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 Cincinnati

Spring
2026

my goal is to give 5% of my income when I am able to and I want to volunteer my time as often as possible

Anonymous

University of Cincinnati

Spring
2026

As my career progresses, I plan to stay involved in organizations that leave a lasting impression in the community. I hope to donate at least 5% of my annual income to philanthropic causes that create meaningful impact in the community around me. I want to focus on supporting education, youth development, and womens sports that provide opportunities for people to grow and succeed. By consistently giving back, I hope to contribute to continuous positive change in the communities around me.

Anonymous

University of Cincinnati

Spring
2026

My goal is to not only make financial donations but also donate my time. I think actions speak louder than words, so actually showing up to do volunteer work goes a long way. I like being able to see how my work contributes to a greater good and seeing how it helps other people. As for donations, I hope I am able to donate a minimum of 5% of my future career salary. I also want to donate food and goods, not limit myself to just money.

Anonymous

University of Cincinnati

Spring
2026

My current Giving Goal is to dedicate more of my time to volunteering efforts. I am very passionate about the environment and sustainability, so I am looking to get involved in local organizations with volunteer positions in that field. In the future, I would like to continue volunteering when I have the time. I believe being actively involved in your community and volunteering for the causes you believe in is very important. However, when I have more disposable income in the future, I would like to make it a priority of mine to donate as well. My current commitment is to donate 8% of my income each year to different environmental causes I believe in.

Anonymous

University of Cincinnati

Spring
2026

After this class I would love to have a clearer vision of all of the ways I can make an impact in my community. I’d like to continue to volunteer as frequently as is possible and serve on the Board of at least one non-profit to be able to shape the organization as more of a leadership position. More concretely I commit to giving 10% of my income once I am in a position to do so. Then, 5 or 10 years from now, I would like to be able to reflect on the things that I learned and see them implemented in my life going forward.

Anonymous

University of Cincinnati

Spring
2026

As a student at UC, I am not able to give as much as I want, I mostly give with my time. I plan to continue giving my time to CB Moves, a place that I volunteer now. I would like my giving financially to grow with my career. I plan to give annually to organizations that I appreciated throughout my childhood. As I start a family, I plan to give to what my kids are interested in as well, so hopefully give other kids the opportunity to participate that they may not have had otherwise.