DAFgiving360 just released its calendar year 2025 results, and the numbers tell a clear story: DAF giving continues to accelerate. Donors granted nearly $10 billion to more than 165,000 charities — a 28% increase in dollars year-over-year and the largest annual total in the organization's history. This marks their fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth in grants by DAF donors.
Here's what nonprofit fundraisers and operations teams should take away from the report.
1. $9.9 Billion Granted — Averaging $27 Million Per Day
DAFgiving360 donors granted $9.9 billion through 1.5 million grants in 2025, a 20% increase in grant volume over the prior year. At that pace, donors were moving more than $27 million a day to charities from their DAFs.
For fundraisers: This isn't a single-year spike — it's sustained, compounding growth. The DAFRC's Annual DAF Report found that DAF grants represent 17% of total individual giving in the U.S. and reached $64.9 billion industry-wide. If DAF giving isn't a line item in your revenue projections, it should be.
2. Donors Are Expanding Their Reach
165,000 charities received 1.5 million DAFgiving360 grants, a 20% YoY growth. Compared to 2024, donors supported 11% more charities overall, including 29,000 new organizations that had never previously received a DAFgiving360 grant.
54% of donors gave to a charity they hadn't previously supported — with the greatest number of new grants going to religious organizations, human services, and public/societal benefit causes.
For fundraisers: DAF donors are actively exploring new causes. There's a real acquisition opportunity here — make it easy for new DAF donors to find and support your organization by adding DAFpay to your donation form.
3. DAF Donors Are Incredibly Active
The majority of donors made more than 7 grants to charities throughout the year, with a median grant size of $500. 74% of grants were unrestricted and 38% of all grants from DAFgiving360 were set up as recurring, allowing charities to plan for sustained support.
For fundraisers: DAF donors give the kinds of grants nonprofits love — unrestricted, recurring, and growing over time. They're also remarkably loyal: the DAFRC's DAF Donor Study found that 61% of DAF donors directed over 75% of their grants to the same organizations year-over-year, and 94% reported sustained or increased giving after opening their DAF. If you have recurring DAF donors, include them in your monthly donor engagement flows.
4. Market Performance and Tax Policy Are Shaping DAF Giving
A record 74% of contributions to DAFgiving360 in 2025 came in the form of non-cash assets like stocks, real estate, and cryptocurrency. Investment growth in DAF accounts also created an additional $8 billion available for grantmaking. And with the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, many donors accelerated contributions into 2025 to lock in existing tax benefits — making it a uniquely active year for DAF funding.
For fundraisers: The money flowing into DAFs is overwhelmingly non-cash and tied to market performance, which means the assets fueling future grants to your organization are growing in the background. Understanding what motivates DAF donors helps you have better conversations with these donors and meet them where they are.
Now that a wave of new contributions landed in DAFs in 2025, the opportunity this year is to engage those donors to start granting. Build DAF-specific activations into your calendar: plan for DAF Day in October (start marketing a couple months in advance), but don't wait until then — even a one-off mailer or email earlier in the year reminding donors they have an opportunity to make a lasting impact on your long-term mission and projects can go a long way.
The Bigger Picture
Since its founding in 1999, DAFgiving360 donors have now supported nearly 300,000 charities through $50 billion in cumulative grants. And the organization expects donor generosity from DAFs to continue at a heightened pace in 2026.
For nonprofits, the message is straightforward: DAF giving is growing faster than any other form of individual giving. Whether you're focused on donor acquisition, retention, or revenue growth, understanding the behavior of DAF donors on major platforms like DAFgiving360 is no longer optional — it's essential.
For more resources on stewarding your DAF donors, including email templates and case studies, you can check out Chariot’s Nonprofit Partners Resource Hub here!
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