How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising
The rapid proliferation of donor advised funds (DAFs) and the rising prominence of their sponsoring organizations are among the most disruptive innovations in philanthropy in recent years. To examine DAFs’ implications for major gift fundraising and nonprofit administration, we interview professiona...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Administrative Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/4/137 |
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| author | H. Daniel Heist Genevieve G. Shaker Rachel M. Sumsion Jenna Tomlinson Alyssa Minor |
| author_facet | H. Daniel Heist Genevieve G. Shaker Rachel M. Sumsion Jenna Tomlinson Alyssa Minor |
| author_sort | H. Daniel Heist |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The rapid proliferation of donor advised funds (DAFs) and the rising prominence of their sponsoring organizations are among the most disruptive innovations in philanthropy in recent years. To examine DAFs’ implications for major gift fundraising and nonprofit administration, we interview professional fundraisers from across the US (<i>n</i> = 46). We analyze their comments following a six-stage thematic process. We present a modified fundraising model called the “DAF Donor Relationship Management Cycle.” This new model makes a theoretical contribution to nonprofit studies by highlighting challenges and opportunities for fundraisers in working with DAFs. Among other adjustments, the new model includes gift processing as a critical component and specifies two forms of donor identification—reactive and proactive. Six challenges and four opportunities associated with the stages of the cycle are also delineated. This new model documents how DAFs disrupt fundraising methods and systems, clarifies fundraising cycle assumptions and inferences, and offers important practical insights from fundraisers for other fundraisers. Ultimately, integrated organizational-level strategies are needed to guide DAF adaptation and DAF donor engagement and to inform training and coordination of gift processing and frontline fundraising efforts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bae3eca3bbac4cf38dc957bf043f2c57 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3387 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Administrative Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-bae3eca3bbac4cf38dc957bf043f2c572025-08-20T03:14:23ZengMDPI AGAdministrative Sciences2076-33872025-04-0115413710.3390/admsci15040137How Donor Advised Funds Change FundraisingH. Daniel Heist0Genevieve G. Shaker1Rachel M. Sumsion2Jenna Tomlinson3Alyssa Minor4Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USALilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USAMarriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USAMarriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USAMarriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USAThe rapid proliferation of donor advised funds (DAFs) and the rising prominence of their sponsoring organizations are among the most disruptive innovations in philanthropy in recent years. To examine DAFs’ implications for major gift fundraising and nonprofit administration, we interview professional fundraisers from across the US (<i>n</i> = 46). We analyze their comments following a six-stage thematic process. We present a modified fundraising model called the “DAF Donor Relationship Management Cycle.” This new model makes a theoretical contribution to nonprofit studies by highlighting challenges and opportunities for fundraisers in working with DAFs. Among other adjustments, the new model includes gift processing as a critical component and specifies two forms of donor identification—reactive and proactive. Six challenges and four opportunities associated with the stages of the cycle are also delineated. This new model documents how DAFs disrupt fundraising methods and systems, clarifies fundraising cycle assumptions and inferences, and offers important practical insights from fundraisers for other fundraisers. Ultimately, integrated organizational-level strategies are needed to guide DAF adaptation and DAF donor engagement and to inform training and coordination of gift processing and frontline fundraising efforts.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/4/137donor advised fundsfundraisingdonor relationship cycle |
| spellingShingle | H. Daniel Heist Genevieve G. Shaker Rachel M. Sumsion Jenna Tomlinson Alyssa Minor How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising Administrative Sciences donor advised funds fundraising donor relationship cycle |
| title | How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising |
| title_full | How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising |
| title_fullStr | How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising |
| title_full_unstemmed | How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising |
| title_short | How Donor Advised Funds Change Fundraising |
| title_sort | how donor advised funds change fundraising |
| topic | donor advised funds fundraising donor relationship cycle |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/15/4/137 |
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