Physicists, physics students, and community members engage with each other through avariety of informal physics programs. These programs differ in format, such as after school programs, public lectures, planetariums, summer camps, and other non-formal classroom environments. These programs also differ in the physics topics they cover, activities, audience demographics, frequency of events, and involved personnel. While studies have found that these programs have positive impacts on audiences and volunteers, we do not fully understand the organizational and programmatic structures of these programs or their impacts on those involved with these programs.In this work, I apply an organizational theory framework to understand and analyzesix functional aspects of informal physics programming: Assessment, Audience, Institution, Personnel, Program, and Resources. One finding is that the personnel have a central role in the functionality of these programs, however, program leaders often experience challenges because most of the responsibilities are placed on a single person. Program leaders state they want to do more assessment of their programs, but lack the time, resources, or experience to do so. Building off of my findings, I developed an empirical framework of key components. This framework identifies 12 key components of informal physics programming that program leaders have control over and that are important to the program’s functionality. Identifying these components lays the groundwork for developing tools and resources that program leaders can use to support and improve their programs. Multiple of these components are centered around the recruitment and support of volunteers. Since these are voluntary positions, understanding the motivations of volunteers can help program leaders to better support their personnel. I interviewed alumni who had volunteered in informal physics programs as university students. I applied a volunteerism framework to understand their motivations for volunteering in the first place and the impacts that volunteering had on their career pursuits. The findings of these studies help to identify the aspects of informal physics programs that are crucial for program functionality and how some of these aspects impact those who facilitate these learning spaces.
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