This National Volunteer Month, new research from DAFgiving360™ confirms that today’s donors are deeply engaged in the causes they care about – volunteering, giving, and thoughtfully evaluating how their support can make the greatest impact.

DAFgiving360, one of the largest national providers of donor-advised fund (DAF) accounts and related philanthropic resources, kicks off National Volunteer Month today with the release of new research about charitably-minded investors. The findings reveal behaviors that influence volunteering, giving to charity directly or with their DAF, and strategic charitable planning.

The research shows charitable engagement remains strong across all donors. Four-fifths (80%) of all donors volunteer at least once a year, while 89% give to charity on a recurring basis year after year. Most donors also regularly reassess their philanthropic strategies to ensure they are achieving their charitable giving goals, with 85% reevaluating how much they give and 78% reassessing which charities they support at least annually, indicating active and intentional engagement. For all donors, these findings highlight a broad commitment toward more engaged philanthropy.

Among DAF donors in particular, research shows that two-thirds (66%) volunteer at least once a month, compared with 44% of donors without DAFs. The majority (77%) say they give more after opening a DAF, and one in five (19%) say they volunteer more after opening a DAF.

The research findings highlight three tangible insights into donor behavior:

1. DAF donors are deeply connected to the causes they support.
2. DAF donors are strategic and research-driven in their giving.
3. DAFs help to strengthen long-term impact.

“Our research finds that when people volunteer their time, they often give more generously – and vice versa – resulting in greater holistic investment in the causes they care about,” said Julie Sunwoo, President of DAFgiving360. “DAFs help expand this by giving donors a more intentional way to turn their care into sustained, values-aligned giving, deepening their impact over time.”

DAF donors are highly connected to the causes they support

This survey reveals that an impressive 92% of all donors volunteer with causes they support, with one quarter volunteering at least once a week.

Over 84% of donors overall report feeling connected to the charities they support, bolstered by the fact that donors say they are more likely to focus their volunteering locally – allowing them to witness the everyday impact of their generosity.

“When donors choose to not only give dollars but also their time and talent, it reinforces their holistic philanthropic commitment. We are inspired by how connected donors are to the causes they support and hope to see that dedication continue to deepen,” said Fred Kaynor, Managing Director of Growth at DAFgiving360.

Notably, donors with DAFs show a tangible difference in how and when they connect with charitable organizations.

As evidenced by the data, donors who use a DAF give and volunteer more regularly than other donors, contributing to an increased sense of connection with charities and their employees. As DAF donors become more involved with an organization through consistent volunteering and donating, the employees of that organization are able to engage donors in more strategic giving to support the charity’s mission.

“I give charitably to the same organizations I volunteer for because I have a better sense of how they are run, who makes decisions, and what's happening with the funds,” said a DAFgiving360 donor.

Donors are strategic, intentional, and research-driven, and DAFs reinforce those behaviors

According to DAFgiving360’s research, donors treat philanthropy as a strategic decision-making process guided by research, values, and long-term planning. Overall, over 90% of donors feel confident in their ability to identify and vet charities.

When deciding how and where to direct their giving, donors conduct thorough research through the charity’s website, review of its mission and accomplishments, and review of financial performance. During research, donors report impact, financial transparency, and mission alignment are extremely and considerably important.

The research further highlights that DAF donors show greater intentionality in giving, with 70% of DAF donors saying they give with intention compared to 59% of donors without DAFs.

DAFs strengthen long-term impact

The research confirms that using a donor-advised fund can reinforce donors’ engagement with philanthropy – enabling them to give more, plan more intentionally, and achieve greater impact.

In fact, 98% of DAF donors feel they have greater impact on causes they care about after using a DAF, and 95% report giving with more alignment to personal values. Further, 62% of donors report feeling more impactful in their charitable giving with a DAF.

“We witness firsthand the incredible impact that charitable giving can have on thousands of communities,” said Sunwoo. “Incorporating donor-advised funds into a charitable giving strategy can further help donors translate values into impact, while encouraging increasingly active, deep relationships with nonprofits in the process.”

About the research

The study included 335 retail investors who indicated they are charitably inclined and 152 donors who have a DAF account with DAFgiving360. The study was fielded by C Space in January 2026.

About DAFgiving360

DAFgiving360™ is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity with a mission to increase charitable giving in the U.S. DAFgiving360 does this by providing the tax-smart and simple giving solution of a donor-advised fund (DAF) account to donors and financial advisors. Since our founding in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) public charity, DAFgiving360 donors have recommended over $50 billion in grants to 295,000 charities. Visit dafgiving360.org to learn more.

About C Space

C Space is the world’s leading insight community, customer strategy and innovation agency, putting relationships at the heart of business to drive growth. Since joining Escalent Group in 2023, C Space is now a team of 1,600 researchers, data scientists, moderators, creatives, developers and UX professionals. C Space puts the power of customer expertise, Escalent’s industry expertise and Hall & Partners’ brand expertise at your fingertips.

DAFgiving360™ is the name used for the combined programs and services of Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc., an independent nonprofit organization which has entered into service agreements with certain subsidiaries of The Charles Schwab Corporation. DAFgiving360 is a tax-exempt public charity as described in Sections 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1), and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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“Our research finds that when people volunteer their time, they often give more generously – and vice versa – resulting in greater holistic investment in the causes they care about,” said Julie Sunwoo, President of DAFgiving360.