When I am financially independent, I pledge to: – be in relationship with those who have less access to financial/material resources and spend regular time investing in these relationships (for example, volunteering on a regular basis, developing relationships with those in low-income communities, finding ways to surround myself with those who are different from me, spending my weekends serving in various capacities, etc) – give a certain percentage of my family’s income (perhaps 10%) to an institution that will use the funds to serve others (including the church, various non-profits, local community efforts, etc) – consider setting a number that will represent the highest amount of income that my family will spend or save, and put the rest towards serving others (using our money creatively by starting a community-based program/effort, giving it away to organizations, investing in the education of others or meeting a local need, etc) – Be generous with my family’s assets (using a car to transport others, welcoming others into our home to rest or stay, paying for the meals of others when we are able to, cooking meals for others, etc)

My pledge is this: As a Christian, I will continue to commit to the Biblical standard of giving the first 10% of my income to the church. I see it as important to note that it is the first 10% and will be the first priority with my income. On top of the standard tithe, I will commit to giving at least 10% more to other organizations which I care about, such as groups like IJM, missions’ trips, and various other organizations. I also commit to establishing savings funds for each of my children’s college funds, as I see giving them the chance to have financial peace as extremely important to their future successes. If my children are blessed enough to receive scholarships, I will use the funds to cover whatever they can’t and donate the rest to a charity which I will have them help choose. This gives them both the opportunity to attend college but also gives them valuable lessons in generosity and philanthropic giving. Finally, if the Lord blesses me to the point which I am making $150,000 after giving 20%, I will cap my personal income and commit to donating the rest to charities of my choice.

My parents taught me that no matter the amount of money you have, tithing is of the utmost importance. Therefore, upon graduation, I plan to begin giving monthly to my local church regardless of my income level, bills, or student loan payments. This amount doesn’t necessarily have to be anything big, but a contribution will be budgeted and given each month. Additionally, I will research various organizations and begin giving monthly to a non-profit, whether that be through my time, through monetary help, or in-kind donations.

I pledge to, once I am married this July to my fiancé and our student loans are paid off, as a unit give 10% of our income to our Church, other ministries, or other missionaries that we know and love for the rest of our lives. However, while still paying off our student loans, we pledge to try to continue committing to our 10% goal if at all possible. If not, we pledge to give a minimum of 5% until our loans are completed. We also pledge to give of our time and energy to our Church home, ministries we are involved in, or other philanthropic organizations; ultimately, we pledge to help do the work of the Lord who is the reason we have anything in the first place.

I pledge to live a life that is not only financially philanthropic, but philanthropic in nature as well. I pledge to be socially and politically aware in order to give my money and time in as an informed philanthropist. My main goal is to be dedicated in my tithing to whatever local church I may be a part of. I pledge to give faithfully and at an amount that may not always be comfortable to my bank account. I don’t want to set a specific percentage because I don’t want to get comfortable in that amount, I want to constantly push myself and my family to give when it may be a stretch to the budget. I also pledge to give both time and money to local organizations wherever I might be living.