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!

Anonymous

Stanford University

Spring
2018

I pledge to donate my time, efforts, and talents, to organizations doing work that I am passionate about. I also hope to be able to contribute monetarily to these organizations with amounts that align with the needs of the organizations and those I love the most.

Anonymous

Stanford University

Spring
2018

I pledge to donate my money and time towards both charitable causes and transformative philanthropic ventures in issue areas that I care about

Anonymous

Stanford University

Spring
2018

I pledge to donate money as well as time to causes I am passionate about. I plan to donate a minimum of 10% of my income every year, and want to personally donate at least half a million dollars by the time I retire. I pledge to not only give my money, but also my time to causes that combat injustices through public health, direct healthcare services, community engagement, and most importantly, community empowerment.

Anonymous

Stanford University

Spring
2018

I pledge to donate both my money and energy to causes that need most attention. I believe that when I establish my own income, I should hold myself accountable to do so. I will not specify a certain percentage of my income, because I want to be able to gauge what I think is appropriate and sufficient. As far as energy goes, I pledge to expend my time and energy in ways that combat injustices; specifically, I will be an active and voting citizen that tackles injustices through policies while simultaneously giving my time to direct service.

Anonymous

Stanford University

Spring
2018

I plan to donate my time and energy to causes that I care deeply about for the first few years of my career, when I will likely have no disposable income. Upon graduation from medical school, I will plan to give 5-10% of my earnings, increasing with each increase in my paychecks.

Anonymous

Stanford University

Spring
2018

Donate 10% of my income after I have paid off my student debt, and 20% after my kids are through school.