Reinventing the Cycle: Adapting Relationship Fundraising for Donors Who Use DAFs
How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising
Practitioner Report Overview
This report examines how DAFs impact relationship-based fundraising. Drawing on interviews with 46 professional fundraisers, it offers practical strategies for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding DAF donors.
The report introduces a DAF-specific fundraising cycle that outlines the key stages of DAF fundraising management and highlights both the challenges and opportunities that this intermediary presents. It also explores the roles that fundraisers play in the DAF giving process and provides actionable insights and recommendations to assist professional fundraisers in working more effectively with donors who use DAFs.
This research was funded by the AFP Wilson C. “Bill” Levis Fundraising Research Grant.
Read more:
Academic Paper Overview
To better understand DAFs’ implications for fundraising, the DAFRC interviewed 46 professional fundraisers familiar with DAFs across the US. The interviews focused on fundraisers’ experiences with DAF donors, their views about DAFs, and their organizations’ DAF processes.
In this paper, a new fundraising model called the “DAF Donor Relationship Management Cycle” is introduced. This model highlights six challenges and four opportunities that fundraisers face when working with DAF donors. The paper also offers valuable insights and practical advice to help fundraisers navigate the evolving DAF landscape.
Read more: