Description
The Vice President, Membership & Mid-level Giving (VP) is a visionary, data-driven, and audience-centered leader responsible for growing KQED’s most critical community of supporters — its members. This role drives strategy and innovation for the full lifecycle of membership and mid-level giving, from acquisition through retention and upgrade, cultivating a deep sense of connection and shared purpose between audiences and KQED’s mission.
The VP combines strategic foresight, creativity, and analytical rigor to lead one of the most dynamic membership programs in public media. As both a collaborative partner and innovative problem-solver, the VP will champion audience loyalty and philanthropic support across platforms, using data, experimentation, and storytelling to deepen engagement and expand impact. The VP will play a central role in integrating membership strategy into KQED's unified content approach, ensuring that content verticals include clear membership value propositions and conversions pathways from their inception.
The VP will help shape annual and multi-year fundraising plans and will work across departments including development, content, programming, product, marketing, audience intelligence, IT and Finance to ensure membership growth strategies are integrated into KQED’s broader audience and revenue goals. Critical to this role is embedding membership functionality and benefits within KQED's owned digital platforms-- particulary the KQED app and website--creating seamless experiences that reward members and convert engaged users into supporters. The role oversees the membership and mid-level department and directly manages the Executive Director of Member Fundraising & Donor Relations, the Executive Director of Membership Operations, and the Director of Audio Fundraising.
KQED envisions a public media organization with a culture that centers on human dignity, equity, and belonging. This will enable us to better serve and reflect the Bay Area through diverse and inclusive storytelling.
We value the contributions of marginalized people in society — including Black, Indigenous, and all people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ people — and we believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do, and we strongly encourage members of these communities to apply.
KQED Code of Ethics https://www.kqed.org/about/code-ethics
The mission that drives us:
KQED provide citizens of Northern California with a community-supported alternative to commercial media. We provide citizens with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions; convene community dialogue; bring the arts to everyone and engage audiences to share their stories. We help students and teachers thrive in 21st-century classrooms, and take people of all ages on journeys of exploration- exposing them to new people, places and ideas.
This role will work hybrid between working in KQED's newly renovated headquarters and working remotely.
Essential Functions
Strategic LeadershipLead the development, execution, and evaluation of comprehensive, multi-channel fundraising strategies to acquire, retain, and engage KQED members and mid-level donors.
Partner with the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer leadership to establish annual and long-term goals, OKRs and growth strategies that align with KQED’s mission, strategic plan and financial outlook.
Champion an audience-centric, loyalty-based culture that views membership as both a philanthropic and participatory relationship with KQED.
Collaborate with the VP of Philanthropy to create seamless pathways and drive a pipeline from first-time membership through mid-level to major and legacy giving. Be a key partner with VP of Philanthropyon 3-year Startegic Philanthropy Initiative.
Serve as an active participant in organizational strategic planning and initiatives that connect audience engagement and revenue growth.
Work closely with content leadership to integrate membership strategy into KQED's unified content approach, ensuring all major content initiatives include clear membership converstion strategies and exclusive member benefits.
Growth, Engagement, and InnovationOversee the full member lifecycle from acquisition and onboarding through renewal, upgrade, and reactivation using behavioral data and testing to deliver personalized, meaningful experiences.
Lead integrated fundraising across radio, digital, direct mail, podcasting, and paid media to maximize reach, conversion, and retention.
Partner with product and audience intelligence teams to map user journeys and design personalized experiences that deepen engagement and value withing KQED's owned platforms, particularly the app and website.
Continue to refine rapid-cycle testing, creative storytelling, and innovative campaign design to inspire action and measure results.
Leverage AI, analytics, and automation tools to enhance donor experiences, predict trends, and optimize campaign targeting.
Demonstrate ability and enthusiasm for rapid experimentation and iteration, working collaboratively with content teams to test new membership models ties to specific content verticals, persoanlities, and community experiences.
Design and implement membership features and benefits that are native to KQED's digital platforms, creating compelling reasons for users to become members and making the membership experience integral to the KQED app and web experience.
Financials and Operations
Create and manange revenue and expense budgets, forecasts, and revenue reconcilaition.
Regualry analyze program and financial date, and provide reports to executive leadership and staff.
Work with team leads and people managers to assess and improve standards and process, and provided streamlined workflows to build and track pipeline.
Organzie the department for maximum efficiency and long-term effectiveness.
Data, Insights, and PerformanceLeverage analytics, segmentation, and performance tracking to inform decision-making and refine strategies for acquisition, retention, and donor lifetime value.
Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) across all channels, ensuring alignment with broader organizational metrics and reporting frameworks.
Stay ahead of emerging trends in media, fundraising, and digital engagement; benchmark KQED’s membership performance against national best practices.
Translate complex data into compelling insights that engage staff, leadership, and audiences around the impact of KQED’s community support.
Operational and Team LeadershipLead and mentor a high-performing membership and mid-level giving team, including direct management of the Executive Director of Member Fundraising & Donor Relations, Executive Director of Membership Operations, and Director of Audio Fundraising.
Translate strategic goals into actionable work plans, fostering accountability, collaboration, and professional growth.
Oversee budgets, contracts, and vendors to ensure efficient use of resources and strong returns across initiatives.
Partner with IT teams to ensure KQED’s membership systems and CRM tools are optimized for innovation, performance, and data accuracy.
Foster a culture of cross-functiional collaboration, ensuring membership strategy is enbeded in content planning, product development, and marketing initiatives from the earliest stages.
Qualifications
Knowledge and ExperienceMinimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in membership or individual giving, ideally within media, nonprofit, or direct-to-consumer environments.
Proven success developing and executing growth strategies that drive revenue and deepen audience relationships.
Demonstrated expertise in CRM systems, data analytics, segmentation methodologies, and marketing automation tools.
Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional teams and build strong collaborative relationships.
Strong financial acumen and experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets and vendor contracts.
Exceptional communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to translate insights into clear narratives for staff, boards, and public audiences.
Track record of leveraging technology, experimentation, and insight-driven testing to innovate and scale programs.
Deep understanding of philanthropic giving, loyalty programs, and community engagement models.
Experience integrating membership or subscription models with content strategies and digital platform development strongly preferred. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with editorial and content teams, understanding hot to align fundraising with audience-first content experiences.
Physical Demands:Ability to lift a minimum of fifteen (15) pounds;
Ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull or carry;
Ability to use abdominal and lower back muscles over time without fatigue;
Ability to stand and/or sit for extended periods;
Ability to bend, stoop, stretch, twist, sit, and reach;
Fine motor skills;
Good visual and auditory acuity.
