At Kennesaw State University, “volunteer engagement really has to do with advocating for greater resources and greater support of the work that we already know is happening in the community.” according to William Hargrove, Director of Student Volunteerism and Service. For this noble aim, GivePulse has become a foundational tool for scaling volunteer programs, tracking engagement, and strengthening partnerships across campus and community organizations.
“We do all of our assessment basically through GivePulse,” Hargrove shared.
For a university serving roughly 47,000 students across two campuses, managing volunteer engagement at scale requires more than spreadsheets or attendance sheets. Through GivePulse, Kennesaw State can collect both quantitative and qualitative data, allowing administrators to better understand not only how students engage but also what they gain from those experiences.
Strategic Data Analysis & Event Management
That level of insight has transformed how the university approaches assessment and program improvement. After major service events, staff can review data down to individual service sites and student reflections. GivePulse’s Impact feature captures reflections alongside service data, helping campuses identify opportunities for student growth and program improvement.
“At the end of the year we can really look at the holistic picture or we can do real-time tracking. We just had our big day of service, and so we can pull all the data for that specific event and look at the experiences across the 30 different sites that we had…look at, "Okay, well there is the specific site leader at this site," "Let's look at the reflections and feedback from individual students at an individual site to determine, if there's maybe coaching we need to do with those students so that they can be better prepared to lead a group of volunteers," and things like that.”
- William Hargrove
The platform has also facilitated streamlined large-scale event management. Kennesaw State now uses GivePulse for registration, impact tracking, and participant coordination during its annual Day of Service events, which regularly involve hundreds of students.
“It has been a super easy way for us to keep track of the 600, 700 different people who participate in this program every year,” said Hargrove.
Creating a Dynamic Ecosystem Fostering Community Engagement
Beyond logistics and reporting, GivePulse has helped Kennesaw State create a centralized hub for civic engagement opportunities. Students know exactly where to go to find volunteer opportunities, service programs, and community involvement initiatives.
For community partners, the broader GivePulse network has also increased visibility and collaboration opportunities. Organizations connected with other Atlanta-area institutions often discover Kennesaw State through the platform’s interconnected ecosystem. GivePulse combines enterprise-level volunteer management capabilities with approachable pricing, helping nonprofits maximize engagement and expand community impact.
“I think it's really important how accessible GivePulse is like pricing structure-wise to nonprofit partners, who might not have any form of organization of how they are engaging their volunteers and it makes me feel confident in the institution investing in GivePulse because, the company is taking such good care of our nonprofit partners as well.”
- William Hargrove
Final Regards
“Otherwise, it’s honestly just keeping everything organized and in one place. That’s been really game-changing for us as well.”
Hargrove also highlighted the importance of GivePulse’s support team throughout implementation and onboarding, especially during complex technology integrations and data governance processes.
“I think the advice I would give myself is, it’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to not know.”
As Kennesaw State continues expanding its community engagement efforts, GivePulse remains a critical tool for measuring impact, improving student experiences, and building stronger campus-community partnerships.
About GivePulse
GivePulse's mission is to enable everyone in the world to participate and engage in lifting their community to new heights. We do so by providing a platform to list, find, organize, and measure the impact of service-learning, community engagement, philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, and volunteerism.
Founded in 2012 in Austin, Texas, GivePulse works with 650,000+ groups, including colleges and universities, nonprofits, businesses, K-12/school districts, and cities and municipalities. Together, we connect millions of people in an effort to create positive social change.
Ready to see how we can help you achieve your community engagement goals? Schedule a demo with GivePulse today.