In ServeUTK, you can add “Impacts” after service opportunities that can fulfill service requirements for courses, programs, and service medallions.
What is an Impact?
On ServeUTK, “Impact” is used as an umbrella term to describe all potential forms of community engagement. An impact can be described as funds donated, funds raised, goods donated, hours trained, voting, training, research, and, most often, volunteer hours served.
The Jones Center for Leadership and Service further defines impact time as non-compensated activities that are organized in partnership with a non-profit or mutual aid organization and directly benefit the larger public or external community, beyond the UT campus.
We recommend reading through our service guidelines prior to tracking anything in ServeUTK.
Tracking Impact
You can always add an impact by going to the top right of the page and clicking “Hi [Name],” then “Add Impact” from the drop-down menu.
You will then be asked where you created an impact and you will find the organization you served with. You can search by name or location (if you search by name, make sure you update the location to reflect the location of the group you are looking for) or look through a list of your groups by clicking “My Groups.”
You will then fill out the required information and submit your impact (see below for more details). Please note ALL impacts must include a reflection or description of the tasks you completed while serving in order to be network verified.
If you want to share your impact with a group, you will need to be on their group roster. If you are on the roster, you will be able to share your impact with your group at the bottom of the Add Impact page.
You can find more information with step-by-step instructions on this website.
Impact Verification Process
Once your impact is submitted, it will be sent to your verifier for review. All impacts that have been pending for more than 31 days will be disputed. To resend the verification request, you can log in and then go to My Activity > Impacts. Find the impact you need to resend verification for and click the small blue arrow next to it and then Verification Logs. At the top of the screen you will see the option to resend the verification request. Please note, you can only resend it every three days.
After impacts are verified, they will be network verified by the Jones Center for Leadership and Service. All tracked impacts are subject to review by the Jones Center for Leadership and Service staff and must be able to be verified by a nonprofit partner or volunteer event manager first.
Why impacts may not be verified
There are many reasons why an impact submitted to ServeUTK may not be verified. Here is a list of the most common impacts that can be submitted to ServeUTK but will not be verified (and will be disputed) by the Jones Center for Leadership and Service.
- Donations of any type, including but not limited to money, supplies, clothing, food, blood, etc. You can track this impact using the money or goods measurement in ServeUTK.
- Indirect Philanthropy and Fundraising Activities:
- Attending meetings related to planning or organizing fundraising events, such as VOLthon, Relay for Life, etc.;
- Attending a fundraising activity (including VOLthon or Relay for Life) but not engaging in direct service;
- Running or walking in a 5K, walk, or race for charity;
- Greek philanthropic events such as percentage nights or working a phone bank or other events to raise money for the national Greek organization or the organization’s philanthropy.
- Projects completed with any for-profit organization/business, even if the work was unpaid. Any substantial activities of this kind should be pursued as an internship.
- Internships, clinicals, practicums, or field experience work in hospitals, clinics, or similar organizations. This includes time spend job shadowing and observing.
- Self-directed “projects” without the oversight of a supporting community organization, such as trash pick-up or recycling, tutoring for free, helping elderly neighbors with yard work, babysitting/pet-sitting for free for private individuals, etc.
- Activities completed for the benefit of a student organization or UT athletic team or department (i.e., tabling, Peer Mentoring, serving as an ambassador to a department, being a student organization officer, UT Sports Nutrition/Fuel Station, Sports Ambassadors, etc.).
- Participation in self-improvement workshops, clinics, conferences, or conventions.
- Participating in a research project either as a participant (i.e., focus group) or a researcher (i.e., a lab assistant).
- Helping with a campus program that does not directly serve a population beyond the UT campus.
- Partisan political activities (ex. working on a specific political campaign)