The third annual edition is the largest yet — 54 organizations, $26 billion in giving data, and new sector-by-sector analysis. Here's what to expect.
The DAF Fundraising Report started three years ago with a simple question: what is actually happening with DAF giving inside nonprofit organizations? Not from the perspective of the sponsors, but from the nonprofits receiving the gifts.
What began with 20 organizations and limited data has grown into the largest research effort of its kind. The 2026 edition analyzes $26.1 billion in total giving across 54 participating organizations. We're releasing the full results at a live webinar on May 20 at noon EST.
The biggest edition yet
The 2026 DAF Fundraising Report grew the number of participating organizations by 65% this year, from 33 to 54. That's the most diverse cohort in the report's history, spanning causes, org sizes, and missions from local food banks to global advocacy organizations to Smithsonian cultural museums.
In aggregate, these organizations represent:
- $26.1 billion in total revenue
- $3.3 billion in DAF revenue
- 147 million total gifts processed — 907,000 of which are DAF gifts
Although DAF gifts account for less than 1% of total gift volume, they make up nearly 13% of total revenue, signifying the value of the average DAF donor which will be re-emphasized throughout the report.
New this year: for the first time, we're able to report key findings by sector. As the participant pool has grown and data quality has improved, the research can now surface how DAF giving impacts different types of organizations. That's a meaningful step forward for anyone trying to benchmark their own program.
The organizations behind the data
The 54 nonprofits participating in this year's report represent the research's most expansive and diverse cohort yet:
ACLU Foundation • Alzheimer's Association • American Cancer Society • American Friends of Magen David Adom • American Kidney Foundation • American Rivers • Best Friends Animal Society • Bright Focus • CARE • Catholic Medical Mission Board • Center for Reproductive Rights • Chesapeake Bay Foundation • Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation • Children's National Hospital Foundation • Defenders of Wildlife • DePelchin Children's Center • Environmental Defense Fund • Food & Friends • Food and Water Watch • Global Giving • Guttmacher Institute • Humane Colorado • Humane World for Animals • International Rescue Committee • JSSA • Komen • Make-A-Wish • Mercy Corps • Museum of the American Revolution • National Audubon Society • National Air & Space Museum • National Museum of African American History • National Museum of the American Indian • New York Presbyterian • NRDC • Ocean Conservancy • Operation Homefront • PETA • Planned Parenthood Federation of America • Project Hope • The Public Theater (NYC) • San Francisco-Marin Food Bank • Save the Children Federation • Save the Redwoods • Seeds of Peace • Share Our Strength • Sierra Club • Smithsonian Cultural Museums • Texas State University • The Nature Conservancy • Trust for Public Land • World Resources Institute • World Wildlife Fund • Wounded Warrior Project
What to expect on May 20
The findings from the first two editions have been presented in dozens of webinars, conferences, and podcast interviews, and viewed online by thousands of nonprofit professionals, DAF sponsors, and DAF donors. The research has been featured in Axios, Barron's, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Nonprofit Times, Forbes, and Candid Insights, and cited in studies including The DAF Research Collaborative's Fundraising Study.
This isn't a summary of what DAF sponsors are reporting. It's what your peers' data & examples actually show — how DAF fundraising is changing, what worked well in 2025, and where the biggest opportunities are hiding in plain sight.
The full research team will walk through the new findings live, dig into what's changed since last year, and share the strategies separating organizations seeing 30%+ DAF revenue growth from those standing still. The new sector-by-sector analysis makes its debut here, along with updated best practices and case studies from leading DAF fundraisers.
You'll hear directly from the collaborative team behind the research:
- Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy at Chariot
- Karin Kirchoff, Founder & President at K2D Strategies
- Kate Hollandsworth, Senior Vice President of Strategy at AKwire
- Adam Rosenscruggs, Founder & Principal at Gambit Analytics
Register here to join us on May 20 at noon EST.
The full report will be available for download following the webinar.
