Brunching and Bunching: Both Winning Combinations

Written by Deirdre Gordon, Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement  

Who doesn’t like brunching? Combining breakfast and lunch, enjoying a mimosa with friends, and overall a fun start to your weekend. Bunching follows a similar principle. Instead of combining meals, you’re combining multiple years of charitable donations into one year in your donor-advised fund (DAF) to potentially maximize your tax savings. 

Brunching is good for the soul, and bunching is the tax-wise move to add to your weekend plans. 

In 2026, bunching is an even more important strategy to consider given the new IRS rules in place for deductions of charitable contributions. To surpass the new threshold to itemize charitable contributions on your taxes, those contributions must exceed .5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). And if you have a high-income year, bunching can be an adept solution to clear the new AGI floor. 

A DAF is the perfect vehicle for bunching, as you gift into the fund and receive the charitable contribution in full that same year, then have the flexibility to grant out to multiple causes and organizations in future years. 

Why not bunch gifts directly to a nonprofit? Good question. For many nonprofits, bunching donations means a windfall in one year, and a drought in the following one. Consistent and growing support is critical to nonprofits as the organizations maintain their operations and programs. By bunching gifts into a DAF, you can maintain steady contributions to the nonprofits important to you while still being tax-wise. 

If all this talk of bunching and brunching made you hungry, you’re not alone. This weekend, enjoy brunch at one of my favorite spots below AND consider how you might bunch! You’ll be glad you did.