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!

Anonymous

University of Notre Dame

Spring
2026

I hope to continue to donate my time in some capacity after I graduate from Notre Dame in a few weeks. Right now, I try to volunteer at a local center for the homeless with my residence hall semi-regularly. As my life gets busier, I understand this might take on a different form, but I still want to maintain consistent participation in volunteering for causes I care about. My goal is to participate in some group that will provide me a structure within which I can volunteer my time consistently. I also hope to engage in financial giving in the future; this may be at a smaller scale over the next few years as I pursue law school. However, I still hope to give in some capacity, even when my disposable income is limited. Though the uncertainty of my career situation limits my ability to make a concrete financial giving goal at this moment, I hope to make giving a major part of my life as I stabilize.

Anonymous

University of Notre Dame

Spring
2026

Soon after graduating and securing a job, I would like to be able to donate $2,000 each year. Ten years following, however, I hope to increase that number given that I will (hopefully) be making more money to $5,000. On top of this monetary decision, I want to be able to donate 5 hours of my week each week soon after graduating to service work.

Anonymous

University of Notre Dame

Spring
2026

I am aiming to give 10-12% of my annual earnings to charity in the near future. While that exact number may not be achieved straight out of college, I am confident that I am driven enough to charity that a large percentage of my ‘wants’ with my earnings will happily go to a charitable cause.

Anonymous

University of Notre Dame

Spring
2026

A few years after college after building up an emergency savings account, I hope to give a portion of my income to support scholarships at Notre Dame.

Anonymous

University of Notre Dame

Spring
2026

I want to be a lifelong volunteer and volunteer weekly with my family. Once I have a stable income, I would also like to donate $1,000 a year to a nonprofit or charity I support.

Anonymous

University of Notre Dame

Spring
2026

My giving goal is 3-fold. First, I would like to volunteer for at least 1 hour a week immediately following my graduation from college (and during college) for the remainder of my life. Once I retire, I would like to volunteer for at least 10-20 hours a week. Second, I would like to live comfortably, but I have no excessive money. The percentage of my income I can give philanthropically obviously depends on how much I make, which is why I want to base my giving on standards of living and well-being. If I have enough to live minimally, but comfortably (defined as a small house or apartment, retirement savings, health and dental insurance, car insurance, college funds for my kids, and basic necessities), I want to give any excess money away instead of spending it on excessive items such as a cabin/lakehouse, multiple cars, a huge house, etc. Lastly, I want to serve as a CEO or Board Member for a non-profit by the time I am 35.