Image courtesy of Worldreader
Put charitable dollars to work, now.
#HalfMyDAF is a growing movement of donors who are committed to putting their DAF dollars to work, backed by matching grant incentives from our generous community.
How it started
Jennifer and David Risher launched #HalfMyDAF in 2020 in response to the billions of dollars sitting in donor-advised funds (DAFs). Our bet: collective giving, paired with a reason to act now, can get that capital moving.
Since 2020:
$133M+ moved from DAFs to nonprofits
$12M+ in matching grants awarded
Over 11,000 grants made
How it works
Every year, we provide $2 million in matching funds for nominated nonprofits. For DAF holders who join the movement, we challenge them to commit to spending down at least half of their DAF balance by our final fall deadline. When they do, the grants they make become eligible for matching funds through #HalfMyDAF.
Focus Funds: Thanks to our supporters, we also offer additional issue-specific matching pools for nonprofits working in specific sectors. Past focus areas have included Reproductive Health, Education in Underserved Communities, and Gender Equity. We welcome opportunities to expand these pooled funds and partner with funders who want to drive DAF capital toward the causes most meaningful to them.
Commit.
Pledge to spend down at least half of your DAF balance by our final fall deadline.
Submit.
Give to the nonprofits you care about and submit your grants to #HalfMyDAF to make them eligible for matching funds.
Get matched.
Twice a year, we randomly select grants for dollar-for-dollar matches of up to $5,000. One lucky nonprofit receives up to $25,000.
What we’ve learned
#HalfMyDAF is more than an incentive to spend down. It’s also a way for nonprofits to connect with their DAF holders and understand DAFs better, which strengthens their fundraising for years to come. Donors get the encouragement to give. Nonprofits get new funding and the knowledge to engage their supporters.
Thank you to all of the donors and nonprofits who have learned alongside us as we work to move more money out of DAFs and help donors reengage with the joy of giving. When you join #HalfMyDAF, you become part of a movement that’s committed to putting more charitable dollars to work — now.
Who makes it possible
Our matching pool is made possible by our founders, Jennifer and David Risher, and our generous supporters.
Want to contribute this year? Visit our For Funders page or email contact@halfmydaf.com.
Jennifer and David Risher
Jennifer is the author of "We Need to Talk: A Memoir About Wealth" that tells her story of getting lucky and explores the hidden impact of wealth on identity, relationships, and sense of place in the world. She believes staying silent around topics like philanthropy creates problems for both those who have money and for our country as a whole. Money shouldn’t be a taboo subject; silence perpetuates the status quo and keeps us from learning from each other.
David is the CEO of Lyft. A former Microsoft and Amazon executive, David co-founded and led Worldreader, a nonprofit whose mission is to get children reading so they can reach their potential. As CEO of Worldreader since its founding in 2010, David helped over 21 million people read around the world using digital technology. As Lyft’s CEO, David hopes to help millions of drivers earn billions of dollars and connect riders with the people and experiences they love.
Laura and Greg Spivy
Laura is a philanthropist and leader in nonprofit education, with over fifteen years working on public and private school boards and a strong focus on education as an equalizer. Laura believes in the transformative power of education for all children, and that it is the right of every child to have access to an education that allows them to realize their true potential. For Laura, there is no question that education builds stronger families and more engaged local communities that in turn build a better world for all of us.
Following a 30-year career in the finance industry, most recently as a partner at ValueAct Capital, Greg is now the Board Chair of Matriculate, which assists high-achieving, low-income kids in navigating the path to our nation’s top colleges. He also invests privately, as Spivy Private Capital, in direct angel investment opportunities in the sports and gaming sectors, as well as in a diverse group of leading investment funds.
Assets Under Movement (AUM+)
Assets Under Movement’s mission is to redefine philanthropy by empowering activism, harnessing generosity, and leveraging technology. Like #HalfMyDAF, Assets Under Movement is laser-focused on moving money quickly to the nonprofits that urgently need it, and they’ve successfully mobilized hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable giving. The foundation was the first-ever DAF provider to enact a 10% payout pledge, encouraging donors to make annual grants of at least 10% of their fund.
As part of this partnership, Assets Under Movement will house #HalfMyDAF’s Donor Advised Fund in conjunction with Amalgamated Bank, which for over 100 years has been the trusted financial institution for consumers focused on what their money does in the world. The Foundation is also providing matching-fund support for #HalfMyDAF.
Brighton Jones
Brighton Jones is a nationally-recognized leader in financial wellbeing. Charles Brighton and Jon Jones founded the firm in 2000 to enable families to align their wealth, passions, and purpose, and pursue a richer life. Today, Brighton Jones is one of the fastest-growing Registered Independent Advisors in the U.S., with more than 5,000 clients and $30 billion in assets under advisement. Brighton Jones measures success not only by scale, but by the opportunities they create to help individuals and families achieve their personal and social impact goals.
Stasia Obremskey and Dan Carroll
Stasia is the Managing Director of RH Capital Funds an impact venture capital fund of Rhia Ventures where she is responsible for investing in innovations in women’s reproductive health. She joined Rhia Ventures after more than twenty-five years of experience as an interim CFO for non-profit organizations and start-up companies and an impact investor and philanthropist in women’s reproductive health. She holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Stasia is a founding member of Maverick Collective, an initiative of PSI.
Dan is a Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Brooklands Capital Strategies, a financial advisory firm based in San Francisco. Prior to forming Brooklands, he was a Partner of TPG Capital, joining the firm in 1995 when he co-founded TPG’s Asian investing business. Dan holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He serves on the Boards of Reading Partners and the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley.
James Slavet
James Slavet, venture partner and advisor at Greylock, is the founder of the Solid Foundation, a philanthropic organization that makes charitable grants and investments to compound human potential. This includes supporting nonprofits and startups that leverage technology, and mission-driven VC funds. Solid backs entrepreneurs who foster kids well-being or unlock economic mobility for people facing barriers to employment. The team is also a resource to those in the tech community interested in social impact giving and investing.