Celebrate DAF Day With Us On October 8th!

 

 

Donor-advised funds have become an increasingly visible part of charitable giving, and DAF Day offers nonprofits a timely reason to make sure donors know they can use these funds to support the organizations they care about.

But making the most of DAF Day on October 8 does not require a complicated campaign—or a sudden push to become a donor-advised fund expert. Instead, think of the day as another opportunity to communicate clearly with donors, make giving easy, and keep your organization’s mission front and center. 

Consider these three tips for DAF Day 2026:

Make sure donors know you accept gifts from donor-advised funds.

Duh, right? This sounds simple, but it is an important first step. A donor may have money available in a donor-advised fund without realizing that your organization can receive a grant from it.

Take a look at your website, giving page, email communications, and other donor materials. Is giving through a donor-advised fund mentioned anywhere? If not, DAF Day is a good reason to add a simple reminder.

You do not need to explain the mechanics. A sentence such as, “You can also support our mission by recommending a grant from your donor-advised fund,” may be enough to prompt a donor who already has a donor-advised fund to consider using it.

Connect donor-advised fund giving to your mission—not to the giving vehicle.

DAF Day may be about donor-advised funds, but your communications should still be focused on your organization’s work and the many, many ways donors can support it. Accordingly, rather than making the giving vehicle the centerpiece of your message, show donors what their generosity in any form can accomplish. Share a story, highlight a current need, describe an opportunity, or remind supporters what their gifts have made possible. Then include donor-advised funds as an option alongside the many other ways people can provide support—gifts of stock, Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs (for donors 70½ and older), gifts through an estate plan, and so much more.

This keeps the emphasis where it belongs: on the donor’s charitable intentions and your mission. A donor-advised fund is simply one tool a donor may choose to put those intentions into action.

Use DAF Day as a conversation starter.

Not every communication, for DAF Day or otherwise, needs to include an immediate ask. DAF Day can simply provide an opening for broader conversations with donors about their philanthropy. For example, a longtime supporter may have established a donor-advised fund as part of a broader financial or estate plan. Another donor may be interested in making a larger gift but has not considered whether assets already set aside for charity could be part of the solution. Still another may appreciate a reminder to review the charitable funds available to them as year-end approaches.

The goal is not to assume that every donor has a donor-advised fund—or that a donor-advised fund is the right giving tool for every donor. Instead, use the occasion to invite conversation and remind supporters that there are many ways to be generous.

Keep the community foundation team in your philanthropic network

As you prepare for DAF Day, as always, the community foundation team is a useful sounding board for general questions about charitable giving through donor-advised funds and the philanthropic landscape in our community. Remember, though, that donor relationships and fund information are confidential. IPCF cannot share information about which donors have donor-advised funds, encourage particular fund holders to support a particular organization, or provide a shortcut to securing donor-advised fund grants.

And that is actually an important feature of the relationship. Donors trust IPCF to honor their privacy and charitable intentions, just as they trust nonprofits to steward their gifts well. And that’s good for everyone. Donor-advised funds often inspire and facilitate charitable giving that never would have happened without this useful tool. 

So approach DAF Day for what it is: an opportunity to make donors aware of another way to support the causes they already care about—including your organization. Make it easy for donors to give, keep the focus on your mission, and use the occasion to strengthen the charitable conversations that matter all year long.