Great Hill Partners, a private equity firm focused on high-growth and disruptive businesses, has announced a strategic growth investment in Ren, a leading provider of donor-advised fund (DAF) technology and philanthropic infrastructure. The investment will fuel Ren’s product innovation, operational scale, and market expansion across financial advisors, wealth management firms, and philanthropic institutions. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Ren currently supports over 150 DAF programs across the United States, representing more than $175 billion in charitable funding—approximately half of all donor-advised fund assets nationwide. The company’s technology facilitates billions of dollars in annual giving to hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations. With nearly four decades of experience, Ren’s platform simplifies complex workflows, enhances donor engagement, and integrates philanthropic giving into modern financial services.
Great Hill’s investment comes as donor-advised funds play an increasingly central role in wealth management and charitable giving. The firm plans to collaborate closely with Ren’s leadership team, which will continue to be led by CEO Joe Fisher, to accelerate the company’s mission of making philanthropy more accessible and impactful.
In connection with the investment, Great Hill Managing Directors Nick Cayer, Matt Vettel, and Bob Anderson will join Ren’s board of directors alongside existing representatives from Bain Capital, Valeas Capital, and Amy Danforth, the former President of Fidelity Charitable.
Support: Bain Capital Tech Opportunities, which acquired a majority stake in Ren in 2023, will remain a significant shareholder and continue supporting the company’s strategic growth initiatives. Great Hill was advised by Houlihan Lokey as financial advisor and Goodwin Procter LLP as legal counsel.
KEY QUOTES:
“Ren has established itself as a clear market leader at the intersection of fintech and philanthropy. The convergence of wealth management and charitable giving represents a massive and rapidly growing opportunity for transformation. We believe Ren is uniquely positioned to lead this evolution with strategic vision, deep expertise, and best-in-class technology that powers many of the nation’s top DAF programs and administers hundreds of billions in assets. We’re excited to support the team through this next phase of growth.”
Nick Cayer, Managing Director at Great Hill Partners
“Ren was founded on the idea that giving should be seamless, strategic, and central to people’s financial lives. As donor-advised funds and other philanthropic vehicles become an increasingly vital part of wealth management, we see a tremendous opportunity – and responsibility – to modernize the charitable giving experience for everyone involved. Great Hill’s investment, combined with their deep expertise in scaling software-driven platforms, will help us shape the future of philanthropy and deliver even more value to donors, advisors, and institutions.”
Joe Fisher, CEO of Ren
“Since our initial investment, Ren has demonstrated extraordinary growth, consistently scaling its market leadership and innovating at the intersection of fintech, payments, and philanthropy. We’re excited to build upon the Company’s strong momentum with Great Hill, delivering transformative technology that democratizes donor-advised funds and supports strategic giving at unprecedented scale.”
Scott Kirk, Partner at Bain Capital Tech Opportunities
