As DAFs (donor advised funds) grow in popularity, more and more organizations like yours are seeking fresh ways to activate existing DAF donors and bring new ones into the fold—and for good reason. When donors sign up for a DAF account, their average change in annual giving grows by a jaw-dropping 96 percent.
In recent years, DAF donors have provided reliable revenue for nonprofits of all sizes. They’ve funded critical services, desperately needed programs, and long-awaited community spaces. But while we’ve seen the amazing difference DAF donors can make, it’s not always headline news. That’s why we’re shining a bright light on DAF impact with DAF Day on October 10th.
DAF Day is a dedicated day of DAF giving. It serves as a banner opportunity for donors, nonprofits, and DAFs to show the dazzling power of DAF giving when we do it together.
If you’re thinking, “Do we have time to join DAF Day this year?” the answer is absolutely! With the DAF Day Toolkit and internal excitement, you can put together a hit campaign with the lightest lift and impressive ROI.
To help you kick off your DAF Day participation, we sat down with nonprofit communications and donor engagement leaders to find out how they’re preparing for the first ever DAF Day. Our conversation featured:
Cathy Asmus, Development Manager, Growth & Stewardship, ACLU
Rupert Schutz, Director, Digital Performance at Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Kelley Riedy, National Executive Lead, Marketing Communications & Donor Engagement, American Heart Association
Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy, Chariot
Read on to learn the benefits of joining DAF Day, tips to build and run a successful campaign, and DAF donor engagement strategies you can use before and beyond the big day.
Why join the DAF Day movement?
As a nonprofit professional with a lean budget, you typically don’t have the time or resources to take on every buzzy holiday. But when it comes to DAF Day, your participation could be one of the best moves you make to kick off the year-end fundraising rush. It’s not just a fleeting trend or single-day initiative—DAF Day is designed to position DAF giving as a social and communal way for your biggest supporters to fund meaningful change, on 10/10 and beyond.
Embrace the buzz of an icon day with your entire team
In addition to offering a fresh way to engage and expand your donor community, DAF Day creates momentum around fundraising’s greatest untapped resource through an exciting cross-departmental initiative.
To wrap your arms around this momentous day, you’ll need to break the silos, bring team members together, and dig into all things DAF. While your marketing folks are the first people to come to mind, you’ll need support from others on staff to help your DAF donor and impact stories shine, from people working in the field to senior leaders and board members.
Spark new energy in your DAF fundraising
Traditionally, the act of giving from a donor advised fund has been a lonely one. A DAF donor would choose a nonprofit and contact their DAF to serve as a middle person in distributing the grant—no one-on-one connection with the nonprofit and no social media buzz around the gift and its cause.
On DAF Day, DAF donors, nonprofits, and DAFs are rallying collectively to support DAF giving and talk about its impact. Now, your donors have their first opportunity to experience DAF giving the way it should be.
DAF Day planning efficiency tips to consider
Borrow these tips to ensure a smooth ride to DAF Day success. If you only take one, signing up for the free DAF Day Toolkit is a must.
Appoint a DAF Day champion
While many staff members will contribute to your DAF Day campaign, it’s important to have an internal champion who can maintain both momentum and alignment.
Recruiting a senior leader for this role is an easy way to secure buy-in, and picking someone who leads your individual giving initiatives could be a natural fit.
No matter who you choose, be sure they can bring team members together across marketing and fundraising with their knack for strategic planning and contagious enthusiasm.
Look to the free DAF Day Toolkit for marketing tips and assets
You have more time than you think to create your DAF Day campaign. The DAF Day Toolkit has done a good bit of work for you. Discover social media assets, logos, email templates, and more. Get yours now for ready-made DAF Day materials and campaign inspiration.
Create a DAF Day timeline that works for your team
Year-end fundraising is a mad dash for every organization, but lucky for you, DAF Day prep can flex to your schedule.
No matter how you decide to participate, there’s no time that’s too late to engage. While many organizations are sending a Save the Date a month before with DAF 101 resources and opportunities to gauge donor interest, others are paring down their outreach by sending one email the day before, two the day of, and spreading the word on social media.
As long as you’re set up with DAF basics, you can pull it all together in a snap. (Pro tip: DAFpay allows donors to give from their DAF account in just three clicks. Learn more about how you can add a DAFpay button to your donation form.)
Stay organized with a dedicated DAF Day shared drive
From logos and assets for social to email copy and DAF 101 information, your campaign will feature many moving parts that different team members will want to access. To ensure consistency across all channels and communications, create a DAF Day shared drive where you can keep all of your DAF Day materials in one easily accessible place.
9 donor engagement strategies for DAF Day success
Once your staff is aligned on your DAF Day participation, the fun begins because now it’s time to let your donors in. This first-ever day of giving from donor advised funds calls for donor engagement strategies you regularly lean on, along with some twists that invite you to be creative. Check out this list of recommendations before you begin.
1. Promote DAF Day through a variety of channels
Not everyone is glued to their inbox, so the best way to spread the word about DAF Day is to do it in multiple ways. Consider the following channels as part of your outreach:
Social media: Most organizations are betting big on social media for their DAF Day campaigns, where donors can publicly engage with your campaign, share your content, and ask their friends to join in.
Email: Catch donors in their inboxes with DAF Day promotions, donor spotlights, and campaign updates.
Direct mail: Opt for postcards to save on postage and supplies.
SMS: Americans check their phones an average of 96 times per day, making text message marketing a reliable channel to reach donors who opt in.
Website: Create a dedicated web page on your website for DAF giving that lives beyond DAF Day.
Ads / SEO: Engage new donors with ads targeting people who care about your mission and causes.
Remember, while we recommend social media for your DAF Day campaign, you don’t have to take on every channel. Choose the ones that give you the best opportunity to connect with your donors, and feel free to pivot and invest in new channels if the data tells you to try another way.
2. Speak to donors, not at them through smart segmentation
Like most campaigns, segmentation is key to achieving an enthusiastic response.
If your current DAF donors typically interact with your organization through relationship managers, continue that one-on-one communication process for DAF Day because they’ll expect it. In the same way, you’ll want to take this route with high-dollar donors or potential major donors you’ve determined through wealth screening.
The idea that only high-net-worth donors have DAFs is a myth, so be sure to create another segment of donors who would be likely to join in. For example, consider reaching out to donors who have given DAF gifts in the $50-$100 range via email.
Finally, let your current supporters without DAFs know about DAF Day and promote DAFs as a benefit-packed giving option through emails and social media posts. This will require some education, but it’s well worth the effort.
3. Start with a 101 approach for non-DAF folks
Just 17 percent of US adults know what a DAF is, so as we just mentioned, education is essential to expanding your DAF donor network. The DAF Day website contains basic information to help anyone understand what a DAF is, its many benefits, and how they can get an account.
You may want to add other facts, like the opportunity to create a legacy of generosity by choosing your favorite nonprofit to be a beneficiary of your DAF the moment you sign up for one.
4. Show the faces of your DAF Day community
Nothing sparks the desire to give like authentic human stories, and lucky for your organization, your donors and staff members have plenty of them.
Feature donors in your DAF Day emails and social media posts. Include pictures and quotes that share why they’re giving on DAF Day or how DAF giving has helped them accelerate their impact. Keep diversity in mind here, as DAFs are no longer just a tool for older, high-dollar donors.
You can also spotlight staff members who work in the field or constituents who directly benefit from your nonprofit’s support so donors can directly connect their gift with the change they can create.
5. Make DAF giving as easy as possible
DAF donors are changing, and so is the way we give from DAF accounts. Cut out the middle person with DAFpay. Rather than requiring a donor to contact a DAF manager to award funds to a nonprofit from their DAF account, DAFpay empowers donors to give directly from their DAF account to a nonprofit in three quick clicks.
Simply add a DAFpay button to your donation form, and DAF donors will be all set to give.
6. Matching gift campaigns
Invite donors to be a DAF Day hero by launching a matching gift campaign specific to your organization on 10/10. Community leaders and board members who champion your cause regularly will likely jump right in but don’t hesitate to make a broader ask to younger donors on social media who would love nothing more than to use their social savvy to promote your cause and collective generosity.
7. Dive into the personal finance trend
These days, many of your donors are seeking better ways to save, stretch, and invest their money. Search #MoneyTok on TikTok and you’ll see a wave of personal finance tips and money gurus doling out all kinds of advice.
From tax benefits to the ability to instantly reserve money for giving, DAFs come with a number of benefits that donors aren’t necessarily aware of until you tell them. Include money-related DAF benefits in a scannable bulleted list in your emails, on social media, and on your dedicated DAF giving page.
If you’re lucky enough to have a board member or donor in the personal finance space, ask them to drum up a one-pager for you.
8. Invite donors to help you fundraise for DAF Day
Your most passionate supporters will want to go beyond giving on DAF Day, so point them toward resources to help them amplify your DAF Day campaign. Chariot is hosting DAF Day webinars specifically for donors and board members:
Pass the word onto your donor community, and you might just end up with an army of champions ready to ensure that everyone knows about their DAF Day opportunity.
9. Consider DAF Day a learning experience
Setting a dollar goal for your DAF Day campaign may feel like a natural move, but because this is the first year, we recommend metrics that can help you better prepare for next year’s big day.
Consider noting the following:
Number of donors who gave from DAFs
Number of DAF gifts
Average gift amount
Email and social media metrics
Number of new DAF donors
Number of matching gift campaigns
Matching gift fundraising amount
Total DAF Day fundraising amount
By tracking these metrics, you can set a foundation for success next year. For example, you’ll have a ready-made list of DAF donors who will be in for 2025, not to mention matching gift magicians you’ll want to reach out to and ask about their experience. You can also use this donor list to retarget for Giving Tuesday and year-end fundraising initiatives.
Rather than fixating on final amounts, ruminate on the awesome opportunities that await you the next time around. Our suggestion? Host a data review session with everyone on your team who participated in your campaign a week or two after DAF Day. After the numbers portion, kick off a brainstorm for next year while this year’s experiences are still fresh and can inspire fantastic suggestions.
It’s okay for plans to come together in real time
Need to get stakeholder buy-in? It’s never too late to join in! DAF Day is designed to seamlessly integrate with the timelines and structures of every organization. Sign up now and discover how you can make DAF Day a buzz-worthy celebration for donors, staff, and mission.