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

"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!

Anonymous

Columbia University

Spring 2026

Give as much as I can after making it big.

Angela Wang

Boston University

Spring 2026

My giving goal includes a plan to apply the principles of effective giving when making future donations. Instead of donating solely on emotional appeal, I want to evaluate charities based on transparency, evidence, and cost-effectiveness. Organizations that focus on scalable interventions in global health and poverty reduction can often have a much greater impact per dollar.

Anonymous

Harvard University

Spring 2026

50000

Anonymous

University of Texas - Ugrad

Spring 2026

My giving goal is to donate 3% of my annual income early in my career and increase that to 5% as my income grows. I want to support organizations that reflect my values and address real community needs, while taking the time to research their transparency, financial responsibility, and impact before donating.

Anonymous

Baylor University

Spring 2026

My giving goal is to give with joy. One thing this class has taught me is that giving can be something I look forward to. I feel like often people feel obligated or forced to give but that doesn’t have to be the case, one can put intentionality behind giving. Giving should a thoughtful and reflective process, because giving can have astronomical effects on ones community. I think overall my giving goal is to be reflective, thoughtful, and excited about giving later in life. I truly look forward to giving time, money, and resources to non-profit in the future thanks to this class.

Anonymous

University of Notre Dame

Spring 2026

Soon after graduating and securing a job, I would like to be able to donate $2,000 each year. Ten years following, however, I hope to increase that number given that I will (hopefully) be making more money to $5,000. On top of this monetary decision, I want to be able to donate 5 hours of my week each week soon after graduating to service work.