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!

Tara Hein

Stanford University

Spring
2023

My giving goal is to devote my life to reducing poverty in Latin America through the improvement of systems of governance. Guided by my values of simplicity, integrity, stewardship, equality, and peace, I intend to uplift the voices of those marginalized in Latin American democracies by speaking out against injustice and leveraging my privileged position for the greater good of my region.

Sydney Korry

Texas A&M University

Spring
2023

I intend to continue serving organizations that impact the disabled population, through volunteer efforts and donations. I hope to succeed in the nonprofit management sector and utilize my skills and knowledge to further organizations missions and goals.

Suhas Babu

Texas A&M University

Spring
2023

I aim to donate at least 5% of my income once I start working full-time in around 10 years or so when I finish my schooling. I would love to increase this as time goes on, respective to my current financial status at the time. I also aim to volunteer my time in impactful and meaningful ways that I can get involved in throughout my entire life.

Stuart Moss

University of Texas - McCombs

Spring
2023

My goal is to give to 3-4 organizations a year and to reevaluate them each year with my spouse. My goal is to start giving 5% of my income each year and increase to 10% over time.

Stella Gilbert

Harvard University

Spring
2023

I will give a blend of both time and money (adding up to 15% of income and/or available working time) to organizations that promote equity and build community.

Spencer Paul

Stanford University

Spring
2023

My giving goal is to donate at least 1,000 to addressing homelessness. Through this process I have better understood how urgent of a problem this is and the direct impact it can have on peoples lives.