A Short History of the Fast and Furious Rise of DAFs
After a meteoric rise, donor-advised funds like Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable now rank among the most powerful forces in philanthropy.
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor
Part Stock Fund, Part Donor-Advised Fund: a New Bid for Young Donors
Charity Navigator, one of the biggest nonprofit-rating agencies, is betting it has an answer to a question that vexes many organizations: What might persuade affluent Millennials and Generation Z members to give?
By Drew Lindsay
Contributor
Donors’ Unrealistic Expectations Harm Nonprofits and Take the Joy Out of Philanthropy
A lack of time, money, and resources means nonprofits can’t always respond to gifts with the immediacy or detail that donors want. Instead, donors should focus on building trusting relationships with the organizations they support.
What Was the Philanthropic Pluralism Manifesto Really About?
A recent call by philanthropy leaders for greater civility and respect of those with different views appears to be an opening response to critics, especially those in Congress, who want to reform laws governing the field.
By Craig Kennedy
Contributor
Donor-Advised Fund Holders Should Unleash Their Dollars Now — Not Wait for Government Action
The co-creators of the #HalfMyDAF campaign are calling on more donors to join them as they launch two new rounds of matching funds to encourage people to grant 50 percent of their DAF dollars to nonprofits.
Muslim Donors Embrace New Technology, Giving Methods During Ramadan
More are using donor-advised funds and other progressive methods to share during the holy month.
By Rasheeda Childress
Contributor
8 Proven Ways to Engage Wealth Advisers — and Raise More From DAFs
What works — and what doesn’t — when building ties with financial professionals to attract DAF gifts.
By LISA SCHOHL
Contributor
Fidelity Charitable Donor-Advised Funds Awarded $11.2 Billion in 2022
The three most popular grantees in 2022 were Doctors Without Borders USA, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and World Central Kitchen.
By Glenn Gamboa
AP Business Writer
End the Charitable Tax Exemption and Remove the Conflict of Interest Baked Into Big Philanthropy
At a time of growing distrust in philanthropy and stagnant or declining giving, it’s no longer tenable to maintain a system that allows donors to reap rewards through the nonprofits they fund.
By Jeff Cain
Contributor
Disaster Giving Goes Mostly to Immediate Relief, Not Prevention or Long-Term Recovery
Foundation giving was 15 times greater in the year after the pandemic struck. But the emphasis on immediate relief worries experts, especially as climate change makes natural disasters more frequent and devastating.
National Philanthropic Trust Takes Issue With DAF Report Coverage
The head of the trust argues that the Chronicle did not provide a fair and balanced depiction of the report and its data.
In 2022, the nonprofit world faced a multitude of problems, including high inflation, a likely decline in giving, and a scandal engulfing a leading proponent of effective altruism. But a report looking at the last 30 years of philanthropy spotlights a resilient and ever-evolving field.
By Leslie Lenkowsky
Contributor
Fidelity Charitable Says New Grants to Surpass Deposits in 2022
It would be the first year since 2018 that the value of grants from its donor-advised funds exceeded the value of investments going into the funds.
By Glenn Gamboa
AP Business Writer
Donor-Advised Funds Are Already Simple And Fair
DAFs don’t need fixing and aren’t used by wealthy people to warehouse their money, former foundation president argues.
4 Ways to Make Donor-Advised Funds Simpler and Fairer
At a time of increased criticism about how the philanthropic world operates, congressional legislation aimed at reining in DAFs needs to go further. Among other things, it should address issues such as the funds’ lack of transparency and their tax advantages over foundations.
By Craig Kennedy
Contributor
New Poll Finds Support for Foundations — but Not the Hefty Tax Breaks Their Donors Get
The study also found that people across the political spectrum want to speed money to charities from foundations and donor-advised funds.
By Alex Daniels
Senior Reporter