Navigating the Rise of Donor Advised Funds: Insights, Trends and Operational Strategies

1 CFRE Credit | Live Webinar | October 28, 2026 @ 1 PM ET

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Donor advised funds are reshaping the philanthropic landscape. They are changing how donors give, influencing how studies like Giving USA measure charitable behavior, and drawing attention from policymakers. For many nonprofits, DAFs are still a gap in strategy - present in your donor base, but hard to identify and harder to engage.

This session is a practical look at how DAFs work, why they are growing, and what your organization can do to take full advantage of this shift. Melissa Bank Stepno is President and CEO of The Helen Brown Group, a prospect development consulting firm, and Managing Director of DAFinitive®, its online research tool for donor advised funds. With 25 years advising nonprofits on wealth screenings, predictive modeling, and analytics-driven prospecting, she brings deep expertise to one of the field’s most consequential topics. DAFs now account for 15% of all giving and 23% of all individual charitable giving in the U.S. In 2024, DAF grants reached $64.6 billion, and the number of accounts has grown by more than 125% in just the past five years.

What you will learn:

The fundamentals of donor-advised funds: how they are structured, how contributions are made, and how grants reach nonprofits
The latest research on DAF growth, what the numbers mean for the philanthropic landscape, and how DAFs are shaping sector-wide data like Giving USA
The full DAF ecosystem: the role of donors, advisors, fund sponsors, and nonprofits - and practical steps your organization can take to engage DAF donors more effectively

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Meet the Speaker

Melissa Bank Stepno

President & CEO at The Helen Brown Group & Managing Director at DAFinitive®

The former APRA President and 25-year prospect intelligence veteran, Melissa Bank Stepno leads The Helen Brown Group, a prospect development consulting firm she acquired from its founder in 2024, and DAFinitive®, its online research tool for donor advised funds. A frequent speaker at industry events and contributor to white papers and articles, she advises nonprofits on wealth screenings, predictive modeling, and analytics-driven prospecting. Melissa served six years on the APRA board, including as President from 2021 to 2022, and received NEDRA's Ann Castle Award in 2021.