Tell your donors about #HalfMyDAF

Here’s what to do as a nonprofit:

As long as you’re a US-based 501(c)(3), you are eligible for matching grants from #HalfMyDAF! (NOTE: we do not make grants to organizations that support hate speech, hate crimes, gun violence, or restrictions on reproductive health.)

To increase your chances of receiving a match. Let your board members and DAF donors know about #HalfMyDAF.

  1. Here’s a sample letter for donors. The key message: “Your money could go even further. Every grant from a DAF given by a donor who commits to halving their DAF increases our chances of receiving a dollar-for-dollar matches of up to $25,000.”

  2. Reach out to your board members. Talk to your board members about their own DAFs, if they have one. Ideally they become #HalfMyDAF donors and encourage others to do the same.

  3. Include messaging about #HalfMyDAF in donor outreach. Consider adding language like this to donor e-mails: “Do you have a Donor Advised Fund? If you make a grant to us and commit to spend down half the money in your DAF by October 10, we will be eligible to receive matching funds. Details at www.halfmydaf.com.”

  4. Add a DAF widget to your donation page.

  5. For additional ideas on how to engage with DAF holders, check out this presentation.

  6. The more donors who commit to #HalfMyDAF and give to your organization, the greater your chances of receiving a match. Every donation from a different donor increases your chances of receiving a matching grant.

An important note on receiving matching funds: DAFs issue funds via check or Electronic Funds Transfer. To avoid checks sitting in mailboxes— a common problem because of remote work— we highly recommend setting your nonprofit up as an ACH funds-transfer recipient. The Amalgamated Foundation is our #HalfMyDAF fund sponsor. Register your nonprofit at their GranteeView portal to make receiving funds easier.

Questions? Send a note to grants@amalgamatedfoundation.org. And if you’re already registered at Fidelity, Schwab or another sponsor, please also register with Amalgamated. You’ll get funds fast from all institutions.

Here’s what you can expect from #HalfMyDAF:

  1. We will regularly post names of new DAF donors and the nonprofits they’re supporting. We won’t connect donors’ names with the amounts given. Donors can always choose to remain anonymous. 

  2. We will award matching grants a few days after our spring and fall deadlines. The deadlines for 2026 nominations are June 18th for the spring drawing and October 8th for the fall drawing. All grants made by our spring deadline will be eligible for our first round of matching grants. All grants that weren’t matched in the first round plus new grants made by our fall deadline, will be eligible for our second round of matching grants. We will award dollar-for-dollar matches up to $5,000 with two lucky nonprofits receiving matches of $25,000 at each drawing. 

  3. Please note that due to administrative costs, grants must be at least $250 to qualify for matches. 

  4. Grants not matched in our spring cycle will be automatically eligible for matches in our fall cycle.