The $63K email campaign hiding in your donor file

Your website might mention donor-advised funds (DAFs) somewhere. 

Maybe it’s buried under a “Ways to Give” tab, or a line of text on your donation page.

Conservation International (CI) decided that wasn’t enough. So what about email?

At the Bridge Conference last week, CI and Marketeam shared how targeted email campaigns focused on DAFs and qualified charitable distributions (QCD) drove real revenue.

The campaign
CI identified a specific audience for their DAF and QCD email promotions: donors who had given in the past 0–24 months at $50 or more, excluding sustainers.

Within that group, they tailored the message — donors modeled as likely DAF holders received content focused on DAF giving, while donors over 70½ received a version focused on QCD giving from their IRAs.

The emails led with CI’s conservation mission as the reason to give, then walked donors through how DAF or QCD giving actually works and what had changed in the tax code. 

For many recipients, this was likely the first time anyone had explained these options in an email.

The results
The dedicated email promotions raised over $63,000, and 10% of donors gave more than they had in the past.

Those sends contributed to a bigger picture: CI’s overall DAF revenue grew 91% year over year, and QCD giving grew 45%.

Why this matters right now
Kate Rhodes at the International Rescue Committee flagged this last year: mid-level donors are increasingly using DAFs.

The sector-wide data backs it up. DAF donors are 7x more likely to give $1,000 or more through their fund than through other channels, and 62% give throughout the year.

And as baby boomers age into QCD eligibility, the pool of donors who can give directly from their IRAs is growing every year — and email is a powerful channel to help drive that kind of giving.

How to start
Make email part of your DAF strategy, not an afterthought. This seems fairly obvious, but conversations around DAFs and your digital program aren’t always aligned.

Most organizations relegate DAFs to a page on their website or 1-on-1 donor outreach and leave it at that. 

CI built email into the conversation — and the results followed. 

If your development team is already thinking about DAFs, your email program should be in the room.

Figure out who to send to. You don’t need a predictive model to get started. 

Work with your development team to pull a list of donors who’ve given $50-$100 or more in the past two years and aren’t already monthly donors.

These supporters could be more likely to have a DAF or an IRA they could give from, and they’re probably not hearing about it from you.

Send a dedicated email about it. A P.S. line at the bottom of a fundraising appeal isn’t going to cut it. 

CI’s results came from standalone sends where DAF or QCD giving was the entire message, with clear instructions on how to complete the gift. 

If you use a tool like DAFpay or DAF Direct, link directly to it.

Pick a moment when the ask feels natural. DAF Day (October 9) is an easy one. 

So is Q4 generally, when donors over 70½ can give directly from their IRAs through QCDs — and for those 73 and older who are required to take minimum distributions, a QCD is one of the smartest ways to do it.

Year-end works too, but the whole point of DAF giving is that it doesn’t have to wait until December.

The bottom line
DAF and QCD giving is growing fast, and email is one of the easiest ways to put it in front of the donors most likely to use it. 

Conservation International’s results are proof that showing up in the inbox with a clear, targeted ask pays off.

Check our events list for more or reply to this email to submit one for consideration.

‘Til next time!
Sara