What is a donor-advised fund?

A donor-advised fund is a giving vehicle held by a sponsoring organization (often a community foundation or a financial firm like Fidelity Charitable). The donor contributes cash, securities, or other assets — receives an immediate US tax deduction — and the funds sit in the DAF account. Over time, the donor recommends grants from the account to specific nonprofits, and the sponsor disburses them.

DAFs are common for donors who want to bunch deductions in a high-income year while spreading actual grants over many years, or for donors giving complex assets (like appreciated stock) that nonprofits aren't equipped to receive directly. The grant arrives at the nonprofit from the DAF sponsor, not from the original donor.

CrowdCreate processes credit-card donations through Stripe, not DAF grants — those come by check or ACH from the DAF sponsor and would be recorded separately in your own records, outside the widget.