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!

Ashley Anderson

Baylor University

Spring
2023

I pledge to give 10% of my income to my church and other non-profits with the goal of increasing it in the future. I also want to give my time by volunteering with local non-profits.

Asher Sabah

Vanderbilt University

Spring
2023

I pledge to utilize my resources throughout my lifeâ€”whether that be income, time, knowledge, or abilitiesâ€”to positively impact communities and the environment. Furthermore, I hope to have a career in a globally conscious and beneficial field, thus, not only will the income I hope to utilize for philanthropy create positive impacts, but the means of creating that income will ideally parallel the sentiment of my giving.

Aretxi Castro

University of Texas

Spring
2023

I pledge to give at least 5% of my income straight out of college every year and further evaluate this percentage thereafter, depending on my lifestyle and income.

Arenjot Sanghera

University of Washington

Spring
2023

I would like to donate 10% of my income to some type of charity, nonprofit, or other organization. I would want to diversify where this goes – for example, I would want to donate 5% to a charity and the other 5% to an organization that supports journalism, long-term education, etc. Because I will be going to law school after taking a gap year after graduation, I will want to increase this percentage after I graduate law school and have a stable job to maybe 15%. I also want to dedicate time and volunteer as well and also continue to educate myself about issues and the work of organizations (instead of just donating blindly).

Anonymous

Washington University In St. Louis

Spring
2023

I will work actively work with social justice efforts, as I hope to be employed within a non-profit. Within that, I will work outside of my non-profit to give back to my community. I will give 5% which will increase as my income.

Anonymous

Washington University In St. Louis

Spring
2023

I want to give at least 5% of my income to philanthropic purposes until Ive graduated from law school. Once Ive graduated, I hope to be able to give up at least 10% and up to 15%, whatever I deem fit.