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!

Izaridni Garcia

University of Texas

Spring
2025

one of my giving goals would be to do as much as i can with what i have . perhaps give 5% of my earnings to a non profit

Ishraq Haque

Harvard University

Spring
2025

I hope to donate a small percent of my money every year to the poor.

Isabelle Fontenot

University of Texas

Spring
2025

My giving goal, post any sort of professional schooling (i.e. medical, graduate, etc.) would most likely be around $5,000-$10,000 depending on my monthly and yearly income at the time. I feel this is a reasonably amount in staying realistic with income and expenses, as well as possible other giving in the future

Isabella N Villarreal

University of Texas

Spring
2025

In the next five years, I hope to see my nonprofit impact people in quality, not just quantity. I hope to see a great impact on the children experiencing homelessness and their development as they reach adulthood. Specifically speaking, increases in higher education for children for homelessnesss is something I would love to see in the next half decade.

Isabella Rogoff

University of Texas

Spring
2025

My goal is to give 10% of my salary to philanthropic causes after my graduation in 2029.

Isabela Meza

Emory University

Spring
2025

My giving goal is to be able to combine financial resources with volunteering and advocacy efforts that provide philanthropic support. I will make sure to deeply research 2 or 3 broader causes to support more consistently. Then, I will also give part of my philanthropic efforts to pressing issues of the moment. I will do this by volunteering and advocating with relevant non-profits, for example by participating in 5ks for medical issues. I will try to support at least 5 volunteer or advocacy initiatives per year. In the long-term, I want to make yearly donations of around 10% of my income to the causes I care about, through organizations that are committed to sustained and holistic philanthropic solutions.