DAF giving is up 23%. Here’s what that means for your fundraising.

Fidelity Charitable just released its 2026 Giving Report and the headline is hard to ignore: donors recommended $18.3 billion in grants in 2025, a 23% increase year over year.

Here’s what the report from the nation’s largest DAF sponsor actually matters for your organization:

1. More DAF dollars are actually moving

In 2025 alone:

• 3 million grants were recommended (+13% year over year increase)

• Total grant dollars have doubled since 2020 (from $9B → $18.3B)

• Nearly 227,000 nonprofits received funding from Fidelity Charitable donors

What this means for you: There is more capital moving through DAFs than ever before but it’s still concentrated among a relatively small proportion of the nonprofit sector.

2. Donors are giving more $$ and more often

• Average grant size: $5,801 (+7% YoY, +25% since 2020)

• Average account activity: 12.3 grants per year

What this means for you:
DAF donors aren’t making one big annual gift, they’re actively distributing capital throughout the year. Staying engaged and top-of-mind is essential.

3. The real growth is coming from non-cash assets

• 69% of contributions into Giving Accounts were non-cash assets

• $18.1B in non-public assets contributed since Fidelity Charitable’s inception

What this means for you: Your major donors may not be thinking in terms of “cash donations. ” Instead, they’re thinking in terms of stock, business interests, or complex assets. DAFs are a great “unlock” for that capital.

Where Daffodil fits in

The challenge isn’t generosity, it’s connection and what happens next to keep donors engaged and motivated by your impact. Daffodil closes that gap.

We surface your organization to aligned DAF donors automatically—based on mission, interests, and giving behavior— and never require additional reporting, cold outreach, or added lift from your team.

New: Manage Team Members in Daffodil

You can now add and manage team members directly within your account!

Here’s how:

Know a nonprofit that should be on Daffodil?

Any 501c3 or fiscally sponsored org can claim their profile - join our impact ecosystem today!