FYI Blog

Avalon Reporting: Donor-Advised Funds

Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) have been around for years. But the pandemic accelerated growth in this type of giving over the last two years. For example, Fidelity Charitable reported making donor-recommended grants totaling $9.1 BILLION in 2020. Are you ready to assess the impact of DAF giving on your fundraising program?

This surge of giving from donor-advised funds makes it imperative for nonprofits to have a strategy around getting these grants, accurately reporting the income, and ensuring consistency across reports.

Avalon offers donor-advised fund reporting as part of our Avalon Inquire™ major findings analysis as well as a stand-alone analysis. Our reporting shows you:

  • The amount of DAF revenue tracked in your fundraising program
  • The percentage of all giving that comes from donor-advised funds and how that changes over time
  • Whether revenue from donor-advised funds is new and growing or shifting from other types of giving
  • Which campaigns generate subsequent donations or upgrades through DAFs with matchback analysis

The money that donors contribute to their donor-advised fund accounts is earmarked for charity giving ONLY, so it’s worthwhile to understand the influence of this growing payment form. It’s critical for nonprofits to ask for those DAF gifts. Promote DAF giving on your website and on all communications. Track DAF donors so you can identify and steward them, and correctly credit DAF giving. And you should consider incorporating DAF donors into your planned giving strategies.

Contact Avalon today to ensure you’re maximizing the potential of giving from donor-advised funds in your program.

For additional insight into your donor file, check out Avalon’s demographic reporting that analyzes file diversity