The Department of Student Volunteerism and Service connects KSU students with campus and community partners through regular service events and volunteer opportunities.
The Department of Student Volunteerism and Service connects KSU students with community
partners through regular service events and volunteer opportunities.
Looking to give back and get involved? Look no further than the many opportunities
SVS has for you!
Location: KSU Center, West Entrance (next to the Testing Center)
3333 Busbee Dr NW Kennesaw, GA 30144
Phone: 470-578-6965
Email: ksuserves@kennesaw.edu
GivePulse
Our one-stop-shop for service opportunities open to students that are posted by community partners. The platform also keeps track of service hours throughout your time as a student at KSU for easy access to use in graduate school applications, resume building, and more.
Before you begin tracking service hours through GivePulse, please review the SVS Service
Tracking Guidelines to familiarize yourself with what service activities can and cannot
be tracked in the system.
Get started today using your KSU credentials.
Why should I serve?
Serving provides students with an opportunity to advance their careers with field experience that is great for a resume on job applications and for a CV letter on graduate school applications.
Serving also provides students with an opportunity to engage with the community and
create a positive impact for others while bonding with those surrounding you.
How can I serve?
SVS uses a platform called GivePulse to streamline the process of finding service
opportunities. Students can navigate to kennesaw.givepulse.com, sign up using their
KSU credentials, and begin to search for hundreds of service opportunities from upwards
of a hundred local organizations. GivePulse also allows you to sign up for Owls Serve
days, which are days that occur once a month in which students work with other students
to serve a organization in the community. SVS also hosts the KSU Day of Service, which
is a yearly event where our team gathers five-hundred students to serve at upwards
of twenty-five different service sites.
Where should I start?
The SVS department encourages students to sign up and participate in as many Owls
Serve days as possible and the KSU Day of Service. This will allow students to get
started with serving their community without the process being overwhelming. Then,
students can use GivePulse to find various service opportunities as they become more
comfortable. If you need any assistance throughout your journey serving, the Department
of Student Volunteerism and Service is here to assist you as best we can.
The Department of Student Volunteerism and Service reserves the right to have the
final decision in all impact logs made through GivePulse.
Connecting our students with meaningful volunteer opportunities is an important part
of our work. These listings are managed through our GivePulse platform.
Introduction & Guidelines for Affiliates on GivePulse
What is GivePulse?
GivePulse is the official volunteer management platform for Kennesaw State University.
Through GivePulse, community organizations can post volunteer opportunities for students
to take part in. These can range from one-time events to ongoing or long-term opportunities.
Additionally, GivePulse is also the platform through which students will track and
have their hours verified by community partners.
Guidelines and Expectations for Community Partners
To maintain a mutually beneficial partnership with you, we have created the list of
guidelines below, of which we ask all affiliates to abide by when using the platform.
Please read these in its entirety before submitting the affiliate request form.
You are expected to have a welcoming & informational page that includes information
about your organization and updated contact information.
This must be completed before submitting an affiliate application.
You will be expected to renew your KSU affiliation status annually. This is to ensure
that all affiliates remain active on the platform.
KSU administrators will reach out when it is time to renew.
Before submitting an affiliate application, you are expected to meet with a member
of the SVS Team. This meeting will provide you with an overview of GivePulse, applications
for how to use the platform, and more. To schedule this meeting, you can reach out
to Michael Almond (malmond5@kennesaw.edu).
You may share unpaid volunteer opportunities that will support the organization’s mission, including but not limited to:
Direct service, such as working with the population in need (e.g., reading books to
children, delivering meals to homes, etc.).
Indirect service (e.g., organizing a food pantry, cleaning a warehouse, performing
administrative duties, etc.).
Any open volunteer opportunities must be in accordance with SVS’s Guidelines for Tracking Impacts Through GivePulse, which can be found on the Department of Student Volunteerism and Service website (see below).
Every event posted through GivePulse must be inclusive and invite equal participation
from all students, regardless of sex, gender identity, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation,
nationality, age, disability status, and religion.
You are expected to be active on the platform by:
Adding/Removing open opportunities.
Responding to KSU Administrators & registered volunteers.
Verifying submitted service hours within 30 days of submission.
We encourage you to have all members of your organization track their service hours
through GivePulse and share these hours with Kennesaw State University.
You may obtain permission to post an upcoming volunteer event, for which you would like to invite other members of your organization or in the KSU community to participate. To do so, please visit KSU’s GivePulse page and select “Submit an Event” to review the guidelines for Event Submission and submit an event.
Any events or impacts logged through GivePulse must be in accordance with SVS’s Guidelines for Tracking Impacts Through GivePulse, which can be found on the Department of Student Volunteerism and Service website (see below).
The Department of Student Volunteerism and Service reserves the right to approve or
deny any affiliate request. Additionally, an affiliation status may be revoked if
the organization is found not following the expectations listed above.
How to Get Started with GivePulse
GivePulse Introduction Video
To learn more about the platform, please watch the introduction video linked below.
Setting Up a GivePulse page
Follow the instructions to set up a webpage for your organization and affiliate with
Kennesaw State University.
Sign up for a personal user account as givepulse.com
Once logged in, click on “My Activity in the top right and select “Groups” in the dropdown menu.
Click “Create Group” on the right of the page. This is where you will create a page for your organization.
Once you have completed the steps to create a group, you will follow this link to affiliate with KSU’s page.
Review the Expectations and Guidelines for Affiliates before agreeing. Fill out and
submit the remainder of the form.
Schedule a meeting with an SVS staff member
Please email ksuserves@kennesaw.edu to set up a short meeting to discuss getting set up on GivePulse.
A member of the SVS Team will review your affiliate application and be in touch regarding your status. You will receive an email informing you of your status and the next steps you can take.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns with any of the above information,
please do not hesitate to reach out to the Department of Student Volunteerism and
Serviceksuserves@kennesaw.edu.
To learn more about how to use the platform, please watch thisYouTube playlistof videos provided directly from the GivePulse team.
Thank you for playing an active role in fulfilling community needs. The SVS Team recognizes the importance of your work and wants to be as supportive as possible in fulfilling your organization’s mission! We are looking forward to working with you in the future to support volunteerism and service efforts.
SVS encourages you to track your service hours during your time at KSU! GivePulse
is the official volunteer portal for KSU, where students can sign up for volunteer
opportunities and track their hours! Before you track your service hours, please read
through our Service Tracking Guidelines to familiarize yourself with what activities
can and cannot be tracked through the system.
Defining Service
At KSU, the Department of Student Volunteerism & Service defines service as a vital
opportunity that contributes to the common good of the off-campus community. We actively
encourage students to participate in service and discover meaningful ways that their
time can positively impact community organizations and individuals beyond the confines
of our campus. With the significance of service, we aim to foster a sense of purpose
and social responsibility among our student body.
Types of Service Activities That Can Be Tracked Through GivePulse
Participation in any service activity posted by KSU or by a community partner who is affiliated with KSU on GivePulse.
Service completed as a part of a service trip (only hours spent doing service on the trip).
Time spent doing community service with a faith-based organization, if the services are provided to the public with no faith requirement (i.e., building a home through Habitat for Humanity, assisting at a local food bank, etc.).
Non-partisan political activities, such as voter registration drives or volunteering for a voting site on election day.
Types of Service Activities That Cannot Be Tracked Through GivePulse
Work completed for any KSU department, student organization, or athletic team that does not directly serve a need beyond KSU’s campuses. Indirect philanthropy or fundraising activities (i.e., tabling to raise money for an organization, walking/running for charity, attending a meeting to plan/organize a fundraising event, etc.).
Work completed for a for-profit organization that is not an affiliate of KSU on GivePulse.
Items/Money donated do not equate to service hours.
These should be logged with the correct impact type. (See Other Forms of Tracking for more information about how to log this type of impact).
Time spent collecting money or items for donation
Any work for which is paid (i.e., cash, gift card, etc.) or for which other compensation is received (i.e., course credit, unless the course is designated as a service-learning course).
Travel time (car, train, airplane, etc.) to and from a service site, sleep on any service trip, or any time spent on an excursion during a service trip.
Self-improvement experiences, including attending a conference or webinar, shadowing experiences, or professional development.
Participation in a research project either as a participant (i.e., focus group) or a researcher (i.e., lab assistant).
Assistance with any partisan political activities.
Other Forms of Impact Tracking
In addition to tracking service hours, you can also track other forms of impact in GivePulse, such as donated items or money.
To do this, change the type of impact you are making using the drop-down feature on the impact submission form. Then, enter a list of items or the amount of money donated.
Please note when attempting to log an amount of money donated, you will be asked to
submit a copy of the receipt to verify this donation.
If you have any unanswered questions after reading these guidelines, please feel free
to reach us at ksuserves@kennesaw.edu. A member of our team will reply as soon as possible.
Please Note: This is a living document and may be updated in the future with more information
or examples. We will make sure to provide the most up to date version on our website.
The Department of Student Volunteerism & Service reserves the right to have the final
decision in all impact logs made through GivePulse.
Stay Connected with Student Volunteerism and Service