Certificates
Essentials of Modern DAF Advising Certificate
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are among the most widely used and flexible philanthropic vehicles available to donors and their advisors. Their rapid growth has expanded the range of donors they serve, the charitable strategies they support, and the sponsoring organizations that offer them. At the same time, DAFs have generated confusion, misconceptions, and ongoing debate among advisors, nonprofits, policymakers, and the public.
The certificate provides a practical, unconflicted introduction to today’s DAF landscape. Learners will gain a clear understanding of how DAFs work, the sponsor ecosystem, common planning opportunities and limitations, and the role
DAFs can play within broader philanthropic and financial planning strategies. They will also explore many ways to thoughtfully incorporate DAFs into client engagements.
Designed primarily for wealth advisors, attorneys, CPAs, trust officers, family office professionals, and philanthropic advisors, the program may also benefit development professionals and nonprofit leaders seeking a deeper understanding of DAFs. However, it is not designed to train nonprofit professionals to raise funds from DAFs.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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Explain how DAFs operate from legal, structural, and practical perspectives.
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Recognize the range of clients and philanthropic situations for which a DAF may be appropriate.
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Evaluate DAF sponsors based on a client’s goals, preferences, and planning needs.
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Identify opportunities and limitations when incorporating DAFs into philanthropic, financial, tax, and estate planning.
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Use effective conversation prompts to help clients clarify their philanthropic goals and determine whether a DAF is an appropriate solution.
FACULTY
Tony Macklin
Tony Macklin, CAP®, IPA, leads the development of new education programs and field-building projects as Daylight’s Director of Advisor Practice. He is a philanthropist, philanthropoid, and philanthropy geek. Tony enjoys working at the intersection of meaningful giving and community results, specifically connecting older, established forms of philanthropy with emerging trends and experiments. Tony helps donors, families, grantmakers, and their advisors and associations answer questions about shared purpose, use of resources for social impact, governance, strategy, and assessment. He is a frequent speaker, trainer, and author.
Dien Yuen
Dien Yuen, JD, LLM, CAP®, AEP®, IPA, is the founder and CEO of Daylight. She previously founded the Center for Philanthropy and Social Impact at The American College of Financial Services, where she developed and taught courses in the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) program as the Blunt-Nickel Professor in Philanthropy. She also previously served on the faculty of the Wealth Management Institute (Singapore), where she received the Distinguished Faculty Award. Dien was named to WealthManagement.com's 2025 Ten to Watch and was inducted into the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners Hall of Fame in 2023.
Essentials of DAF Advising Certificate Modules
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The Modern DAF Landscape
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Effectively Incorporating DAFs into Planning
Course Format
Program Type: Certificate program - asynchronous with module quizzes
Program Delivery: Readings, videos, graphics, downloadable resources
Program Complexity Level: Overview
Daylight is an approved CE sponsor. Continuing education credits are eligible for completion of the Essentials of DAF Advising Certificate.
IPA, CFP®, CPWA®, CIMA®, RMA®, CAP®, CFRE, CSPGCM: 2 hours