The Parable of the Stored Loaves and Fish
By Roland C. Warren and Scott Rodin
A Different Kind of Miracle
When Jesus fed the five thousand on that hillside near Bethsaida, the disciples witnessed something extraordinary.
Matthew 14:19-20 tells us: "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."
But imagine for a moment a different version of this miracle—one that should make us deeply uncomfortable.
Picture Jesus blessing the loaves and fish, watching them miraculously multiply in his hands. But instead of immediately distributing them to the hungry crowd, he instructs the disciples to carefully pack the multiplied bread into baskets and store them. "We'll distribute these later," he might say. "Let's let these provisions grow a bit more first. After all, there might be an even larger crowd tomorrow, or a more strategic opportunity to feed people next week."
The crowd remains hungry. The need is urgent and present. Yet the blessed, multiplied food sits in baskets, accumulating, while the faithful steward of these resources considers the optimal timing for distribution.
This scenario seems absurd—even offensive—when we apply it to Jesus. Yet this is precisely the pattern that has emerged among too many Christians using donor-advised funds (DAFs). We have an opportunity to redirect this trend and align our giving more closely with the heart of God—a heart that beats with urgency for those in need.
The Transformation of American Charity
Twenty years ago, if you looked at the list of America's largest charities, you would find organizations actually doing charitable work: the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, World Vision, Habitat for Humanity. These organizations were receiving donations and immediately deploying them to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, heal the sick, and spread the Gospel.
Today, that landscape has dramatically changed. According to analyses of America's largest public charities, a majority of the very biggest by contributions are now donor-advised fund sponsors—organizations that don't directly conduct charitable work but primarily hold and invest donated funds on behalf of donors (Inequality.org, 2024)[2]. Fidelity Charitable, now the nation's largest charity by annual giving volume, receives and grants out well over ten billion dollars each year through its donor-advised fund platform. Schwab Charitable and Vanguard Charitable likewise oversee many billions of dollars in contributions and grants annually (Fidelity Charitable, 2024[2]; Schwab Charitable, 2024[5]; Nonprofit Pro, 2024[6]). These aren't charities in the traditional sense—they're financial intermediaries. Yet they've become the dominant force in American philanthropy, and Christians have enthusiastically participated in this shift.
The growth disparity reveals an important trend we can help redirect. The National Philanthropic Trust reports that donor-advised fund assets have grown from tens of billions of dollars in the mid-2010s to more than $250 billion by the mid-2020s—well over a 200 percent increase in roughly a decade. In that same period, annual contributions to donor-advised funds have climbed from under $20 billion per year to well above $50 billion, reflecting strong growth in the use of DAFs as a charitable vehicle (National Philanthropic Trust, 2024)[3].
Meanwhile, total charitable giving in the United States grew from roughly the mid-$300-billion-range around 2014 to just under $600 billion by 2024 in current dollars—only modest real growth once inflation is taken into account (Giving USA, 2025)[1]. The money is flowing—but increasingly, it's flowing into holding accounts rather than to ministries actively doing Kingdom work. This presents us with a tremendous opportunity to make a greater immediate impact.
The Tax Deduction Without the Blessing
You've received the tax benefit—a benefit that, for high-income earners, can be substantial. For example, if someone in the 37 percent federal tax bracket donates $100,000 to a DAF and can fully deduct that gift, they may reduce their federal tax bill by about $37,000—capturing a very real financial benefit even before any grant is made to an operating ministry. You've wisely captured the financial advantage of giving, but the actual blessing that charity is meant to provide—the relief of suffering, the advancement of God's Kingdom—remains potential, waiting to be released.
This gives us a wonderful opportunity to complete what we've begun. In 2 Corinthians 9:11, Paul writes: "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." Notice the beautiful progression: enrichment leads to generosity, which leads to actual results, which leads to thanksgiving to God. The cycle is meant to be completed. When we move funds from our DAFs to active ministries, we get to participate in that full, joyful cycle—from blessing received to blessing given to thanksgiving offered.
James 2:15-16 helps us understand this even more clearly: "Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?" When we transfer money to a DAF but don't yet distribute it to meet actual needs, we have an opportunity waiting to be seized—to transform potential blessing into real impact.
Understanding the System We're Working With
To make the most of donor-advised funds, it helps to understand how they work. The organizations managing these funds—Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, and others—charge management fees based on the assets in the account.
These organizations typically charge administrative fees starting around 0.60 percent per year on the first several hundred thousand dollars in a DAF account, with tiered reductions for larger balances (Chronicle of Philanthropy, n.d.)[7]. On a $1 million account at a 0.60 percent fee, that's about $6,000 per year in fees. Here's the reality: These fees are collected as long as the money remains in the fund. The organizations managing DAFs aren't doing anything wrong—they're simply operating within the system. But as wise Christian stewards, we can recognize that quicker distribution means more of our donated dollars reach the ministries doing the actual work. Unmet needs are like untreated wounds. A delay in giving makes solving human suffering more expensive and more complex.
Compare this to Jesus' approach to resources. Matthew 14:16 records his instruction to the disciples: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Not tomorrow. Not when conditions are optimal. Now. Jesus shows us the joy and power of immediate response to immediate need.
Redirecting Our Focus from Growth to Impact
There's another hidden opportunity in how donor-advised funds work. Because DAFs are invested—typically in mutual funds or other securities—there's a natural temptation to begin viewing them like any other investment account. You log in to check the balance. You watch it grow. You feel satisfaction when the market performs well and your DAF balance increases.
But what if we shifted our focus? Instead of celebrating account growth, what if we celebrated giving growth? What if our joy came not from seeing the balance increase, but from seeing the number and size of grants distributed?
Proverbs 11:24-25 gives us this beautiful promise: "One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." Our donated funds can only 'refresh others' when they move out of our DAFs and into ministry. When they do, the principle here is encouraging—generosity, not accumulation, is the path to our own spiritual prosperity and refreshment.
According to the National Philanthropic Trust, the aggregate payout rate from donor-advised funds in recent years has been in the low-20-percent range—roughly around 23 percent (National Philanthropic Trust, 2024)[3]. That means that, on average, only about 23 cents of every dollar sitting in DAFs is granted out to operating charities in a given year. The National Christian Foundation has historically reported payout rates in the mid-to-high 20% range, and in some years above 30%. In other words, Christian DAF sponsors are generally distributing at a somewhat higher rate than the broader DAF industry. Yes, Christian donors are leading compared to the broader market — and that’s good. But the opportunity before us is still greater. It's hard to read these statistics and not be reminded of Jesus' warning, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19). But imagine the Kingdom impact if we, as Christians, decided to lead the way with higher distribution rates—30%, 40%, or even 50% annually. We could spark a revolution in Christian generosity.
"Keeping Powder Dry" or Seizing God's Timing?
Some Christians explain that they're "keeping their powder dry" for the right opportunity—a major ministry initiative, a building campaign, or a particularly strategic moment for giving.
This sounds prudent, and certainly there's wisdom in thoughtful giving. But let's look at Jesus’ approach to ministry timing and see what it might teach us.
In Luke 4:18-19, he declares his mission: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then in verse 21, he says something remarkable: "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Today. What a powerful word. Not when conditions are perfect. Not when he has accumulated sufficient resources. Today. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus responding to immediate need with immediate action, and we see the joy and transformation that follows. When he encounters the hemorrhaging woman, the blind beggar, the grieving father, the demon-possessed man—he acts in the moment, and lives are changed. Luke 9:11 tells us that when crowds followed Jesus, "he welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing."
The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) reinforces this beautiful principle. The Samaritan doesn't encounter the wounded man and think, "I should establish a fund for roadside-robbery victims and let it grow before helping anyone." He sees the need, his heart is moved, and he responds immediately with his own resources. And Jesus holds him up as our example.
We get to follow this same pattern. We can keep our eyes open, our hearts soft, and our hands ready. We can operate with the same sense of urgency about human suffering and lostness that Jesus demonstrated.
The Responsibility We Carry
Throughout Scripture, we learn that the blessing of financial resources carries with it the responsibilities of faithfully stewarding them. In Luke 12:48, Jesus says, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17-19, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." This promise of "life that is truly life" can only be taken hold of when we complete the circle and see God's resources fully invested in God's work for God's glory.
Carrying out our responsibility as stewards of God's abundance means heeding Jesus' warning in Luke 12 about the foolish man who built larger barns, put his security in them, and died without putting them to use. Jesus concludes, "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God." It also means reaping the blessings promised in Proverbs, "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor." Avoiding the temptation to store up our treasures and 'sharing our food with the poor both require that our funds move out of our DAFs and directly into ministry.
The Extraordinary Opportunity Before Us
Here's what makes the current moment particularly exciting for Christians: We're living through an unprecedented season of global need combined with unprecedented global access and proven solutions.
Mission research organizations estimate that more than 3 billion people live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the Gospel. Child-focused ministries and global poverty research indicate that hundreds of millions of children—often cited in the mid-300-million range—live in extreme poverty. United Nations food-security reports estimate that hundreds of millions of people worldwide (on the order of 735 to 800 million) do not have enough food to eat on a regular basis. And closer to home, everyday thousands of unborn children lose their lives to abortion—lives that could be saved through immediate support to pregnancy resource centers and ministries serving mothers and fathers in crisis.
But here's the encouraging news: We have greater access, better tools, more effective ministries, and more proven interventions than at any point in human history. The Gospel can now reach remote villages through digital technology. Medical care can prevent millions of deaths. Clean water systems can be installed at scale. Children can be educated, rescued from trafficking, and discipled into faith. Mothers facing unplanned pregnancies at risk for abortion and the fathers of these unborn babies can be reached and supported with practical care that transforms their choice from desperation to hope.
The need is urgent—but so is the opportunity. The tools are ready. The ministries are effective. And when we look at more than $250 billion currently held in donor-advised funds in the United States—much of it contributed by Christians—we see not only a problem, but an enormous opportunity waiting to be unleashed (National Philanthropic Trust, 2024)[3].
What if we, as Christians, decided to lead the way? What Kingdom breakthroughs could we catalyze right now? How many lives could be saved? How many mothers and fathers could be supported? How many children could be fed, educated, and brought to faith? If Jesus returned today, there are two things he would find. He would see a world with overwhelming needs that are going unmet, and he would find billions of dollars meant to meet those needs tied up in DAF portfolios. As his stewards, will we not be held to account for this lost opportunity and delayed use of kingdom resources? Ecclesiastes 11:4 warns: "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." But the inverse is also true—those who plant in faith will reap in joy. We don't have to wait for perfect conditions. We can trust God and move forward now.
A Better Way: Christian Principles for DAF Use
This isn't an argument against donor-advised funds. They can serve wonderful purposes: simplifying tax filing, enabling giving of appreciated assets, facilitating meaningful family discussions about generosity, and providing flexibility for charitable planning.
The opportunity is to use these tools in ways that reflect our Christian values. Here are several strategies that can help us maximize both our impact and our joy in giving:
-
Start with Everything
A kingdom view of giving shifts our decision-making questions from "How much of God's resources should I give to God's work?" to "How much of God's resources will I choose to keep for myself?" The DAF version is, "Why wouldn't we give 100% of our DAF funds to God's work?" Distributing less would then require that we create a rationale for why we would hold onto some of the funds, and making sure we compared that rationale to the Biblical principles of giving. When we consider the national statistic of a 23% average annual distribution rate, it would seem that a 30% or 40% rate would be laudable. However, when we start with a commitment of 100% and only allow less if we have clear, biblical rationale, we may find that giving 80% or 90% would reflect true faithfulness with what we've already set aside for God's work. Deciding to put it to work for the Kingdom engages us in the joyful discipline of actively seeking out worthy ministries and watching God work through our generosity. What a privilege!
-
Set a Time Limit
When you contribute to your DAF, establish a deadline for distributing those specific funds. You might decide that all contributions must be fully distributed within two or three years. This prevents indefinite accumulation and creates healthy momentum toward finding worthy ministries. Think of the joy of giving away your entire DAF contribution before the deadline—and then starting again!
-
Embrace "Good Enough" Over "Perfect"
We should absolutely give thoughtfully and to effective ministries. But we can also trust that God will multiply our gifts even when our discernment isn't perfect. Don't let the search for optimal impact become a barrier to generous action. If you give now to a good ministry, lives are changed today. Even if you might find a slightly "better" opportunity five years from now, those five years of immediate impact—children fed, families housed, souls saved—have eternal value that can't be recaptured by waiting. Timing matters in Kingdom work, and there's something beautiful about acting in faith now rather than waiting for perfect clarity.
-
Make Distribution a Family Celebration
One of the most joyful uses of DAFs is engaging family members—especially children and young adults—in charitable decision-making. Make distribution decisions together. Visit ministries together. Celebrate the impact you're making as a family. Let younger generations experience the deep joy of generosity now, not someday in the future.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 instructs us: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk
Complete the Circle of Blessing
The reason charitable contributions are tax-deductible is because society recognizes that charitable work serves the public good. When you take that tax deduction, you're receiving a benefit based on the promise that your contribution will result in actual charitable impact. What a privilege to honor that promise—not out of legal obligation, but out of joy. By moving funds promptly from our DAFs to active ministries, we get to complete the beautiful circle: from God's blessing to us, through our generosity, to tangible impact, and ultimately to thanksgiving back to God.
The Twelve Baskets and the Beautiful Truth
Let's return to Matthew 14 and those twelve baskets. After Jesus fed the five thousand, the disciples collected twelve basketfuls of leftovers. This detail is important—it shows us something wonderful about how God works. Jesus didn't leave people hungry. He fed them fully—"they all ate and were satisfied." But he also didn't waste resources. There were leftovers, carefully gathered. Some might see this as justification for storing resources.
But look at what happened next. Jesus didn't instruct the disciples to build a warehouse for those twelve baskets or to establish a grain fund that would grow over time. The very next verse (Matthew 14:22) says: "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side." The mission continued. The next need awaited. The resources would be used.
Those twelve baskets demonstrated something beautiful: God's abundance. They proved that when we trust God with immediate, generous distribution to meet present needs, he provides more than enough. This is the encouraging principle we can embrace—God's supply exceeds the demand when we give in faith.
This is the pattern throughout Scripture. When God provided manna in the wilderness, he gave them exactly what they needed for each day, teaching them to trust him for daily provision (Exodus 16:19-20). It's not that God opposes planning—it's that he wants us to trust him rather than finding our security in accumulation.
An Invitation to Greater Joy
Our goal isn't to criticize anyone who has a donor-advised fund. Rather, it's to invite all of us into greater joy through more immediate, generous giving. We want to encourage us to experience the full blessing of generosity, not just the partial blessing of wise tax planning.
The question isn't whether donor-advised funds are good or bad. The question is: How can we use them in ways that honor God's heart for immediate, generous response to urgent need? How can we experience the complete joy of the generosity cycle?
In 1 John 3:17-18, the apostle writes: "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." Actions. In truth. Not just in account balances or future intentions, but in present-day, tangible, joy-producing impact.
The Hillside Opportunity Is Now
That crowd on the hillside near Bethsaida was hungry that day. And Jesus fed them that day. Can you imagine the joy—both for Jesus and for the disciples—of participating in that miracle? Of seeing hungry people satisfied? Of witnessing God's abundance in action?
We get to experience that same joy today. What if we, as Christian stewards, decided to operate more like Jesus on that hillside? What if we took the resources God has blessed us with, thanked him for them, and immediately distributed them to meet present needs? What if we trusted that God, who multiplied five loaves into abundance sufficient for thousands, can be trusted with our financial futures even as we give generously now?
Imagine the joy of logging into your DAF account not to check the balance, but to make another grant. Imagine the satisfaction of ending each year having given away most or all of what you contributed. Imagine the stories you'll hear, the lives you'll touch, the eternal impact you'll make.
The miracle wasn't in the storing. The miracle was in the breaking, the blessing, and the distribution. The miracle was in the meeting of immediate need with immediate generosity. The miracle was in the joy—Jesus' joy, the disciples' joy, and the crowd's joy.
That same joy is available to us today.
The baskets are full. The crowd is hungry. And we have the extraordinary privilege of distributing the bread.
Let's embrace that privilege together. Let's lead the way in showing what generous, immediate, joyful Christian giving looks like. Let's trust God's abundance and release his blessing into a waiting world.
The opportunity is now. The need is real. The joy is waiting. Let's give.
References
About the Authors
This article was co-authored by Dr. Scott Rodin, Chief Strategy Officer at The FOCUS Group, and Roland C. Warren, President and CEO of Care Net.
Dr. Scott Rodin is Chief Strategy Officer & Senior Consultant at The FOCUS Group and has spent nearly four decades helping hundreds of ministries and organizations grow in leadership, fundraising, and strategic effectiveness, with reach spanning the U.S., Canada, the Middle East, and beyond. A former seminary president and author of fourteen books on stewardship and generosity, Scott brings both theological depth and hard-won practical wisdom to the work of kingdom leadership.
Roland C. Warren is President and CEO of Care Net and has spent more than three decades helping individuals, families, and organizations flourish through faith-based leadership. A graduate of Princeton University and the Wharton School of Business, Roland previously served as President of the National Fatherhood Initiative and held leadership roles with IBM, PepsiCo, and Goldman Sachs. As an author, speaker, and advocate for abundant life, he brings a unique perspective on stewardship, generosity, and the ways faithful leadership can create lasting Kingdom impact.