Compare: Daffy vs. Fidelity Charitable - Which DAF is Best for You?

Donor-advised funds have never been more popular. According to the DAF Research Collaborative's 2025 Annual DAF Report, DAFs grew 18% year over year across the industry, and it's easy to see why. They offer an immediate tax deduction, tax-free growth, and a flexible, organized way to manage your charitable giving for years to come.

But not all DAFs are built the same. If you're comparing your options, whether you're opening your first donor-advised fund or thinking about switching from an account you already have, Fidelity Charitable is probably on your shortlist. It's one of the largest and most well-known DAF sponsors in the country.

So is Fidelity Charitable the best donor-advised fund for you? Or is there a better option?

This guide breaks down exactly how Fidelity Charitable compares to Daffy across fees, investment options, features, and ease of use, so you can make an informed decision.

Daffy vs. Fidelity Charitable: Side-by-Side Comparison

Fidelity Charitable is a well-established, reputable option. But it was built in an era before smartphones, before crypto, and before the expectation that financial tools should be intuitive and personalized.

Daffy was built from the ground up as a modern DAF platform, with a flat-fee membership model, a full-featured mobile app, and investment and giving features that simply don't exist at traditional providers.

Here's how they compare at a glance:

Fidelity DAF Fees vs. Daffy: How Much Do You Actually Pay?

This is where the comparison gets concrete, and where Daffy's flat-fee model really stands out.

How Fidelity Charitable Fees Work

Fidelity Charitable charges an annual administrative fee on a tiered schedule based on your average account balance:

Note that this is the administrative fee only — you'll also pay underlying investment fund fees on top of this.

How Daffy's Fees Work

Daffy charges a simple, flat monthly membership fee that starts at $3/month and caps at $40/month — no matter how large your fund grows. No percentage of assets. No surprises.

How Much You Save With Daffy vs Fidelity Charitable

Let's run the numbers at three common fund sizes:

$5,000 fund

• Fidelity Charitable: $100/year (minimum fee kicks in)
• Daffy: $36/year
• You save $64/year with Daffy — nearly 3× less

$50,000 fund

• Fidelity Charitable: $300/year (0.60% of $50,000)
• Daffy: $36/year
• You save $264/year with Daffy — over 8× less

$500,000 fund

• Fidelity Charitable: $3,000/year (0.60% of $500,000)
• Daffy: $480/year (capped at $40/month)
• You save $2,520/year with Daffy

Think about that last number over a decade: staying at Fidelity Charitable with a $500,000 fund costs you $25,200 more than Daffy over 10 years. That's money that could have gone to the causes you care about.

The larger your fund grows, the more Fidelity's percentage-based model works against you. Daffy's cap means your fees never spiral as your balance grows.

👉 Use Daffy's fee calculator to see your exact savings

Fidelity Charitable vs. Daffy: Investment Options

Both Daffy and Fidelity Charitable offer core investment options, conservative, standard, and ESG-aligned portfolios. But Daffy goes significantly further.

Custom Portfolios

At Fidelity Charitable, building a custom investment portfolio requires working through a financial advisor. At Daffy, any member can build a custom portfolio from scratch, choosing from 600+ low-cost ETFs and constructing a portfolio of up to 10 ETFs that reflects their investment philosophy, values, and giving timeline. No advisor required. No minimums.

That matters because the money in your DAF is on its way to charity — it should be invested in a way that aligns with your values, not just parked in a generic fund.

As Daffy member Bill put it after switching from Fidelity:

"I moved my DAF from Fidelity, because of all that Daffy offers that they did not. I especially love being able to build my own investment portfolio for giving in a way that aligns with my personal investing philosophy."

Crypto - 300+ Assets

Daffy supports 300+ crypto contributions as well as crypto investment options. Fidelity Charitable's crypto support is limited to BTC, ETH, LTC, and SOL.

Hold & Manage Individual Stocks

Daffy lets you hold and manage individual stocks directly in the product through our Custom Liqudation feature. At Fidelity Charitable, this requires going through an advisor.

Features Built for How People Actually Give

The difference between Daffy and Fidelity Charitable isn't just fees and investments — it's the whole experience of using the product day-to-day.

A Full-Featured Mobile App

Daffy's mobile app lets you open your account, add funds, and recommend donations — everything, end-to-end, from your phone. Fidelity Charitable's app is limited to bank contributions and donations. If you want the full experience at Fidelity, you need a desktop browser.

Family Giving

Daffy lets you add your partner, kids, grandkids, or anyone you consider family to your account. Family members can request donations for your approval, making giving a shared experience across generations. Fidelity Charitable has no equivalent feature.

Giving Goals & Tracker

Daffy includes a built-in giving goal and tracker so you can set a giving target and stay accountable to it throughout the year.

Matching Campaigns

Daffy supports matching campaigns, allowing donors to amplify their impact through the funds in their DAF. Not available at Fidelity.

Why Daffy Is One of the Fastest-Growing DAFs in the Country

Daffy launched in September 2021. In just four years, it became a top 10 donor-advised fund in the U.S. by number of accounts, growing more than four times faster than the industry average in 2025.

That growth reflects what happens when a DAF is designed for the way people actually live and give: transparent pricing, a modern app, investment options that rival platforms charging ten times more, and features that make giving a habit rather than an afterthought.

As Daffy member Lester Baskin put it:

"I was skeptical at first (given its incredibly low fees), but now I'm a true believer! It's affordable, full-service, with all the investment options you could want, a superb user interface, and customer service that's prompt, knowledgeable, and delightful."

Who Should Choose Fidelity Charitable?

Fidelity Charitable may be a better choice when:

• You have all of your other accounts at Fidelity, and you don't mind paying more to have everything in one place.
• You are interested in a selection of expensive active mutual funds.
• You have real estate you’d like to contribute.

Who Should Choose Daffy?

Daffy is the stronger choice if:

• You want to minimize fees and keep more money going to charity.
• You want more flexibility over how your charitable assets are invested.
• You want to manage your giving from your phone.
• You want to involve family in your giving.
• You hold crypto or individual stocks you'd like to contribute.
• You're opening your first DAF and want to start without a minimum.
• You're switching from another DAF and want a modern platform.

Already Have a Fidelity Charitable Account? Transferring is Easy.

If you already have a DAF at Fidelity Charitable and want to move it to Daffy, you can, and it's simpler than you might think.

Daffy has already facilitated more than $125 million in inbound DAF transfers from other providers, including Fidelity Charitable.

Here’s how to transfer your Fidelity Charitable DAF to Daffy:

1. Tell us you're transferring. Log in to Daffy and let us know.
2. Make a grant to Daffy. Grant any amount to the Daffy Charitable Fund (EIN: 86-3177440) from your current Fidelity Charitable account. Daffy is already connected to all traditional providers.
3. We'll take it from here. Daffy will notify you when the transfer is complete.

That's it. No paperwork. No waiting on hold.

The Bottom Line

Fidelity Charitable helped make donor-advised funds mainstream, and that's worth acknowledging. But the DAF landscape has evolved, and there are now options that offer lower fees, more investment flexibility, and a far better user experience.

Daffy was built to make it easier, and more rewarding, for anyone to give with intention. Whether you're contributing $5,000 or $500,000, the savings are real, the features are better, and the experience reflects how people actually want to manage their giving today.

Create your Daffy account today →

Note: Fee comparisons reflect publicly available information as of early 2026. Fidelity Charitable fees shown are administrative fees only and do not include underlying investment fund expenses.