Associate Director, Membership & Engagement – Destinations & Industry Partners

Position Overview
Associate Director, Membership & Engagement – Destinations & Industry Partners plays a vital role in supporting the growth, satisfaction, and long-term retention of Sports ETA’s destination and industry partner members. This relationship-driven position is focused on cultivating strong connections with sports commissions, DMOs, and industry service providers by delivering exceptional member service, proactive outreach, and strategic support.

This role is responsible for both recruiting new members and maintaining high engagement among existing ones through one-on-one communication, onboarding, community programming, and strategic event outreach. A natural connector, the ideal candidate will be energized by building relationships, providing solutions, and helping members unlock greater value from their investment in Sports ETA.

Key Responsibilities

Membership Retention & Recruitment

• Lead recruitment and outreach efforts to grow membership from sports commissions, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and industry partners.
• Conduct regular membership renewal outreach through calls and emails to ensure continued annual engagement and retention.
• Continuous focus on new member recruitment. Maintain a destination and industry partner pipeline and prospect tracking system to monitor outreach, status, and follow-ups.
• Track engagement metrics and report trends that shape strategy and member experience.
• Represent the organization at events, conferences, and trade shows, meeting one-on-one with current and prospective members.

Member Services & Engagement

• Maintain frequent touch points with existing members, including biannual check-in calls to update profiles and provide personalized service.
• Track engagement metrics and report trends that shape strategy and member experience.
• Conduct virtual new member onboarding / orientations.
• Manage up to five (5) Community Groups by collaborating with group leaders to plan bi-monthly meeting topics, coordinate speakers, and promote each meeting
• Schedule and facilitate best practices webinars featuring industry partners.
• Conduct targeted recruitment to both destination and industry partner members to attend Sports ETA events through personalized phone and email outreach.
• Provide timely and proactive communication to members about important updates, deadlines, and opportunities.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with the sponsorship team to support initiatives tied to Destination and Industry Partner members, including whitepapers, advertising, and event sponsorships
• Assist in managing and organizing Sports ETA’s annual Sports Legacy Fund Silent Auction & Raffle.
• Assist with on-site event needs and logistics as required.

Operations & Administration

• Work in custom built CRM to process membership invoices, track payments, follow up on outstanding balances, and provide basic support for billing inquiries to ensure accurate and timely financial transactions.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in the CRM/database related to member engagement, event participation, and communication history.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align marketing and programming with member needs.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects and complete other tasks as assigned in support of the team’s goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, such as sports management, tourism, education, or business; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the sports events and tourism industry.
• Excellent project management, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Driven to grow membership and continuously seek innovative ways to expand member benefits and value.
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment with a strong desire for learning, growth, and taking initiative.
• Proactive, independent, and comfortable with one-on-one relationship building.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, paired with a personable and confident approach to conducting phone and video calls.
• Experience with planning and executing webinars or virtual events.
• Exceptional attention to detail and strong organizational skills are essential to ensure accurate tracking of member interactions, timely follow-ups, and seamless coordination of multiple projects and deadlines.
• Demonstrate consistent follow-through to maintain high-quality standards and support overall team efficiency.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proficient using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, Internet, and a strong comfort level navigating and learning new technologies such as CRM and database management.
• Experience using project management tools such as Trello (or similar) is a plus.
• Demonstrated comfort and confidence in leveraging AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, LinkedIn AI features, Copilot, etc.) to enhance productivity, communication, and problem-solving in a professional setting.
• Must be comfortable being on your feet for extended periods during events and able to lift and transport materials weighing up to 25 pounds.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to work for the leading organization in the sports events & tourism industry.
• Make a significant impact on the professional development of sports tourism professionals.
• Flexible, dynamic, and collaborative remote work environment.