After graduation, I plan to give 1-5% of my salary every year to charities that benefit people with disabilities, especially the blind. It’s a personal for me because my older brother is legally blind. As my salary grows, I hope that I’ll be able to give more freely.
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 info@thephilanthropylab.org
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
- 2025
I commit to donating 5% of my annual income each year through the Philanthropy Lab, aiming to support impactful initiatives and contribute meaningfully to my community and causes I care about.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2025
I plan to take the lessons I have learned in my Philanthropy class to guide me towards both my passions (for service) and the greatest areas of need for giving (financial) while pursuing my career. As a devout Christian, a majority of my donations will naturally be through faith-based organizations, however, I truly do see the value of integrating with external organizations to propel their missions forward. I don’t believe in a 10% giving line or anything like that. I truly want my giving to come from an overflow of the heart and a trust that I have enough without specific luxuries within my life.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2025
I believe in starting small but early. Within five years of graduation, I plan to give both financially and through volunteering, especially in the areas of youth development and educational equity, especially in neurodivergent youth.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2025
My giving goal for my future revolves around my local community and where my family will live. I plan on giving my time and money to my children’s schools and church. My children will attend the same schools my wife and I attended, which are catholic schools. I plan on being involved in various boards within the school and sitting in advisory positions within the church.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2025
I intend to increase my giving annually beyond that of inflation or salary increases. I plan to start off giving 10% and grow from there. My giving will largely be based on personal research and areas of need that I see or feel called to support. Statistics like overhead costs will matter far less compared to the value delivered by an organization. Quantifying and understanding in detail an organization’s impact is important to me,