Integrating DAFs into Peer-to-Peer & Event Fundraising
- Mitch Stein
- Mar 6
- 6 min read
Peer-to-Peer and Event fundraising are the most common instances where DAF donors don’t use their DAF - and therefore the biggest opportunity to unlock increased giving. Whether because of added steps, confusion about eligibility or just forgetting about their DAF in a moment of inspired giving, DAFs have been left out of these fundraising channels for too long!
As DAFs become even more prominent in philanthropy – Fidelity Charitable’s 2025 report shows a 25% year-over-year increase in DAF giving among their account holders – it’s time for nonprofits to shift their mindset and focus on integrating Donor Advised Fund giving across their entire fundraising strategies. There’s over $250 billion already committed to giving in these accounts.
This week, Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy at Chariot, and Emily Delp, Gift Processing Manager at Pelotonia, hosted a webinar discussing DAFs in the Peer-to-Peer and Events landscape. Emily shared what she’s learned as a seasoned fundraiser and data-management expert.
Read on for the top strategies:
Educate and Engage with Your Community
The first step to integrating DAF giving into your Peer-to-Peer and Events campaigns is educating your team, your board, your participants and your donors on how DAFs can be used in these contexts. Put information on DAF giving across all your communication channels—your website, emails, mailers, and even one-on-one donor conversations.
Your messaging should offer clear, step-by-step instructions on what a DAF is, how they work and where donors can give with their DAFs. This includes prominently displaying your organization’s EIN and full legal name on your website. (Check out Pelotonia’s site for a great example.)
It's also critical to proactively address common misconceptions that might stop donors from using their DAFs—like the idea that DAFs can't be used for event-related gifts or that DAFs take too long to process. When your donors understand how and when they can give with their DAF, you'll unlock more opportunities to bring in these valuable gifts.
Here’s how to reframe these common DAF misconceptions:
The Restriction Myth : DAFs and Event Gifts
DAF gifts have certain restrictions. They can’t be donated in exchange for anything that provides a benefit to the donor, like a registration fee, a gala table, a ticket, or a membership non-tax deductible. They also can’t be used to commit to a legally binding pledge.
These limitations have led many to avoid using DAFs in Peer-to-Peer campaigns or at Events altogether — but this doesn’t have to be the case.
Though DAF gifts can’t be made for purchases, folks can still make general donations with their DAF at an event, the same way they would donate with a credit card, cash, or check. And while DAF gifts can’t be used to commit to a legally binding multi-year pledge, donors can recommend a grant from their DAF in response to a pledge request.
To provide even more clarity to donors on when and where you can accept DAF gifts, check out our recommendations in this Gift Acceptance Policy template.
Delayed Recognition: The Wait for DAF Gifts
Before new DAF technology, it could take weeks - or even months - for nonprofits to even know that a donor had contributed with their DAF. This delay made it impossible to include DAF gifts in any time-sensitive campaigns, which Peer-to-Peer campaigns typically are. Many DAF donors are still conditioned to use their credit card on these campaign pages so they can quickly contribute and see their gift included in the total right away. The problem is that these gifts tend to be much smaller than if they could use their DAF.
With DAFpay, the express-payout DAF payment option developed by Chariot, nonprofits can instantly capture and record DAF gift data in real time. This allows nonprofits to properly direct a gift to its intended event page or crowdfunder, right when the gift is made, without any delay.
Recognize That DAF Donors Can Be Anyone
While it's true that many high net worth individuals use DAFs, the landscape of DAF giving has shifted significantly. As DAF accounts become more commonplace, more donors across income levels are opening DAFs to streamline their charitable giving. While these donors might not all have similar income levels, they do all have something else in common: a deep commitment to philanthropy.
Whether a donor is giving through a DAF for the first time or has been using one for years, their decision to give this way signals that they think intentionally about their charitable impact. That makes them exactly the kind of donor your organization wants to cultivate for long-term support.
DAF donors can enter your ecosystem through a single Peer-to-Peer gift or event donation — and with the right stewardship, they can become loyal, recurring supporters. By acknowledging their generosity, educating them on how they can continue giving through their DAF, and showing the impact of their gift, you're laying the groundwork for a lasting donor relationship.
Leverage New Technology to Optimize DAF Giving
The best way to engage every potential DAF donor is by putting DAF giving front and center in your giving experiences and making the giving process as simple as possible. DAFpay, developed by Chariot, is the only DAF payment option and it embeds intuitive, express DAF giving into your donation forms. It also instantly captures gift information, allowing your donors to use their DAF in time-sensitive fundraising efforts, like Peer-to-Peer campaigns.
And DAFpay goes beyond just simplifying DAF giving for donors — it streamlines operations for Gift Processing Managers. Historically, DAF gifts arrived with little to no donor information, forcing fundraisers to manually track down details like names, emails, gift dates and the intended participant’s page. With DAFpay, this critical donor information is automatically captured and synced, eliminating guesswork, time-spent searching for details and unlocking a new level of data transparency. With immediate insight on DAF gifts, your organization and your participants can seamlessly steward DAF donors. You can also leverage this new data for more strategic, impactful campaigns.
“On our website, DAFpay automatically links to a participant or team. So, as a Gift Processor, when I receive that money I can easily apply that gift…it makes it so there’s no confusion at all.”
As a bonus – when DAFpay appears on your checkout flow, it acts as a built-in educational tool for your donors. Any donor who goes through your donation flow is automatically alerted to the fact that they can give to your organization with a DAF.
"People are going through that donation process as is, and it’s amazing for them to see that option already.”
Use Fundraising Data to Your Advantage
Data isn’t just something to collect — it’s a powerful tool to refine your fundraising process. As Emily shared, analyzing donor behavior has helped her team iterate on what’s already working. After noticing the popularity of Peer-to-Peer events, they expanded their programming to include an additional walk/run and bike ride — keeping their community engaged year-round.
“We’re always trying to change it up to keep the community engaged.”
The same mindset applies to DAF donors. Take the extra time to uncover DAF donor data, either by integrating DAFpay or by taking other steps, like cross-referencing fund names with donor records or checking with colleagues to see if they recognize a gift-source. Once you’ve identified your DAF donors, file them accordingly — they may be great candidates for major gift cultivation or respond to different messaging.
The more you know, the more robust your strategy can be.
"We’ve really turned towards data over the past year in order to make educated decisions and optimize our outreach.”
Get more DAF donor insights here.
Work Closely With Your Major Gifts Team
Building cross-team alignment can unlock new fundraising opportunities — especially when it comes to DAF donors. At Pelotonia, the events, gift processing and major gifts teams meet bi-weekly to review incoming gifts, focusing specifically on DAF contributions. This regular touchpoint makes it easier to track every gift, avoid duplicate records, and ensure proper stewardship.
“We meet on a regular basis with the Major Gifts team…when it comes to DAF gifts, coming in and acknowledging those gifts in a special way is crucial.”
These meetings also create a natural opportunity to move donors between giving pipelines. A donor who first engages through a Peer-to-Peer campaign or Gala may have the capacity for larger gifts — especially if they're giving through a DAF. By collaborating with the Major Gifts team, fundraisers can identify high-potential donors early and provide personalized outreach that encourages deeper engagement.
Breaking down silos between teams helps create a more holistic donor journey, ensuring that no giving opportunity falls through the cracks.
Maximize Corporate Partnerships
Corporate partnerships can be a game-changer in fundraising. Emily shared how Pelotonia has leveraged corporate support by having companies pay for registration fees for riders that join with that company’s team for their bike rides. This structure fosters a sense of camaraderie amongst riders, removes the cost burden for participants and elevates the company’s brand.
While many are familiar with employee gift matching programs, it’s less widely known that some corporations will even match DAF gifts made by their employees. Make sure your nonprofit is reminding folks that make DAF gifts to check if it can be matched by their employer.
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