Topic 1: The Membership Board will engage in the ongoing scanning of critical issues and current events in society and in the field as it relates to APA and/or membership to serve as a conduit for sharing critical issues with the Membership Office.
Overview and background
APA’s Membership Office provides a wide range of benefits, resources, and services for its members. While the Membership Office focuses on retrieval of membership demographics and information gathering, delivery of services, and dissemination of resource materials, the Membership Office may not be fully aware of emerging content issues impacting the applied practice for members and education within the field of psychology. As such, the close teaming between the Membership Office and Membership Board offers a holistic approach to meeting the comprehensive needs of APA members. The intent of this initiative was to increase the bilateral communication between the Membership Office and the Membership Board, reduce redundancies, and increase collaborative efforts toward bolstering sustaining membership in the APA. Critical issue scanning was an important focus carried over into the 2024 strategic plan, with an ongoing effort to be a conduit for sharing timely issues and relevant trends with the Membership Office.
Strategic alignment
Issue scanning of current events in society and the field as it relates to APA and/or membership aligns with APA’s strategic goals in the following areas: Utilize psychology to make a positive impact on critical societal issues, prepare the discipline and profession of psychology for the future, strengthen APA’s standing as an authoritative voice for psychology.
Outcome
The Membership Board collaborated with the Membership Office to develop necessary modifications in the APA membership application submission and review process. The Membership Board established clarifying language useful in describing the criteria for the differentiation of various membership categories. This involved two priority areas of focus:
- The Membership Board recognized the need for a revised application review toolkit for applications requiring additional follow-up after the initial review by the Membership Office. With guidance from the Membership Board’s Science and Technology Member, Dr. Bradley, the Membership Board developed an updated computerized toolkit with an accompanying reworked rubric and flowchart that were in synchrony with each other. These improvements now serve to facilitate a smoother and more consistent flow with APA membership application reviews for the various membership categories.
- The Membership Board identified repeated challenges in reviewing foreign applicants for various appropriate membership categories. Following consultation and input from the Office of International Affairs (IA) and Committee on Global Psychology, and in conjunction with the Membership Office, a clearer process for international/global membership applicants was established, along with clarifications on necessary information and materials for submission. As the International Affiliates membership category is currently one of the fastest-growing membership category groups in APA, the Office of International Affairs has worked in partnership with various international groups to develop MOUs for joining APA. An accompanying letter was developed for foreign applicants who wanted to be considered for full or associate membership to automate the process and provide clearer communication on the criteria being requested. Noteworthy, the Psychology Supporter category which rolled out in the Fall of 2024 has created a viable space for new membership applications that may not meet all the criteria for full or associate membership but would like to engage and promote the field of psychology.
Topic 2: Educating the Membership Office about member challenges and member perspectives-particularly those things that might not necessarily show up in market research.
Overview and background
Each member of the Membership Board represents a particular slate (i.e., ECP, science/academic, practice, education, diversity, etc.) and within that representation is the “eyes and ears” of that constituency group. Given the engagement with each constituency, there is valuable information that can be gleaned which may not always be represented or demonstrated in market research. As such, the Membership Board, developed what it termed “pain points” that are now shared with the Membership Office. This intended focus creates a greater exchange of ideas and facilitates expanded communication and working alliances between the Membership Office and Membership Board.
Strategic alignment
Educating the membership office about member challenges and member-perspectives, particularly items that may not always show up in market research aligns with APA’s strategic goals in the following areas: Utilize psychology to make a positive impact on critical societal issues, prepare the discipline and profession of psychology for the future, strengthen APA’s standing as an authoritative voice for psychology.
Outcome
The Membership Office identified a top reason members join APA is to keep up with news and trends in the field. The Membership Board’s agenda item has included “pain points” to encourage and facilitate dialogue around emerging areas that board members were becoming aware of from each of their respective constituency groups. The “2 Tiered Psychology Profession” issue flowing from the accreditation of master’s level programs and the call for comments on the Competency Framework for Masters and Doctoral Education was a timely and critically relevant area of discussion. Membership Board perspectives representing various constituency groups were shared with the Membership Office and the APA Board of Directors. Perspectives involved questions about how APA was planning to preserve doctoral-level identities and competencies; potential ways the 2-Tiered Psychology Profession changes might impact the mission and focus of APA; and corresponding implications for membership recruitment, retention, and allocation of resources for the various membership categories. The Membership Board advocated for proactive membership planning in light of likely transitions and evolving needs in the field.
Topic 3: Increase representation of perspectives on the Membership Board from multiple constituencies within the field of psychology.
Overview and background
The Membership Board consists of multiple slates, intended to represent a broad range of members. Given the changing demographics and evolving needs of the field, it is important for the Membership Board to constantly examine the established slates. The Membership Board seeks to evaluate whether the current slate categories are reflective of the changing community needs and aspects of APA membership to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are reflected in the categories.
Strategic alignment
Increasing representation of perspectives on the membership board from multiple constituencies within the field of psychology aligns with APA’s strategic goals in the following areas: Utilize psychology to make a positive impact on critical societal issues, prepare the discipline and profession of psychology for the future, strengthen APA’s standing as an authoritative voice for psychology.
Outcome
Membership Board elections in 2024 for new 2025 members included slates to represent Public Interest, Graduate Student Member, Early Career, and Diversity. In 2024, the Membership Board created a Social Media/Technology slate for the 2026-2028 term whose expertise would be invaluable in all forms of traditional and evolving media and emerging technologies. This identified representative would offer a wealth of knowledge on the impact of media on human behavior and the development of media literacy essential to the public and the psychology profession.
