I don’t have an amount for how much I want to give, but I know I want to put my time and volunteer to a nonprofit that I feel a connection to. I was told by many people who work in the field that when they find an organization that they trust. It isn’t because of their mission, it’s because they went in person to see how that organization actually works. My giving goals are going to be about the time I volunteer and my effort in helping them.

Right now, I want to give through my time, my energy, and the skills I’m building as a mechanical engineering student. STEM is a big part of my life, and I hope to use what I’m learning to design things that genuinely improve people’s lives. I don’t just want a successful career. I want work that has purpose. At the same time, I want to give relationally by being a supportive friend and role model, creating spaces where people feel encouraged, included, and valued. In the future, as I grow professionally and become more financially stable, I hope to give back in ways that support my community more broadly. Whether that’s through education, local initiatives, or helping families who need extra support. I want generosity to be a consistent part of my life, not something I think about only when it’s convenient. Revisiting this vision years from now will remind me that success isn’t just about achievements or income, but about impact, character, and how I choose to show up for others.

To increase my philanthropic impact, I will devote my time to addressing food insecurity and education. Both further my overarching goal of autonomy. To have freedom over the choices we have in life starts with having enough energy and strength to win that fight through fueling our bodies. We also require the power to further our skillset to optimize the potential and understanding of the world around us. I believe every human is entitled to that, and it is our responsibility to ensure no one is left behind. I will devote 30-100 hours to volunteering a year and gain insight into which organizations stay consistent with their mission and have an impact at the individual level. My objective is to one day donate a consistent amount of money to one organization to optimize the impact my donations can have. I also want to leverage my skills of communication and design, creating strong advertisement material to further the outreach and inform others of an organizations guiding philosophy and mark.

My long-term giving goal is to begin supporting organizations I care about as soon as I start earning. I would like to start by donating to educational and food-related organizations, as these address some of the most immediate needs in communities. As my income grows, I hope to expand my giving to include the arts (especially museums and theatre) because of their role in preserving culture and inspiring creativity. Beyond financial support, I also want to volunteer with these organizations on weekends, ideally alongside people I care about, so that my time and service can have a meaningful impact as well.

I believe a significant aspect of giving involves donating one’s time and/or talents, although money is a substantial part of philanthropy. Looking ahead, I want to continue volunteering in my community at least once a month. I am already involved with a foodbank and would like to become a more established volunteer there. However, I would love to find more organizations to become involved with! Additionally, once I have graduated college, I will donate 5% of my income to non-profit organizations I have thoroughly researched and believe in. As my career progresses, I hope I am able to increase the amount of money I can give away.

My giving goal is to support kids with disabilities and the families around them. Growing up with a brother who has a disability has really shaped how I see things. I’ve seen how important the right support systems are, whether that’s education, therapy, or just having people who truly understand what a family is going through. Because of that, I want to make sure that part of my future giving goes toward organizations that help create opportunities and inclusion for kids like my brother. Right now, that might look like donating when I can and volunteering locally, even if it’s not a huge amount. As I get older and start my career, I hope to give more consistently and maybe even use my marketing background to help organizations reach more families. In ten or twenty years, I want to look back and know that this wasn’t just something I cared about personally, but something I actually committed to supporting in a real way.