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

Harvard University

Spring 2026

I hope that the gift” I will give to society will be one that is a product from my career

Anonymous

Harvard University

Spring 2026

I forgot what it was

Anonymous

University of Washington

Spring 2026

I aspire to donate $10 a week when I begin making a salaried income.

Anonymous

University of Texas - MBA

Spring 2026

I plan to give a certain % of my salary going forward towards charitable causes. I will focus this both in giving back to the University of Texas as well as other charitable organizations every year.

Anonymous

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spring 2026

How I would give or how I would monetize my philanthropic efforts would be through time and money. Instead of giving money based on a percentage of my income, I would like to give in the form of buying children what they need to be successful in this endeavor, specifically DJing or drumming. Given my past fifteen-plus years of experience playing musical instruments, I can pass a lot of my knowledge on to the future musicians who will eventually run the space. However, I do understand the financial pressure and demand to buy quality instruments and upkeep that goes into playing them. What I’ve seen is that many non-profits are good at putting instruments into the hands of children, but the teaching and lesson part of having an instrument is not followed up on. This is where I come in, and how I would give my time. Unlike other philanthropic goals that may solely rely on financial standing, I could start giving back by giving music lessons to kids in drumming and DJing, before I have the financial means to accomplish the entire goal. I could partner with organizations that can provide that part of the goal immediately.

Anonymous

University of Texas - MBA

Spring 2026

My goal is to invest 2% of my annual income into local, early-stage nonprofits focused on educational equity, utilizing a Donor-Advised Fund to ensure long-term, sustainable impact while providing unrestricted grants to empower community leaders.