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!

Kayle Liao

University of Notre Dame

Fall
2022

Upon graduation, I hope to volunteer at a local nonprofit in New York for at least 20 hours a year. I wish to be a part of the fundraising team of a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of minorities in the greater NYC area.

Katherine Howe

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fall
2022

I would like to donate about 2% of my current income and at least two hours of volunteering per month. My goal is to do this through giving cash to someone who could use it more than me and by supporting local organizations. As my career progresses, I hope to up my financial giving to 4 or 5% of my annual income.

Julian Issar

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fall
2022

After I graduate from college I aim to volunteer either part of my time or donate part of my salary to charities that help those who suffer from mental illnesses since that is a cause near to my heart.

James Thompson Jr.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fall
2022

My giving goals is to take my time out of the day and help anyone in need whether its me passing down my personal knowledge on to someone who need it. Doing hard labor to help make a project come true and eventually when I have enough money I would try to donate as much as I can so that an organization can have enough funding to help benefit their cause.

Isabela Tasende

University of Notre Dame

Fall
2022

My goal is to volunteer at least 50 hours every year, and to give a percentage of my income to causes that I care about such as Immigration assistance and crisis relief.

Grace Connors

University of Notre Dame

Fall
2022

I plan to spend my career working for the common good and will ensure that where I am putting my working hours is actively promoting the welfare of others. In addition, I plan to stay engaged in philanthropy, working to make sure that I am donating to organizations representative of the communities they are serving and uplifting solutions that are effective at achieving their goals.