Membership Manager (Bilingual – French) | Full Time

Membership Manager (Bilingual – French) | Full Time

Organization: The Advocates’ Society

Start: Immediate

Location: Toronto

Established in 1963, The Advocates’ Society (TAS) is a not-for-profit association that serves over 6,000 members of the bench and advocacy bar across Canada. We serve a strong community of distinguished professionals who are dedicated to supporting the justice system, promoting mentoring and excellence in advocacy, and developing collegial opportunities for our members who work in a stressful and highly adversarial profession. We are proud of who we are and the work we do. 

As we grow across Canada, we are expanding our membership team, and are seeking a dedicated Membership Manager who will bring expertise, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit to help our community of advocates across Canada continue to thrive. 

General Summary:

Under the direction of the Director of Marketing and Membership Services, the Membership Manager is responsible for leading the Society’s membership initiatives across Canada, including developing and implementing strategies to attract new members and increase retention of existing members, and overseeing the annual membership renewal campaign. Within a team environment, the Membership Manager works closely with the Database Analyst and the Marketing team, and will also engage with the Professional Development team, the Events team and various volunteer Committees.

This position requires a bilingual candidate who can function in French and English in both written and oral communication, including for marketing materials.

Essential Functions:

Membership Renewals:

• Responsible for overseeing and delivering on all aspects of the Society’s annual membership renewal campaign including communications to members, firm billings, responding to inquiries, accurate and timely reporting and identification and analysis of trends in renewals;
• Prepares dues budget options for Board review based on current market analysis and financial needs of the Society.

Data and Reporting:

• Identifies relevant data points from the Society’s membership database to stay abreast of trends in membership, develops a process for regular reporting of such data, and makes recommendations for future changes to respond to the trends;
• In cooperation with the IT and Communications teams, contributes to the development and oversight of the membership business processes and data standards used in the association management system.

Member Services

• Responsible for making recommendations regarding the Society’s  membership categories, value proposition and fees, which is informed by monitoring of membership categories, value proposition and fees of legal associations across Canada;
• Monitors and oversees responses to membership inquiries and ensures a high level of member service in relation thereto, in French and English;
• Develops and oversees processes for evaluating member satisfaction and engagement at various stages of members’ legal careers and membership journey, and develops and implements strategies to improve satisfaction and engagement of members.

Membership Recruitment and Retention:

• Responsible for developing and evaluating strategies to attract new members and improve retention of existing members, with a focus on each stage of the member’s journey with the association;
• Creates and implements innovative strategies to measure and increase member satisfaction and enhance member engagement;
• Creates and implements mechanisms of tracking diversity, inclusion and belonging among TAS members and makes recommendations regarding means of increasing sense of inclusion and belonging among all TAS members, and identifying barriers to TAS membership among prospective members;
• Works with other staff and leadership to identify opportunities for the development of new member benefits, member recruitment and retention, and engagement in TAS programs and services;
• Works with IT and Communications to proactively identify ways to leverage social media and technology for member value;
• Oversees preparation and distribution of membership materials for all markets in English and French;
• Works with the Marketing team to design and disseminate membership marketing materials (e.g., brochures, letters, emails, social media posts and website).

Volunteer Management:

• Acts as staff lead to the two primary membership-focused committees of the Board; the Collegiality, Mentoring, and Memberships Standing Committee (CMM), and the National Standing Committee, and all sub-committees, task forces and working groups that fall under this committee. This includes scheduling meetings, preparing committee meeting agendas, materials, minutes, and reports;
• Acts as a lead staff support for the membership-focused activities of the Practice Groups Standing Committee, including assisting with preparing committee meeting agendas, materials, minutes and reports;
• Acts as a supporting staff member for membership-focused activities of multiple Board committees including all Regional Advisory Committees, the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee and the Practice Groups Standing Committee.

External Stakeholder Management:

• Develops strategies for and leads outreach to external stakeholders in the justice sector, including private firms and public sector legal leaders.

Other Responsibilities:

• Provides oversight and direction to staff delivering membership-focused events for Practice Groups;
• Develops a job description, including all duties and responsibilities and metrics, for a Membership Coordinator; and leads the search for a Membership Coordinator, including the job posting, selection, onboarding and training;
• Oversees the work of the Membership Coordinator (once hired);
• Other deliverables and projects as evolving TAS business needs may require.

Knowledge, Experience, Skills & Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Five or more years of progressive experience in membership-based association

• Excellent customer service skills; demonstrated ability to maintain a positive client-service orientation
• Previous management experience with ability to delegate and work in a team environment
• Demonstrated track record as an inclusive leader
• Experience managing volunteers
• Articulate and comfortable picking up the phone and calling people to track down information, following up on lapsed memberships, and responding to inquiries
• Highly motivated, proactive and self-initiating. Able to work well independently and within a team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with professionals in French and English
• Strong project management capability including managing timelines and deliverables for a variety of disparate priorities and responsibilities
• Demonstrated ability to effectively plan, organize, and manage complex projects independently
• Superior organizational ability and attention to detail
• Ability to establish and maintain positive and collaborative working relationships with co-workers, members, and third-party stakeholders
• A resourceful, adaptable, and emotionally mature individual, with good judgment and a solid skill set in marketing and communications
• Knowledge of the application and use of association management systems for association activities
• Proficient with Windows and Microsoft Office software suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Ability to work flexible/off-standard hours. Occasional travel will be required.
• Knowledge of the legal sector an asset

TAS is committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from women, Indigenous peoples, francophones, persons with disabilities, racialized peoples and members of the LGBTQ2+ communities. We invite you, at your option, to tell us if you identify with one or more of these categories.

We thank all applicants, however, only those chosen for interviews will be contacted.

Deadline: October 21, 2022. Please submit a resume and cover letter to Robin Black, Director, Marketing and Membership at robin@advocates.ca