Membership Engagement Manager

Salary:                                £30k - £35k FTE depending on experience

Contract:                           Permanent

Hours:                                Full-time in term time (part-time considered). Reduced hours in school                                          holidays (exact hours are negotiable)

Location/Travel:                Hybrid. Predominately home based with up to 8 days travel per month.                                    This will include one office day per week in the Bristol area.  Additional travel to member schools will be UK-wide and may include occasional overnight stays.            

IDPE operates a home-working business model and does not use a permanent office.  The team meets regularly across the Bristol area.

IDPE is a membership organisation, supporting fundraising and engagement professionals in schools.  We pride ourselves on having a thriving and engaged community and, as membership manager, you will play a pivotal role in supporting and expanding our community.  This is a relationship management role which requires an engaging, enthusiastic and passionate communicator able to build relationships at all levels, listen to the needs of members and work across the business to ensure these needs are being met.

Key Responsibilities:

Member engagement

• Together with the membership administrator, you will be a primary point of contact for members across the UK and internationally
• Member satisfaction is our highest priority, and you will be speaking to members daily, monitoring forum discussions, identifying key discussion themes at meetings and working with internal staff to ensure IDPE continues to meet the needs of its members  
• You’ll get to know members personally and will be able to understand their challenges and areas of interest, signposting them to relevant services and resources.  You will also identify potential gaps in our services and will work across the business to ensure we meet the needs of all members
• An analytical approach to member engagement is required as you will be responsible for the analysis and interpretation of engagement data, using this to develop an engagement strategy and encourage member participation

Member acquisition

• You will work with the CEO on developing and managing the member acquisition strategy and pipeline, researching prospective members, and managing the relationship through to membership
• You may be asked to represent IDPE at external events or conferences, identifying and connecting with prospective members
• You will work with marketing to communicate member benefits to prospective schools
• Together with the membership administrator you will manage the new member onboarding process, conducting welcome calls and initiating regular follow-ups to ensure new members are engaged and knowledgeable about our services

IDPE’s member acquisition strategy is based on relationships.  We do not cold call or hard sell but build on introductions and approaches from schools interested in joining.

Volunteer stewardship

• You will be responsible for building and managing a nationwide network of volunteers, encouraging their involvement in the member engagement and acquisition process   
• IDPE hosts 12 regional meetings and specialist forums, across the UK each term.  You will be responsible for ensuring these happen, working with volunteers to create relevant and engaging agendas and chairing meetings when required
• You will manage the volunteer recruitment, onboarding and engagement process

Membership strategy

• Membership strategy is led by the CEO but, as membership engagement manager, you will be instrumental in influencing this and will lead its delivery. You will also support the CEO in a wide range of membership activities and projects
• You will be an ambassador for IDPE, representing the charity at internal and external events, chairing webinars and over time will become a subject matter expert on IDPE’s membership
• Your analytical approach will enable you to report on trends, behaviours and challenges, providing data to support your narrative.  You will also work closely with the Finance Director to set and monitor membership targets
• You will be responsible for writing membership communications and for ensuring the membership content on the website remains current
• You will be responsible for leading key membership projects

These tasks are not intended to be exhaustive, but they highlight the major tasks that the post-holder may be reasonably expected to undertake.

Are you IDPE’s next membership engagement manager?

This role would suit someone who loves talking to people and building relationships. IDPE's strength lies in the relationships it has with members and the successful candidate will be a natural people person who loves listening to member stories and facilitating the sharing of expertise and knowledge across the IDPE community. It would suit an individual from a sales/account management, alumni relations, fundraising or member services background.

Essential skills

• Experience in membership, relationship management, fundraising, alumni relations or customer service management with a proven track record of leading the delivery of a high-quality service
• Naturally inquisitive with a keeness to listen to members and find out more about their challenges. You will be someone who loves people and is able to listen, question and empathise with individuals at all levels 
• Strong administrative skills, able to set up and manage supporting processes
• Professional at all times, even when under pressure  
• Able to present information succinctly in oral and written form
• IT literate with experience of MS Office and using a database/CRM to record, review and extract data
• Excellent copywriting and proofreading skills
• Working within a small team will require a flexible approach to duties and a willingness to support others with a variety of tasks

Please note: all IDPE staff are expected to attend the IDPE Annual Conference.  This will involve a three day/two night stay each May/June.  The next conference will be on 11-13 May 2025 at Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.