(1160) Analysis of Membership and Attendance Motivations

Objectives: Student participation in student organizations is essential to the mission and success of the chapter in serving the university and the state of New Jersey communities. Understanding what motivates students to be active with an organization can help student leaders optimize initiatives and help align members with organizational goals. The objective of this study is to identify the perceptions and factors driving membership growth and retention by analyzing surveys during the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) General Interest Meeting (GIM). Additionally, this study aims to provide valuable insights and guidance to leaders of student organizations for designing future events and optimizing the chapter’s offerings for their members.

Methods: Students attending the APhA-ASP chapter general interest meeting at a school of pharmacy were encouraged to participate in an electronic survey, utilizing Google Forms. Baseline demographics were collected including students’ class year, ethnicity, gender, age, and work experience. In addition, the survey included inquiries about their preferred method of communication, current involvement with APhA-ASP, how they first learned about the organization, motivations driving their membership, and events that piqued their interest in participation. The survey also gauged students’ willingness to engage in our mentorship program, designed for our leadership development within APhA-ASP to assess their interest in potential leadership opportunities.

Results: A total of 59 students participated in the survey with 25.4% (15/59) in the preprofessional years of pharmacy school. Approximately 49% (29/59) of respondents were in a leadership position and 37.3% (22/59) were current members. The predominant motivator, cited by 89.8% (53/59) of respondents, was the desire to network with fellow students. Additionally, the majority of students (89.8%) indicated their motivation for being active within a student organization is cultivating leadership skills and opportunities. Furthermore, scholarship opportunities were a compelling factor for 49.2% (29/59) of participants, emphasizing the importance of financial incentives. A noteworthy 40.7% (24/59) expressed their interest in post-graduate training opportunities provided by APhA-ASP, reflecting a keen focus on career development. Engaging on a national level also appealed to 40.7% (24/59) of students, underscoring the organization's broader influence. Lastly, a minority, 1.7%, expressed a specific interest in pharmacy involvement within the organization, indicating a niche within the student population.

Conclusions: Member motivation and involvement within a student organization is a driver of a chapter’s success and productivity, and motivations for student involvement vary from cultivating leadership skills and networking opportunities to financial and other incentives. Our results demonstrate that the predominant motivators for students joining our APhA-ASP chapter are the cultivation of leadership skills (89.8%) and networking opportunities (89.8%) provided by the organization. These findings provide valuable insights into the diverse motivations shaping student participation in student organizations and offer guidance for tailoring future initiatives and events to meet the varying needs and interests of pharmacy students. Thus, to maximize attendance and attract more students to join, emphasis should be placed on these aspects of an organization during the planning and marketing stages. That being said, in order to improve the real-world validity of these results, there would need to be a larger sample size and a reduction in confounding variables.