Reports To: Chief Advancement Officer

Department/Program: Advancement

Organizational Context: Forefront’s mission is to build a more vibrant and equitable social impact sector for the
state of Illinois. It is one of the only regional associations in the US whose membership includes grantmakers, operating nonprofits, and their advisors. Through active membership engagement, Forefront provides opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, convening, education, policy engagement, leadership development, and solidarity amongst members. We also provide access to our best-in-class Knowledge Center which is the largest philanthropic library collection in the Midwest and offers unique services and resources to the social impact sector throughout Illinois.

General Job Description:

The Manager of Membership Engagement owns Forefront’s membership growth,
retention, and engagement strategy. This role informs membership policy decisions, allocates program resources within budget guardrails; authorizes campaigns and initiatives; and leads cross‑functional execution across Advancement, Communications, Programs, and Finance. The Manager acts as a strategic partner to organizational leadership—informing policy decisions, shaping engagement strategy, leading data and KPI frameworks, and driving relationship development that supports Forefront’s long‑term growth. This is an exempt salaried position.

Essential Job Duties and Expected Outcomes: 

 Set strategic standards for CRM data governance, lifecycle tracking, renewal automation, and
benefit‑delivery workflows in partnership with Finance and Program teams, ensuring systems support
accurate reporting and high‑quality member experiences.
 Lead the interpretation of membership performance metrics—including recruitment, retention, churn, and
campaign effectiveness—to generate insights that inform budgeting, grant strategy, Board reporting, and
community engagement planning.
 Establish insight‑driven frameworks for member follow‑up, documentation practices, and engagement
workflows, using CRM analytics to continuously refine engagement strategies and optimize the overall
member experience.
 Integrate Forefront’s mission, values, and impact priorities into membership strategy, ensuring that
initiatives strengthen organizational identity and deepen community connection.
 Analyze philanthropic, nonprofit, social impact, and advisory‑sector trends to identify new membership
growth opportunities and recommend strategic pathways to expand Forefront’s reach.
 Define strategic approaches to member recruitment, retention, and orientation; shape engagement
pathways, messaging architecture, and value‑delivery standards while overseeing operational execution by
support staff.
 Set standards for member service quality and guide the escalation process for complex member needs;
ensure service operations support strategic membership goals.
 Provide strategic direction for membership communications, collateral, and promotional campaigns,
ensuring alignment with market positioning and organizational priorities while establishing evaluation
criteria and success metrics.
 Lead cross‑functional integration of membership strategy across Development, Communications, Finance,
and Program teams, ensuring alignment with donor strategy, program offerings, and organizational
priorities.
 Serve as a strategic ambassador for Forefront in member engagements, Board meetings, community events,
and sector convenings; partner with Advancement leadership to identify, cultivate, and convert prospective
members.
 Design insight‑driven membership conversion strategies for on‑site, virtual, and post‑engagement
environments, establishing frameworks for follow‑up, qualification, and value communication.
 Define governance standards for CRM workflows, renewal processes, account management, and invoicing in
collaboration with Finance; oversee staff executing these processes to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
 Guide strategic resource allocation and financial planning within the membership program to meet annual
budget goals; analyze revenue performance and adjust strategies to optimize sustainability.
 Provide strategic leadership on special projects and organization‑wide initiatives, ensuring membership
insights inform planning and execution as Forefront evolves.

Position Qualifications:

 Must excel at virtual and in-person meetings, being a strong ambassador, and conversing with prospective
members about the value of Forefront. Must be able to build trust with prospective members and secure
Membership renewals with tact and professionalism.
 Three to five years of experience in membership or donor services, with a proven record of sales success,
including cultivation and follow-up, both virtually and in person.
 Demonstrated experience with digital marketing platforms and email marketing tools to advance membership
engagement, recruitment, and retention initiatives.
 Proficiency in CRM data management (Salesforce experience preferred), including member database upkeep,
renewal processing, account maintenance, and data integrity best practices to support stewardship and program
evaluation.
 Ability to analyze and report on membership data and engagement trends, using metrics to inform strategy,
optimize campaigns, and demonstrate organizational impact to key stakeholders, philanthropic partners, and
community members.
 Strong and current knowledge of Illinois’ philanthropic community. Expertise specific to an association
membership organization, specializing in sales and membership recruitment is preferred.
 Strong skills in project + process management, database management, customer service and project
management with ability to work independently and as part of a team. Strong ability to prioritize multiple tasks
and meet deadlines.
 Strong organizational, interpersonal, and oral/written communication skills are essential; a high degree of
initiative, with a creative approach to problem-solving and inclusive teamwork across philanthropic, nonprofit,
and advisory sectors.
 Energy to achieve ambitious goals, meet deadlines, and stage multiple projects efficiently is also crucial, as is the
ability to work transparently, respectfully, and collaboratively with others.
 Working knowledge of and comfort working with:
o Microsoft Office 365 suite of products, including Teams
o Virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom, FaceTime, Google Meet, etc
o CRM expertise – Salesforce experience strongly preferred
o Prospect research databases

Salary Range:  $65,000 - $68,000

Benefits:   Forefront offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life, disability, dental, and vision insurance,  In adddition, employment includes 20 days of PTO, 12 days of sick time, and 11 holidays.    We have a 403b plan with employer contribution following one year of employment.  Forefront has a 36 hour work week.