I want to commit to making a donation of at least $100 to a non-profit of my choice at every life milestone I have (graduation, first job, wedding, etc.).
What is a Giving Goal?
Often, the idealism of youth is lost as one achieves success and acquires material possessions later in life. What was originally considered to be “enough” or even “beyond my wildest dreams” can become just another milestone on one’s quest…
Capturing your current vision of how you wish to give of yourself and your resources in the future could help you plan to give more meaningfully. Revisiting this vision in ten or twenty years could provide a reminder of the ideals of your youth that may shape or re-shape your future actions.
If you have already posted your Giving Goal and would like to update your email for future reminders, please contact info@thephilanthropylab.org
Step 1
Have a healthy and vigorous dialogue in your class on the general idea of having a personal Giving Goal as a college student.
Step 2
Set a Giving Goal concerning your future giving plans.
Step 3
Share a brief statement of your Giving Goals on The Philanthropy Lab’s portal as a way to inspire others to do the same. You may post anonymously to the public if you wish.
Step 4
Share your permanent email address and phone number with The Philanthropy Lab, for the sole purpose of the reminder mechanism, so we can remind you of your goal in 5 year increments for 20 years into the future.
Alumni Reflections
Search for Giving Goals
Over 4,200+ course participants have written giving goals in a demonstration of leadership!
Anonymous
- 2025
- Fall
To always have at least one organization to which I both donate monetary funds and am actively involved in volunteering or fundraising for.
Anonymous
- 2025
- Fall
What’s my Giving Goal? The first piece of that is staying close. I don’t know exactly where my life or career will take me, but wherever I land, I plan to keep giving to spaces that work the way the best ones in my life have worked, close to the people, relationship-first, and serious about opportunity. The second piece is practice. I want giving to be a habit, a set amount of money and a set amount of time every year, even while I’m still building. The third piece is partnership. Long term, I want to back and help run the kinds of programs that combine basics (devices, Wi-Fi, books) with launchpads (interview prep, career bootcamps, alumni networks). If I can fund a small scholarship or even a “starter tech kit” for first-gen students before college, that would be my way of returning the exact gift I was given.
Anonymous
- 2025
- Fall
My goal is to be able to give 5% of my income to people in need. I hope I can achieve this goal.
Anonymous
- 2025
- Fall
My Giving Goal is to be able to give a named scholarship to my university — nothing crazy expensive, of course — and to continue to support causes for veterans throughout the United States.
Anonymous
- 2025
- Fall
In philanthropy I would like to provide as much as possible through on-site hands on work. All of the non-profits which I choose to support I would like to be completely aligned with there mission, requiring myself to make the extra effort and make meaningful connections. I also have a goal of giving at least half the amount more of what my taxes are, this way I am supporting for reform rather than just writing off money to charities which I think are just.