How to Track DAF Gifts and Pledges to Your Nonprofit

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) have become an increasingly important part of charitable giving. For nonprofits, DAFs represent meaningful gifts from some of their most committed supporters. But there’s one challenge: you often don’t know a DAF grant is coming until it arrives.

A donor may tell you or your development team, “I’m going to give $10,000 from my DAF,” but there’s no easy way to track that intention, remind the donor to complete the recommendation, or know where the grant stands.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce our new DAF Pledge Experience from Infinite Giving.
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Turn donor intent for DAF grants into visibility

With Infinite Giving’s “More Ways to Give,” donors already had the ability to give from their DAF. Now, with the new pledge feature on your donation page (live now for all users), we allow nonprofits to be alerted when a DAF grant is pledged, thus giving visibility into expected DAF grants. 

This creates a clearer path from a donor’s intention to the completed gift, and allows your team to already know who the gift is coming from and which DAF provider before it arrives. Our technology for DAF gifts is designed to be familiar and intuitive, mirroring Infinite Giving’s proven stock pledge flow.
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Here’s how a DAF gift pledge works:

1. The donor submits a pledge.
The donor provides information about their intended DAF gift directly through Infinite Giving. They’ll select their financial institution, the amount they tend to give, and contact information.

2. The donor receives a confirmation.
An automatic confirmation email is sent to the donor with a reminder to log into their DAF provider and recommend the grant, if they haven’t already done so.

3. The donor gets a direct next step.
A login link is provided on the confirmation page, making it easy for the donor to move from intention to action.

4. Your team gets visibility.
The pledge appears in the Infinite Giving app, allowing your team to see the expected grant and track it from submission through completion. An email alert is also sent to your nonprofit’s account administrator with Infinite Giving.
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Why DAF pledge visibility matters

DAF giving can sometimes feel like a black box for nonprofits. A donor may express their intention to give, but your team has limited visibility into whether the recommendation has actually been submitted or when the grant might arrive.

That uncertainty creates missed opportunities to thank your donor and plan for stewardship of a potentially major gift. Knowing a DAF grant is coming would allow your nonprofit to decide if the funds should go into operational cash flow (OCF) or be invested in Short-, Mid-, or Long-term reserves. Some major DAF pledges could become their own endowment, allowing your “giving partner” to continue investing in your nonprofit for the years to come.

With DAF pledge visibility, your team can see who is planning to give, how much they intend to give, and where the gift will be stewarded. That means your team can follow up at the right time, provide helpful reminders, and create a better experience for the donor coming alongside to fund your mission.
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Solve the mystery of anonymous DAF Grants

Anonymous DAF grants can create a frustrating challenge for nonprofits: a check or electronic transfer arrives, but there’s no clear indication of which donor recommended the gift. Your team is then left trying to connect the dots by having to match amounts, timing, and grant details to figure out who gave to your organization to properly thank them for their generosity. 

With the DAF Pledge Experience, we can identify what might have previously been an anonymous DAF grant. When a donor submits a pledge, your organization knows who intends to give, how much they plan to give, and that the grant signals donor intent, even if the eventual DAF grant arrives anonymously with just the financial institution’s name. That visibility means less time playing detective and more time focused on thoughtful donor stewardship.

It also gives your team greater control over your records. If a pledge changes or is no longer expected, you can cancel it to keep your information accurate and up to date. Because ultimately, the goal is not only to track another type of gift, but it’s also to make generosity more visible and actionable.

When a donor raises their hand and says, “I want to support your mission,” your organization should have the tools to help them follow through with the visibility to steward that relationship along the way.

DAF Pledges are live

The DAF Pledge Experience is live now for all organizations using Infinite Giving for Fundraising, with zero additional charges except the base platform fee.

If your organization is looking for a better way to turn DAF intentions into completed gifts, plus build stronger relationships with your donors and “giving partners”, our DAF Pledge with “More Ways to Give” is ready for your nonprofit.

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