42% of donating millennials used donor-advised funds

A survey by Bloomerang and The Harris Poll, conducted March 13–24, found 42% of millennials who donated to charities in the prior 12 months used donor-advised funds (DAFs).

The poll surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults who had donated to a nonprofit or charity in the previous 12 months and more than 400 nonprofit employees involved in fundraising decisions. It compared responses across Gen Z, millennials, Generation X and baby boomers and focused on 2026 fundraising trends.

A donor-advised fund is a charitable account that lets donors claim a tax deduction when they contribute, invest the funds tax-free inside the account, and recommend grants to charities at a later time.

The survey found DAF use concentrated among younger donors. Among donating millennials, 42% reported using a DAF in the past year. Nineteen percent of Gen Z donors reported DAF use in the past year and 35% said they plan to use one in the near future. Reported DAF use was 13% among Generation X donors and 10% among baby boomers.

The report also measured near-term giving plans. Fifty-five percent of millennials said they expect to use a DAF in the upcoming year. Eighty percent of millennials said they plan to give to at least one new nonprofit this year, compared with 52% of Generation X and 30% of baby boomers. Seventy-five percent of millennials said they plan to give more this year than last, versus 49% of Generation X and 36% of baby boomers.

On motivations for donating, 97% of millennials reported they are likely to give because it makes them feel like they belong to something; 57% of millennials “strongly agree” with that statement. By comparison, 86% of Generation X and 87% of baby boomers reported they were likely to give for that reason.

Gen Z respondents, ages 18–29, were less than half as likely as other generations to report having donated money to a charity or nonprofit in the past year, the survey found.

In a press release accompanying the results, Dennis Fois, chief executive of Bloomerang, wrote:

We keep talking about the wealth transfer like it’s on its way. It isn’t. It’s already happening.

The report presents separate responses from individual donors and nonprofit fundraisers and maps short-term giving intentions and the types of charitable tools donors use.