Case Study: Batesville Community Education Foundation builds workforce pipeline and student social capital with PeopleGrove

Batesville Community Education Foundation addresses workforce development, helps high school students build social capital

Batesville Community Education Foundation (BCEF) supports Batesville Community Schools in rural Indiana and works to fund innovative learning and workforce development programs. Faced with roughly 40% of graduates leaving the community and local employers struggling to fill roles, BCEF sought a way to connect students with alumni, employers, and mentors; they turned to PeopleGrove to build a high‑school community platform.

BCEF launched "Bulldogs Connect" using PeopleGrove’s platform — including the Alumni Directory, Groups, and job-posting features — funded by a $20,000 local grant and boosted by employer sponsors. The PeopleGrove-powered network now engages about 500 students, 400 alumni and 50 employers, with 52% of users having two-way connections; sponsors rose from 23 to 36 after the launch, job fairs returned with greater participation, and students are finding mentors and job leads through the PeopleGrove-enabled community.

Batesville Community Education Foundation

Anne Wilson

Executive Director