Director of Member Engagement & Growth

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

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.