I pledge to donate 5-10% of my income to organizations I feel are making the world a better place. I also pledge to dedicate 10-15 hours of my time a month to volunteering in my community.
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
Search for Giving Goals
Over 4,200+ course participants have written giving goals in a demonstration of leadership!
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2019
When I have a salary, I pledge to give 10% of it to organizations which are rooted in my community and dedicated to making it a better place. This money will be given to the church I am a member of as well as other non-profit organizations and causes. In addition, I pledge to be philanthropic with my time, both in my career and in volunteering efforts outside of it.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2019
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)
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2019
Once I am financial stable, I plan to give both a considerable amount of time and money back to philanthropic and church based organizations
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2019
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.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2019
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.