My giving goal is to support efforts that improve health outcomes for low-income Black communities in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Right now, I am involved in researching local healthcare initiatives that aim to provide direct care and education to underinsured residents. Through this work, I hope to better understand where gaps in access exist and how resources can be directed to support community-based solutions. In the future, I hope to contribute my time and financial resources to organizations that are working to expand equitable healthcare access and empower Black communities in St. Louis and beyond.
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
- 2026
My giving goal is to commit at least 5% of my annual income to organizations addressing educational equity and community infrastructure once I begin earning. Growing up between two countries taught me that the systems people depend on most — schools, roads, public spaces — are often the ones that receive the least scrutiny about whether they actually serve the people who need them. This course sharpened that instinct into something more actionable: I now know how to look at a nonprofit’s financials, ask whether its outcomes match its narrative, and recognize when philanthropic dollars are creating dependency rather than capacity. Beyond money, I want to give time and judgment — serving on a nonprofit board or review committee where I can bring an analytical lens to funding decisions rather than just writing a check. And I want to stay honest about urgency: the needs that exist today do not wait for a more convenient moment to be addressed. I hope that when I read this again in ten or twenty years, it reminds me not to let comfort or complexity become excuses for inaction.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2026
My philanthropy giving goal is to help Nashville elementary students thrive by investing in literacy, supportive learning environments, and equitable access to the resources they need to succeed early in school.
Anonymous
- Spring
- 2026
I will give 5% of my salary as well as donate my time to philanthropic causes. I will also participate in philanthropic work that my employer hosts.