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!

Mollie Folk

Emory University

Spring
2024

Looking towards the future, I want to quantify a giving goal regarding financial and time-related resources. Specifically, I want to balance leveraging my time and network with financial considerations to generate impact and build trust and empathy internally to continue benefiting these causes. I plan to give 3% of my income to philanthropic efforts for the first three years out of college and then increase this to 5% three years after graduation. I also want to volunteer 50 hours yearly to causes I want to support in the community. In combination, this goal will allow me to impact my community in the long run.

Michael Darrigo

University of Texas - McCombs

Spring
2024

My giving goal is 1% of my post tax income!

Michael Daniels

Boston University

Spring
2024

My giving goal within the next 10 years would be focused on giving my service and time to a cause I am interested in. Right now I’m interested in providing clean and safe drinking water for people in need. However, often this occurs in specific areas of the world that I am not necessarily close to. I hope to try and travel somewhere to give a good chunk of time to provide my assistance to this cause within the next 10 years. Beyond this, I would hope I am able to start giving my money to hopefully some organization that is using the money properly for a developing cause. I want to put my money somewhere where it has the potential to go along way in developmental causes rather than direct cash giving.

Michael Chen

Emory University

Spring
2024

My giving goal revolves around my time, which I believe is one of the most important assets that we have as humans. I would want to set aside at least one day a week to give back. While this is an ambitious goal, I believe that this commitment would push me to set aside time specifically for philanthropy, whether by myself or with others to impact the world around us. I also believe in being intentional. Many times, with monetary contributions, it is easy to overlook the intention behind the donation as it is as simple as a click of a button. However, by committing my time to philanthropic causes, I will ensure that I am being intentional and ensuring that an impact is being made with my time.

Michael Ahrens

Boston University

Spring
2024

I hope to give back to my local community and those around me when I have the resources to do so. Improving my community and uplifting my friends and family with me is incredibly important to me and I hope to be able to make a real difference to peoples lives. I would also like to start to donate to some charities that align more with the giving philosophy we have covered during the course, attacking the “lowest hanging fruit” and the cheapest, easiest lives to save worldwide.

Meira Saffra

Columbia University

Spring
2024

I hope to give between 5 and 10% of my income to a variety of causes in my city and local community. I want to help fight food insecurity and homelessness and support organizations that support women experiencing domestic violence. As I leave college and have a salary, philanthropy will continue to be a key value of mine