Getting DAF Ready: How Nonprofits can Maximize DAF Day 2025
- Mitch Stein
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
As donor-advised funds (DAFs) continue to reshape the philanthropic landscape, nonprofits are finding new ways to engage, educate, and empower their supporters. That urgency and opportunity were on full display in the recent Chariot-hosted webinar, “Getting DAF Ready,” featuring nonprofit leaders from the ACLU, The Public Theater, and Wounded Warrior Project.

With DAF Day 2025 set for October 9, the conversation offered practical strategies, timely lessons, and inspiring examples of what it means to truly be “DAF ready” in time for the big day.
This article covers:
Why DAFs matter now more than ever
Being the DAF Champion
Making DAF strategy tangible
Why DAF Day resonates
2024 DAF Day results
Planning for 2025
Why DAFs Matter Now More Than Ever
All three organizations also participated in the 2025 DAF Fundraising Report, which provided compelling analysis on how important DAFs have become for modern nonprofit fundraising. Some of the most meaningful findings included:
Existing donors that switched to giving through DAFs from another giving method (e.g. credit cards) increased their giving by 10x on average, and the median change was +100%.
69% of DAF gifts were under $1,000, dispelling the myth that DAFs are reserved for major donors making their largest gifts.
The median growth in 2024 DAF giving was +30%, compared to a median change in non-DAF giving of -1%.
“These gifts aren’t just large, they're broad-based,” said Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy at Chariot. “They’re coming from donors across the spectrum. This is a rising tide moment for the entire sector.”
Being the DAF Champion
Every organization has been on a slightly different journey with DAF strategy, but having an internal DAF Champion is the most consistent step. At the ACLU, Meghan Lee, Associate Director of Impact Giving, has been that champion and described how she’s seen DAFs evolve from a curiosity into a core channel over the past few years. “DAF giving just continues to be a juggernaut,” she said. “We’re seeing DAF usage from every level of our file. It’s helped us foster more cross-team collaboration.”
Shayla Titley, Director of Patron Programs & Services at The Public Theater, described how she took the initiative herself to prioritize DAF strategy: “It wasn’t like someone said, ‘Shayla, focus on DAFs.’ I just saw the opportunity.”
And Theresa Scordo, Donor Stewardship Associate Director at Wounded Warrior Project, reminded us that no one is behind if they’re just starting to get more engaged with DAF giving: “Even at a large organization like ours, we really only started dialing this up in the past year”.
Making DAF Strategy Tangible
Across the board, successful DAF fundraising strategies included three components:
Internal alignment: Is the whole team educated on DAFs so that everyone knows why to prioritize it and is able to spot opportunities? Does everyone have a shared vocabulary, rules, etc. to follow?
Wounded Warrior Project took another step and hired a dedicated DAF Stewardship Specialist. “It’s a quarterback role,” said Theresa. “That person ensures gift tracking is accurate, data is clean, and our messaging is on point for all DAF donors, regardless of gift size.”
Integration into giving systems: Is DAF giving called out by name in all your donation forms, solicitations, etc.? Is DAF giving an integrated payment option wherever possible?
For arts institutions like The Public Theater, where DAFs can raise complex tax questions, transparency is key. “We’re very clear about when a DAF can be used,” Shayla noted. For example, memberships that offer ticket perks might not be fully tax-deductible, so The Public nudges donors toward levels that are. That clarity paid off—in a recent direct mail campaign that emphasized DAF giving, several donors went from giving $100 to $5,000, simply because they were educated on how to do it using their DAF.
Direct donor appeals: Are you curating specific outreach for your DAF donors and DAF giving to your broader file? DAF day is the perfect time to implement both.
The ACLU has deeply embedded DAF messaging into its appeals—both digitally and via direct mail. “We explicitly call out Fidelity or Schwab by name when we talk to DAF donors,” Meghan explained. “It shows them we’re paying attention to exactly how they give.”
DAF Day 2024 Results

DAF Day 2024 brought in big wins, internally and externally for organizations. The ACLU saw a meaningful bump not just on the day itself, but in donor behavior for the remainder of the year. “DAF Day helped us stay top of mind through year-end,” Meghan shared.
The Public Theater received several unexpected gifts on DAF Day—a signal that their messaging was breaking through. “It wasn’t about setting a monetary goal. It was about showing up and starting a conversation,” said Shayla.
And then there were standout successes like Susan G. Komen, which received $267,000 in DAF support on the day, including a single $88,000 gift from a
first-time DAF donor.
Planning for 2025
This year, all three panelists are going bigger. Wounded Warrior Project has an omnichannel campaign in motion, complete with mailers, emails, and even a DAF Day QR code on their Zoom backdrops. “Everywhere our name appears, that QR code is there too,” said Theresa.
The ACLU is doubling down on donor segmentation and testing a match offer promoted via postcard. “Even if this year hasn’t gone perfectly, whatever you can do is better than nothing,” said Meghan. “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”
Meanwhile, Shayla is aiming to secure a donor testimonial and activate The Public Theater’s social media presence around DAF Day. “Now that we’ve got more time, we’re ready to build on what we started,” she said.
Activation Timeline
For nonprofits wondering how to plan, here is a recommended activation calendar:
July: Internal education and setup, including Chariot account verification so that your organization shows as verified on the DAF Day Giving Page.
August: DAF education and website updates. Participate in DAF Awareness Week (Aug 18–21), with dedicated webinars for staff, donors, and nonprofit leadership.
September: Start public communications around DAF Day. Include donor stories and prepare your match campaigns.
October: Build momentum in the week leading up to DAF Day on October 9, with daily touchpoints and calls to action.
The message is clear: DAF Day isn’t just about a single day of giving. It’s a movement to make DAFs more accessible, more visible, and more powerful for every organization. Megan mentioned how they asked to move DAF giving to the top of the ACLU ways to give page, and learned that it already was by far the most clicked on part of the page!
Final Takeaway: Progress Over Perfection
Being “DAF ready” doesn’t require perfection. It starts with intention—and evolves through collaboration, transparency, and iteration.
“Start with your giving page,” advised Theresa. “Update your DAF info. Get verified with Chariot. Everything else can build from there.”
Meghan agreed: “Even if all you can do this year is send one DAF-focused email, that’s progress. And it’ll pay off.”
Shayla summed it up perfectly: “You don’t need to have it all figured out. Just get moving. And don’t be afraid to bring a little creativity along the way.”