DAFRC Research Leadership
Dr. H. Daniel Heist
Dr. H. Daniel Heist is an Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Management and Social Impact at the George W. Romney Institute for Public Service and Ethics at Brigham Young University. He researches philanthropy, charitable giving and volunteering. Dr. Heist is a leading expert on donor-advised fund research and co-founder of the Donor-Advised Fund Research Collaborative. Before receiving a PhD in Social Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Heist spent nine years as a professional fundraiser, including five years as a Major Gifts Officer with LDS Philanthropies. Dr. Heist earned a Master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI and was a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). His professional experience informs his research on donor behavior.
Dr. Danielle L. Vance-McMullen
Dr. Danielle Vance-McMullen is an Assistant Professor at DePaul University. She is an expert in donor behavior, fundraising, and nonprofit competition in new charitable giving contexts. In addition to her work on Donor-Advised Funds through the DAF Research Collaborative, she examines the rise of Giving Tuesday and the decline of workplace giving. She specializes in quantitative work using big administrative datasets and behavioral experiments. Dr. Vance-McMullen holds a PhD in Public Policy and an MA in Economics from Duke University. She also holds an MA in Philanthropic Studies and an MPA in Nonprofit Management from IUPUI. Before earning her PhD, Dr. Vance-McMullen was a consultant to nonprofit organizations at The Alford Group in Evanston, IL.