As TCU students, we hope to build upon the school’s mission and become ethical leaders in our community. Through the Nature of Giving course and the advice of guest speakers like the Jeff and Kelly Dillard, Ed Schollmaier, and John Robinson, we have learned of the importance of investing in our community through providing financial support, giving time and labor, and sharing our own expertise and passions. As the 2016 Nature of Giving class, we commit ourselves to giving our time and finances, while maintaining the mindsets of givers throughout our lives. Therefore, I pledge to donate 10% of my monthly personal income to a cause(s) of my choosing. I pledge to practice responsible philanthropy by conducting due diligence before giving to an organization. In addition to financial support, I commit myself to volunteering with organizations in order to foster personal relationships in the community. I will work to better the local and/or international community by establishing at least one partnership with a charitable organization. In order to remain actively engaged, I will review my donations and involvement annually. (The giving pledge incorporates all of the various aspects of giving that I had hoped would be placed in such a document. For me, the most important parts were stipulating the giving of both time and money to organizations for which I had a passion, and only upon doing the necessary due diligence. Further, it incorporates the development of one partnership, which is an important component of what I want to do in the future. Starting this early and with a set % is exactly what I would have done with my own giving pledge.)

As TCU students, we hope to build upon the school’s mission and become ethical leaders in our community. Through the Nature of Giving course and the advice of guest speakers like the Jeff and Kelly Dillard, Ed Schollmaier, and John Robinson, we have learned of the importance of investing in our community through providing financial support, giving time and labor, and sharing our own expertise and passions. As the 2016 Nature of Giving class, we commit ourselves to giving our time and finances, while maintaining the mindsets of givers throughout our lives. Therefore, I pledge to donate 10% of my monthly personal income to a cause(s) of my choosing. I pledge to practice responsible philanthropy by conducting due diligence before giving to an organization. In addition to financial support, I commit myself to volunteering with organizations in order to foster personal relationships in the community. I will work to better the local and/or international community by establishing at least one partnership with a charitable organization. In order to remain actively engaged, I will review my donations and involvement annually. (I chose to sign the Giving Pledge because I believe that the “why” behind wanting to give and why I am inspired to give is in line with what this pledge says. I have seen the impact others have made in Fort Worth due to their giving, and I want to make the same impact on others. I also think it is important to not only give my money, but also my time and expertise to these organizations. I also think that, for me, signing a class giving pledge will hold me more accountable to something I know others are giving to as well and can follow up with me on.)

As TCU students, we hope to build upon the school’s mission and become ethical leaders in our community. Through the Nature of Giving course and the advice of guest speakers like the Jeff and Kelly Dillard, Ed Schollmaier, and John Robinson, we have learned of the importance of investing in our community through providing financial support, giving time and labor, and sharing our own expertise and passions. As the 2016 Nature of Giving class, we commit ourselves to giving our time and finances, while maintaining the mindsets of givers throughout our lives. Therefore, I pledge to donate 10% of my monthly personal income to a cause(s) of my choosing. I pledge to practice responsible philanthropy by conducting due diligence before giving to an organization. In addition to financial support, I commit myself to volunteering with organizations in order to foster personal relationships in the community. I will work to better the local and/or international community by establishing at least one partnership with a charitable organization. In order to remain actively engaged, I will review my donations and involvement annually. (I chose to sign the giving pledge because I want to be held accountable in my giving. I was inspired in so many ways by the Dilliards and their commitment to giving. I believe that it truly isn’t my money, it is God’s and I should serve his kingdom by giving. I have already made an account that pulls 10% of my pay check. I can go in and see how much money is there and I have already been doing that frequently. I don’t want the money to go unnoticed, I want to notice that it is gone and be conscious in my decision-making and due diligence in giving. I want to be committed to at least one nonprofit always, though giving and volunteering. I’m so excited to start this new giving pledge.)

As TCU students, we hope to build upon the school’s mission and become ethical leaders in our community. Through the Nature of Giving course and the advice of guest speakers like the Jeff and Kelly Dillard, Ed Schollmaier, and John Robinson, we have learned of the importance of investing in our community through providing financial support, giving time and labor, and sharing our own expertise and passions. As the 2016 Nature of Giving class, we commit ourselves to giving our time and finances, while maintaining the mindsets of givers throughout our lives. Therefore, I pledge to donate 5% of my monthly personal income to a cause(s) of my choosing. I pledge to practice responsible philanthropy by conducting due diligence before giving to an organization. In addition to financial support, I commit myself to volunteering with organizations in order to foster personal relationships in the community. I will work to better the local and/or international community by establishing at least one partnership with a charitable organization. In order to remain actively engaged, I will review my donations and involvement annually. (Signing a pledge is something that I knew I wanted to do because I have learned about the need for responsible philanthropists in this community as well as the personal benefits that givers achieve. I decided to sign the class version because this is a reminder not only of my commitment to philanthropy, but also a reminder of the class that transformed me into an individual desiring to give. That being said, I was not automatically going to sign the class version. I have a good idea of what my giving pledge would look like if I prepared it myself, and my plan fits into the class pledge. This pledge is ambiguous enough to personalize it with my owns ideas, but it is also psychologically binding enough to hold me accountable to the pledge I made. I plan to set up a savings account strictly for the purpose of philanthropy and direct deposit 5% of my paycheck into it. This will make it easy to give, which is something important to me. I do not want philanthropy to hurt; I want to be a joyful giver. I want to be comfortable with the gifts I make. The direct deposit method will allow me to learn to live comfortably without the 5%, and I will still feel good when I benefit needs of others. Additionally, I like that this pledge includes an element of service as I want to be deeply involved with an organization. My goal is to make giving my time, talents, and treasure in a way that supplements my hopefully happy, successful, secure life ahead of me.)

As TCU students, we hope to build upon the school’s mission and become ethical leaders in our community. Through the Nature of Giving course and the advice of guest speakers like the Jeff and Kelly Dillard, Ed Schollmaier, and John Robinson, we have learned of the importance of investing in our community through providing financial support, giving time and labor, and sharing our own expertise and passions. As the 2016 Nature of Giving class, we commit ourselves to giving our time and finances, while maintaining the mindsets of givers throughout our lives. Therefore, I pledge to donate 10% of my monthly personal income to a cause(s) of my choosing. I pledge to practice responsible philanthropy by conducting due diligence before giving to an organization. In addition to financial support, I commit myself to volunteering with organizations in order to foster personal relationships in the community. I will work to better the local and/or international community by establishing at least one partnership with a charitable organization. In order to remain actively engaged, I will review my donations and involvement annually. [I have chosen to sign the class giving pledge because this class has taught me a lot about the power of commitment and impact. I loved learning ideas throughout our semester about how to give, but have also loved ideas about how to give over time. I plan to put my money into a separate account, and donate to a cause when the numbers are high enough for impact. I love this idea because it keeps you in a constant state of giving, as well as shows you the power of saving over time. This pledge is broad enough to where all people can sign at a level that they are comfortable with, but also allows the freedom to donate to a cause of your choosing. I am excited for this pledge! (and nervous)]

As TCU students, we hope to build upon the school’s mission and become ethical leaders in our community. Through the Nature of Giving course and the advice of guest speakers like the Jeff and Kelly Dillard, Ed Schollmaier, and John Robinson, we have learned of the importance of investing in our community through providing financial support, giving time and labor, and sharing our own expertise and passions. As the 2016 Nature of Giving class, we commit ourselves to giving our time and finances, while maintaining the mindsets of givers throughout our lives. Therefore, I pledge to donate 5% of my monthly personal income to a cause(s) of my choosing. I pledge to practice responsible philanthropy by conducting due diligence before giving to an organization. In addition to financial support, I commit myself to volunteering with organizations in order to foster personal relationships in the community. I will work to better the local and/or international community by establishing at least one partnership with a charitable organization. In order to remain actively engaged, I will review my donations and involvement annually. (Giving is important to me as an individual, and I think signing this pledge will keep me accountable. I like that this pledge is a bit flexible in its wording, while holding to the values and ideas mentioned in our class discussion. I am in a slightly different boat than many of my peers, as I am going to graduate school next year rather than seeking employment, so my giving will likely look a little different. The flexibility of the pledge allows me to give as I can throughout different stages of my life, and I feel that it is something I can maintain.)