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!

Angelique Axelrode

Vanderbilt University

Spring
2021

I pledge to center my career around social impact grounded in creating human centered solutions for people facing injustice.

Andrew Caplan

Emory University

Spring
2021

I pledge to giving at least 5% of my annual income to local and national organizations I align with every year. I also pledge to volunteer my time at least once a month to volunteer at a local organization.

Alexia Haski

Emory University

Spring
2021

Once I become financially stable, I will donate 5-10% of my income to organizations that support marginalized communities. I will also continue to use my voice and volunteer my time to support people in my workplace and my community.

Alex Chanen

Emory University

Spring
2021

For my future Philanthropic giving goals, I plan to donate a minimum of 7.5% of my annual salary to philanthropic causes that are important to me, and I plan to be targeted and specific with my donations. Further, I plan to volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours a month to help causes, whether it is by canvassing, doing pro-bono work, cooking or whatever else may be needed. Finally, I plan to live my life with the purpose of giving back to others and working to leave the world a better place than I found it.

Abdurrahman Khan

Texas A&M University

Spring
2021

I hope to continue giving a portion of my paycheck towards a charitable cause, mainly in the realm of food and water distribution.

Zachary Kurzenberger

Northwestern University - Undergraduate

Winter
2020

After graduation, I plan to make career choices that line up with my own ethical and moral standards, by prioritizing mission-driven work and my desire to contribute positively to society over personal monetary gain. Once I can afford to, I plan to further this by contributing at least 2-5% of my own income to charitable and cultural organizations.