Research Team

H. Daniel Heist, Ph.D.

Dr. H. Daniel Heist is an Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Management and Social Impact at the George W. Romney Institute for Public Service and Ethics at Brigham Young University. He researches philanthropy, charitable giving and volunteering. His 9 years of professional fundraising experience inform his research. Dr. Heist is a leading expert on donor-advised fund research and co-founder of the Donor-Advised Fund Research Collaborative.

Danielle Vance-McMullen, Ph.D.

Dr. Danielle Vance-McMullen is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Nonprofit Management at DePaul University. She uses big data and behavioral experiments to research donor behavior and nonprofit competition in new charitable giving contexts. She is active in DAF research and is a co-founder of the Donor-Advised Fund Research Collaborative.

Jeff Williams, Ph.D.

Dr. Jeff Williams is the Director of the Johnson Center Community Data and Research Lab at Grand Valley State University. With expertise in operations, strategy, data analytics, and public policy, Jeff is passionate about connecting data to people to action. He oversees CDRL’s annual research agenda, as well as relationships with partner organizations and communities.

Genevieve G. Shaker, Ph.D.

Dr. Genevieve G. Shaker is the Donald A. Campbell Chair in Fundraising Leadership at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She was a university advancement officer for 20 years and this experience informs her research on fundraising and fundraisers, philanthropy education, and higher education philanthropy.

Erinn Andrews

Erinn Andrews is the Founder & CEO of GiveTeam, a unique philanthropic advising firm that helps donors develop a charitable mission statement and identify local nonprofits to fund. Prior roles include leading a research lab at Stanford’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society focused on effective philanthropy and running GuideStar’s nonprofit strategy where she launched the GuideStar bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels of distinction. Erinn also serves as the President of Advisors in Philanthropy.

Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®

Dr. Russell James is a professor in the School of Financial Planning at Texas Tech University, where he directs the graduate program in Charitable Financial Planning. He graduated, cum laude, from the University of Missouri School of Law, where he was a member of the Missouri Law Review and received the United Missouri Bank Award for Most Outstanding Work in Gift and Estate Taxation and Planning. He also holds a Ph.D. in consumer economics from the University of Missouri. He is a member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP) Hall of Fame and an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estates Counsel (ACTEC).

Rachel M. Sumsion, MPA

Rachel M. Sumsion is the founder of ImpactWise LLC. She has experience as a philanthropic consultant and associate researcher, and is particularly drawn to research with practical applications. Her work spans a range of topics, including DAFs, fundraising, and social impact.

Other scholars previously involved in DAFRC research include:

Erinn Andrews, Ram Cnaan, Benjamin Cummings, Megan Farwell, Brittany Kienker, and Rebecca Shamash. 

The Collaborative also hosts an annual convening of scholars from a variety of academic disciplines whose work intersects with DAF giving, high-net-worth giving, or community foundations.  Through these convenings, we have established a community of several dozen additional researchers who are involved with the research.

Research and Funding Partners

Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Gates Foundation

George W. Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics

GivingTuesday

 Data Partners

The work of the DAF Research Collaborative would not be possible without the participation of our DAF data partners. These partners represent:

  • DAF sponsoring organizations from across the United States, including community foundations, faith-based funders, and national donor advised fund programs. These sponsoring organizations dedicate time and effort to providing anonymous data in a secure and private manner. Data partners are diverse in their size, geographic scope, and donor characteristics but are united in their goal to increase the data-driven evidence on DAFs.

  • DAF donors from across the United States.

  • Professional fundraisers who work with DAF donors.

  • Financial advisors who work with DAF donors.