Legends of Basketball Director of Membership Services Chicago, IL · Full time Company website

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Founded in 1992 by NBA Legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson, Legends of Basketball (formerly known as the National Basketball Retired Players Association) is a non-profit association comprised of former professional basketball players of the NBA, ABA, WNBA, and Harlem Globetrotters. We are the only alumni association of its kind supported directly by the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). MISSION STATEMENT Legends of Basketball serves former professional basketball players, supporting them in life after their playing days, and helping them to leverage their inspirational influence to promote and teach basketball in their communities.

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.