Most DAF Donors Make Unrestricted Gifts — but the Biggest Still Earmark Donations
Many donors give year-round, most accounts have a succession plan, and more than half support three or more charities, report finds.
By Rasheeda Childress
Senior Editor, Fundraising
Silent Donor Platform Offers Anonymous Donations to the Mainstream, as Privacy Debate Rages
The platform, which allows people to route donations through a donor-advised fund, has grown quickly and has partnerships with numerous nonprofits,
By Glenn Gamboa
AP Business Writer
How Donor-Advised Funds Are Changing Philanthropy
DAFs are turning up everywhere — in grant-maker collaboratives, impact investing, workplace giving, and even wedding-gift registries. Will 2024 see new regulation?
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor
Donor Privacy Is Essential. Stop Asking Lawmakers to Force Disclosure.
Escalating calls to force charities to say who’s supporting them may lead to harassment of donors and dampen charitable giving.
Opinion | Critics Are Wrong: DAF Misuse Isn’t Rampant
While charitable dollars should never be used to fuel hate, targeting DAFs isn’t the solution and ignores all the good they can accomplish.
Big Gifts, DAF Contributions Will Be Key to Year-End, Fundraisers Say
Some nonprofits are sharing blunt messages about financial woes in an effort to spur donations.
By Emily Haynes
Senior Editor, Nonprofit Intelligence
The $10 Billion Charity No One Has Heard Of
The SDG Impact Fund is a donor-advised fund that grew from $238 million to $10 billion in one year. It has prompted some questions from experts.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
An Unlikely Event — the Israel-Hamas War — Could Finally Spark DAF Reform
Anonymous donations to controversial anti-Israel groups shine a spotlight on the urgent need for donor-advised fund reform. Will this finally motivate Congress to pass much-needed legislation?
By Craig Kennedy
Contributor
Proposed IRS Regulations of Donor-Advised Funds Fall Short, Critics Say
The Treasury Department on Tuesday issued proposed rules regulating donor-advised funds that sidestep many of the heated debates over the fast-growing form of charitable giving.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Editor, Foundations
Giving Is Down — Except for DAFs, Says New Report
Defying the 2022 decline in giving, contributions to donor-advised funds climbed to new heights last year, albeit at a slower pace than usual, according to a new report.
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor
A Short History of the Fast and Furious Rise of DAFs
After a meteoric rise, donor-advised funds like Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable now rank among the most powerful forces in philanthropy.
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor
Part Stock Fund, Part Donor-Advised Fund: a New Bid for Young Donors
Charity Navigator, one of the biggest nonprofit-rating agencies, is betting it has an answer to a question that vexes many organizations: What might persuade affluent Millennials and Generation Z members to give?
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor
Donors’ Unrealistic Expectations Harm Nonprofits and Take the Joy Out of Philanthropy
A lack of time, money, and resources means nonprofits can’t always respond to gifts with the immediacy or detail that donors want. Instead, donors should focus on building trusting relationships with the organizations they support.
By Sewheat Asfaha and Lauren Janus
Opinion | Op-ed That Admonished Nonprofits to Serve Donors Better Provokes Praise and Criticism
Communicating effectively with donors is important, say readers, but so is understanding the challenges nonprofits face that may make it difficult for them to respond in a timely and personal manner.
What Was the Philanthropic Pluralism Manifesto Really About?
A recent call by philanthropy leaders for greater civility and respect of those with different views appears to be an opening response to critics, especially those in Congress, who want to reform laws governing the field.
By Craig Kennedy
Contributor
Donor-Advised Fund Holders Should Unleash Their Dollars Now — Not Wait for Government Action
The co-creators of the #HalfMyDAF campaign are calling on more donors to join them as they launch two new rounds of matching funds to encourage people to grant 50 percent of their DAF dollars to nonprofits.
By David Risher and Jennifer Risher