themselves is for DAF providers to adjust their anonymity settings to provide a clearer option where donors don’t want to be publicly recognized (e.g. remain confidential), but do want to be acknowledged directly by the organization. This is driven by a couple of key findings on the topic in the survey:

• 72% of donors Never, or almost never, give anonymously (only 3% always or almost always). 

• 61% of donors never, or almost never, give partially anonymously (no contact details), while 11.5% always, or almost always, give partially anonymously  

• Top reason for anonymity: 72% said they don’t want public recognition, followed by avoiding solicitation (71%) and moral / ethical reasons (48%) 

• Less than half of DAF donors (49%) report Always or Almost Always being acknowledged for DAF grants. 

Nonprofits are consistently frustrated at the poor quality of donor data they receive with DAF gifts, and donors regularly complain about the delays or gaps in acknowledgement for their support. Clearly there is a disconnect here and work for DAF providers to do. 

DAF Action Item: Test some changes to your anonymity options in your request form and see how donors respond or engage. If you want to make sure that funds and gift details aren’t so delayed getting to the receiving nonprofits (so your account holders can be thanked faster), check out what Daffy, The Dallas Jewish Community Foundation and 4 other DAFs built with Chariot so that payments can settle instantly once approved, and contain full gift details in one place.