GivePulse Help FAQ

GivePulse is an online volunteer management platform used by volunteer organizations and universities across the country. Washington State University uses GivePulse to track both student and volunteer activities. The WSU Extension Master Gardener Program uses GivePulse to maintain volunteer records, capture activity data, process certifications, generate rosters and directories, and produce required state and federal reporting.

An authorized WSU GivePulse account will be created on your behalf and you will receive an invitation with a personal link to claim it. Step-by-step instructions will be provided for claiming your new account and it is important to follow them carefully to successfully complete the setup. Please do not attempt to create your own GivePulse account.

Please check your Spam or Junk folder, in addition to your Inbox. If you’re still unable to find the invitation email from Washington State University | GivePulse, please contact the Program Office at king.mg@wsu.edu and request to have your personal invitation link email sent again. Please do not attempt to use another volunteer’s invitation link.

One-page Quick Guides can be found on the GivePulse Help page in our Volunteer Portal. If you need additional help, you may email our GivePulse Help Team at systemhelp@kingmg.org with a description of your issue or question, your preferred contact method and best times to reach you. An Extension Master Gardener volunteer from our GivePulse Help Team will respond within 48 hours.

Information from your original application has been used to create your WSU GivePulse account, but not all information can be imported for you. We need your help in reviewing and updating your information, as needed, along with completing some additional information for your ongoing participation in the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program.

Please review the one-page GivePulse Quick Guide: Log Into Give Pulse on the GivePulse Help page in our Volunteer Portal for our private Give Pulse link and step-by-step instructions. Your user ID is your personal email address. If you’ve forgotten the password you created when you claimed your account, you may click the “Forgot Password” link on the login page to reset it.

No, the GivePulse mobile application does not support our state-mandated reporting requirements at this time. You may access the web version of GivePulse on your mobile device, instead.

You may have logged into the wrong website. Please review the GivePulse Quick Guide: Log Into GivePulse on the GivePulse Help page in our Volunteer Portal for help with logging in. To ensure our Program’s system configuration and customizations work in your account, it is important to always log in through our private GivePulse page, which is at https://wsu.givepulse.com/group/453122-WSU-King-County-Master-Gardeners. Please save this link as a favorite, bookmark or shortcut on your device.

Please review the GivePulse Quick Guide: Record Hours In GivePulse on the GivePulse Help page in our Volunteer Portal for help with entering your hours.

GivePulse uses the term “impact” to describe a volunteer activity. The volunteer service and continuing education activities you complete as a WSU Extension Master Gardener will be referred to as impacts in GivePulse. When we record our time for an activity, we “add an impact” and enter required details about the activity.

It’s required by state law. We’re covered by workers’ compensation insurance (medical aid only), so the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries requires us to complete timesheets. Our GivePulse entries with Start Time and End Time satisfy this state requirement.

Please enter your Start and End Times to the nearest 5-minute increment. We do not automatically round up our time.

No, hours may be recorded only when the activity has been completed.

If you are unsure which impact category to use, you may consult your activity leader or contact the Program Office at king.mg@wsu.edu. Available impact categories for volunteer time entry include Answer/Plant Clinics, Continuing Education, Demonstration Gardens, Other Educational Delivery, Program Support and Youth Outreach. Special events, such as Staying Mission Driven meetings, are pre-coded with a category, which will appear on your transcript after your entry is processed.

No, we do not utilize the Review, Reflection and Feedback section for communication and the Program Office does not usually access it, but you are welcome to capture notes in this section for your own personal reference. Any feedback or requests you wish to communicate must be emailed to the Program Office at king.mg@wsu.edu.

No, our impacts must always be shared with Washington State University, because the Extension Master Gardener Program is part of the University. Please do not change the Sharing and Privacy settings, or your hours may not be captured in our records. Only authorized Program and University staff have access to your GivePulse data.

All newly entered or newly updated impacts are automatically assigned Pending status until they are processed by the Program Office. The status will change to Verified once the impact has been processed. The Program Office does not have a set schedule for processing impacts, but it will typically be done at least monthly.

No, as an Extension Master Gardener, you are trusted to report honestly. However, every impact entry must still be reviewed to ensure the data was captured correctly for our required state and federal reporting.

Please review the one-page GivePulse Quick Guide: Update or Delete GivePulse Entry on the GivePulse Help page in our Volunteer Portal for help with updating or deleting a time entry (impact). When you update an impact in Verified status, it will automatically change back to Pending status for Program Office review and this is not a cause for concern. The Program Office and System Administrator do not have the ability to delete an impact on your behalf.

A status of “Disputed” simply means there was an error in the impact entry. The notification you received will include an explanation of the error, along with a link to update or delete the Impact, if needed.

Please review the GivePulse Quick Guide: Obtain GivePulse Hours Report on the GivePulse Help page in our Volunteer Portal for instructions to obtain a report of your hours for a specific date range. Your hours report includes only Verified entries and will not reflect any Pending entries.

Ensure you’ve set the correct date range and remember that impacts in Pending status will not appear in your hours report until they have been processed and the status has changed to Verified.

As WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers, we are required to keep our time reporting up to date at least monthly, per the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program Handbook, rev. 2020. However, you are strongly encouraged to record your hours as soon as possible after you volunteer, while the information is still fresh.

Yes, it’s very important to report all of your hours, even after completing your annual requirements! Our reported volunteer hours help us secure the funding necessary to continue operating our Program, including state and federal funding through WSU and donations raised by our Foundation. In addition, you will not be covered by our workers’ compensation insurance (medical coverage) if you don’t report your hours.

No, the Program Office is not able to enter hours on your behalf. If you are unable to perform this task yourself, please consider engaging a family member or friend to assist.

Please email the Program Office and Sarah Moore at king.mg@wsu.edu, instead. Although they can receive messages through GivePulse, it is more difficult to manage and respond that way. The Program Office team can more effectively and efficiently support you via email.

This information is posted on the home page of our private GivePulse group at https://wsu.givepulse.com/group/453122-WSU-King-County-Master-Gardeners. Please log in to view the page. You may email the Program Office at king.mg@wsu.edu if you have questions after reviewing the posted information.

These items cannot be accessed by navigating in GivePulse. If you have been designated by your clinic leader, garden leader or other team leader to submit a specific type of activity report on their behalf, they will provide a direct link to the form you need. For other forms, including the annual certification application, links will be provided in communications from the Program Office or you may email the Program Office at king.mg@wsu.edu.