Nonprofit Experience with Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)

Stanford Law School is conducting a research seminar on donor advised funds, with the goal of informing and improving the practices of donors, wealth advisors, donor advised funds, and nonprofits.  To aid us in this effort, we are surveying the nonprofit community. Your responses to the survey will be aggregated, with individual responses remaining anonymous.

We would be grateful if you could respond by Friday March 6, 2020.

 If you have any questions, please write to Paul Brest at pbrest@stanford.edu.

In this survey, please note that "DAF sponsor"means an organization managing the DAFs.  "DAF holder" means the individual donor to a DAF. 

When answering the survey questions, please describe organization's typical experience, but also the range of practices and their frequency. 
1.What number of donations each year do you receive from donor-advised funds (DAFs)?  What proportion of total gifts to your organization come from DAFs?  What are the different sizes of DAF gifts you receive and the percentage they are of all gifts you receive?
2.In 2019, did you receive individual gifts over $5,000 from DAFs?
3.How many gifts over $5,000 did you  receive from DAFs in 2019?  How many gifts over $5,000 did you receive that did not come from DAFs?
4.How many of the $5,000+ DAF gifts were anonymous?
5.With respect to most DAF grants, how well did you know the individual donors (DAF holders) and discuss the possible grant with them? Is your organization's primary relationship with the individual, who in effect treats the DAF as a Checking account?  Is the primary relationship with the DAF sponsor, the organization that manages the account?  Or, is the relationship divided between them?
6.The previous question assumes that the DAF holders are known to you.  Is that typical?  Under what circumstances are they not known to you?
7.What differences, if any, do you experience between:
1) grants from DAFs; and
2) gifts or grants from individuals or their foundations?

In your response, please consider these different stages (some of these may be more relevant to larger rather than smaller gifts and grants):
* Due diligence process before the grant
* Making/accepting the grant
* Reporting and other follow-up
* Relationship management and future fundraising?

8.What differences, if any, do you experience among DAFs?  For example, differences between commercial DAFs and community foundations with respect to the size of gifts, the relationship with DAF donors, etc.
9.What are the terms of grants from DAFs (e.g. unrestricted general operating support, support for programs, support for particular projects, etc.)?
10.When receiving program or project support from a DAF, what indirect or overhead costs do you receive?
11.Have you been affected by the growth of DAFs and, if so, how?
12.What changes in DAF practices would you like to see through:
- DAFs voluntarily changing their practices
- Regulation

For example (but not limited to) minimum payout, transparency about the identity of donors to recipients or the general public.
13.What were the Fiscal Year 2019 operating expenses for your organization?
14.What is the focus of your work?
15.Is there anything else you think the research team should know?
Current Progress,
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