Vice President of Member Engagement Strategy

Council for a Strong America

Vice President of Member Engagement Strategy

Reports To

President and CEO

Team

Executive Team

Job Overview

The Vice President of Member Engagement Strategy oversees the management of our three member-organization teams and our national member-mobilization team. This position is responsible for leading the development, implementation and evaluation of membership-growth and engagement strategies. There is no fee to be a member of one of our organizations. All we ask of our members is their time and their voice.  

The Vice President serves as a liaison for the national directors to build a strong membership culture within the individualized member organizations. The Vice President also manages strategy, operations and logistics for mobilizing membership to support federal and state policy initiatives as well as build the visibility and effectiveness of Council for a Strong America. 

The Vice President will bring a strategic mindset and work in partnership with the Executive Team to ensure all membership recruitment, retention efforts and member activations are in alignment with cross-organizational goals. They must possess advanced knowledge of membership strategies and CRM platforms.  

The Vice President will leverage this knowledge and experience to maximize the effectiveness and impact of our membership staff and our membership voices. It is expected that this position will work in collaboration with staff to create cross-team synergies on projects and campaigns. The Vice President will have experience in leading people and a proven track record of membership growth in similar organizations.  

The Vice President , in coordination with the Vice President of State Operations and Policy, will facilitate internal coordination between state-based staff and national staff on campaigns and initiatives. The Vice President, in collaboration with the Vice President for External Affairs, will also coordinate and oversee the organization’s work with national allies and associations important to advancing Council for a Strong America’s impact throughout the country. As a member of the Executive Team, this role also works to elevate the profile and the impact of the organization by playing a significant role in strategic planning, fundraising (including, but not limited to prospecting, grant management, and funder relations), and creating a positive, supportive and inclusive organizational culture.

Responsibilities and Duties

The Vice President of Member Engagement Strategy will:

Serve as a member of the Executive Team

• Reports to and works in close collaboration with the President and CEO to shape the strategy, structure and operations for mobilizing the organization’s membership and related staffing needs. 
• Helps set organizational goals and advises the President and CEO on key priorities.
• Helps improve and maintain an inclusive and positive organizational culture.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with select major funders and oversees the implementation of program work on select large grants.
• Is an engaged and informed member of the Executive Team who is capable of understanding the overall challenges and opportunities facing the organization.

Management and Strategy Oversight

• Develop strategic plans to deploy members in support of initiatives that promote the vision and mission of the organization.
• Build relationships with local and national partners. 
• Ensure coalition meetings are attended, as well as calls and conferences that relate to specific issue areas or political strategy of the organization.
• Strategize and support long-term visioning for the organizations growth in multiple areas.
• Work closely on ways to promote leadership development within an evolving staff culture.
• Lead CSA’s overall efforts to recruit, retain, and engage membership.
• Collaborates with national organization directors, staff, and key members to:
• Create a roadmap for sustainable membership growth;
• Establish short- and long-range plans and goals to achieve organization membership objectives;
• Outline a data-driven member engagement, retention, and recruitment strategy and implementation plan;
• Develop strategies and initiatives to stimulate member engagement. 
• Identify opportunities and collaborate with colleagues to increase the visibility of our membership groups.
• Develop strategies to measure and strengthen member engagement.
• Oversight of all membership data, tracking and reporting, including but not limited to:
• Accurate membership records;
• Membership trend analysis by region;
• Recruitment and retention reports;
• Current, new and prospective member information; and
• Member engagement.
• Initiate and manage strategic partnerships with other auxiliary-related associations and groups to help recruitment and retention of membership; including, but not limited to, attendance to conferences, events etc. to represent CSA.
• Work with national and state directors to set annual membership goals. 
• Work closely with the Vice President of External Affairs and Vice President of State Operations and Policy to identify policy opportunities and to assist with the development of work plans that are aligned with organizational priorities.
• Consult and advise on work plans that involve the intersection between state and federal policy. 
• Monitor capacity and ensure work is appropriately resourced.
• Develop and track the national organization teams budget.
• Work with membership orgs to develop and monitor team and grant budgets.

Development, fundraising and external partnerships:

• Along with other senior leaders in the organization, actively prospect for new funders.
• Advise program and development staff on fundraising related to the membership organizations.
• Contribute to and review grant proposals related to membership work.
• Serve as a grant lead or key support on national grants that impact the membership orgs.
• Create or review grant budgets, funder reports and proposals for membership activities.
• Develop strong relationships with key funders and partners 
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Demonstrated experience in growing membership and strengthening memberships and/or associations.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Database management experience, especially Salesforce.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Significant experience managing and executing policy advocacy campaigns. 
• Experience managing remote teams; experience working remotely is a plus.
• Ability to strategize from a distance and understand the work of others without being “on the ground” or directly involved in execution of tactics.
• Ability to discern the root causes of problems and troubleshoot internal processes and structures accordingly.
• Ability to sustain rapid, high-volume, daily communications and decision-making by both phone and email.
• Superior oral and written communication skills, including the ability to lead and effectively participate in meetings by phone or video.
• Ability to juggle multiple projects at once while responding rapidly and flexibly to changing priorities.
• Superior diplomatic skills and the ability to effectively navigate complex relationships.
• High emotional and social intelligence, including the ability to understand multiple points of view.
• Well-organized, able to work independently without administrative support.
• Capacity to work with (or learn independently) Salesforce, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Sheets.
• Strong commitment to our mission and vision.

Desirable:

• Experience with foundation fundraising and stewardship.
• Experience with managing and developing internal organizational operations.
• Experience with public policy in the fields of education, early childhood, children’s health or other related child and family issues.

Minimum experience required:

• 10 years of professional experience in a professional association, government affairs, public policy, or advocacy.
• Significant experience in managing remote teams.
• Background in public policy, early childhood, education, nutrition, or youth issues is preferred. 
• Experience working with association management systems, Macintosh computers, SalesForce, Gmail and G-Suite products, and Microsoft Office. 

Education

Bachelor’s degree required; Graduate degree preferred. 

Travel

Monthly out-of-state travel is required (aligned with current CDC guidelines)

Overnight: Yes

Duration: 1-5 days 

Salary:

$130,000-$140,000 per year plus benefits, commensurate with experience

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Application Procedure

Only applications with a cover letter explaining their interest and qualifications for the position included will be considered.

Council for a Strong America is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and strongly encourage all to apply. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our employees.