About

Our goal is to inspire more giving in Western Mass. Nonprofits do critical work that corporations and governments don’t or can’t. Yet the sector is severely underfunded compared to the problems it addresses. Meanwhile, over $251 billion in charitable funding is available in Donor Advised Funds. Resilient Valley created the MatchMyDAF matching program to inspire donors to put their money to work now, given federal funding cuts, when it can do the most good.

Resilient Valley is a growing group of more than a dozen Western Mass nonprofits working together to mobilize giving in the region. We believe that by working together, we will emerge stronger and better able to obtain the sustainable, healthy, vibrant, and just future for Western Mass that we all need.

A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable giving vehicle administered by a sponsor. There are large national sponsors such as Fidelity, Vanguard and Schwab, local community foundation DAFs, like Community Foundation of Western Mass, and single-interest DAFs. A donor opening a DAF makes an irrevocable charitable contribution, receives an immediate tax deduction, and can then recommend grants over time.

In many ways, a DAF is like a charitable checking account that gives a donor a tax-break when the money is deposited, lets the donor make donations to nonprofits over time, but can never be returned to the original donor. Currently, there is no payout requirement, which means money can sit in a DAF forever.

Donors have a tax incentive to move money into a DAF, but there is no urgency to move the money out. Some people have thoughtful, multi-year charitable plans, or even use DAFs like a family foundation, designed to span generations. Many community foundations focus on making grants to local nonprofits, or have “endowed DAFs” that are designed to support communities over many years.

But too often, money remains in DAFs due to inertia. We’ve also heard of people forgetting they have a DAF or feeling too overwhelmed by all the choices of where to give. So, far too much money is sitting untouched, waiting for the donors to step forward and put the money to work.

Some DAF sponsors suggest a 5% payout. But this is only a start and not nearly enough. Way more money is being put into DAFs than is moving out. In 2020, there was $120 Billion sitting in DAFs. Now, even as many sponsors and advocates talk about 20% pay-out rates, DAFs have grown to over $250 Billion. We believe DAF sponsors should be recommending that donors do a lot more, with the goal of spending down DAFs rather than growing them.

Most DAF sponsors make money on the funds sitting in DAFs. Even a low-fee fund sponsor makes about $10 annually per every $1,000 in the fund, between administrative and investment fees. There’s nothing outrageous about the size of those fees—managing a fund has real costs. But with a $100,000 DAF making $1,000 annually for the sponsor, there’s no financial incentive for sponsors to move the money out.

Bottom line: Change needs to start with you making grants from your DAF.

DAFs make life easy for donors, which almost certainly increases charitable giving. Like all charitable contributions, they’re tax-deductible — that’s wonderful (and somewhat unique to the US). Separating the timing of a tax break from a charitable donation is great: donors aren’t always prepared to give in the year they had a taxable event. At community foundations, endowed DAFs can be critical, stable sources of long-term funding for a community. DAFs also allow for giving appreciated stock and making impact investments and don’t require as much overhead or administration as a foundation.

But DAFs have become so popular that they are taking more money out of the charitable ecosystem than they are giving back to it. That’s bad, particularly when there is so much need in the world.

Luckily, it’s easy to put money in a DAF to work. All you have to do is contact your DAF sponsor and let them know what non-profit you’d like to support. They’ll do the rest.

Want to know more? Here’s a thorough report that laid out the state of the world in 2024.

You don’t need to contact us — just reach out to your donors who have DAFs. Talk to your board members who have DAFs. Let people know that their money can go further if they give through MatchMyDAF and that you could be eligible for a matching grant.

Resources:

• Here is our toolkit with sample e-mails, social media posts, and images.
• Here is our webinar from September with information about MatchMyDAF and the national #HalfMyDAF.

Here are some resources from our friends at #HalfMyDAF, which is a similar program (and one you can also participate in):

• Here’s a video of a DAF 101 Webinar #HalfMyDAF conducted in 2020 with our friends at Giving Tuesday called “How to Unlock $120 Billion of Hidden Funding.” It includes tips for identifying DAF holders and advice on how to engage with them.
• Here are the slides from the webinar, where you’ll find sample outreach material.
• Here’s a sample letter you can customize. Good luck!

Yes. We will match grants to any nonprofit that works in Hampshire, Hampden, or Franklin counties of Massachusetts (as long as it doesn’t actively work to expand gun ownership rights, or has discriminatory policies based on ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation, as these will not be eligible for matches).

All you need to do is commit to spending at least 10% more from your DAF by May 1st, 2026, and upload your DAF grant confirmations. After February 2, 2026 and again after May 1, 2026, we will randomly select grants to be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000—one random gift will be drawn for a $5,000 gift no matter the size of the gift.

As many as you want. Every nonprofit you support through your DAF with a gift of $250 or more will be eligible for a match. Please use the nomination form as many times as you’d like. Please note that we will not match grants to organizations that promote hate speech, hate crimes, gun violence, or restrictions on reproductive health. Our decision will be final.

Yes, but it won’t increase their chances— it will just increase the amount of money you’re giving to them and the size of the possible match. We’ll consolidate all grants you make to a single nonprofit and consider it as a single grant. The best way to maximize the chances that a favorite nonprofit receives a match is to encourage others to make grants to the same nonprofit. Nonprofits can also reach out to their donors and ask for support.

Definitely. The same nonprofit can be nominated for a matching grant by multiple people. The more times a nonprofit gets a donation from a MatchMyDAF hero, the higher its chance of being selected for a matching grant.

Yes, as long as it comes from a new donor. Nonprofits that didn’t receive a match after the February date will be eligible for a match in May.

We’ll trust you. You need to submit this form stating you’ll grant at least 10% more from your DAF than last year between December 2 and May 1, 2026, and provide DAF confirmations for the grants you make to nonprofits. Beyond that, we’ll take you at your word.

We will grant half of the matching fund in February and the second half in May. These will be dollar-for-dollar matching grants of up to $5,000 —one random gift will be drawn for a $5,000 gift no matter the size of the gift..  Please note that our decisions will be final.

The majority of the matches are dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000. If you grant $1,000 and the nonprofit is selected, that nonprofit will receive a $1,000 MatchMyDAF matching grant. If you grant $20,000 and the nonprofit is selected, that nonprofit will receive a matching grant of $5,000. Unfortunately, due to administrative costs, we cannot match any grants that are under $250.

You don’t need to do anything. The nonprofit is still in the pool and will be eligible for a match in May.

Unfortunately, no. We’d love to match all gifts, but our goal is to motivate people to move money out of DAFs to nonprofits. We encourage you to give generously to the nonprofits that you support, especially at this time of challenge. You can also give to the matching pool, making your gift go further to many organizations.

Our goal is to motivate people to move money out of DAFs to nonprofits. We will accept participation based on commitments to spend down your DAF by at least 10% with a basis of December 2025. If you create a DAF and spend it down, we’re happy to see you putting money to work.

Whether you have $1,000, $20,000, or hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in your DAF, we encourage you to commit to spending more from your DAF by at least 10% more than you normally do.

You can also contribute to the matching funding that will match DAF giving (See next section).

Absolutely nothing. The best thing you can do is reach out to your donors to let them know about this opportunity for their funds to go further. Check out our nonprofit toolkit for sample e-mails, social media posts, and images.

Our MatchMyDAF fund sponsor is the Peace Development Fund. They’ll issue funds by check or electronically via ACH in the month following each drawing.

Automated Clearing House (ACH) is a type of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

• You can ask your donors directly (make sure to make a note in your database).
• Develop relationships with community foundations and other DAF sponsors.
• Promote DAF giving on your giving page and in other outreach.

Any grants made between December 2, 2025 and May 1, 2026 are eligible for matches.

We’ll let you know in late February or May on this website and in e-mail after the program’s two random matching-grant drawings. As long as you’ve uploaded the documentation and it meets the guidelines (nothing promoting hate speech or gun violence), any nonprofits that donors support will be eligible to receive matching funds.

Yes. Every nonprofit supported will be listed as we receive documentation. We hope you’ll be inspired!

Yes, and it’s a very good idea. Nonprofits benefit enormously from predictable revenue: it allows them to see into the future and focus more on impact than fundraising. You have to specify the entire gift up-front and create a non-binding pledge to satisfy the requirement that DAFs not be used to satisfy existing obligations.

• Donors to the Match pool may make gifts to the pool from a DAF, electronic bank transfer, credit card, check, QCD, or gifts of stock.
• Match gifts should be made payable to Peace Development Fund, write Resilient Valley in the memo line, PO Box 1280, Amherst, MA 01004, online, email Lora Wondolowski or submit our contact form for more information on giving. Contact Lora about gifts of stock.
• Pledges to contribute to the matching pool must be paid by January 31, 2026, for Lottery #1 or by April 15 for Lottery #2.
• Donors who give to the pool will be publicly thanked and recognized on the website and in publicity, if you provide consent.
• Note that 7.5% of gifts to the pool of Matching Funds will cover PDF’s costs of administering this campaign.
• The funds will only be used to support non-profit organizations and programs that serve Western Massachusetts (Franklin, Hampshire, or Hampden County), as long as it doesn’t support hate speech or gun violence.

We don’t find this a very helpful way to evaluate non-profits. Nearly all highly-rated (3 star / Gold or above) non-profits generate enormous impact with very little funding.

If you want a quick-and-dirty way to look at non-profits’ use of funds, divide their total dollars spent by the number of people served in a year. But don’t stop there: contact the non-profits and get to know their staff and their work.

From our experience, this is a very rare exception. Enron and Theranos don’t mean most for-profit businesses are scams; the same is true in the nonprofit world.

Again, GuideStar and Charity Navigator can be helpful but there’s no substitute for getting to know the non-profit’s leadership. Ask tough questions! Build a relationship. As you come to understand what a nonprofit is doing, their opportunities and struggles, you’ll likely have a satisfying experience and get to see the impact you are making together.

Thank them for thinking this through. Then work out a plan together. Perhaps if they donate three years’ worth of funding now, you’ll agree to report on your impact and not solicit their support over that same period. Matching your spending and impact with the duration of their gift is entirely reasonable. Hopefully this gets both of you to think long-term about your relationship and impact together.

Congratulations! Email Lora or submit our contact form We can work together to increase the size of the match, this year or in the future. This is how we hope to increase the size of the matching pool.