Donating through a donor-advised fund (DAF) is a fantastic way to support your local teachers and classrooms year-round.
Using your Donor-Advised Fund on DonorsChoose
You can use your donor-advised fund to support projects in multiple ways. We recommend purchasing account credits as the easiest way to maximize your DAF experience on DonorsChoose.
Purchasing account credits
Go to donorschoose.org/credits, choose any amount you’d like to give, and check out using your donor-advised fund. Once funds arrive from your DAF, you’ll have a balance of ready-to-use credits that you can allocate to project(s) of your choosing over the next year, including on match days, without needing to make new DAF recommendations. You can re-up your account credit balance any time.
Check out the detailed instructions below for using your donor-advised fund as a payment method when purchasing account credits.
Donating to individual projects and purchasing gift cards
Alternatively, you can purchase gift cards, or add one or multiple projects to your cart.
If you purchase gift cards using your donor-advised fund, gift cards will be available once funds arrive from your DAF.
If you donate directly to projects using your donor-advised fund, we’ll apply funds to the project(s) you’ve selected once the funds arrive from your DAF, as long as funding is still needed.
Check out the detailed instructions below for using your donor-advised fund as a payment method when purchasing gift cards or donating directly to projects.
Placing your donor-advised fund donation on DonorsChoose
- Once you’ve added credits, projects, or gift cards to your cart, on the checkout page, select donor-advised fund as your payment method. You'll find this option by clicking "Other" when asked for your payment method.
- On the next page, select your DAF and follow the instructions on that screen.
- Recommend your donation to your donor-advised fund by specifying the $ amount and the Donation ID.
- Tell your donor-advised fund to send a check to our donation lockbox (and not our physical address in New York):
DonorsChoose
Mail code: 6656, P.O. Box 7247
Philadephia, PA 19170-66562 - You’ll receive an email once we’ve received your donation from your donor-advised fund. This typically takes up to 10 business days from when your DAF issues payment.
Looking for other ways to support teachers and classrooms? Check out our guide to strategic giving!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a donor-advised fund?
A donor-advised fund (DAF) provides donors with a centralized charitable giving vehicle. Through a donor-advised fund, you can allocate a charitable gift each year and take an immediate tax deduction. Commonly used donor-advised funds include Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, National Philanthropic Trust, and BNY Mellon, among many others.
I donated to a project or purchased account credits through my DAF, when will I see that donation on the site?
We will allocate your donation in the way you selected as soon as we receive the funds from your DAF. Typically this process takes 10 business days.
What if the project I’m funding is completed before my donation is received?
We’ll notify you and deposit your donation into your account as account credits, so that you can support another classroom of your choice.
Can you expedite my donation?
In many cases, yes! Once you have made your recommendation to your donor-advised fund, send proof of your DAF recommendation (such as a screenshot or downloaded PDF of the confirmation page from the DAF portal) to daf@donorschoose.org to expedite the process.
What information do I need to provide to make a recommendation to my DAF?
To recommend a donation to your donor-advised fund, you’ll need:
- Your Donation ID - which you’ll receive once you’ve placed your donation on DonorsChoose. Include this in your recommendation to your DAF, so they can include it in the memo line on the check they send to us
- Mailing address (not our physical address):
DonorsChoose
Mail Code: 6656, P.O. Box 7247
Philadelphia, PA 19170-66562
Can I receive an additional tax credit from DonorsChoose for my donation made using my donor-advised fund?
Donations made to DonorsChoose through a donor-advised fund are not tax deductible, as the tax credit is given when donating funds into a donor-advised fund. You will not see tax wording on your receipt after we receive payment.
Where can I find my donation ID?
After proceeding through checkout on DonorsChoose, you can access your donation ID and instructions for recommending your donation in 3 places:
- On the confirmation screen after placing your donation
- In your email inbox
- In your DonorsChoose account: sign in -> click your name in the top-right corner of the screen -> click “private info” in the dropdown menu -> click the dollar amount listed in “checks to send”