🌱 What's a Donor-Advised Fund?

A donor-advised fund — or DAF — is a simple way to make giving more powerful. Think of it like a savings account for generosity: you put money in, and it goes directly to support nonprofits and projects you care about.

Unlike a traditional nonprofit with staff and overhead, a DAF is lean by design: every dollar that flows in goes straight out as grants. No offices. No salaries. No distractions. Just pure giving, stewarded for impact.

🌼 How a DAF Works Here’s the basic flow, made simple:

1. Contribute → Anyone can give into the fund.

2. Dedicate → Funds are held in the account until they’re ready to be granted.

3. Grant → Money flows out to local nonprofits and initiatives. That’s it. Simple, transparent, efficient.

🌸 Why Onwards Ojai Uses a DAF

Onwards Ojai is structured as a DAF so that we can:

• 🌱 Send 100% of donations directly to grants — not overhead.

• 🌿 Practice immersive philanthropy — not just funding, but volunteering, co-creating, and measuring joy and belonging.

• 🌻 Build trust locally — everyone knows where the money goes: back into Ojai, into the lives of children and families. For our community, this means more than just a financial tool — it means generosity stays close to home.

✨ Why It Matters

DAFs are one of the fastest-growing ways to give in the U.S. because they: • Make giving more transparent.

• Allow donors to be more strategic and flexible.

• Ensure money flows quickly and cleanly into community needs. At Onwards Ojai, this structure helps us do what we believe in most: making childhood sacred again by investing in nourishment, heart & mind, wonder, and purpose.

Onwards Ojai was born to prove what becomes possible when generosity is grounded in one place — where giving is personal, participation is real, and every dollar is tracked with care.

By blending local trust with data, tracking, and hands-on work, Onwards Ojai shows that philanthropy can be both deeply human and measurably effective.

This isn’t just about writing checks — it’s about building a replicable model for place-based giving, where money and work come together to strengthen a community from within.

For our first five-year chapter, we’re focusing on what we believe is the most sacred of all matters: childhood — supporting local initiatives that nurture nourishment, heart & mind, wonder, and purpose.

The Onwards Ojai DAF is stewarded by Ba Minuzzi — a choice mom, serial entrepreneur, and impact investor who has dedicated her career to aligning capital with purpose. Inspired by Ojai’s beauty, creativity, and community spirit, Ba envisioned a new kind of philanthropy — one that helps local nonprofits not only receive more grants but also build the foundations, systems, and confidence to attract more dollars and sustain long-term impact.