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 [email protected]

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

"What a sweet reminder of this pledge! I've definitely given and volunteered in the last 6yrs. It's been a joy to continue the journey of generosity since graduating from undergrad. I'm back in grad school and I am looking forward to finishing my MSW. There will be new ways I give back to the community!"

"Thank you so much for this valuable reminder of my Giving Pledge. I'm proud to say I've dedicated several hours of volunteer time & services to Arts Education non-profits and will continue to live out this pledge"

“Thanks for reaching out––I'm actively still volunteering at two non-profits now in NYC (one free food service called "Wellfare" and a neighborhood homeless shelter)”

"Thank you for your email! The Philanthropy Lab was a life changing experience for me. I ended up joining the board of Malawi Children's Village to run the women empowerment program, which is what the Philanthropy Lab grant was for. In August, I am going to Malawi to see the project in action!"

"I was so happy to see this email pop into my inbox, it feels like a lifetime ago I was in this course. I appreciate all that I learned in this class and have taken its messages with me through these past 5 years. I do plan on maintaining the promise I made in this class"

"Thanks for this reminder. I actually still have a handwritten version of that note on the magnet board in my home office."

Search for Giving Goals

Over 4,200+ course participants have written giving goals in a demonstration of leadership!

MOLLY SCHOCHET

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spring
2025

Once I am no longer a student, I aim to donate at least 7% of my salary yearly. I will donate to organizations in communities I am a part of and those impacting social welfare and wellbeing. Additionally, I plan to remain an active volunteer in my community; I plan to volunteer at least 5-10 hours a month. As my life changes, I plan to reevaluate and further my giving goals and plans to align with my values, mission statement, financial abilities, and time available.

Misha Porter

Vanderbilt University

Spring
2025

Although it will be hard to give early in my career, once I am stable, I want to give at least 10%–20% of my income to philanthropic causes in order to help the causes I care about. Specifically, I want to volunteer with the most important ones in addition to giving. I hope that I can sustain that vision as I age and keep in touch with my desire to help others.

Mira Yu

Harvard University

Spring
2025

I’m hoping to give a reasonable portion of my income in my early career to charities that are underserved and will have a high impact on the causes I feel are most pressing to aspects of my identity (since I think I’m better able to understand which charities are doing the most effective work for these categories).

MIGUEL CAMARA GALLEGOS

Universidad del Sagrado Corazon

Spring
2025

Saludos, En el futuro me gustaría tener la oportunidad de donar el 10% de mis ingresos anuales, así mismo realizar donaciones de mi tiempo de manera que pueda aportar mi tiempo y ayuda a organizaciones que lo necesitan. En la actualidad he donado parte de mi tiempo en organizaciones, lo cual me ha llenado de satisfacción ayudar de la mejor manera posible.

Michelle Wang

Emory University

Spring
2025

My goal is to volunteer weekly or bi-weekly at a non-profit organization, whether by helping the homeless through food distribution and preparation, contributing to environmental efforts by cleaning up the community, or assisting students with their second language. These are causes I am passionate about, and I see myself actively volunteering for them. Additionally, when I have the means, I plan to donate at least 3-5% of my after-tax income to local organizations, gradually increasing that percentage as I become more financially capable and successful.

Michelle Akpan

University of Texas

Spring
2025

For the rest of undergrad, I hope to give at least 3% of my income to nonprofits that I support. Once I’m in pharmacy school, I hope to increase that to 4% since I’ll be working more. When that’s done, I hope to give at least 10k a year away with a portion of that going to a cause that helps the education and development of youth.