Director of Membership
Organization Description:
Since 1981, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy) has served as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, collaborating with the Presidio Trust, partners, donors, and the community to support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The GGNRA stretches across three Bay Area counties, north and south of the Golden Gate Bridge, and includes iconic places such as Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, Alcatraz Island, Crissy Field, Mori Point, Lands End, and the Presidio of San Francisco.
The Parks Conservancy engages at the intersection of national park sites, local communities, social justice, and climate resilience. Collaborating with partners, our staff are dedicated to enhancing public awareness and providing volunteer and educational opportunities in the parks. We are park builders, caretakers, ambassadors, and educators, all working to connect people to parks, in support of our vision Parks for All Forever. Join us!
Position Overview:
The Director of Membership reports to the Chief Development Officer and provides vision, leadership, management, and oversight within the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s Development & Membership Branch. The Director collaborates with an array of employees in other branches within the Parks Conservancy, and our partners primarily at the National Parks Service and the Presidio Trust, to fulfill our vision. This role is responsible for three key areas:
- Lead the overall strategy and direction of the Parks Conservancy membership program and two affiliated membership programs (Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and One Tam); an opportunity to evaluate the current programs and membership model, and examine the potential for developing a compelling new unified strategy for expanding our community of members.
- Manage, analyze and advance all phases of the membership program, including recruitment, welcome, on-boarding, engagement, exclusive member content, membership experience, member retention, and revenue generation. Revenue tools currently include digital marketing, events, direct mail and will include development of a new member app to cultivate a sense of community among members.
- Coordinate and oversee operational and administrative services to support all staff within the Development & Membership Branch and coordinate with other Branches where needed. Update and establish operational and administrative strategies, policies and protocols to maximize effectiveness of data systems and technology deployment. On-site office, storage and working space and equipment management, as well as support to branch-members who telework several days per week will be needed.
A successful Director of Membership is enthusiastic about the Parks Conservancy’s mission, has a strong belief in the importance of philanthropy, values community building, and can build strong relationships with members and donors that are critical to the organization’s success. This position requires exceptional leadership and collaboration skills and the ability to think strategically and operate interdependently. The Development & Membership Branch values professional entrepreneurship and an openness to the power of learning from our experiences.
This full-time position is based in the Parks Conservancy’s headquarters at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Work is performed primarily in an office setting, including a mix of telework and onsite. The Conservancy currently requires a minimum of four full days per month onsite; however, in many instances it would require more onsite days either in the office or visiting park sites in order to meet the essential requirements of the position. This role is expected to work onsite at Fort Mason for two or more days per week. Work may include weekends and evenings, and may take place in locations other than Fort Mason.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
Membership Program
- Accountable for all aspects of the membership program, providing vision, leadership, management, and strategic oversight.
- Direct all member acquisition and retention programs, raising additional operating and program gifts (up to $1,000), and providing excellent customer service to supporters and the public.
- Oversee all member events, including member acquisition and stewardship gatherings, often working closely with the Special Events unit within the branch.
- Manage, with staff and contractors, the direct mail/direct response strategy.
- Develop and execute an in-house digital marketing strategy for fundraising, member acquisition, renewals, and monthly giving in coordination with the Parks Conservancy Communications and Public Affairs Branch.
- Lead and advance a culture of data competency, data leveraging and data protection.
- Expand and streamline processes for collection and input of strategic and quality data into our data system(s).
- Bring an innovative and resonant approach to membership marketing strategies, new technology interfaces with members and within the Parks Conservancy branches, piloting, researching and testing experiences and premiums that reflect the values of the Parks Conservancy.
- Gather member feedback, test new ideas, and refine membership experience, content, and benefits. Shape and improve the membership program through input received, making improvements, adding new features, or refining content strategy to increase member engagement and commitment to park stewardship.
- Establish constituent performance goals and priorities including the formulation of an annual program budget to reflect both revenue and expenses; coordinate with other stakeholders to maximize return on investment (ROI), member/donor conversion and retention.
- Evaluate campaign performance against performance benchmarks and develop communication tools to share appropriate and useful information with senior executives of the Parks Conservancy and our partners.
Branch Leadership and Management
- Budgeting: this position will serve as the branch liaison with the Finance and Accounting Branch and will support the Chief Development Officer in budgeting, financial modeling, scenario projections, reforecasting, and reporting.
- Modernize and leverage organizational data systems’ platforms, teams, and resources, working in close collaboration with other branches, including for example Communications and Public Affairs, Operations, Interpretive Centers and Retail Sales, and departments within each.
- Project management: (including strategic planning implementation) for special projects, such as research, evaluation, benchmarking, and strategy development.
- Staff supervision of the Strategic Services team: including full-time professional staff and contractors.
- Operational and administrative leadership and problem-solving: as assigned by the Chief Development Officer.
Strategic Operations and Services
- Oversee all donor and member communications projects, including written appeals, cases for support, acknowledgement letters, and organizational fundraising collateral materials, working very closely with the Philanthropy unit.
- Develop the Branch’s prospect research functions, with the goal of developing member and donor pipelines in alignment with all aspects of the donor lifecycle.
- Provide support and supervise staff and contractors who bring administrative capacity to the Branch, frontline fundraisers, and Chief Development Officer.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Proven professional experience in development and membership operations, including experience specifically leading membership-based nonprofit organizational activities.
- Demonstrated managerial talent in member program advancement and growth, fundraising operations, and administration of a membership strategy, including adaptation of new technology to put members and donors in the center of strategies to support mission, vision and values.
- Experience in recruiting, hiring, evaluating, mentoring, and developing staff with a variety of functional roles (communications, coding, digital marketing, events, and prospect research). Proven ability to confidently guide others, including direct reports, in setting and meeting fundraising goals and in managing and balancing member and donor relationships.
- Ability to lead and motivate others; be confident working with colleagues at all levels, board members, and community leaders, gaining their respect and confidence. Ability to work well with staff members regardless of position in any office hierarchy; willingness to share credit.
- Strong research and data analysis skills, including ability to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to produce high quality work products in a consistent, efficient, accurate, and timely manner.
- Knowledge of database software and information storage and relationships, in order to design best collection, storage and retrieval of information protocols, practices, and procedures.
- Professional personal values align with Parks Conservancy employee and management policies, exemplify our organization, and model behaviors consistent with our mission, vision and values. Commitment to abide by these tenets and manage people and relationships accordingly.
- Experience in crafting budgets and working closely with finance and accounting professionals to ensure that revenue and expenses are properly tracked and processes are coordinated.
- Ability to take information from many sources and distill it to core messages that are communicated succinctly to different audiences.
- Ability to speak passionately and authentically about the history, achievements, and future direction of the Parks Conservancy; ability to effectively articulate that vision to a diverse audience.
- A commitment to promoting and supporting an environment of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Demonstrated experience engaging and supporting groups of diverse individuals, cultivating community and belonging in all settings.
- Superior written and oral communication skills, with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to articulate a compelling case for philanthropic support programs.
- Advanced ability with Microsoft Office suite and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or Luminate Online is preferred.
- Must be available to work on evenings and weekends; in-person work at Fort Mason or other park and park-adjacent sites at least two days per week.
- Ability to travel to work locations across the San Francisco Bay Area, including Alcatraz Island, Muilr Woods, Golden Gate Bridge, Lands End, Crissy Field, Presidio and other outdoor and indoor work sites.
Education and/or Experience:
- Bachelor's degree and more than five years of relevant fundraising and management experience, preferably in a place-based nonprofit, or a combination of education and relevant professional experience.
Health and Safety:
It is the goal of the Parks Conservancy to create and maintain a safe and healthy workplace. We work to mitigate hazards and risks that may cause harm to employees, consistent with state and federal laws. Employees play an active role in creating a safe and healthy workplace and are expected to comply with all applicable health and safety rules.
Based on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parks Conservancy requires all employees to be vaccinated and to provide proof of such vaccination as a condition of employment.
Physical Requirements and Work Environments:
- Work is performed in an office setting.
- Work is primarily performed sitting, standing, and/or walking.
- Must be able to sit at a desk six to eight hours per day
- Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds.
Salary/Benefits: The salary for the position is $115,000 (Grade 21). Parks Conservancy will hire at the salary posted for the position and will not make an offer above this level. Benefits include a competitive suite of medical, dental, and vision plans, up to 3 weeks of paid vacation; holiday, personal, and sick days; a 403(b) retirement plan, Employee Assistance Program, employee discounts, and more.
Application Deadline Date: Application reviews will begin immediately. The deadline for application submissions is April 8, 2024.
Fundraising Philanthropy