How Endaoment's DAF Program Helped an RIA Transform Client Relationships
By Endaoment
A reflective analysis on the transformative nature of Endaoment's DAF program to future-proof innovative RIAs' client connections.
The Challenge
In an industry increasingly defined by data, algorithms, and digital outputs, financial advisors face a fundamental question: what makes a client relationship truly meaningful? For many RIAs, charitable planning has become just another checkbox or something to omit all together, rather than an opportunity to connect with clients at a deeper level.
Core Planning Partners is an independent RIA firm serving multi-generational families with comprehensive wealth management. Justin Pullaro, a financial advisor at the firm, had built strong relationships with his 27 client families over the years. But something was missing.
The Situation: Despite having access to charitable giving tools, Justin found that traditional DAF options failed to create meaningful engagement with clients.
- Existing platform DAF options felt like "just another form", convenient but uninspiring
- The experience was "plastic" and "sterile", with little customization or agency
- Outsourcing charitable planning to larger DAF providers meant missing critical relationship-building moments
- Without differentiation, philanthropic planning wasn't a cornerstone of the practice
"I was fortunate enough to sit in on a meeting where I felt like a fly on the wall, just doing this tennis match where I'm just listening and not really engaging. The conversation was going in really good places, and I wasn't really a part of it. That was something I didn't want to have happen."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
The Solution
Justin discovered Endaoment and immediately saw what traditional DAF providers were missing: a platform designed for collaboration, not just transactions. Endaoment's DAF program gave him the tool he needed to bring charitable planning back into the heart of his client relationships—intuitive enough for clients to engage with directly, while keeping the advisor's expertise central to the experience.
Why Endaoment:
- Seamless, intuitive platform that tech-proficient clients could use hands-on, 24/7
- Crypto asset capabilities when few other options existed
- A spirit that felt aligned: informal, warm, and human, not "Wall Street"
- The more involved clients became, the more connected they were to Justin and to their giving visions
Setup Experience:
Justin's first client case happened over Christmas break. Sitting in a coffee shop on December 28th, he and his client opened a laptop and completed the entire enrollment within minutes.
"We literally opened up a laptop and completed an entire enrollment and set up within minutes. The app was that easy for us to walk through together."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
The Difference:
Unlike traditional DAF providers that feel like "another DocuSign envelope," Endaoment's approach enabled Justin to stay present throughout the charitable planning process—transforming what had been a transactional handoff into collaborative, ongoing conversations.
"Endaoment's bright warmth... it felt really human. Other options seemed very corporate, Wall Street. That's just not who I am."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
The Impact
With Endaoment's DAF program as his foundation, Justin has transformed how he connects with clients—moving charitable planning from an afterthought to the centerpiece of his practice.
Outcome 1: Deepening Family Relationships Through Shared Purpose
"Their family has become enlivened around the shared value of generosity."
Justin's most transformative experience began with a client facing a significant year-end windfall—a stock options exercise that materialized just days before Christmas. With no time for traditional tax planning strategies, they set up an Endaoment DAF and contributed highly appreciated Bitcoin.
The client had a history of generosity—"chucking $20 bills at every youth sport outside the grocery store"—but no intentionality behind it. No vision. No plan.
What happened next surprised everyone.
Over the following months, the client began to see the power of what he could do. He rebranded his DAF, created a logo, and started using it as a family giving tool. He funded transformative projects at his old high school—a school in a community facing real challenges. His wife became deeply engaged. Conversations about involving their young children began.
After eight years of working together, Justin found himself having more meaningful conversations with this family than ever before; biweekly calls over four to five months, building something together.
"This is changing real people in a community that I live in. I'd much rather be a part of that than have another conversation about partisan politics. This is way more fun. I choose that every day."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
Outcome 2: Redefining Client Retention and Practice Philosophy
"I want to track the giving, not the accumulation."
The experience didn't just transform one family—it was, in Justin's words, "the most rewarding, exciting, fun thing I'd ever got to experience." And the effect was mutual: clients who engaged with their giving became more engaged with Justin, creating a virtuous cycle of deeper relationships.
"This is who I want to work with. If you don't check this box, I'm happy to find someone else to work with you, because this matters now to how I get fulfilled doing this job."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
Rather than using Endaoment as a marketing tool to acquire new clients, Justin now uses it as a filter—identifying the kinds of families he actually wants to work with.
Current Results Since Q2 2025:
- 6 clients actively using Endaoment DAFs (out of 27 multi-generational families)
- ~$500,000 in DAF assets under management
- Goal for 2026: Every client has a DAF
The shift is philosophical as much as practical. Justin measures success not by assets accumulated, but by the frequency and depth of giving conversations. The result is stickier, more meaningful relationships.
With one family, Justin is now working across three generations—connecting with adult children through coordinated giving around the patriarch's Donor-Advised Fund. These multi-generational relationships provide a confidence in succession planning he never had before.
"The quality of our interactions is just unmatched. I am more confident than ever that I'm not going to get fired in this relationship."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
Outcome 3: Meeting Clients Where They Are
"The dashboard has the right amount of information. It's very quiet."
Client response to Endaoment varies by generation—and that's okay. Justin's 40-something clients instantly connect with the vibe and intuitive UX. His 70-plus clients sometimes find the branding "whimsical" ("DAFSquatch? Is this a real thing?")—but once they experience the platform, they get it.
One older client even connected their favorite nonprofit to Endaoment after making a gift, streamlining future giving for the entire organization.
The common thread across all clients: the platform is easy to navigate without being overwhelming. For a CFO who works with data all day, that means "the right amount of information." For others, it means a giving experience that doesn't feel like another financial chore.
"A lot of people I've worked with have never really had a unifying philosophy or vision for their giving. They would give to every little thing that pops up, but never with intentionality. What if we got a little bit more focused?"
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
Looking Forward
For Justin, Endaoment has become essential to his vision for the future of financial advice—one that isn't about competing with algorithms, but about leaning into the things that make us human.
"Your budgeting, your financial planning, your retirement projections—all that stuff can be replicated by software at some point. But leaning into these human connection pieces is how we survive and thrive moving forward."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
It's advice he's already passing on to the next generation:
"I've been telling my younger advisors: you better brush up on your interpersonal, emotional intelligence side of things, because anything that's a digital output is fair game for AI. That is the easiest thing to replace with all this new technology."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
He sees Endaoment as a "micro bridge" between the traditional finance world and emerging crypto rails—and he's eager to see that bridge expand. On his wish list: deeper integrations with custodians like Altruist, CRM connections, and continued innovation that makes it ever easier for people to give from where they already are.
The recommendation to other advisors? Absolutely.
"Of all the things you can do from a human standpoint, I think this is one of the strongest and most rewarding—to connect with another human being over generosity and giving and making things better in your community, your life, and your family."
— Justin Pullaro, Core Planning Partners
About Core Planning Partners: Core Planning Partners is an independent RIA serving multi-generational families with comprehensive wealth management and financial planning services.
About Endaoment: Endaoment is a tax-exempt community foundation built on Ethereum, enabling tax-deductible donations of cryptocurrency and other assets to any of 1.8 million nonprofits. Through its DAF program, Endaoment empowers financial advisors to deepen client relationships through purpose-driven giving. Learn more at endaoment.org.
