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!

Luna Desirae Smith Domenech

Universidad del Sagrado Corazon

Spring
2023

My giving goal is to donate 5% of my salary after I graduate. The organizations I would like to impact are organizations that attend to the afrodescendent and black community in Puerto Rico from different perspectives, from education to economic development so forth. Its important for me to see more organizations that attend Black people and especially Black woman.

Lindsey Stugard

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spring
2023

My Giving Goal is that I am going to choose to donate 5% of my income post graduation, and reevaluate every couple of years. Ideally, I would like to donate more like 10-15% in the future, as I save up and become more financially comfortable. I would like to donate to causes that support single mothers, low-income families, domestic violence survivors, and children that have been made victims of abuse and neglect. These causes are near and dear to my heart, and I would love to support those groups of people.

Lily Whitener

Texas A&M University

Spring
2023

My giving goal is to start giving now, rather than after I graduate. Even though I wont receive a regular paycheck while in college, I want to donate at least $20 every month to my church or a nonprofit and invest at least 10 hours a month (2.5 hours a week) of my time giving back to my community. After I graduate, I want to donate 10% of my income to charity and continue dedicating time for hands-on volunteering. I also plan to accomplish my goal of incorporating philanthropic work in my career by providing dental care to individuals in underprivileged communities.

Lily Saterbak

Baylor University

Spring
2023

Upon making a salary, I want to donate 5% of it every year. My goals are to eventually make giving a habit rather than an option and to be knowledgeable about the organizations I choose to support.

Lee Scheffe

Baylor University

Spring
2023

Upon financial independence, I pledge to give 10% of my annual earnings to nonprofits who work to address the causes and effects of poverty.

Leaya Ma

Emory University

Spring
2023

I would like to hold myself accountable for donating a portion of my income to philanthropic causes that I am passionate about. I would also like to volunteer a few hours a month to various events or organizations in my community that are important to me. Most importantly I would like to find ways to create opportunities for others.