"The DAF Fundraising Report is an indispensable guide to the fundraising year ahead. At the ACLU, it helps us benchmark, strategize, and better invest in our generous DAF donors. I’m so grateful for this resource and to the organizations that contribute — it never leaves my desk!"
On November 4, Chariot, K2D Strategies and AKwire kicked off the fourth annual DAF Fundraising Report. We looked back at what the 2026 report found, walked through what participating takes, and shared the most common data mistakes and how to avoid them before submissions open on January 15, 2027.
Speakers:
- Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy, Chariot
- Karin Kirchoff, Founder and President, K2D Strategies
- Kate Hollandsworth, SVP of Strategy, AKwire
- Adam Rosenscruggs, Chief Data Officer, AKwire
In this recap you’ll learn:
- Why the DAF Fundraising Report exists and how the cohort has grown
- The five biggest findings from the 2026 report
- What your team gets from participating
- The six data fields we request and key dates for 2027
- Three common submission mistakes and how to avoid them
- Three checks to run on your data before you submit
1. Why this report exists
Donor-advised funds hold $327 billion across more than 3 million accounts, according to the DAF Research Collaborative. Until now, most DAF research has relied on sponsors' data, not nonprofits'. The DAF Fundraising Report fills that gap with a nonprofit lens on DAF growth, benchmarks organizations can measure against, and a playbook for the emerging field of DAF strategy.
We are proud to say that each year our participating cohort keeps growing. The 2024 report analyzed just $10B+ in giving from 20 organizations, while the 2026 report analyzed $26.1B from 54 organizations! Every new participant sharpens the benchmarks for everyone.
2. What the 2026 report found
- DAFs remain the fastest-growing giving vehicle: Median DAF revenue grew 75% from 2021 to 2025, vs. 12% for non-DAF giving.
- DAFs increase individual giving: Donors gave 10x more on average after switching to DAF giving, across 50,000 instances.
- DAFs are used at all donor levels: 67% of DAF gifts are under $1,000 and only 2% are $25K+.
- DAF donors are loyal: They retain at a rate 13 percentage points higher than non-DAF donors.
- DAF prominence varies by sector: Health-sector DAF revenue grew 99%, and DAFs make up 23.7% of revenue for international relief organizations.
New this year, the report ended with a hands-on workbook organized into three areas: Data (how DAF giving is tracked, analyzed and actioned), Communications (where DAFs show up in external messaging) and Technology (what the DAF giving experience is like for donors and staff).
3. Why your team should participate in 2027
- Rally your team around DAF strategy. Pulling the data brings fundraising, data and leadership teams together on one shared picture of DAF giving.
- See how you compare. Measure your DAF growth, retention and gift size against the cohort and peers in your sector.
- Make nonprofit needs visible to sponsors. Your data shows DAF sponsors where delays, missing donor details and other gaps get in the way.
- Get free data quality support. The research team reviews your file and flags issues, so you leave with cleaner DAF tracking.
"It has been valuable for the IRC to participate in the DAF Fundraising Report because it has helped us dig deep into our DAF data. It enables us to see what is working, where we can continue to build, and how we compare to peer organizations."
4. What we ask for
In order to participate, we request five years of individual giving data, one row per gift, with six fields: donor ID, gift date, gift amount, gift type (DAF or non-DAF), DAF provider (if applicable) and an anonymous flag (Y/N). Please make sure to replace donor names and all other personally identifiable information with a unique ID, and keep each donor's ID the same across every year. No organization's data is ever shared with other participants.
Key dates to add to your calendar:
- January 15, 2027: Submissions open
- February 15, 2027: Submission window closes
- May 2027: Report published
5. Three most common submission mistakes we see
- Leaving out a segment. Send every donor, both DAF and non-DAF, with no cap on gift size. Check that a full five calendar years are included.
- Masking the wrong thing. Replace each individual donor with a unique ID and remove all PII, but keep DAF sponsor names. The analysis needs them.
- Counting non-DAF gifts as DAF. Workplace giving, crowdfunding platforms and qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) are not DAF gifts. Flag only grants from DAF sponsors.
6. Three checks to run before you submit
A few quick queries catch most coding errors before they reach the research team:
- DAF gifts under $18. DAF grants this small are rare, a cluster of them often means non-DAF gifts are flagged as DAF.
- Unique DAF sponsors. Count them. Too few can mean DAF gifts weren't flagged, and unfamiliar names can mean other sources slipped in.
- 12+ DAF gifts per donor, per year. Monthly DAF grants are unusual. These donors often point to workplace or recurring gifts coded as DAF.
Bring a friend
Know a team that should be in the data? Benchmarks are only as strong as the organizations behind them, and more participants in your sector means sharper comparisons for you. Take a moment to forward the recording to a peer organization and invite them to join alongside your team.
Fill out the interest form to save your spot in the 2027 report.
Questions? Email Rose Richtmyre at rrichtmyre@k2dstrategies.com.
