Top Charities, including Central Park Conservancy, Michael J. Fox Foundation and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, partner with Chariot to drive increased Donor Advised Fund giving

Chariot, the payments company dedicated to Donor Advised Fund (DAF) giving, announces the launch of DAF Day, a new kind of giving day that reframes how donor advised funds are used – and who uses them. Partnering with top nonprofits like Central Park Conservancy, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation, this collaborative group aims to boost the usage and adoption of this fast-growing philanthropic vehicle in the weeks leading up to DAF Day on October 10th.

DAF Day provides a shared framework for nonprofits to tap into the power of Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), a widely underutilized fundraising channel. While 42% of nonprofits are not marketing DAFs, DAF donations have become a critical source of revenue. New research on nonprofit DAF fundraising indicates that DAF revenue has grown 214% since 2019, while non-DAF revenue declined for half by the participants in the same period.

The research also shows the benefit to nonprofits when their current supporters start using a DAF - increasing their annual giving by 96%, on average. With $230 billion already set aside for giving in DAF accounts, the potential for nonprofits is immense. DAFpay, Chariot’s 3-click DAF payment option, is a key part of the initiative as it enables real-time participation and recognition of DAF donors in a giving day - something that’s never been possible before.

Chariot is launching DAF Day with dozens of leading nonprofits and fundraising platforms (such as GoFundMe, Givebutter, Springboard by JacksonRiver and Gravyty). Innovative Donor Advised Fund providers such as Charityvest, Daffy, UI Charitable and the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation, are participating too. Any organization can join the growing movement at dafday.com before October 10th.

Participating organizations are all committing to spreading the word about DAF Day to their audience, with the goal of activating as many existing DAF donors to make a DAF gift on October 10th, and more donors to set up a DAF and increase their giving capacity in advance of DAF Day.

Donors are encouraged to sign up at DAFday.com to build momentum leading up to the big day. In order to maximize the impact on DAF Day, donors are asked to:

  • Set an intention: Affirm they will make at least one DAF gift on Oct. 10.
  • Make a goal: Share how much they hope to give from their DAF in one day.
  • Rep their nonprofit and DAF: List the DAF they use and the nonprofit(s) they wish to support

“DAF donors are the most promising source of growth in our fundraising,” says Paula Schneider, CEO of Susan G. Komen, another DAF Day launch partner. “DAF Day gives the sector a rallying cry to activate these donors in an exciting and connected giving moment –and DAFpay has made this possible for the first time ever. We also know our supporters will be particularly engaged in October since it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month!”

Chariot’s DAFpay technology allows donors to make DAF payments in just three clicks on nonprofit fundraising forms and websites. Historically DAF donors have been left out of time-sensitive fundraising, since gifts made through their DAF portal weren’t known by nonprofits until weeks or months later when they arrived.

“DAF Day represents the culmination of years of work led by Chariot and our many partners to shift how DAFs are used,” says Salo Serfati, co-founder and CEO of Chariot. “The advances in research and technology have unlocked this opportunity to use a DAF right when we’re most inspired to give. It’s time we DAF together on October 10th!”

About Chariot

Chariot is the payments company dedicated to Donor Advised Fund (DAF) giving. DAFpay, Chariot’s 3-click DAF payment option, allows donors to give with their DAF anywhere they are inspired to give online. This enables donors to use their DAF in more places, more often, and unlocks more DAF gifts with better information for nonprofits. Chariot powers direct DAF payments for many of the largest nonprofits in the country, such as the American Cancer Society, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Media Contact: Consort Partners press@givechariot.com