Director of Membership Services

Legends of Basketball is a nonprofit association of former professional basketball players, united by a shared journey and shared belief that legacy does not end when the ball stops bouncing. Founded in 1922 with the support of the NBA and the NBPA, Legends of Basketball brings together former players from the NBA, ABA, WNBA, and Harlem Globetrotters. As a registered 501(c)(3), Legends of Basketball is committed to supporting its members beyond the game through 5 pillars: Camaraderie, Community, Family, Financial Stability, and Health. The Legends of Basketball fosters a strong and growing membership community that includes some of the most iconic players in basketball history.

Director of Membership Services
The Director of Membership Services is responsible for shaping and leading the overall membership strategy, ensuring a high-quality, consistent, and engaging experience for all members. This role oversees the full membership lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, engagement, and retention. Additionally, this role drives key initiatives that strengthen the organization’s value proposition and deepens member engagement.

Member Services is a key function that sits at the intersection of member experience, revenue (dues), retention, and growth. It is both operational (high level customer service), and strategic (engagement, lifecycle management, recruitment).

The primary objectives include:

Maximize member satisfaction and retention

Ensure accurate and timely dues collection

Drive new member acquisition

Deliver consistent, high-quality customer service

Act as the “front door” of the organization

Scope of Responsibilities
Member Experience and Support

Serve as the primary contact for member inquiries (phone, email, CRM, events)

Resolve issues related to membership eligibility, benefits access, events and programming, and account management

Provide concierge-level service for members

Track and categorize inquiries to identify systemic issues

Membership Lifecycle Management

Oversee full membership lifecycle (prospect – applicant – active member – lapsed – re-engaged)

Manage onboarding experience by creating and executing on welcome kits, orientation calls, and digital onboarding

Develop retention touchpoints like anniversary recognition and milestone engagement like career transitions and birthdays

Execute renewal campaigns, using automated and personalized outreach

Dues Management

Manage billing cycles and dues collection

Process payments and troubleshoot payment issues

Coordinate with finance on reconciliation, reporting, and delinquencies

Design and implement flexible payment options

Recruitment

Identify and target eligible non-members

Build referral pipelines through current members, partners, and agents

Support outreach campaigns through email, events, and direct outreach

Partner with marketing on acquisition funnels

Track conversation metrics and optimize approach

Communications and Engagement
Work in collaboration with MarComs to:

Serve as distribution hub for member communications through newsletters, program updates, and benefits announcements

Ensure segmentation

Gather feedback via surveys, calls, and informal channels

Maintain consistent brand voice in member interactions

Data, CRM, and Reporting

Maintain accurate member database (CRM)

Track key metrics like retention, renewal, acquisition, and member satisfaction rates

Generate reports for leadership

Use data to inform strategy and improve member experience and retention

Benefit Coordination

Act as liaison between members and internal team

Ensure members are aware of and accessing available resources, programs, and support

Track utilization of benefits and identify gaps

Events

Support member-facing events (both virtual and in-person)

Manage registration and attendance tracking

Provide on-site member services presence

Use events as recruitment and retention tools

External Relations

Coordinate with NBA alumni networks, agents, player reps, and sponsors providing member benefits

Ensure partners understand membership value and proposition

Requirements

8-12+ years of relevant experience in membership, customer experience, or client services, including at least 3-5 years in a leadership role

Proven track record of driving member or customer retention, engagement, and satisfaction

Experience managing or supporting recurring revenue models, including renewals and acquisition efforts

Strong proficiency with CRM systems and data-driven decision-making

Demonstrated ability to lead teams, build processes, and improve service operations

Experience collaborating cross-functionally with marketing, finance, and program teams

Differentiators

Experience defining membership value proposition, tiering or segmentation strategies, and engagement models across different member cohorts

Experience serving VIP clients, alumni networks, and donor or member communities with high expectations

Experience with automated and personalized member communications, renewal campaigns, and re-engagement of lapsed members

Oversight of events as part of the membership strategy across conferences, community gatherings, and networking experiences

Experience building or transforming a membership function by implementing new systems and modernizing processes

Ability to serve a unique population of professional athletes, entertainers, or high profile individuals

Skills

Strong written, verbal communication, and problem solving skills

Experience facilitating with groups and individuals

Strong knowledge of the Microsoft Platform

Learns new skills quickly and develops abilities as necessary to contribute to a small but mighty team

Competencies

Growth Mindset with an ability to receive feedback and use it to improve and enhance oneself and one’s work product

Strong decision-making and leadership capabilities

Adaptability

Strong sense of internal responsibility and self-direction

Integrity

Highest code of ethics

Chicago-based, in-person

Hear and speak in order to use the phone, Zoom, or other modes to communicate with people both in and out of the office environment

Visual ability to review information on the computer as well as in hard copy form

Sit and/or stand at desk for extended periods and perform long hours of work at a computer

Apply manual dexterity for computer keyboarding and office equipment use

Physical ability to lift at least 20 lbs and move around office area repeatedly throughout the day

Flexible work hours requiring work in excess of 40 hours/week when necessary.

Must have reliable transportation to visit off-site client locations

Able to perform overnight travel as deemed necessary by the CEO

Compensation
Legends of Basketball provides competitive pay commensurate with experience. Other benefits include 10 accrued PTO days annually in addition to paid holidays. Legends also provides employees with paid medical, dental and vision for employee only, FSA and 401k match.

Equal Opportunity Employer
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

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