Anthology Engage Institutions: Smooth Transition with a $10,000 Engagement Grant >>One platform, two years on: how UniSQ Student Guild keeps growing
AUSTRALIA
UniSQ Student Guild does a lot for students – advocacy, clubs and societies, events, memberships and member communications – across the University of Southern Queensland’s Toowoomba, Springfield and Ipswich campuses.
When the Guild took over clubs and societies in 2024, it brought those functions together on Rubric. Two years on, that decision is still paying off: new club applications are up 3-4×, engagement and membership are growing, and the team has grown into newer parts of the platform. As Andrew Johnson puts it, “simplified business makes for better business.”
The background
In 2024, the University handed oversight of clubs and societies to the Guild – which suddenly needed one system to run them. Until then, the Guild managed advocacy, clubs, events and memberships across multiple platforms, spreadsheets and manual processes, and that fragmentation made everyday work harder than it should be:
A scattered view of members – data lived in several places at once, with little joining it up.
Slow, clunky reporting that made it hard to track engagement and measure impact.
A steep learning curve for every new casual or student staff member.
Newly inherited clubs that needed a streamlined way to handle affiliation, membership and events (fast!).
The solution
The Guild adopted Rubric as its primary student engagement platform, bringing advocacy, clubs, events, memberships and member communications into one system. Because everything sits in the same place, every team now works in a shared space with centralised data.
A key example is the advocacy module, built out over the past two years – UniSQ Student Guild was one of the first to adopt it. For Andrew, it reflects how closely the platform tracks the needs of the sector:
The impact
More clubs forming
New club applications are up 3-4×, and the Guild now manages 62 clubs in one place.
Centralised data and simpler operations
One platform across every focus area means less duplication and easier reporting.
Engagement and membership growing
The Guild has seen real growth in students engaging across all areas, and in overall membership, which Andrew calls critical to the student guild.
Faster staff onboarding
New casual and student staff get up to speed quickly on one simple system, rather than learning a handful of different tools.
In Andrew's words
Andrew Johnson — General Manager, UniSQ Student Guild
About UniSQ Student Guild
The University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) Student Guild is the independent organisation supporting students across UniSQ’s Toowoomba, Springfield and Ipswich campuses. Built on the belief that success at university goes beyond academics, the Guild looks after students’ social, physical and emotional wellbeing throughout their studies and into their careers – spanning advocacy and welfare, clubs and societies, social and sporting events, fitness facilities, and venue hire.
62
clubs
3
campuses
22,000+
students supported
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