Director, Membership Services - National Western Stock Show
Denver, CO 80216
About the Job
About Us
Each January, the National Western Stock Show (NWSS)—which also does business as the Western Stock Show Association (WSSA)—welcomes 700,000+ visitors to its complex for one of the largest stock show and rodeo events in the world. A nationally recognized Western heritage event, the Stock Show hosts one of the world’s richest regular season professional rodeos, one of the country’s largest horse shows, and Colorado’s largest Western trade show—all in just 16 days! Now the NWSS is on the cusp of entering a new chapter in our 119-year history.
Our new home on the National Western Center campus, and part of one of the largest urban renewal programs in the country, is quickly moving from vision to reality. Four state-of-the-art facilities—the Legacy Building, the Cille and Ron Williams Yards, the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center, and the Equestrian Center, will provide much more than room to grow and enhance the famous National Western Stock Show. While ensuring the preservation and advancement of education, agriculture, Western culture, history, art, and more, the National Western Center will open the gates to entertainment, events, programs, and other growth opportunities that today’s aging infrastructure could never support. In addition, the new facilities, especially our new world headquarters, the Legacy Building, will allow us to recommit ourselves in an expanded manner to the core pieces of our mission, namely education, agriculture, and guiding and supporting youth in these endeavors.
These facilities mark a new era for the National Western Stock Show, and we’re saddling up to make the most of it!
Position Overview
NWSS invites dynamic, creative self-starters to apply for our newly created Director of Membership Services position. This individual will be responsible for transforming our current membership model in collaboration with a volunteer Membership Task Force, the WSSA Board of Directors, and NWSS staff. The individual will report to the President & CEO.
The ideal candidate will have previous experience running membership programs and working in the nonprofit world. To be successful in this role, candidates will need to have excellent verbal and written communication skills, be capable of managing multiple priorities on competing deadlines, and work well independently as well as part of a larger team. Candidates should be initiative-takers and idea generators ready to develop new membership plans and grow membership substantially through hard work and creativity.
The opening of the Legacy Building in January of 2026 will allow the NWSS the space and opportunities to create year-round programming for these members and Trustees, as well as a new annual membership program.
Key Roles & Responsibilities
This position will have two primary and parallel priorities: re-engaging our current members and trustees, and launching a new annual membership program.
Current Lifetime Members and Trustees Responsibilities:
The NWSS currently has approximately 1,500 lifetime members and an additional 99 trustees. They are encouraged to attend 16 days of Stock Show, quarterly meetings, and an Annual Meeting. These are voting members of the Association, and function as a “leadership pipeline” for the organization: members can move to trustee status and WSSA board members are drawn from the Trustees roster.
This position will:
- Design and implement strategies to enhance member engagement and satisfaction.
- Create meaningful opportunities for the 99 trustees to become more actively engaged in the organization.
- Plan and coordinate regular trustee and member-exclusive events.
- Establish a communication strategy and plan for trustees and members.
- Revamp and oversee the creation of member credentials for the Stock Show.
- Design, plan, and execute the annual membership meeting; prepare all proxy materials.
- Assist the Nominating Committee of the WSSA Board of Directors by identifying potential members and managing the process.
Annual Membership Responsibilities:
The NWSS aims to create an
annual membership program that will allow many more people to enjoy, experience,
and support the Western way of life, education and agriculture.
This position will:
- Create and implement a fresh, comprehensive annual membership program that will include strategic planning and development of tactics, key performance indicators, events, and communications.
- Establish new member recruitment strategies.
- Determine appropriate benefits for annual members.
- Produce marketing materials for the launch of an annual campaign.
- Manage the inaugural launch year; collect and analyze data and determine changes, pivots, and strategies that will allow the program to grow in subsequent years.
The position will also advise the organization on the type of membership database needed to complete these tasks and keep all membership data current.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.
Skills & Abilities
- Bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, Communications, or related field required.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in nonprofit development, fundraising, and/or membership services.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with exceptional attention to detail.
- Candidate should exhibit strong organizational, time management, and customer service skills; must be capable of managing schedules, working under deadlines, and working with the NWSS team as a whole.
- Must be able to work independently as well as part of a team.
- Must have quality people skills, as well as the ability to maintain a positive attitude at all times.
Physical Demands
National Western Complex is a multi-purpose indoor and outdoor commercial and agricultural complex where dusty conditions and animals may exist. While performing the duties of this job, work is performed both indoors and outside in all weather conditions, including extreme cold, snow, wind, and rain, as well as on varied surfaces. Our employees must be able to work indoors and outdoors with regular and prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures, must be comfortable working at heights and be able to work around moving machinery and equipment.
In this role, incumbent will experience prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Incumbent must be able to lift 15 pounds and access/navigate the National Western Complex in its entirety, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Scheduling Requirements
While the schedule for this position is primarily Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., there will be certain occasions in which early morning, late evening, weekend, or holiday availability will be required to perform the essential functions of this position. This position will need to be on-site every day during Stock Show, typically for 12-16 hours at a time.
Compensation & Benefits
- This is a full-time, salaried/exempt position.
- Compensation will range from $75,000 to $90,000 annually, dependent on relevant experience.
- Full-time employees qualify for partially paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employee; family coverage is available at group rates.
- Voluntary benefits including accident, critical illness, short-term disability, hospital indemnity, and pet insurance available at discounted rates.
- 100% paid long-term disability and voluntary life insurance.
- Paid sick leave and vacation time.
- Upon meeting plan qualifications, a competitive 401(k) retirement plan is available with up to 7% in employer contributions.
WSSA/NWSS is a drug & alcohol-free employer with a zero-tolerance drug policy, including marijuana.
WSSA/NWSS is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity.
All offers are contingent on the successful completion of a criminal background check.
Anticipated Job Posting Close Date
12/31/2024; open until filled.
Established in 1906 in the heart of downtown Denver, the National Western Stock Show is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our mission is to strengthen American agriculture through enrichment programs and nourishing agriculture education. The annual Stock Show is the nation's premier livestock, rodeo, and horse show, serving agricultural producers and consumers worldwide.
Our employees are the most essential part of everything we do. From Event Operations to Finance or Livestock to Marketing, our team is the force behind the name and the reason for our successes.
There's no place like Stock Show, and there's no team like it either.