At Daffy, our mission is to help people be more generous, more often. But generosity doesn't end when a member recommends a donation, it ends when a charity actually receives the funds and can put them to work.
For too long, that second half of the equation has been broken. Across the donor-advised fund (DAF) industry, most donations are still sent by check. The reason is quite simple: there is no standard directory or network for charities in the U.S. The IRS, however, does provide the official name & address of every registered charity, so checks just work.
The electronic solutions that have emerged are often complex and cumbersome, requiring charities to manage separate workflows for data and funds with little dedicated support. Some DAFs have chosen to build their own internal solutions rather than invest in a shared standard, leaving charities to navigate a different workflow for every DAF provider they receive donations from.
The result: most charities never bother, and funds keep arriving the slow way.
We knew there had to be a better way, and we think we have found it.
Introducing Chariot Disbursements
We became the first national DAF sponsor to partner with Chariot, a technology platform building a faster, simpler, and more secure way to send and receive DAF donations electronically. Today, we're proud to share that Chariot Disbursements is now Daffy's default way to send donations to eligible charities.
Since rolling out Chariot, Daffy has processed donation recommendations totaling over a $380 million electronically. For charities that have set up a Chariot account, donations sent electronically go through our standard review and approval process and then arrive instantly to the charity's Chariot Deposit Account*, with all the donation details our members chose to share.
What This Means for Charities
We know nonprofit teams run lean. Reconciling a check payment against a separate donation letter, connecting donations details to non-descript deposits, and manually entering data into their system isn't just slow, it's a real operational burden.
What makes Chariot different from a standard ACH transfer or wire is that funds and donation details arrive together — no more data going to a separate person, in a different system, at a different time. No more manual matching across disconnected systems. Unlike general-purpose payment platforms, Chariot was built specifically for the philanthropic sector with compliance, verification, and support designed around how nonprofits actually work. And because Chariot works across multiple DAF providers, not just Daffy, one-time setup means charities can receive electronic donations from any DAF that partners with Chariot.
- Speed: Donations sent electronically go through our standard review and approval process and are then disbursed immediately to the charity's Chariot Deposit Account*.
- Simplicity: Funds and donation details travel together in one platform — no reconciliation headaches. Donation details are in structured, standardized data fields for easy export and syncing.
- Security: Transfers move directly through Chariot's platform with no account or routing numbers required, and robust compliance verification and fraud protections built specifically for the philanthropic sector.
- Cost: There's no fee to receive donations into a Chariot account.
What This Means for Daffy Members
When the charities you support set up a Chariot account, your donations get there faster — and your favorite organizations spend less time on paperwork and more time on their work.
We're actively reaching out to the charities our members donate to most. But you can help too. If there's an organization you give to regularly, share this page with their finance or development team. It takes about 5 minutes to set up.
How Charities Can Get Started
If you represent a nonprofit that receives donations from Daffy members, getting started takes about 5 minutes:
- 💻 Claim your Chariot Deposit Account.*
- 🔍 Verify your details. A designated Control Person (such as an executive or finance officer) verifies your organization and connects an external bank account. Additional staff can be invited afterward.
- 💌 Donations arrive. Once verified, Daffy donation funds and details are sent directly to your Chariot account.
- 💰 Transfer & manage. Move funds to your charity's bank account and manage donation data from Chariot.
And if you'd like to learn more before getting set up, join Chariot and us for a free webinar on August 6 at 10 a.m. PST. We'll walk through how Chariot works, answer your questions live, and make sure your team feels confident every step of the way.
More Generous, More Often
This is one of those changes that might sound like a small back office change, but makes a real difference for the organizations doing the hard work of making our communities better, and we believe, for the wider sector too. We're proud to help make it happen.
Just another reason to open an account with Daffy today.
*Chariot is a financial technology company, not a bank. Chariot Deposit Accounts are a Demand Deposit Account provided by Column N.A., Member FDIC. The Chariot Deposit Account is required to access Disbursements or Gift Processing. FDIC deposit insurance covers the failure of an insured depository institution. While Chariot is not an FDIC-insured depository institution, deposits in Chariot Deposit Accounts are eligible for FDIC insurance up to $250,000 per depositor, for each insurable capacity in which the account is held.