Assistant Director, Membership & Engagement

Civic Committee; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Civic Committee, an entity within the Commercial Club of Chicago, seeks an Assistant Director, Membership to support growth, retention, and engagement. The role manages membership data in Salesforce, supports member communications, and assists with recruitment efforts under the Director for Membership and Events.

Ideal candidates are organized, detail-oriented, with excellent communication, and able to work in a fast-paced environment, balancing in-person and hybrid work in Chicago.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5–7 years of relevant work experience.
• Proven ability to manage membership data and processes in Salesforce.
• Experience with member stewardship, reporting, and communications.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a point of contact for members and respond to inquiries.
• Track nominations and maintain records through review processes.
• Manage day-to-day membership data in Salesforce and generate reports.
• Coordinate billing, invoices, and collections with Finance and Operations.
• Support onsite event logistics for luncheons and dinners.

Skills

Communication

Organization

Time management

Data-driven problem solving

Teamwork

Integrity

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft 365

Adobe Acrobat

MailChimp

Govenda

Job description

Perm/contract: Permanent
Status: Full-time
Reports to: Director, Membership & Events

The Commercial Club of Chicago and Civic Committee Overview

The Commercial Club of Chicago works to shape Chicago’s future to make our region a better place for everyone to live, work, and do business. Since 1877 we have helped shape Chicago into one of the world’s greatest cities. The Commercial Club of Chicago is a membership organization of senior leaders in the region. Our members span the business, education, civic, cultural, and philanthropic sectors – unified by excitement for the future of Chicago. We believe cooperation and an open exchange of ideas are fundamental to success. Today, the Commercial Club continues to address social and economic issues of importance to the Chicago region.

In 1983, the Civic Committee was formed as an entity within the Commercial Club to identify key issues facing the State of Illinois and the greater Chicago region and providing leadership, high-quality research, long-term policy recommendations and programmatic actions for the benefit of the city and region. The Civic Committee is composed of the leaders of the Chicago region’s leading private sector employers and works with public officials and other civic organizations on transformational initiatives to promote our region’s social and economic well-being. The Civic Committee generally serves as the Commercial Club’s lead on policy and initiatives in public safety, business diversity, transportation and infrastructure, and state and local finance.

We also work alongside, and partially fund, the organizations established by us to tackle key issues head-on:

• Civic Consulting Alliance:Civic Consulting Alliance has an effective model for addressing systemic problems and achieving lasting change. We leverage the power of public-private collaboration through a unique approach to management consulting, to channel Chicago’s proud history of civic engagement.
• Kids First Chicago:Kids First Chicago’s mission is to dramatically improve education for Chicago’s children by ensuring high-quality public schools are accessible to all families. We believe a healthy education environment where kids, schools, and communities thrive is the key to a world-class city. We believe that those closest to our students – families, community members, and educators – are best equipped to design policies and systems that will improve equity and lead to stronger outcomes for our students, communities, and city.
• P33:Our ambition is to transform Chicago into a tier one technology and innovation hub and promote inclusive economic growth.

This is a full-time position with benefits, reporting to the Director of Membership and Events. Initial employment will be on an introductory basis, with detailed evaluations and feedback at the 30-, 60-, and 90-day marks.

Position Overview

The Civic Committee seeks to hire an Assistant Director, Membership who will play a key role in supporting membership growth, retention, and engagement for the Civic Committee and Commercial Club. Operating at the Associate level, this position is responsible for managing membership data and processes through Salesforce, supporting member stewardship and communications, tracking member engagement, and assisting the Director for Membership and Events with prospect cultivation and recruitment efforts.

The role is well-suited for someone who enjoys building relationships, providing exceptional service, and supporting organizational growth through member engagement. Under the leadership of the Director for Membership and Events, the Assistant Director, Membership helps deliver an exceptional member experience while ensuring the accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness of membership operations.

The ideal candidate is a highly organized, detail-oriented professional with strong judgment, excellent interpersonal skills, and a professional demeanor. The candidate should be comfortable leveraging Salesforce and other technology tools to enhance and modernize the membership experience while ensuring seamless membership operations.

This individual must be able to manage multiple priorities, work independently on projects from conception to completion, and effectively handle a broad range of responsibilities in a fast-paced environment. Success in this role requires adaptability, discretion, exceptional attention to detail, and a commitment to delivering outstanding service to members, while operating as a collaborative team player in the organization

Primary Responsibilities

Membership

• Serve as one of several points of contact for members, providing exceptional service and responding to inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
• Support member acquisition and renewal efforts by preparing briefing materials and coordinating follow-up activities.
• Track and monitor nominations for prospective members and maintain accurate records throughout the review process.
• Under the guidance of the Director of Membership and Events, cultivate and maintain positive relationships with members and their executive assistants.
• Prepare and distribute polished and accurate membership communications, including:
• Executive Committee resolutions
• Welcome letters and invoices for new members
• Annual dues letters and invoices
• Surveys

Database Management

• Manage day-to-day membership data and records within Salesforce, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
• Maintain data integrity and support processes that enhance the effectiveness of membership operations.
• Generate reports and dashboards to support membership engagement, retention efforts, and organizational reporting needs.
• Establish and maintain procedures for tracking member stewardship and cultivation activities.
• In partnership with Finance and Operation team members, process membership dues, including invoice entry, payment tracking, and tax acknowledgment records.
• Prepare membership reports and analyses to identify trends, opportunities, and key metrics for leadership and committee review.
• In partnership with the Senior Director of IT, assist in troubleshooting database-related issues and identifying process improvements.
• Coordinate quarterly Membership Committee meetings, including scheduling and logistics.
• Under the direction of the Director of Membership and Events, assist in preparing and distributing meeting materials.
• Attend committee meetings and maintain accurate meeting minutes, records, and follow-up documentation.

Operations

• Coordinate membership billing processes for the Commercial Club and Civic Committee. This includes:
• Civic Committee dues (twice a year)
• Commercial Club dues (once a year)
• Guest fees (ongoing basis)
• Partner with the Finance and Operations team to ensure accurate invoicing and payment processing.
• Monitor outstanding payments and assist with monthly collections follow-up.
• Support members with website and member portal inquiries and troubleshooting, working in partnership with the Senior Director of IT as needed.
• Manage shared membership inboxes and ensure timely responses to member communications, in coordination with the President’s Executive Assistant as needed.

Events

• Onsite event support and execution for Commercial Club luncheons, Annual Dinner, SuperDays, and special member engagement events.

Position Requirements

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5-7 years of relevant work experience, ideally in a non-profit, association, or trade group setting.
• Familiarity with Chicago’s business and civic leaders preferred.

Technical Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of data management and report generation in Salesforce. The individual in this role will update Salesforce contact records, track member stewardship, and run and analyze Salesforce reports.
• Expert in Microsoft 365 tools and Adobe Acrobat; proficiency in MailChimp and Govenda preferred.

Required Personal Attributes

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with the proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.Capacity to maintain the confidentiality requirements of the Civic Committee and Commercial Club of Chicago.
• A strong work ethic and a desire to make a positive impact.
• Ability to work well in a team-oriented and fast-paced environment.
• Genuine enthusiasm for customer service and a strong commitment to creating a responsive, welcoming, and exceptional experience for members.

Aligned with the organization’s Job Architecture framework, the Assistant Director, Membership is expected to demonstrate Associate-level proficiency across the following organizational competencies:

• Mission-Driven: Understands the organization’s mission and demonstrates genuine care about its civic purpose. As they grow, actively connects their work to organizational goals and begins championing the mission within their team.
• Communication: Writes clearly and listens actively; communicates accurately within their team. With experience, produces polished written work independently and drafts materials for senior review.
• Relationship Cultivation & Management: Supports member and stakeholder interactions and responds to inquiries professionally. Over time, builds reliable working relationships and begins creating documentation or training others on relationship processes.
• Integrity: Demonstrates honesty in daily work and takes ownership of mistakes. As they develop, applies ethical standards consistently and exercises sound judgment in day-to-day decisions.
• Teamwork & Collaboration: Participates actively and meets commitments reliably. With growth, honors deadlines, stays responsive across teams, and begins supporting colleagues proactively.
• Data-Driven Problem Solving: Collects and organizes information to support decisions; asks clarifying questions and follows analytical guidance. Over time, applies structured analysis to identify patterns and begins proposing solutions grounded in evidence.

The position is in Chicago. Regular travel within the city is required. We believe that the path to achieving our missions requires our organizations and teams to regularly collaborate, work in teams, maintain collegiality, and provide a space for thought-partnership, all of which are best accomplished in person. However, we also recognize that appropriate flexibility is beneficial to the effectiveness of our employees and our organizations. With that in mind, we offer opportunities for employees to work in a combination of in-person and remote work (“hybrid” option).

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Club and its affiliated organizations are equal opportunity employers and do not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of any legally protected characteristic, whether actual or perceived, including, including, but not limited to, an individual’s race, religion, color, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or other legally protected status. This policy applies to all terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, compensation, promotion, discipline, and termination.

Compensation

Commensurate with experience, targeting $90,000/annually. The Club offers a competitive benefits package, subject to specific policy eligibility guidelines.