Membership Coordinator

About Chicago Public Media

Home to WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Public Media is the largest local non-profit news organization in the country. WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times serve more than 2 million people weekly across broadcast, print, and digital platforms. As a mission-driven organization, we aspire to become the essential and most trusted news source that Chicago turns to each day for understanding the people, events, and ideas that shape our community.

WBEZ is home to local and national news programming as well as a growing portfolio of popular podcasts. WBEZ serves the community with fact-based, objective news and information, and its award-winning journalists ask tough questions, dig deep for answers and expose truths that spark change and foster understanding. WBEZ is supported by 77,000 members, hundreds of corporate sponsors and major donors.  In 2024, Chicago Public Media won 33 national and local awards including from the National Headliner Awards, National Association for Black Journalists, Public Media Journalists Association, Radio Television Digital News Association, Chicago Headline Club, Chicago Journalists Association, Media for a Just Society, and the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. 

Chicago Sun-Times is Chicago’s oldest continuously published daily newspaper serving Chicago and is known for its hard-hitting investigative reporting, in-depth political coverage, timely behind-the-scenes sports analysis, and insightful entertainment and cultural coverage. Chicago Sun-Times is the winner of eight Pulitzer Prizes and countless other awards.  In recent years, the Sun-Times has focused on a digital transformation to deliver its news and content to a growing digital audience. Most recently, the Sun-Times dropped the paywall on suntimes.com to expand access to its journalism, and shifted to a community-funded digital membership program supported by voluntary member donations. 

Chicago Public Media believes independent journalism is essential to a well-functioning democracy and access to fact-based, objective news and information is a right of every citizen. We serve the public interest by creating diverse, compelling content that informs, inspires, and enriches. We connect diverse audiences and help them make a difference in the community, the region and the world.  And, we employ 300+ staff who want to belong to an organization that inspires, supports, and challenges them to do their best work.

For more information, please see the Chicago Public Media Annual Report.

The Opportunity

The Membership Coordinator works jointly across WBEZ & the Chicago Sun-Times (CST) with a focus on engagement, stewardship and satisfaction of our members. This position serves as a key operational and administrative role within the Membership Department, helping to implement campaigns, manage donor touchpoints, and ensure excellent service delivery across platforms.

Reporting to the Membership Manager, the Membership Coordinator will also collaborate closely with the Email Automation Manager and Member Services Lead, sharing responsibilities across member communication, donor support and case management, and engagement logistics.

The Membership Coordinator works jointly across WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, supporting a variety of functions that contribute to the success of direct mail programs, acknowledgement process, thank you gifts and member benefits, mid-level donor communications, and engagement initiatives. This role will assist in managing external vendor relationships and help coordinate the execution of member-facing campaigns and activities.

They play a supporting role in executing monthly renewal efforts, quarterly pledge drives, and other strategic fundraising initiatives. The Membership Coordinator will be responsible for project tracking, list preparation, scheduling, documentation, and reporting.

The role requires strong attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work cross-functionally. The ideal candidate is collaborative, highly organized, and motivated to improve donor experiences. They must be comfortable working with a diverse team and exemplify Chicago Public Media’s values in all aspects of their work.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Member Services & Donor Support (in collaboration with Member Services Lead)

• Serve as a frontline resource for member and donor inquiries via phone and email, ensuring prompt and accurate resolution and high satisfaction.
• Track and manage member cases and communication preferences in donor database (Salesforce, Blackbaud, or Revolution CRM experience preferred).
• Provide timely fulfillment of member benefits, thank-you gifts, and acknowledgments.
• Assist in new member welcome outreach, member surveys and benefit fulfillment.
• Provide support for Leadership Circle benefit fulfillment and stewardship communications.
• Manage sensitive donor information with the utmost care for privacy and security.
• Support ongoing data hygiene efforts by flagging inconsistencies and updating member records as needed. 

Campaign & Program Coordination

• Assist in coordinating logistics and deliverables for membership campaigns (e.g., pledge drives, direct mail, and digital renewals).
• Provide administrative and production support for direct mail campaigns and acknowledgment letters, working with internal teams and external vendors.
• Help gather content, assets, and deadlines for member newsletters and digital communications.
• Support event preparation for member gatherings, appreciation events, and mid-level donor engagement.

Email Production & Campaign Support (in collaboration with Membership Manager and Email Automation Manager)

• Assist with writing, editing, and proofreading content for fundraising and stewardship emails.
• Support the building, testing, and deployment of membership emails using Campaign Monitor and/or Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
• Help manage the email calendar and support coordination with cross-functional teams to meet production timelines.
• Assist with audience segmentation and personalization to improve relevance and effectiveness of outreach.
• Monitor campaign accuracy and consistency in tone, messaging, and member experience.

Data & Reporting

• Track and report on campaign performance metrics, including open rates, response rates, benefit fulfillment, and member inquiries.
• Support analysis of member service trends and engagement outcomes to inform retention strategies.
• Assist with invoice processing, vendor communications, and budget tracking related to membership expenses (e.g., benefits, merchandise, mailings).
• Maintain records of inventory levels for member benefits and promotional materials.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 1-3 years of relevant experience in membership, subscription, fundraising, customer service, marketing, or nonprofit operations. 
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with a demonstrated ability to craft clear, effective and engaging messages to members and donors.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks and deadlines across teams.
• Detail-oriented, with a high level of accuracy in data entry, proofreading, and campaign execution.
• Customer service mindset, with a demonstrated ability to address donor questions, troubleshoot problems, and follow through on tasks with care.
• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g. Salesforce, Blackbaud, Tessitura, or similar), email platforms, and donor databases; willingness to learn new tools and systems.
• Ability to analyze and report on data, including working with spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets) to track results and trends.
• Collaborative working style, with a willingness to learn from and support teammates across departments.

Compensation

The expected pay range for this position is $50,000 to $60,000 per ANNUM.

Chicago Public Media provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the organization reasonably expects to pay for a position.  The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographical location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Working at Chicago Public Media

At Chicago Public Media, we care deeply about our employees as we know attracting, developing, and growing talent is key to our success and enhancing our impact.  

Our culture is one where collaboration, diversity of ideas, and innovation are encouraged.  We value colleagues who will enhance our culture by bringing new ideas, divergent experiences, and talents to our dynamic workplace.

At Chicago Public Media we believe dedication to a great workplace includes supporting our employees and their families. As a result, we provide a broad and generous benefits package for employees at hire and in the years to come.

Our benefits include a competitive salary and benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, vacation, holidays, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement savings, and a commuter benefits plan.

Chicago Public Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we actively seek and welcome people from all backgrounds, orientations, and life experiences to join our team.

The essential functions described above are not all-inclusive and are not intended to create any contractual or other legal commitment. Chicago Public Media may change the content or format of this job at any time in its sole and exclusive discretion without notice.