On October 8, thousands of donors will log in to their donor-advised funds (DAFs) and recommend grants to causes they care about. They can do it any day of the year, of course, but October 8 is DAF Day, the national giving day for donor-advised funds, now in its third year.

In a short time, DAF Day has become the biggest annual DAF giving moment, a show of force in support of the fastest-growing form of philanthropy today. Donors sign up for reminders and plan their grants for DAF Day. Donor-advised fund providers rally their account holders. Nonprofits of every size use the day to invite committed supporters to give. 

Because it falls in early October, DAF Day gives nonprofits a head start on GivingTuesday and year-end fundraising as well, reaching donors whose charitable dollars are set aside and waiting to be granted.

All Give Lively member nonprofits are equipped to receive DAF grants. But being equipped isn't the same as being ready. The distance between having the capability and putting it to work is what preparation for DAF Day closes.

What is DAF Day?

Held on the second Thursday every October, DAF Day brings donors, nonprofits and DAF providers together around DAF generosity. 

The first DAF Day took place on October 10, 2024, with more than 1,200 participating nonprofits. The second, on October 9, 2025, saw a jump to more than 4,400 nonprofits, 30+ donor-advised fund providers and upward of $2 million in directly observable grants from over 1,000 gifts.

DAF Day is organized by Chariot, the company behind DAFpay, a payment option built into a nonprofit's donation form that lets donors give from a donor-advised fund. Without DAFpay, DAF giving is more cumbersome. Donors typically have to log in to their DAF provider's site, search for a nonprofit and request a grant there. The nonprofit often has no idea the gift is coming. 

DAFpay puts the whole process in one place, the same way donors pay by card or PayPal. It appears on the donation forms of more than 100,000 nonprofits.

What is a donor-advised fund?

A donor-advised fund is a charitable giving account. Donors contribute cash, stock or other assets to the DAF and receive an immediate tax deduction for that transfer. They then recommend grants from the DAF account to nonprofits during whatever period of time they like and in whatever amounts they choose (up to the total available).

During an on-demand webinar we cohosted with Chariot about DAFs, Chariot's Head of Strategy Mitch Stein offered a simple analogy: a DAF is to philanthropy what a 401(k) is to retirement. The money is invested, irrevocable and earmarked for a specific purpose. It can only go to charity.

That means DAF donors already have dollars committed to giving. A nonprofit's goal is to inspire those donors to grant a portion of the funds to the nonprofit’s programs.

Why DAFs are a growing force in giving

DAFs date back to 1931 but took off after 2006 when Congress clarified the rules governing them. The growth in value and usage since then has been consequential. 

A significant pool of funds

The DAF Research Collaborative's Annual DAF Report 2025 estimated about 3.5 million DAF accounts as of 2024, holding more than $326 billion in assets, with nearly $65 billion granted that year. Compared with 10 years earlier, that's 15 times the number of accounts, 4.5 times the assets and 5 times the value of grants.

Not just for the affluent

Over the same decade, the average DAF account size fell from about $297,000 to roughly $92,000. This is a telling signal that DAFs are no longer a tool reserved for the wealthy, which had generally been the case. Chariot's DAF Fundraising Report 2025 confirms it: 69% of DAF gifts were under $1,000, and only 1% exceeded $25,000.

DAF donors up the ante

DAFs are changing how nonprofits raise money, and the DAF benefits show up in the numbers.. The same 2025 Chariot report found that in 2024:

• Participating nonprofits saw median DAF revenue grow 30% while median non-DAF revenue fell 1%. (The 2026 report put median DAF revenue growth from 2021 to 2025 at 75%, compared with 9% for non-DAF giving.)
• Donors who switched to giving through a DAF doubled their median gift to the same organization.
• DAF donors from 2023 gave again 59% of the time in 2024, compared with 46% of non-DAF donors. 

But there's a catch

According to the DAF Research Collaborative survey, 88% of active DAF users still make gifts outside their DAF, especially spontaneous, time-sensitive or event-driven gifts. When giving from a DAF takes too many steps, donors reach for a credit card or skip the gift entirely. Friction is the enemy of generosity, which is why a DAF payment option built into the donation form matters.

DAF giving on Give Lively

Give Lively added DAFpay to donation forms in December 2025, a new option alongside cards, ACH/bank transfers, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo. 

As intended, donors use DAFpay to log in to a DAF provider and submit a one-time grant without leaving the donation form. Give Lively charges no fee for DAF grants, although Chariot deducts a 2.9% processing fee, which donors can choose to cover. (Learn more about DAFpay on Give Lively.)

Adoption thus far

Current Give Lively data shows that, of the 20,000 or so nonprofits with DAFpay enabled, a few hundred have received about 500 DAF grants totaling nearly $500,000. That places the average gift at about $1,000 and the median at about $300, because a small number of large grants pulls the average up.

The takeaways: 

• DAF donors are beginning to find and use DAFpay for one-time grants on Give Lively donation forms.
• They give generously when they do. 
• However, only a small percentage of eligible nonprofits have received a DAF grant, suggesting many organizations haven't yet told their donors the option exists. 

DAF Day is the right moment to spread the word.

How to prepare for DAF Day

Give Lively member nonprofits can easily ensure all the pieces are in place to accept DAF grants.

Confirm DAFpay is enabled

DAFpay is enabled on all Give Lively forms by default, although it is possible that someone opted out at some point. In the Nonprofit Admin Portal, check under Settings > Payment Processing. 

Claim or connect a Chariot account

Donors are able to give via DAFpay once it is enabled. Nonprofits that don’t claim or connect a Chariot account within 60 days of a DAF grant receive funds via a paper check. The disbursement timeframe is much longer and there is a check surcharge.

In addition, without a connected Chariot account, nonprofits can’t mark grants as received, which is what triggers donor receipts and syncs through Salesforce and Zapier. The differences are detailed here.

Get listed on the DAF Day Giving page

Nonprofits that claim a Chariot account see a second benefit: a listing on the DAF Day Giving page. This is where donors can browse participating DAF Day nonprofits. Once Chariot verifies a nonprofit's account, the nonprofit can add a donation page link and logo to its account settings and the listing will appear automatically.

Start small – one email is enough to begin

None of the following is required: a dedicated DAF campaign, new creative or a segmented donor list. Instead, a short message to existing supporters lets them know about the coming DAF Day.

Some key details worth mentioning:

• DAF Day, by name
• a one-sentence explanation of what a donor-advised fund is
• DAF grants can be made from donation forms (with an included link) 

Many donors already have a DAF and have simply never thought to use it with a particular nonprofit. A timely, specific note is often all it takes.

Name the DAF option everywhere

DAF callouts should be included when donating is the focus of attention: donation pages, banners, social posts, direct mail and event signage. A simple "Give with your donor-advised fund" next to a QR code goes a long way to reminding people that it’s an option. Always spell out "donor-advised fund," since many donors don’t recognize the acronym.

DAF Day offers a free nonprofit marketing toolkit with email templates and social graphics. For more ideas, the DAF Day 2025 award winners may offer inspiration.

Appoint a DAF champion

Good practice is for nonprofits to identify one team member as the DAF go-to, ideally someone interested in DAFs, supported by leadership and able to coordinate across finance, development and marketing (DAF giving touches all three).

Track and steward DAF donors

Flag DAF gifts in donor records and note the DAF provider, fund name and any soft credits. Gifts made through DAFpay include the donor's name and both email and mailing addresses. This makes it possible to thank and steward donors directly. Grants received should be promptly marked as such in the Chariot dashboard so donors get an automatic receipt.

Think beyond DAF Day

DAF Day is near the start of the busiest stretch of the giving year. The readiness brought to DAF Day pays off on GivingTuesday and at year-end. It also helps in the first quarter, when donors often fund their DAFs and look for places to grant. 

Of note, in October, Chariot hosts the DAF Day Awards, recognizing standout nonprofit emails, social posts, mailers and campaigns. Nonprofits with campaigns that delivered well can submit them for consideration.

Go ahead, make your donor’s (DAF) day

For a deeper dive about DAFs, watch our on-demand webinar, Unlocking donor-advised fund (DAF) giving: strategies for larger, easier gifts, featuring Give Lively CEO David DeParolesa and Chariot's Mitch Stein. It covers DAF basics, market trends and a four-part strategy to find, convert, track and grow DAF donors.

DAF donors are ready to give. On October 8, make sure they know they can give to you.