Membership manager

Membership managers oversee and coordinate the membership plan, support existing members and engage with possible new members. They analyse the market trend reports and develop marketing plans accordingly. Membership managers monitor and ensure the efficiency of processes, systems and strategies.

The following job titles also refer to membership manager:

membership sales manager
membership director
member records manager
subscription manager
membership supervisor
membership account manager
membership management officer
membership coordinator
regional membership manager
club manager
membership and subscription manager

Membership managers typically work in office settings, though they may also attend events or meetings outside regular working hours. The role involves extensive communication with members, colleagues, and external partners. Depending on the organization, membership managers may need to travel to attend conferences, workshops, or other events relevant to their responsibilities.

A bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field is often required for membership manager positions. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are crucial, as membership managers frequently interact with diverse groups of people. Previous experience in membership management, customer service, or related roles is beneficial. Familiarity with database management and customer relationship management (CRM) systems is also an advantage. Continuous professional development, such as attending industry conferences or obtaining relevant certifications, can contribute to the ongoing success of membership managers in their roles.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Membership manager is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to membership manager.

client relations manager
programme funding manager
legislative drafter
quality services manager
humanitarian advisor

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of membership manager.

• Customer service: Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer’s or service user’s satisfaction.
• Corporate social responsibility: The handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards environmental and social stakeholders.
• Product comprehension: The offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
• Customer relationship management: The customer-oriented management approach and basic principles of successful customer relations that focus on interactions with customers such as technical support, customer services, after-sales support and direct communication with the customer.
• Communication principles: The set of commonly shared principles in regards with communication such as active listening, establish rapport, adjusting the register, and respecting the intervention of others.

These skills are necessary for the role of membership manager.

• Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
• Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
• Supervise the management of an establishment: Run the management of an establishment and ensure that every need for a smooth running of the operations is looked after.
• Think analytically: Produce thoughts using logic and reasoning in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Manage membership database: Add and update membership information and analyze and report on statistical membership information.
• Analyse membership: Identify trends in membership and determine areas of potential membership growth.
• Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
• Provide information: Ensure quality and correctness of provided information, depending on the type of audience and context.
• Use communication techniques: Apply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.
• Coordinate membership work: Provide internal coordination for membership work such as oversee implementation of efficient membership processes, systems and strategies and ensure affiliate information is accurate and up to date.
• Manage membership: Ensure efficient internal processes and systems in order to manage membership and oversee the work related to it.
• Provide membership service: Ensure good service for all members by monitoring the mail box on a regular basis, by resolving membership issues that arise and by advising members on benefits and renewals.
• Supervise work: Direct and supervise the day-to-day activities of subordinate personnel.
• Plan health and safety procedures: Set up procedures for maintaining and improving health and safety in the workplace.
• Develop membership strategies: Create proposals for membership strategies such as options for alternative membership models, membership rules and financial modelling.
• Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
• Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
• Recruit members: Carry out assessment and recruitment of members.
• Follow company standards: Lead and manage according to the organisation’s code of conduct.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of membership manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Office software: The characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of membership manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Write leaflets: Create flyers such as recruitment flyers in order to recruit people or publicity flyers in order to contribute to the development of publicity campaigns.
• Show responsibility: Accept responsibility and be accountable for professional decisions of yourself or others as part of a job or one’s role.
• Make independent operating decisions: Make immediate operating decisions as necessary without reference to others, taking into account the circumstances and any relevant procedures and legislation. Determine alone which option is the best for a particular situation.
• Deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances: Strive to achieve objectives despite the pressures arising from unexpected factors outside of your control.
• Handle complaints: Manage problems, protestations and disputes on the job.
• Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
• Complete membership administration: Oversee and carry out several tasks in the membership administration process such as reporting membership numbers, ensure that the website is reviewed and maintained and writing newsletters.
• Stimulate creative processes: Encourage and foster creative processes from setting up brainstorming sessions, incubating ideas, up to contrasting them with other ideas and undergoing feasibility tests of the prospects.

2431 – Advertising and marketing professionals

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References

1. Membership manager – ESCO
2. Featured image: Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash