You’ve probably heard of Giving Tuesday. But have you heard of DAF Day?
DAF Day is a new national day of giving that promotes the use of donor-advised funds (DAFs) to support charities.
Typically held in October, DAF Day 2025 is on Thursday, October 9th.
If you’re on the fence about participating in DAF Day as a nonprofit, there are plenty of potential benefits to consider. Let’s explore those here.
What Is DAF Day (And Why It Exists)
DAF Day was first launched in 2024 by an organization called Chariot, a financial technology company who specializes in helping donors using donor-advised funds. [4]
But first, what is a DAF? A donor-advised fund is a giving account where you can donate assets, get an immediate tax break, and recommend grants to nonprofits anytime.
While donors use DAFs for giving all throughout the year, DAF Day is about bringing DAF donors together in unified generosity on a single day.
Even though DAF Day 2024 was just the first year of this giving day, it produced big results:
→ More than 1,200 organizations participated in the event. [4]
→ Susan G. Komen raised $267,000 to support their fight against breast cancer. [2]
→ Daffy announced that weekly account openings increased by 40% [4]
7 Reasons Your Nonprofit Should Join DAF Day!
With these impressive stats from DAF Day 2024, DAF Day 2025 promises even stronger results.
If your organization has DAF donors, DAF Day is a ready-made opportunity to activate them. It’s a national moment designed to remind donors that their giving funds are ready and waiting to be put to work.
Here are a few reasons to get involved:
1. DAF donors are already primed to give.
These donors have set aside money specifically for charitable giving. They don’t need to weigh new tax implications or budget timing. Their only decision is where to give. DAF Day creates a sense of urgency and community that helps them act. [5]
2. Participation costs nothing but could unlock untapped generosity.
Joining DAF Day is free for nonprofits. Participating organizations in last year’s event saw DAF gifts they didn’t even know were possible just by being listed or promoted as part of the event. [4]
3. It builds visibility and trust with high-intent donors.
Donors who give through DAFs often do research before making a grant. When your organization shows up as an active participant in a recognized giving day, it signals readiness and accountability.
4. It’s an easy lift with ready-to-use materials.
Chariot provides a full marketing toolkit: social graphics, email templates, and timelines. So you can plug DAF Day into your fall fundraising plan without starting from scratch. [6]
5. It sparks long-term giving habits.
DAF donors tend to stay engaged. Research shows their retention rates are higher than average, and they’re more likely to make multiple gifts each year. DAF Day can be your entry point into stronger, year-round donor relationships. [5]
6. It’s not just for your major donors.
According to Chariot’s 2025 DAF Fundraising Report, 42% of DAF gifts to the 32 nonprofits in the study were under $250, indicating that DAF giving is not just for large gifts we might associate with major donors. And encouraging giving through DAF accounts can be helpful for all donors. [7]
7. Use a campaign to build connections with your donors.
Finding and prioritizing the right campaigns as a nonprofit can unlock huge potential to connect with your donors over topics that matter to them.
Make DAF Day one of those opportunities.
You can create a campaign ahead of time to build awareness around DAF Day and follow it up with an intentional thank-you series to communicate with those who gave.
Using a CRM with automation capabilities, such as Virtuous CRM+, allows you to send personalized messages to donors about DAF Day.
Before DAF Day: Build awareness with segmented outreach based on donor history. For example, automatically send educational content about donor-advised funds to donors who’ve never made a DAF gift, while prompting prior DAF givers with tailored reminders and giving links.
On DAF Day: Use automated form confirmation emails to trigger personalized responses as donors take action. When a gift is made, send an instant thank-you email or SMS. If a donor visits your giving page but doesn’t complete their gift, use automation to trigger a gentle nudge 24 hours later to remind them.
After DAF Day: Automatically enroll donors into a follow-up series based on their engagement. Those who gave through a DAF can receive stories about the impact of their gift and an invitation to set up recurring support. Those who didn’t give can be invited into a second-chance campaign or offered more resources to help them take the next step.
→ Schedule a Virtuous Demo now to learn more about how to use automation for your DAF campaign.
How to Join DAF Day 2025
Chariot, the organization responsible for DAF Day, doesn’t require anything from nonprofits who wish to participate. However, they do recommend 2 steps:
Step 1: Complete Chariot’s Compliance Verification
Create a Chariot account and get verified, so you can show up as a DAF Day partner on the DAF Day Giving Page, which makes it easy for donors to find you and give.
Step 2: Use the Marketing Toolkit
As mentioned, Chariot makes it super easy to start building marketing materials with the free marketing toolkit.
What is a DAF?
A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is a charitable giving account that lets individuals set aside money for future donations to nonprofits. The donor gets an immediate tax deduction when they contribute, and the funds can be invested to grow over time. [1] You can also make grants from your DAF to qualified nonprofits whenever the timing feels right.
A helpful way to explain DAFs is by comparing them to accounts people already know: HSAs and 401(k)s. [2]
- A 401(k) is for retirement savings
- An HSA is for medical expenses
- A DAF is for charitable giving
All three accounts come with tax benefits, allow money to grow through investments, and include rules about how the funds can be used. Once money is in a DAF, it has to go to a registered nonprofit. The donor can’t take it back or use it for personal gain.
But while 401(k)s and HSAs are typically tied to life needs like aging or health, DAFs rely more on the donor’s initiative. There’s no built-in deadline to give, which is why large amounts of money often sit in DAFs for months or years.
That’s where DAF Day comes in, a national holiday encouraging donors to move those dollars off the sidelines and into the hands of nonprofits making a difference.
Why Point Donors Towards a DAF?
Growing Form of Philanthropy: In their 2024 DAF Fundraising Report, Chariot claims that DAFs are the “fastest growing form of philanthropy,” comparing the 30% annual growth in DAF giving to a -1% decline in non-DAF giving. [3]
Builds Generosity: The report also looked at how using a DAF actually helps build donor generosity, which makes sense, especially in light of the tax benefits of the account.
The 2024 DAF Fundraising Report also found that, on average, donors gave 10 times more after opening a DAF. Even the median increase was 2x. [3]
More Giving Day Resources
If you’re interested in building out campaigns around giving days, check out our Giving Tuesday Playbook, a full guide to creating a strategic marketing plan for Giving Tuesday.
DAF Day FAQs
What is the meaning of DAF?
A donor-advised fund is a charitable giving account where you can contribute cash, stock, or other assets, get an immediate tax deduction, and then make grant recommendations to nonprofits whenever you’re ready.
What is Dafday?
DAF Day is a national day to celebrate donor-advised funds, encouraging donors to put their charitable dollars to work by making grants from their DAFs to the causes they care about most.
What day is DAF Day 2025?
DAF Day 2025: Thursday, October 9, 2025
What day was DAF Day 2024?
DAF Day 2024: Thursday, October 10, 2024
Sources:
[1] https://www.michaeljfox.org/dafday
[3] https://www.dafday.com/daf-101
[4] https://nonprofithub.org/10-reasons-your-nonprofit-should-participate-in-daf-day-2025/
