I have always been involved with charity through giving my time and money in the service of those who need help. As a child I regularly donated money and gifts to family less fortunate than my own, especially around Christmastime, and continue to this day. Since beginning to earn my own paycheck and decide what to do with my own time, I have considered giving to others even more of a priority and teach that to my children, too. After leaving Columbia, I expect to allocate 5% of my income to various charities regularly and another 2% spontaneously. After establishing my career and finances I expect to raise my giving allocation as I earn more money until I can comfortably give at least 25% of my income toward helping people achieve more hope through their lives and for their children.

I am planning on pledging 10% of my long-life income to charity. I plan on continuing giving time to organizations that are close to my heart, and which I think can make a difference. I hope that in the coming years, I will be able to maintain this balance of giving both: time and money. Another important aspect is encouraging other people to take a similar path, or to start thinking about the act of giving in an early stage of their lives.

Even before I complete my studies, in the larger scheme of my life, I envision philanthropy as being central to it, as well as giving back to my community. Where I grew up, I recognized some inequality around me, but the more extreme cases of poverty were those I saw in rural areas. Thus, my sense of community broadened to include not just the people in my city, but in the country. Today, as a world citizen, I consider all humanity as part of my community. While I may focus some of my giving on a locality where I eventually live, I believe my understanding of “community” is more universal, and I plan on focusing my giving to reflect my concern for equality and healthcare for all people. I will do this with intent about my commitment, in a systematic and organized way. I intend on giving at least 5% of my income every year, as a starting point for the rest of my life. I will start a dedicated folder for my all my philanthropic activities to help me think carefully about my giving strategy and best organize my philanthropic efforts over the long term.

After taking this class made possible by the Philanthropy Lab, I have been inspired to donate as much as I can to deserving organizations doing great work. Many wildly wealthy philanthropists have already pledged to donate more than half of their fortunes—which amounts to millions (and even billions) of dollars—to non-profits. I do not plan or hope to be wealthy, but I would like to give away whatever I can after covering my basic needs. I also think philanthropy and efforts to address our society’s structural problems through policy can and should complement each other to attack the root causes of poverty, hunger, homelessness, education and health disparities, etc.

A few years down the road, after my future family’s financial security is set, I plan to give 10% of my income after discussing it with my partner.

After I achieve my educational goals I plan on giving 5% of my income to charity. Until I start making money I will donate my time to local charities where I live.