Leadership role
Membership Director
Directs the recruitment, retention and services of an organization's members.
Reporting and scope
Reports to the Executive Director / CEO, the Chief Marketing / Communications Officer or the Chief Development Officer. Authority covers the membership program across the organization.
Core responsibilities
- Sets membership categories, dues and benefits
- Runs acquisition and renewal campaigns
- Tracks retention, lapsed members and dues revenue
- Manages member services, records and the member database
- Coordinates member events, chapters and communications
- Reports membership trends to leadership and the board
How it differs
The Director of Development raises gifts from donors, while this role manages dues-based members who receive benefits. In museums and public media, membership can function as annual giving and may sit under development. The Director of Alumni Relations works with graduates of a school.
By organization size
At a small association the role may run the whole member program with a small team. At large trade and professional associations it may lead a team and handle a large share of revenue.
Filings from the last five years mapped to this role commonly report titles such as: Membership Director; Director of Membership; Director of Member Services; Dir of Membership; Dir. of Membership; Director of Membership & Marketing
See what this role pays
Median reported total compensation, nationally: $152,000. Based on 465 IRS Form 990 filings, fiscal years 2021–2025.
This median spans organizations of every budget size and sector, so it will not match a benchmark for one organization.
Benchmark pay for this role