From the Front Lines: What Philanthropic Advisors Know That the DAF Field Should Hear

Sarah Taylor, Philanthropic Advisor & Founder, Taylor Impact Group

Speakers

Alisha Fernandez Miranda, Author and Chair, I.G. Advisors
Mollie Bunis, Managing Director, Philanthropic Services, Strategic Philanthropy, Ltd.
Alex Neckles, Managing Director, Strategy, Anonymous Philanthropy LLC
Courtney Joyner Gage, Partner, Sorenson Impact Advisory

Session Highlights

Donors need a plan, not just a giving vehicle. Opening a DAF is an important first step, but the conversation shouldn't stop there. Ongoing guidance helps donors turn the resources they've set aside into the impact they envision.
The assets inside a DAF can do more before they're granted out. Treating DAF balances as working capital opens a lever for impact that many donors have yet to discover.
Philanthropy works best when it has a seat at the table from the start. Estate planning, business sales, and other financial decisions are natural points to plan philanthropy.
Talk about impact early, and let nonprofits help define it. Setting impact expectations early, with input from nonprofit grantees, leads to more meaningful and productive measures of progress.

DAFs have become one of the most popular ways to give, and with that growth comes a bigger question: how do we help donors turn good intentions into lasting impact?

At the DAF Giving Summit, four advisors offered answers and insights. On center stage sat an ex-pat and author, an impact investor and CFP, a 20-year philanthropy advisor, and a former DAF sponsor turned philanthropic strategist. Their paths into the work differ, but each spends their days alongside donors and families. That vantage point reveals something data alone can't. Most donors arrive with generosity and good intentions, and what they often need is structure, confidence, and a clearer path from intention to impact.

Donors need a plan, not just a giving vehicle. A DAF is where the giving journey begins. Alex Neckles put it this way: "Opening a DAF is like getting a Home Depot gift card and being told to build your dream home." The account provides the resources and raw materials, maybe even the inspiration, but not the blueprint or the knowledge of what to do next to achieve your goals. Without guidance, funds that were set aside with real intention can end up waiting far longer than the donor ever meant them to.

The assets inside a DAF can do more before they're granted out. Conversations about the effectiveness of DAFs as a tool for impact naturally focus on grants deployed, but the assets themselves hold real potential well before then. Foundations often think in terms of the 5% paid out and the 95% invested. Courtney Joyner Gage encouraged the room to consider applying the same creative thinking to DAFs through impact investing, allowing a donor's full balance to reflect their values while it awaits grantmaking.

Philanthropy works best when it has a seat at the table from the start. Giving is often considered after major financial decisions are made, but it can be woven in from the beginning. Mollie Bunis emphasized bringing philanthropy into conversations about estate planning, business sales, and other major life moments. This keeps philanthropy from feeling like an afterthought that only comes to mind at the end of the year. Making deployment part of the purpose of a giving vehicle from day one also helps donors keep their momentum.

Talk about impact early, and let nonprofits help define it. Philanthropy functions as risk capital, tackling problems markets cannot solve. Progress on complex issues looks different from one community to the next and isn't always linear. One-size-fits-all metrics rarely capture the full scope of impact and learnings.The most productive conversations about impact start early, and they start with the nonprofits themselves. Alisha Fernandez Miranda begins client engagements by discussing the learning and iteration process up front, centering nonprofits' expertise in defining what success looks like.

Actionable Takeaways

Give donors permission to start imperfectly: When donors hesitate, remind them there is no single right way to give. Before they commit, talk through what success could look like and what might not go as planned.
Make impact investing part of the standard DAF conversation: Many donors don't know their DAF assets can be invested in line with their values. Raise the question when the account is opened. Keep the language simple by describing it as "aligning your capital with your mission," and start with accessible options such as mission-aligned public market funds before introducing more complex investments.