126. Donor-Advised Funds: The Smartest Giving Strategy of 2026 (featuring Eric Fleshood)

In this episode of the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast, we're talking about donor-advised funds — the smartest giving strategy of 2026 — and why your nonprofit can no longer afford to ignore them.

Join us today with an interview with Eric Fleshood, CEO of the Cru Foundation and veteran planned giving expert. We'll break down exactly what a DAF is, why donors use them, and how you can use them to make giving easier for your major donors.

Hear why DAFs started in 1931, how a 1969 tax law changed the game, and how Fidelity, Vanguard, and Schwab made them a mainstream tool. Discover why donor-advised gifts average 20 times higher than typical donations. And find out exactly how to utilize the #1 growing vehicle for online giving in your nonprofit!

So whether you're introducing your donors to new giving options or are just looking for smarter ways to fund your mission, this episode will teach you everything you need to know about donor-advised funds. DAFs are here to stay, and it is time to learn how to take advantage of them!

Don't forget to subscribe to our channel, and tune in next week to learn about rethinking the Leadership Triangle: the missing link to nonprofit growth.

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Most nonprofits are under-funded. Even if you think your nonprofit is doing well, we've found you could be doing much better. However, most nonprofits don't have a clear development strategy that keeps them grounded. As a result, they "get creative" and "try new things" based on what is popular or trending, or they get comfortable with where they are at and don't realize the dangers they will be facing in just a few short years.

The Perfect Vision Dinner Course is a 20-week "live video" course that addresses this problem head on. The course was developed by Jim Dempsey after 38+ years as a Senior Development Director at Cru. After Jim had personally done over 2,500 vision dinners in his lifetime and raised over $1 billion worldwide, Jim and Jason have partnered together to bring you Fundraising Masterminds. Our first course, The Perfect Vision Dinner is a time-tested proven formula that will introduce our development system and grow your nonprofit to its maximum potential.

The course includes 20-hours of personalized development coaching from Jim Dempsey and Jason Galicinski and also includes a real-time community group where you have access to everyone attending the course and also our Masterminds throughout the course.

The goal for this course is to fully equip you with a Biblical basis for Development so that you can Win, Keep and Lift new partners to higher levels of involvement with your nonprofit.

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