With more than 20 years leading fundraising innovation, development operations, and digital strategy, I’ve worked in and alongside nonprofits of all sizes to strengthen programs, elevate supporter experiences, and drive revenue growth.
At Funraisin, I have a clear view into how ambitious organizations are evolving their digital fundraising—where they’re experimenting, what new opportunities are emerging, and how technology can make giving easier and more accessible.
DAFpay is one of those tools—a straightforward way to bring donor-advised funds into the online giving experience and unlock greater potential in the process.
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Holly Michaelson
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Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are one of the fastest-growing philanthropic vehicles in the United States—and they represent a massive, underutilized opportunity for digital fundraising. Many donors in the United States already have charitable dollars set aside in DAFs, but they often struggle to access them easily.
That’s why Funraisin is excited to introduce DAFpay by Chariot, the first DAF payment solution built for nonprofit fundraising, now natively integrated into your peer-to-peer and DIY donation forms.
What are DAFs?
Think of a donor-advised fund as preloaded generosity—money supporters have already set aside to do good. Once donors contribute to their DAF, those funds are earmarked for nonprofits, waiting to be directed to organizations like yours.
Previously, giving from a DAF during an online moment of inspiration was difficult. Donors had to leave your site, log into a DAF provider, search for your organization, and manually initiate a grant. It was full of friction and prone to donor dropoff.
Supporters can give from their DAF in just three clicks—without ever leaving your Funraisin donation flow. No redirects. No confusing external portals. Just a smooth giving experience right when motivation is highest.
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DAF donors give 24x larger gifts, 6x more often |
The opportunity
Let’s look at DAFs by the numbers:
• Over 3.5 million Americans now have DAFs
• There is currently more than $252B sitting in DAFs, waiting to be distributed
• DAF donors give 24x larger gifts, 6x more often
• Donors gave $55B through DAFs in 2023, a 19% increase year over year
• The average DAF gift in 2025 (to date) is $1,100
This is an enormous pool of generosity for your organization—for nonprofits running P2P events, challenges, and DIY campaigns, it’s a revenue stream that often goes untapped due to cumbersome giving processes.
“DAFs hold billions in charitable potential, but previously they were not readily accessible for peer-to-peer and DIY campaigns and events. DAF donors are motivated to give when someone they love is running a first marathon, biking 100 miles, or honoring a loved one’s memory. With DAFpay in your donation flow, you can empower generous, heartfelt giving so those magical moments and milestones inspire high-impact gifts that power your mission.”
— Holly Michaelson, Principal Client Strategy Partner, North America, Funraisin
Why you'll love DAFpay
Unlock bigger gifts
DAF donors typically give at significantly higher amounts.
Friction-free giving
With DAFpay, DAF donors can now complete those high-value gifts right inside your Funraisin forms—in three clicks, supporters can use their DAF without leaving your donation flow.
Confidence through transparency
Supporters can see their DAF balance upfront, helping them complete their gift confidently and without hesitation.
Perfect for P2P + DIY
DAFpay works seamlessly for personal donations and peer-to-peer fundraisers—confidently trace gifts back to specific Funraisin pages.
Identify prospects
DAF gifts may also help identify new donor prospects for recurring, mid-level and major donor campaigns.
Cleaner data & simpler admin
You’ll receive real-time donor details and streamlined reconciliation through Chariot’s backend.
Set up DAFpay in minutes
Once DAFpay is enabled on your Funraisin platform, it will appear automatically on sponsored donations forms.
For existing standard donation forms, you can switch it on with a single click. New donation forms will have DAFpay turned on by default.
Find out how to enable DAFpay on your platform, check out the support site article below:
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to help you get the most out of DAFpay and your Funraisin donation flow.
Is my nonprofit eligible to receive DAFs?
DAFpay by Chariot is available exclusively to United States-based 501(c)(3) organizations and IRS-recognized public charities. See Organization Eligibility.
How does DAFpay work?
DAFpay was created by Chariot to simplify the DAF fundraising process for donors and nonprofits. This means frequent and bigger gifts from donors and less headaches tracking and processing DAF gifts for nonprofits. Watch this video for more information.
What can DAFs be used for?
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) can be used to support qualified 501(c)(3) public charities including education, health, disaster relief, arts, environment, religious organizations, international causes, and more.
For a full breakdown of restrictions and eligibilities, see Chariots’s FAQ’s.
Can supporters use DAFpay on peer-to-peer and DIY pages?
Yes. DAFpay works seamlessly across personal and P2P fundraising pages. Gifts are automatically attributed to the correct fundraiser, with no manual data matching required.
What can’t DAFs be used for?
DAF funds cannot be used for:
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Event registrations, tickets, or merchandise (anything with a fair market value)
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Donations that benefit a specific person or family
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Political or lobbying contributions
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Covering pledges
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Memberships or dues where perks are received (e.g., tote bags, priority seating)
How does DAFpay integrate with Funraisin?
Once DAFpay is enabled on your platform, it appears automatically on donation forms.
For existing standard forms, you can switch it on with a single click.
All new forms will have DAFpay enabled by default.
Do we need to handle any reconciliation?
No—Chariot provides real-time donor details and simplified backend reconciliation, reducing manual admin and ensuring cleaner data across your programs.
Will DAFpay help us identify new prospects?
Potetially, yes. Because DAF donors tend to give larger and more frequent gifts, DAF transactions may help surface new leads for mid-level, major donor, or recurring giving programs.
Does Funraisin provide financial advice on DAF eligibility?
No. Funraisin and Chariot provide general guidance only. Nonprofits should seek professional advice when assessing specific DAF use cases.
Want to discover more?
To find out how DAFpay could work for your organization, or discuss how you could make giving even easier and more seamless for donors, chat to a member of our team—we're here to help.
