Get ready for DAF Day 2025: steps your nonprofit can take now

What is DAF Day?

With Make-A-Will Month in the rear view mirror, the team here at FreeWill is already looking ahead to DAF Day, a national day of giving designed to inspire generosity through Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs). This year, it will take place on October 9, 2025, the second Thursday in October.

DAF Day began in 2024 as a collaboration among nonprofits, DAF providers, and fundraising platforms. The idea is simple but powerful: make DAF giving easier and more accessible, while rallying donors and organizations in a single, coordinated day of support.

Why should your organization participate?

Nonprofits see a huge opportunity in DAFs

One of the most exciting trends I’m watching is how quickly nonprofits are embracing DAFs. In our 2025 Donor Advised Fund Report, 83% of fundraisers told us that DAFs will be a higher priority for them this year. The data backs that up: more than half of the nonprofits we surveyed reported receiving more DAF gifts in 2024 than in 2023 — with many seeing meaningful increases in both volume and dollar value.

DAFs don’t just transform nonprofits; they also empower donors. According to Chariot’s 2025 DAF Fundraising Report, when an existing donor shifts their giving to a DAF, their contributions increase by an average of 10X. That’s extraordinary potential for an organization like yours.

Raising DAF awareness is a must

Despite this momentum, awareness of DAFs is still low. Only about 17% of U.S. adults are familiar with them. That’s why I see DAF Day as such an important opportunity. By participating, your organization can take on the role of educator and leader, helping supporters understand how DAFs work and why they matter.

Join a movement to increase DAF giving

The inaugural DAF Day in 2024 showed us what’s possible:

• 1,200+ organizations participated
• 20,000+ web visits in just 10 weeks
• Susan G. Komen raised $267,000 in DAF gifts in a single day
  

This is just the beginning, and I believe 2025 will be even bigger.

Recommendations for FreeWill Partners

At FreeWill, DAF Day aligns perfectly with our Smart Giving Suite End-of-Year campaign, which focuses on raising tax-advantaged noncash gifts. During the last quarter of the year, we encourage our partners to highlight tax-smart giving strategies to inspire larger, non-cash gifts.

Here’s how we recommend approaching DAF Day this year:

• On DAF Day (October 9): Amplify your messaging. Send a clear, direct email asking for a grant from a Donor-Advised Fund. Post on social media, feature it in your newsletter, and encourage your Gift Officers to include a DAF giving link in their email signatures.

• Before October 9th: Reach out to your donors with education and awareness. Use email to introduce DAF Day, explain the benefits of DAF giving, and position your organization as a trusted resource. For many donors, general education on the benefits of a Donor-Advised Fund could mean future gifts, not only this year.
  

Here’s some examples to get you started:

Social post: ⏰The time to support [MISSION] is now! October 9th is DAF Day! DAFs are the fastest growing way to support [YOUR ORGANIZATION] and you can join the movement by recommending a grant from your Donor-Advised Fund today. Get started now: [insert link to DAF payment method]

‍Email signature: October 9th is DAF Day! Make a grant from your Donor-Advised Fund now. [Hyperlink to DAF payment method].

We’ve created a DAF Day Toolkit for our partners to make this easy, with more templates like the above and resources you can put into action right away. If you are a FreeWill Partner, you can access it by reaching out to your Strategist or through the Marketing Library. You can also find additional materials at DAFDay.com.

Planned Giving and Donor-Advised Funds

Finally, I’d encourage you to think beyond DAF Day and consider how Donor-Advised Funds fit into your broader planned giving strategy. A DAF can be a flexible and powerful tool for building a donor’s legacy:

• Engage families: Encourage donors to bring spouses, children, or extended family into the giving conversation.
  

• Appoint a successor: Suggest that donors name a loved one as the individual successor to their DAF, ensuring that charitable goals live on into the next generation.
  

• Name a nonprofit as beneficiary: Remind donors that they can designate an organization — possibly yours — to receive the remaining balance of their DAF in the future.

At FreeWill, our mission is to help nonprofits diversify their fundraising strategy and raise impactful gifts, with solutions and services to make planned and non-cash giving easier for you and your donors. DAF Day is a clear opportunity to move that mission forward. More than 2,300 nonprofits have already chosen to partner with us; if you are interested in learning how we can support your fundraising goals, request a demo!