The Refugee Archive wins DAF Day 2026 award for best social post

The Refugee Archive, a nonprofit that documents the oral histories of displaced women and female-headed households, won Chariot’s DAF Day 2026 Award for Best Social Post. The $500 grant and national recognition could help the organization reach more donor-advised fund supporters as it expands its archive work in Africa and the Middle East.

Why it matters: - The win gives The Refugee Archive national visibility alongside larger nonprofits like the ACLU and the National Audubon Society. - The recognition can help the nonprofit reach donors who use donor-advised funds and may not know how to give through that channel. - The award also brings a $500 donor-advised fund grant from Chariot.

What happened: - Chariot named The Refugee Archive one of four national winners in its DAF Day 2026 Awards. - The Refugee Archive won the Best Social Post category. - Chariot announced the winners at its DAF Day Awards ceremony. - The other 2026 winners were Grounds for Sculpture for Most Compelling Email, the ACLU for Most Effective Mailer, and the National Audubon Society for Most Innovative Campaign Element. - DAF Day takes place every year on October 8.

The details: - The Refugee Archive records oral histories of single mothers and female-headed households living in active displacement as refugees or internally displaced persons. - The nonprofit’s winning social post was created by Ian Harold Daluyen, Social Media Manager, and Pia Frances Pagulayan, Senior Digital & Content Designer. - Daluyen said the campaign was built in a single week while the organization was still shaping its visual identity. - Kristi Dawn Riggs, founder and executive director of The Refugee Archive, said the award belongs to the staff, youth volunteers, and professional advocates who support the mission. - The 2026 DAF Day campaign drew more than 2,600 organizations using Chariot’s toolkits and more than 5,000 people registered for the webinar series. - Chariot’s recap includes the ceremony recording and the full list of finalists: the full recap

Between the lines: - The award signals that a small nonprofit can compete visually and creatively with major national advocacy groups. - The campaign’s message is tightly linked to the organization’s broader fundraising challenge: making donor-advised fund giving easier to understand and use. - The social post appears to have served both a branding role and a donor-acquisition role.

What's next: - The Refugee Archive will use the $500 grant to support its oral history collection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Uganda. - The organization is also planning pilot projects in South Africa, the West Bank, and Jordan. - The Refugee Archive accepts donor-advised fund grants year-round, and donors can recommend a grant through the organization’s DAF page. - The nonprofit says its broader programs include the Story to Action Lab, the Policy Tracker, Art of Oral History, and education efforts through webinars and podcasts.

The bottom line: - The Refugee Archive’s award puts a niche oral-history nonprofit on a national stage and may help turn social media recognition into new donor-advised fund support.