Generosity at Work: The Power of Staff Donor Advised Funds

by Janet Keller, Marketing & Communications Manager

The email in early January read: “Your staff Donor Advised Funds have been funded for 2025!” For those of us working at the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, this announcement couldn’t have come at a better time. Just days later, during the devastating LA fires, I used my employer-funded Donor Advised Fund (DAF) to make a donation to Kehillat Israel, a Pacific Palisades synagogue that had been deeply impacted.

One of my colleagues, a member of the synagogue, had to evacuate her home with her family. She shared a heartfelt plea on social media, asking for support for her beloved community. Her young son’s preschool, located at the synagogue, had been forced to close, leaving him and many other toddlers without a place to go. She also revealed that nearly 300 congregants had lost their homes in the fires. Without hesitation, I accessed my fund online and made a donation. Knowing that I could extend a helping hand to a colleague in need, thanks to the generosity of our workplace, was incredibly fulfilling.

When The Foundation’s leadership decided to provide staff with DAFs in 2024, I was genuinely moved by the initiative. It gave me the chance to experience firsthand the benefits of our primary charitable product—something that countless clients had praised over the years. As part of the marketing team, I had spent five years promoting the simplicity and impact of DAFs. Now, I had one of my own. In 2025, The Foundation took this a step further, enhancing our tzedakah experience by matching the first $2,500 of our contributions.

Now that’s a meaningful employee benefit.

This program exemplifies the values we strive to uphold as an organization. It’s not just about encouraging philanthropy; it’s about empowering each of us to make a tangible difference in our communities. It’s about connecting to the causes that matter to us and experiencing the profound joy of tzedakah, simply and easily. I now have a new and deeper understanding of the impactful work we promote every day.