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!

Anonymous

University of Texas - Ugrad

Spring
2026

My goal is to put thought and research into the charities I choose to give to. My family gives to charity frequently and I think after taking this course, I will be of great help to them because of my awareness of the different aspects that make a reliable and trustworthy nonprofit. I think that once I graduate and have a steady income of 200,000, I can give 10% of my income to charity and still be very comfortable. But I want to be sure that the charities I am giving to are legitimate and making real change in the areas I want to see.

Anonymous

University of Texas - Ugrad

Spring
2026

My giving goal is to donate 10% of my disposable income to charitable and non-profit organizations each year. I also plan to make a concerted effort to volunteer in some capacity at least once a month. I believe that these goals will be feasible no matter where life takes me, and they will allow me to continuously support and engage with issues that are important to me.

Anonymous

University of Texas - Ugrad

Spring
2026

I hope to eventually reach a state where I am able to comfortably give at least 10% of my income to charities that I have evaluated as effective and important. I would also like to dedicate at least two hours to volunteer work per week. I know that I would definitely like to give some of my donation funds to breast cancer research/cures, and some to international affairs.

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

University of Texas - Ugrad

Spring
2026

My giving goal is to donate at least 5% of my annual income to charities focusing on children’s development and/or education. This is an extremely important area for me, and I want to do anything I can to help the children of the future. I also would like to plan to volunteer at least 2 hours a week at local charities, so that I can better my community and feel like I’m making a difference.

Anonymous

University of Texas - Ugrad

Spring
2026

Once I complete my education and have paid off my student debt, my goal is to give 5% of my annual income. This is assuming I am in a state of financial stability to be able to give this percentage of my income to nonprofit organizations. This percentage of annual income could do a lot of good for nonprofit organizations, and likely would not be too much of a financial burden on me, and therefore, I would be proud and happy to donate this percentage of my income.