Director, Member Engagement

Society-of-American-Foresters; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is seeking a Director of Member Engagement to lead recruitment, retention, and meaningful engagement across the membership lifecycle. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, this role will shape member value, oversee cross‑functional initiatives, and position SAF for long‑term growth.

Responsibilities include developing membership strategies, managing budgets, coordinating events, collaborating with data teams, and guiding volunteer programs.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of membership/recruitment strategies and persona development
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Experience as a supervisor
• Experience in volunteer management
• Experience with databases
• Excellent written and communication skills
• Prior association or nonprofit experience (Highly desired)

Responsibilities

• Create weekly and monthly program updates for supervisor
• Develop annual budget for department and implement approved budget each year
• Attend events up to 5 per year, including SAF National Convention
• Collaborate with Data/Knowledge Management to inform outreach and recruitment strategies
• Manage external vendors supporting membership initiatives
• Cultivate and manage relationships with staff, volunteers, partners, and members
• Ensure communications processes and brand standards are followed
• Assist supervisor and CEO with other duties as assigned
• Develop member engagement strategy aligned with SAF’s priorities
• Identify opportunities and drive execution with limited direction
• Define and refine SAF’s membership value propositions across segments
• Partner with CEO to align engagement with workforce development
• Serve as member of leadership team
• Develop advisory groups for outreach
• Develop recruitment and retention plans with measurable goals
• Identify growth opportunities across career stages, geographies
• Monitor membership trends and address declines
• Oversee membership campaigns and partnerships
• Assess and evolve programs, systems, processes
• Identify gaps and implement new systems or tools
• Design and implement a structured member lifecycle
• Oversee onboarding to ensure early connection and retention
• Collaborate to increase participation in SAF programs
• Identify engagement opportunities that deepen member value
• Oversee partner member benefits

Skills

Membership strategy

Team leadership

Communication skills

Volunteer management

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, nonprofit management or similar

Graduate degree or professional certificate a plus

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

PowerPoint

iMIS

Job description

General Summary

The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States. Founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot, it is the largest professional society for foresters and other forest management professionals and academics in the world. SAF’s mission is to advance sustainable management of forest resources through science, education, and technology; to enhance the competency of its members; to establish professional excellence; and to use our knowledge, skills, and conservation ethic to ensure the continued health, integrity, and use of forests to benefit society in perpetuity. More information about SAF is available at www.eforester.org

The Director of Member Engagement is responsible for developing and executing strategies that drive member recruitment, retention, and meaningful engagement across the full membership lifecycle. This role ensures SAF delivers a compelling and differentiated member experience that aligns with organizational priorities and supports long‑term growth and sustainability. While not initially, this position may supervise in the future.

The position reports to the Chief Strategy Officer and will be expected to lead through the prioritization of multiple projects, relationships, initiatives and maintenance of a contemporary understanding in the field forestry. This position works cross‑functionally to align membership strategies with SAF’s programs, products, and services and ensures that member value is clearly defined, communicated, and realized.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

General Duties

• Create weekly and monthly program updates to provide to supervisor.


• Develop annual budget for department and implement approved budget each year.


• Attend up to 5 events per year on behalf of SAF, one being the SAF National Convention.


• Collaborate with the Director of Data and Knowledge Management to determine data to be collected and outputs (tables and dashboards) to best inform outreach and recruitment strategies.


• Manage external vendors supporting membership initiatives.


• Cultivate and manage relationships with staff, volunteers, partners, and members.


• Ensure communications processes and brand standards are being followed and implemented by staff, members, and partners.


• Assist supervisor and CEO with other duties as assigned.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive member engagement strategy aligned with SAF’s strategic priorities


• Identify opportunities, prioritize initiatives, and drive execution with limited direction


• Define and continuously refine SAF’s membership value propositions across key audience segments


• Partner with the CEO and other leaders to align member engagement with workforce development and future‑facing initiatives


• Serve as a member of the leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy and performance


• Develop informal advisory groups to inform more focused outreach

Membership Growth & Retention

• Develop and implement annual recruitment and retention plans with measurable goals


• Identify target audiences and growth opportunities across career stages, sectors, and geographies


• Monitor membership trends and develop strategies to address declines or gaps


• Oversee membership campaigns, outreach efforts, and partnership opportunities


• Assess and evolve existing membership programs, systems, and processes to improve effectiveness and scalability.


• Identify gaps in current member engagement approaches and implement new systems, tools, or frameworks as needed

Member Engagement & Experience

• Design and implement a structured member lifecycle, including onboarding, engagement, and renewal strategies


• Oversee new member onboarding to ensure early connection and long‑term retention at both the national and local level


• Collaborate with the fellow directors to increase member participation in SAF programs, events, committees, publications, certifications, grants, scholarships, and communities


• Identify and implement engagement opportunities that deepen member connection and value


• Oversee SAF’s partner member benefit relationships

Member Insights & Data

• Conduct regular member needs assessments and satisfaction analyses


• Use data and analytics to inform decision‑making and improve engagement strategies


• Develop dashboards and reporting to track membership performance, engagement metrics, and ROI


• Partner with Data/Knowledge Management to improve data integrity and usability

Volunteer & Community Engagement

• Serve as staff liaison to the House of Society Delegates and other committees and volunteer groups as needed


• Strengthen pathways for member involvement and leadership development


• Ensure volunteer leaders are effectively engaged, supported, and aligned with organizational priorities

Additional Collaborations & Cross‑Functional Alignment

• Collaborate with Marketing/Communications to ensure consistent messaging and promotion of member value


• Partner with Events, Publications, Credentialing, Professional Development, Policy, and Partnerships to integrate member engagement across offerings


• Ensure membership strategy is embedded across SAF’s products and services

Other

• Performs other duties as assigned by CEO and CSO

Job Specifications

• Knowledge of membership/recruitment strategies and persona development


• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint


• Experience as a supervisor


• Experience in volunteer management


• Experience with databases


• Excellent written and communication skills


• Prior association or nonprofit experience (Highly desired)


• Personable and nimble with a desire and ability to contribute to the continued success of our organization.


• Excellent written and oral communication skills


• Strong attention to detail, highly organized with excellent multi‑tasking skills


• Self‑starter with a demonstrated ability to take initiative and accomplish tasks on time and with minimum supervision


• Excellent customer service ethic; adept at developing and maintaining collaborative internal and external relationships; respects differing perspectives


• Able to produce organized and accurate materials quickly


• Proficient in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint


• Ability to travel 20% - 30% to events and conferences

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• 5+ years of overall professional experience in membership, recruitment, and/or communication


• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, non‑profit management or similar

Preferred Education/Skills

• Graduate degree or professional certificate a plus


• Experience with iMIS content management system a plus


• Knowledge and passion for forests and natural resources a plus

Reasonable Accommodation

SAF will provide reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified individual with a disability unless doing so would pose an undue hardship on the operation of the business. Telecommuting on an ad hoc basis is available following 90 days of successful employment.

EEO Statement

SAF provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, gender identification or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, SAF complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall and transfers, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

SAF expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of SAF’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.