In today’s landscape of sophisticated family offices, Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) must serve more than just tax planning and grantmaking needs. They must evolve into strategic investment vehicles—ones that provide the flexibility to reflect the mission, identity, and long-term objectives of each family they support.
At Give, we believe your charitable capital should work as hard as your personal capital. A custom Investment Policy Statement (IPS) ensures your DAF portfolio reflects the same values that guide your philanthropy, making every dollar a coherent expression of purpose. Ask your financial advisor about these opportunities.
Aligned Investing from the Inside Out
Too often, families find that what they fund and what they invest in are disconnected. A custom IPS closes this gap—bridging philanthropic intent and portfolio construction.
Instead of treating DAFs as passive holding accounts or spend-down vehicles, families can define how their investment criteria can meet their goals and timeframes—whether through innovation-focused capital and illiquid fund allocations, or both.
This internal alignment allows families to balance impact, returns, and time horizon.
Did you know? Nearly $230 billion is held in DAFs in the U.S. today and could exceed $1 Trillion over the next five years. A values-aligned IPS ensures those assets contribute impact while they grow—turning charitable capital into a tool not only for giving, but for growth.1
Every family is different—and so are their philosophies. Some prioritize innovation and entrepreneurship, others focus on education, health, or community wealth building. Others want to maximize returns so they have more funds to grant out. Others want to have impact with their capital. The IPS can be shaped to match these priorities across:
- Public market filters (e.g., exclusionary screens or thematic ETFs)
- Private impact funds or direct investments
- Alternative allocations that serve both performance and mission
Over time, as family interests shift, the IPS can be adapted. This living document becomes a flexible but grounded framework—allowing families to respond to new opportunities or intergenerational priorities without straying from their values.
With a custom IPS, families can create a long-term multi-generational giving vehicle while having immediate impact.
By deploying philanthropic capital into investments aligned with their goals, families can:
- Support innovation, access, and opportunity in the sectors they care about
- Enhance long-term financial sustainability of their DAF
- Reframe DAF assets as mission-driven growth capital, not just pre-grant parking lots
Give supports this transformation by enabling up to 80% allocation into alternative investments—one of the highest thresholds in the industry. That includes private credit, venture, thematic real assets, and mission-aligned funds. The result: impact without compromise.
A Strategic Tool for Family Office CIOs and Advisors
For investment committees, family office CIOs, and external advisors, the IPS provides a crucial mechanism to align the DAF with:
- Broader estate and legacy strategies
- Multi-generational financial objectives
- The risk/return profile of other family holdings
Importantly, advisors can customize IPSs at the program or client level, offering tailored DAF solutions that match both philanthropic intent and portfolio philosophy—without requiring a one-size-fits-all framework.
This is philanthropy as a strategic asset—not a side conversation, but a core part of the wealth plan.
Governance Through Oversight and Discipline
While this article avoids governance from a grantmaking perspective, it’s worth noting that investment oversight also builds governance muscle. Through structured IPS reviews, documentation of investment philosophy, and committee approvals, families gain:
- Transparency across generations
- Accountability across advisors and stakeholders
- Continuity through leadership transitions or mission updates
This process supports consistency, and ensures that as family complexity grows, the DAF remains effective and aligned to family objectives.
DAFs are evolving. They are no longer passive conduits for giving; they are strategic engines for impact, capable of reflecting the values, risk tolerance, time horizons, and ambitions of the families they serve.
A custom IPS makes this possible—aligning capital with cause, strategy with mission, and financial return with personal conviction.
With Give, your DAF can do more—right now, not just later. Because when philanthropy is aligned with your long-term strategy, it becomes more than generosity. It becomes growth.
Ready to align your DAF portfolio with your family’s purpose? Let’s connect.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) are sold by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the investment company, can be obtained from the Fund Company or your financial professional. Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest. An investment in the Fund involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
Investing in alternative assets involves higher risks than traditional investments and is suitable only for sophisticated investors. Alternative investments are often sold by prospectus that discloses all risks, fees, and expenses. They are not tax efficient and an investor should consult with his/her tax advisor prior to investing. Alternative investments have higher fees than traditional investments and they may also be highly leveraged and engage in speculative investment techniques, which can magnify the potential for investment loss or gain and should not be deemed a complete investment program. The value of the investment may fall as well as rise and investors may get back less than they invested.
Asset Allocation does not guarantee a profit or protect against a loss in a declining market. It is a method used to help manage investment risk.