Diversity and Community Engagement
The University of Mississippi

Archive for January, 2021

The Pulse – Introducing GP to Students

Posted on: January 25th, 2021 by elpayseu

In this tutorial, Jilkiah Bryant, area coordinator for health & wellbeing, introduces us to the basics of GivePulse, shows how it will benefit students, and how to create your own account. These video slideshows will be coming to you each week as our area coordinator team highlights some of the best features of GivePulse and how you or your organization can reap the benefits.

So, what is GivePulse? GivePulse is a community of volunteers, professionals, civic leaders and service-learning students. It enables you to capture your impact in your community and search for local events, organizations, and the causes you care most about. This platform serves as your go-to for community service, civic engagement, and for finding opportunities that fit who you are as a person. 

Why GivePulse? GivePulse allows your community and its members to be uplifted by providing a platform that allows us to track and measure the impacts we make. Whether it be voting, volunteering, teaching, or training, in the LOU community or on campus. By sharing our service experience through GivePulse, we inspire those around us to also get involved and engaged in our communities. This platform allows us to promote and enhance the way we do community engagement.

Now that we’ve covered the “what” and the “why,” let’s get you started on the “how.”

How do I get started on GivePulse? 

  1. Just go to olemiss.givepulse.com and click “Login via OleMiss.”
    • This should take you to the myOleMiss web portal where you can login with your myOleMiss credentials.
  2. Now that you have logged in, you can start building out your profile!
    • Make sure to add a profile picture and a personal bio.
  3. Join Groups
  4. Add impacts and start tracking your community engagement.

How do I join Groups?

  1. From your profile/dashboard, click “Get Involved” in the upper right hand corner.
  2. Make sure to toggle the “Events/Groups” button to “Groups.” This will show you all of the groups you can join in your area. 
    • You can also search for groups all over the country. Just type in the zip code or city you wish to serve.
  3. Find the Group you would like to join and click “Become Member” on their homepage.
    • This allows you to stay up to date on that group’s events and opportunities as well as share your impacts with that group.
  4. Make sure to join the University of Mississippi group in order to share your impacts with our campus community!

For assistance with GivePulse, make sure to contact our area coordinator team via engaged@olemiss.edu, and be on the lookout for regular GivePulse orientation sessions as well as our GivePulse Huddles where we gather with campus and community members to share tips & tricks on how to make the most out of GivePulse.

For more information:

2021 MLK Campaign of Service

Posted on: January 11th, 2021 by elpayseu

Carrying on Dr. King’s legacy of service, justice, and community

Service is at the heart of every leader. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an exceptional leader who fought for racial justice and equality for all Americans. To work toward that Beloved community, one must act on assisting others and bettering our communities. Dr King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?” Service is an opportunity for us to live out that legacy, love our neighbors, and make our communities better for all of us. . It allows us to come together across race/ ethnicity, religious background, socioeconomic status and rediscover our common humanity.

Normally, this time of year, we would be gearing up for our MLK Day of Service, an annual gathering of campus and community members giving back to our community. This year, in light of the pandemic, we are unable to gather together in person. 

Therefore, we are pleased to announce our 2021 MLK Campaign of Service, a 10-Day campaign for each of us to pledge to live out Dr. King’s commitment to serve others by investing in our communities – wherever we are, however we can. Perhaps we volunteer with a local agency, or write letters. Maybe we collect supplies or donate money to relief efforts. There are myriads of ways we can serve. This year, as individuals, families, and communities have been ravaged by a virus, by racial violence, by economic and racial injustice, we can recommit ourselves to the work that belonged not just to Dr. King, but to the ongoing work that belongs to each of us – to seek justice, to love others, and to make our communities better than we found them. 

Pledge your commitment to join us in the 2021 MLK Campaign of Service to demonstrate that renewed commitment yourself and do a tangible action for your community – we have different options for you to choose from or create your own. Our goal is that 1000 campus and community members would join us in living out Dr. King’s legacy by participating in some type of community engagement over these 10 days.

<< Sign the pledge here and commit to make an impact.>>

Other ways to join in the commemoration of Dr. King:

Attend the virtual MLK Community-Wide Celebration 

Join OxFilm at the Drive-In for a screening of FBI

The Pulse – Why GivePulse?

Posted on: January 4th, 2021 by elpayseu

In this new series, The Pulse, our OCE team introduces GivePulse, our new online community engagement platform. In this first post, OCE Area Coordinator Madison Alliston shares how GivePulse is helpful for our nonprofit partners and broader community. 

When I was a kid what I wanted more than anything in the world was to be a superhero when I grew up. I wanted to save the day, defeat the villain, and get all the glory in sparkling tights and a long cape. But as I grew up, my childhood job of saving the day faded away. That was where I was wrong, because I can be a superhero by serving others using GivePulse.

GivePulse, an online platform for service organizations and nonprofits, allows individuals to become superheroes be helping them make a difference each and every day. This program helps volunteers, non-profits, service organizations, and students find unique, exciting, and educational opportunities for social change. Instead of waiting for the bat signal to appear, individuals can log on and find service organizations in their area with a touch of a button. <<Check out GivePulse here.>>

But how exactly does GivePulse benefit individuals and nonprofits compared to other volunteer platforms? There are numerous benefits for volunteers and organizations who use GivePulse.

1). GivePulse connects nonprofit agencies, student groups and the University of Mississippi throughout the Oxford community.

Community partners who use this program give the students at the University of Mississippi the opportunity to become superheroes. GivePulse integrates with the Ole Miss Forum, a platform students use to find events, organizations, and news articles on Campus. Because GivePulse lists all events in the community, the integration of the two programs is extremely helpful in connecting students with volunteer opportunities in Oxford.

2). GivePulse enables non-profits and service organizations to easily and efficiently create and list events, recruit volunteers, and track volunteers in the Oxford area.

Community partners who use this program can advertise outreach opportunities to more student organizations at the University of Mississippi. Service organizations are easily able to approve and edit submitted projects, events, and opportunities in five minutes or less. Students are able to easily register to volunteer for events and supply drives posted on GivePulse AND access a full service summary of all of their volunteer hours and impacts.

<<Check out this Socks and Scivvies Drive posted by Volunteer NE Mississippi.>>

3). GivePulse is extremely user friendly and easy for nonprofits, service organizations, and students to navigate.

Community partners who use this program can effectively communicate with volunteers through message boards and email. GivePulse provides a platform for volunteers to track and measure the impact of their volunteerism and allows service organizations to track and evaluate their effectiveness of their outreach efforts in the Oxford Community.

<<So far, in our first month, the University of Mississippi community has tracked 136 people with 166 impacts, 569 hours, and an economic impact of $15,463! That’s the power of tracking our collective impact, AND we’re just getting started!>>

4). GivePulse allows nonprofits and service organizations to share information about their organization conveniently to more volunteers.

Community partners who use this program can connect their Facebooks, Instagrams and websites on GivePulse. Service Organizations and nonprofits can spread the message about their group and connect other service platforms they use to obtain more student volunteers.

5).  GivePulse helps nonprofits and service organizations answer any and all questions quickly and accurately.

Community partners who use GivePulse can communicate with the program’s customer support online through email, webinars, or documentation. Unlike other online service platforms, GivePulse’s customer support team are ready to help users when they need it. I personally have emailed them and received help within minutes.

GivePulse has helped me to realize that I can be a superhero to others. I can make a difference in someone’s life. Having the ability to find numerous service opportunities in the Oxford community has inspired me to make a lasting impact on my community and acquire valuable life skills.

For more information: