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

Baylor University

Spring
2026

I aim to donate 5% of my income to local nonprofits that have an immediate impact on my community. I also plan on giving through my time and abilities, continuing to serve musically in my church and volunteering within my community at least once a month. My hope is to become a member of my community invested in the flourishing of my neighbors.

Anonymous

Baylor University

Spring
2026

After this class and experience I realized that I want to be someone who more consistently invests my time and resources into people. More importantly investing through mentorship, service, volunteering, and supporting causes that align with my faith and values, so that is giving from how I live as a person part of who I am. In the future I want myself to remember the passion that giving and investing I have for others in their stories. The time I value to hear someone’s story and who they are.

Anonymous

Baylor University

Spring
2026

As I move into post-grad life, my giving goal is to give my time and money to local charities and nonprofits. This includes tithing done to the local church that supports missions around the world and also the support of secular nonprofits. I also want to tithe on any sort of income, including a tax return or bonus’s. I will not set-up automated payments though, because I want every donation to be made with attention and prayer.

Anonymous

Baylor University

Spring
2026

My goal is to give my time at least twice a month. I also want to work for nonprofits in some capacity by the time I am 30. I also want to give 10 percent of my income.

Anonymous

Baylor University

Spring
2026

I would like to give $20,000 away within my first 5 years out of college. I’d like to scale this up to this amount yearly as soon as my career supports it and should I become a high earner, never keep more than $150,000 for myself in a given year. Should I have family, this may change but will be a conversation taking into account the same values that lead me to seek an income cap.

Anonymous

Baylor University

Spring
2026

My giving goal is to give with joy. One thing this class has taught me is that giving can be something I look forward to. I feel like often people feel obligated or forced to give but that doesn’t have to be the case, one can put intentionality behind giving. Giving should a thoughtful and reflective process, because giving can have astronomical effects on ones community. I think overall my giving goal is to be reflective, thoughtful, and excited about giving later in life. I truly look forward to giving time, money, and resources to non-profit in the future thanks to this class.