DAFpay Is Coming to Bloomerang: Accept DAF Donations Online in Time for Year-End Giving
A supporter lands on your donation page in December. She's already set money aside in her donor-advised fund for exactly this kind of gift. She wants to give to you.
Then she leaves your page, logs in to her fund sponsor's portal, searches for your organization, and starts a separate process. Some supporters finish that. Some don't.
Weeks later, a payment arrives under a fund sponsor's name, and someone on your team has to work out which supporter chose your mission. DAFpay starts with the supporter’s details instead of ending with a guess.
That's the gap DAFpay closes. Bloomerang Fundraising is adding DAFpay, a donor-advised fund payment option, to donation forms. You can accept DAF donations online, right where supporters already decide to give, in time for year-end and see those gifts instantly within your CRM—no hunting for donor details or soft credits needed. This will be an available payment method for all Bloomerang Fundraising customers late October 2026.
What is DAFpay?
DAFpay is a payment option on your donation form that lets a supporter make a gift from their donor-advised fund without leaving your page. It's powered by Chariot, a DAF technology company.
A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a charitable giving account. A supporter contributes money or assets to it, receives the tax benefit when they fund the account, and then recommends grants to nonprofits over time. The fund sponsor, such as Fidelity Charitable, legally controls the account and approves each grant.
Here's how a DAFpay gift works:
- Select. The supporter chooses DAFpay on the payment page of your donation form.
- Connect. A secure Chariot checkout window opens, and the supporter connects to their DAF sponsor.
- Recommend. The supporter submits a whole-dollar gift recommendation without starting a separate process in the sponsor's portal.
- Approve. The DAF sponsor reviews the recommendation and sends approved funds electronically or by check.
- Record. Once the funds arrive, you mark the gift as received in your Chariot account and Bloomerang CRM creates or updates the constituent and sponsor records and the related hard and soft credits.
DAFpay isn't a separate product or a separate login. It's an option inside eligible Bloomerang donation forms.
Why do DAFs matter for fundraisers right now?
DAFs now hold more charitable money than most fundraisers plan around. U.S. DAF assets reached $327.87 billion across 3.59 million accounts in 2024, up from $168.76 billion in 2020. In 2024, $90.57 billion went into DAFs and $64.60 billion was granted out to charities.
That money is already moving to nonprofits like yours. Across Bloomerang CRM, customers recorded about $199 million in DAF grants over the last 12 months. Of the nonprofits that had logged a DAF, 83% received a DAF gift in that window.
Fundraisers are paying attention too. In Bloomerang's 2026 Giving Signals Report, 64% of nonprofit decision makers say they're prioritizing DAFs or other tax-advantaged giving in their fundraising strategy.
This also fits the pressure fundraisers described to us earlier this year. In Bloomerang's March 2026 Pulse Survey, 43% of fundraisers named broadening their funding sources as the most realistic change they could make this year, and 35% said their team was at capacity. DAF giving adds a funding source without adding another campaign to run.
Which generations use DAFs?
Millennials use DAFs far more than any older generation. Bloomerang's 2026 Giving Signals Report asked more than 1,000 donors whether they'd given through a DAF or similar tax-advantaged option in the past year.
Millennials were also the generation most likely to say they're interested in giving through a DAF in the coming year.
Why do these generational findings matter for your fundraising?
The generations using DAFs most are the ones about to inherit the most. Cerulli Associates projects that $124 trillion will pass between generations and to charity through 2048, and expects Millennials to receive more than any other generation over that period, about $46 trillion. Our own data on Millennial donors and the wealth transfer points the same direction.
Put that next to the DAF numbers. DAFs already hold $327.87 billion in U.S. charitable assets, and Millennials are four times as likely as Baby Boomers to have given through one. As wealth moves to younger donors, more of it will likely move into DAFs, because that's a vehicle younger donors already use.
That changes what a donation form needs to do. A supporter who gives from a DAF today expects to do it in a few taps, on the page where they decided to give. Organizations that can accept DAF gifts where younger donors already give will be easier to choose when the larger gifts arrive. Organizations that send them to a separate portal make that choice harder.
Millennials are also the generation most likely to say they plan to give more this year. Seventy-five percent plan on giving more, compared with 49% of Gen X and 36% of Baby Boomers. A faster path to a DAF gift lands well with the donors most ready to use one.
What does DAFpay change for your team?
DAFpay captures who’s giving at the moment they give. Tracking DAF gifts is hard for any nonprofit that receives them, because the payment often arrives under the sponsor’s name and someone has to work out which supporter chose your mission. With DAFpay, supporters share their details on your donation form up front. Bloomerang CRM then syncs the donor and gift only after the gift is confirmed as received, so your records reflect money that has actually arrived, tied to the right person
You still decide how to recognize the supporter. DAFpay gives you the record to do it well.
How can you prepare for year-end DAF giving?
Start by making DAF giving easy to find and easy to understand. In Bloomerang’s 2026 Giving Signals Report, 12% of donors weren’t sure whether they’d given through a DAF last year, and 29% weren’t sure whether they’d want to in the coming year. Many supporters either don’t know a DAF is an option for giving to you or don’t know how to use one. A few clear steps before December can close that gap, whether you’re a team of one or a team of ten:
- Check your donation form. Confirm DAFpay shows on your standard donation form. It will be on by default for eligible forms, and you can turn it off for any individual form in Donation Settings.
- Find your DAF supporters. Filter Bloomerang CRM for supporters with DAF relationships or soft credits from past gifts, so you know who to tell first.
- Add a plain-language explainer. Put a short "Can I give from my DAF?" note on your donation page and year-end materials, with your legal name and EIN.
- Send a year-end reminder. Tell DAF supporters they can give from your donation form, and remind them that sponsors need time to review and approve grants. Don't promise a delivery date.
- Thank them personally. When the gift arrives, mark it received in Chariot and thank the supporter by name.
Who is DAFpay for?
DAFpay is for development directors and fundraising teams at nonprofits that already receive DAF gifts, or hear that supporters would like to give that way. It's also useful for whoever manages your donation forms and online giving. Supporters with a DAF account get a way to give through their preferred method while they're on your page.
If your organization hasn't marketed DAF giving before, you're not behind. Customers have told us they're still learning how to explain DAFs to supporters, record the gifts, and report on them. DAFpay gives you a place to start.
What should you know before turning it on?
DAFpay supports one-time gifts. It works with DAF sponsors connected through Chariot. If a supporter’s sponsor isn’t supported, they return to your donation form and choose another payment method.
Two fees apply to DAFpay gifts. Chariot charges 2.95% on DAF payments, and Bloomerang adds a 1.95% processing fee.
Set up your Chariot account to receive DAF gifts faster. Nonprofits with a Chariot account receive DAFpay funds faster than gifts that arrive through a sponsor’s standard grant process. Exact timing still depends on the DAF sponsor, which reviews and approves each recommendation before sending funds electronically or by check. Supporters who want a gift to land before December 31 should recommend it early. Setting up your account now means you’re ready to receive and record gifts as soon as they arrive.
DAFpay handles checkout and keeps the gift tied to the supporter. Supporters share their details up front on your donation form, so donor attribution holds whether or not you’ve set up a Chariot account. Setting up an account is what gets funds to you faster.
Frequently asked questions
What is a donor-advised fund?
A donor-advised fund is a charitable giving account managed by a sponsor organization. A supporter contributes to it, receives the tax deduction when they fund the account, and recommends grants to nonprofits over time. The sponsor reviews each recommendation and makes the grant.
Can I accept DAF donations online with Bloomerang?
Yes. DAFpay adds a donor-advised fund payment option to the payment page of your standard Bloomerang Fundraising donation form for one-time gifts. Supporters connect to a supported DAF sponsor through Chariot's secure checkout window and submit a gift recommendation without leaving your page.
Is DAFpay a separate product from Bloomerang Fundraising?
No. DAFpay is a Chariot-powered payment option within eligible Bloomerang donation forms. You don't need a separate login or a separate donation page to offer it.
Can supporters make recurring gifts through DAFpay?
No. The first version supports one-time gifts only. Supporters who want to give from a DAF on a recurring basis should work with their DAF sponsor directly.
What happens if a supporter's DAF sponsor isn't supported?
The supporter returns to your donation form and chooses another payment method. DAFpay supports DAF sponsors connected through Chariot.
How long does it take to receive a DAFpay gift?
Timing depends on the DAF sponsor, but setting up a Chariot account helps DAFpay gifts land faster than gifts that arrive through a sponsor’s standard grant process. After the sponsor reviews and approves the recommendation, funds arrive electronically or by check. Bloomerang can’t promise a specific delivery window, so encourage DAF supporters to recommend year-end gifts early.
Can I turn DAFpay off?
Yes. DAFpay is planned to be enabled by default on eligible donation forms, and you can turn it off for an individual form in Donation Settings.
Put DAFpay to work this year-end
DAF supporters have already set money aside for causes they care about. DAFpay makes it easier for them to choose yours, and easier for your team to say thank you to the right person.
