I promise to be giving with my resources. I hope that I may use my time, my knowledge, and my money for something greater than myself. In choosing where to invest, I pledge not to go in blindly, to use discernment and to keep their mission at heart. When I can, I will give my time and my skills to better serve those in my community and forever be learning from people within it so that I may be aware of the greater need within it. I promise to be thoughtful in my steps, generous with my time, and gracious in my giving.
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
Search for Giving Goals
Over 4,200+ course participants have written giving goals in a demonstration of leadership!
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2022
I pledge to live a life that is marked by generosity. I pledge to give a minimum of 10% of my income to non-profit organizations. I will give first to my local church and then to organizations that I believe in and are carrying out their mission well. I will also be generous with my time. First and foremost, I will volunteer time at my church. I also want to be involved in giving my time to nonprofits that focus on serving/equipping young adults.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2022
I pledge to give 8% of my salary to 1-4 philanthropic causes, and I pledge to give at least 2 hours every two weeks to volunteering with different charitable organizations. I have picked every 2 weeks to make it easy to miss a week without ruining my streak, which I believe will make it easier to make a habit out of volunteering. I hope to give a higher percentage of my income in the future when my financial situation is more stable, but I think 8% is a good amount to do good and start a habit of generosity.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2022
I pledge to give 5-10% of my annual income to organizations and causes I feel passionate about. I will support organizations that are committed towards making a positive change in a broken world and providing hope to those that they serve. I pledge to volunteer and serve in my community as much as I can. If given the opportunity, I plan to serve on the board of a non-profit organization and hopefully start my own nonprofit one day. I will be an informed giver and use my resources, time, and money to give faithfully because I am called to do so.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2022
I pledge to give 10% of my salary to various non-profit organizations, which will include churches, individual people in need, and other organizations. I would like to be involved in what the organization does if I am to give to them. This doesn’t mean I won’t give to any I can be involved in, but it would be nice to see firsthand the impact the money has. Beyond giving this money, I also want to regularly volunteer and give of my time while I can, specifically to non-pr4ofits that serve kids refugees, and those impacted by disabilities.I once heard that a good rule of thumb for giving is to give as much as it takes to make you slightly uncomfortable or have to make sacrifices in other areas to have money to give. This has greatly changed my perspective and reminded me of what motivates me to give.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2022
I pledge to give 10% of my monthly income as a tithe to my community church and 5% of my monthly income to a local non-profit within my community. I also pledge to remain an active community volunteer at a high-impact organization in my area.