After evaluating which values are the most important to me in terms of my life and my giving, I was able to narrow it down to my top 3: faith, freedom, and generosity. And then, in self-evaluating which issue areas are the most important to me, I got down to prison reform, youth development, and religion. I hope, in future years, I am able to keep myself consistently tithing and giving an additional 5%, as able, to other organizations who are doing good work and changing lives. I want to be a person marked by generosity and steadfastness to the values I believe in.
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
Search for Giving Goals
Over 4,200+ course participants have written giving goals in a demonstration of leadership!
Abijah Sirayon
- Spring
- 2025
I plan to help students from marginalized communities pursue their education. There are so many students out there who drop out of school because of financial constrains in their families. I wish to empower this students by giving them scholarship opportunities. Having been in the same situation some times back, I fell motivated to help them.
Abigail McCutchan
- Spring
- 2025
After graduating from TCU, I will be attending law school with the long-term goal of working for a nonprofit organization. I am passionate about using the law as a tool to create meaningful change and improve the lives of individuals in my community. My hope is to dedicate my career to public interest work, advocating for those who are often overlooked or underserved. Beyond my professional aspirations, I am committed to supporting local nonprofits in both financial and personal ways. I plan to contribute at least 5% of my income to organizations that align with the values and causes I care deeply about. Additionally, I intend to volunteer my time whenever possible, continuing to serve and stay connected to the community I aim to uplift through my work.
Zenya Alaniz
- Fall
- 2024
My giving goals for the future are to give as much and as often as possible. I hope that I continue giving, whatever from that maybe, throughout my career and regardless of my income. In the future when my income grows, I hope to give more of myself financially. I don’t know what my giving will look like over the next couple of years. I just want to know that I’m doing the most with whatever resources and time I have available to me.
Zahra Ahmed
- Fall
- 2024
My giving goal is to treat every issue and every cause with humility, understanding, and drive. Giving is not about determining which issues are more important than others: every community is affected differently, and some suffer silently, but giving doing as much good as you can, and leveraging your privilege to steamboat other causes.