Project Director

Roundy, Philip T.

Department Examiner

Olson, Steven D.

Department

Dept. of Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

The challenge of attracting and maintaining members in student-led organizations (SLO) inspired this thesis. Current research literature was used to create a presentation for student leaders. The presentation applied marketing principles as well as best practices suggested by the research. Interviews with four student leaders and two administrators involved in student activities were conducted to interact with the research. Their insights suggested that the strongest factor in attracting students was social, whether personal invitation or a sense of belonging to the group. The strongest deterrent to participation was a perception that the benefits did not outweigh time commitments to school and work. Best practices based on the research included communicating values and goals, promoting community, offering a variety of opportunities, and utilizing a variety of modes to connect with students. The process of assembling current literature into a presentation and receiving feedback from student leaders based on their experiences provided practical insights into best practices for attracting and maintaining students.

IRB Number

21-079

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2022

Subject

College students; Participation; Student activities

Keyword

Student-led organization; engagement; participation; marketing

Discipline

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | Marketing

Document Type

Theses

Extent

i, 45 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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