The Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC) just released its 2025 edition of the Annual DAF Report. Contributions to donor-advised funds (DAFs) surged past $89 billion last year—up 37%—with total assets climbing to $326 billion and grants growing 19%.1 The takeaway is clear: DAFs have emerged as one of the most dynamic and influential areas in modern philanthropy, and for advisors, understanding their impact has never been more critical.
Much of today’s philanthropic decision making is happening in digital environments—often outside an advisor’s direct line of sight. According to the DAFRC: (1) nearly half of DAF donors channel more than 75% of their charitable giving through their DAF, (2) only 9% engage a financial advisor (outside the sponsoring organization) to manage their DAF assets, and (3) most donors submit grant recommendations via online platforms.2
Why It Matters: The Quiet Gap in Visibility Advisors May Be Missing
DAFs have become one of the fastest-growing tools donors use to express purpose and intent. 96% of DAF donors report a household net worth above $1 million, and 43% plan for their children or grandchildren to be involved in the DAF in the future.3 These are moments where values emerge, priorities evolve and families define what matters across generations.
When these decisions occur in digital spaces without an advisor present, key signals about motivations, priorities and family dynamics can go unseen. Over time, this creates a quiet gap in visibility—one that affects relevance with the rising generation and limits the planning conversations that advisors are best positioned to lead, including the opportunity to strengthen future relationships.
Consider This: What Donor Behavior Is Telling Us
More than half of donors plan to spend down their DAF during their lifetime, while nearly a third are still determining their long-term charitable priorities. Donors also cite friction in identifying charities or navigating platform processes—areas where thoughtful guidance can be meaningful.4 Because charitable decisions often intersect with income, liquidity events and timing, advisors benefit from seeing giving activity earlier—well before year-end—so clients can think more deliberately about planning implications.
Technology Doesn’t Replace Advisors—It Reveals Opportunities
Technology doesn’t replace the advisor–client relationship; it expands it. As more giving activity moves into digital spaces, new touchpoints emerge that reveal client intent, strengthen planning conversations and naturally draw next generations into view.
Donors increasingly prefer digital tools for giving, family offices rely on aggregation platforms to provide a consolidated view and RIAs are elevating technology as a firmwide priority.2,5,6 When advisors understand where digital activity is happening, they can use those moments to deepen planning conversations and reconnect philanthropic decisions with the broader wealth strategy.
In the End
A DAF isn’t just a charitable account. It’s a window into purpose, values and legacy. As giving becomes more digital, advisors who build simple, proactive rhythms around philanthropic activity create pathways to deeper connection and multi-generational trust. The opportunity now is to bring these digital signals back into the advisory conversation, so the guidance families receive reflect not only their wealth, but also the intentions that shape it.
Important Disclosures & Definitions
1 Heist, H. D., Vance-McMullen, D., Williams, J., Shaker, G. G., & Sumsion, R. M. (2025). The Annual DAF Report 2025 (p. 12-13). Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC).
2 Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC). (2025). National Survey of Donor Advised Fund Donors (p. 14, 29, 35).
3 Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC). (2025). National Survey of Donor Advised Fund Donors (p. 3, 34).
4 Donor Advised Fund Research Collaborative (DAFRC). (2025). National Survey of Donor Advised Fund Donors (p. 33-34, 37).
5 RBC Wealth Management/Campden Wealth Limited. (2025). The North America Family Office Report 2025 (p. 7).
6 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (2025). Insights from the 2025 RIA Benchmarking Study (p. 7).
AAI001067 12/16/2026
