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!

Diana Chen

Harvard University

Spring
2025

I plan to work in public health and donate a significant portion of my time and work towards health equity and improving access to health care in underserved communities.

Dhruv Patel

Harvard University

Spring
2025

In 10 or 20 years from now, I hope to be actively involved in working towards the greater good of my family, my community, and my country. In particular, I hope to take direct aim at inequalities within the education system — perhaps the most systemic and cyclical form of inequality. I’d love to launch an initiative to fund the creation of elementary schools in India, particularly in my hometown of Gujarat where literacy rates have continued to remain low. Too often, however, educational initiatives emerge as passive — that is, they provide some resources to students, but lack the sustainability needed for a robust initiative. To that end, I hope to engage in the creation of schools and training of teachers that can continue to make an impact — both in the short-term and long-term.

Devyn Marinos

Vanderbilt University

Spring
2025

I want to give a small percentage of my salary every year like from 3%-5%, but I really want to volunteer a lot.

Derek Fyksen

Harvard University

Spring
2025

100k

Denzel Namadurai

Baylor University

Spring
2025

My goal is to donate at least 10% of my future income to diverse philanthrophic causes that seek to uplift our communities and enable flourishing.

Demetrius Fang

University of Texas - McCombs

Spring
2025

I believe in starting small but early. Within five years of graduation, I plan to give both financially and through volunteering, especially in the areas of youth development and educational equity, especially in neurodivergent youth.