KPBS Membership Acquisition Manager

SDSU Research Foundation • San Diego, CA

23d • Hybrid

About The Position

Under the general direction of the Director of Membership, the Membership Acquisition Manager leads KPBS membership acquisition efforts designed to grow new member revenue and audience conversion across multiple channels. The Manager is responsible for the planning, development, and execution of the organization’s membership acquisition strategy. This position is responsible for developing annual and campaign-specific acquisition strategies, leading cross-functional planning discussions, managing external acquisition vendors, supervising staff, and using data to inform decision making to achieve acquisition goals. The position collaborates with departments across the organization to drive sustainable member growth. The Membership Acquisition Manager directly supervises fundraising producer, freelance talent, and student assistants, as well as manages vendor relationships and performance.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience leading successful customer/member acquisition, fundraising growth, subscription growth, or direct response marketing programs.
• Advanced knowledge of strategic planning, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated experience developing campaign goals, budgets, KPIs, and performance reporting.
• Demonstrated experience supervising staff and managing external vendors.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively across multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to effectively manage projects, prioritize time and stay organized.
• Ability to interpret data and make informed business decisions.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office and CRM/reporting systems.
• Ability to work evenings/weekends during priority campaign periods as needed.
• Three years of progressively responsible and related professional experience.
• Bachelor's degree in relevant field or additional experience may be substituted for the required education on a year for year basis.
• Candidate must reside in California and live within a commutable distance from SDSU at time of hire.

Nice To Haves

• Five years of progressively responsible experience in membership acquisition, fundraising, marketing, revenue generation, or business development.
• Three years of management experience in a supervisory or team leadership role.
• Experience leading multi-channel campaigns.
• Experience in nonprofit, media, subscription, higher education, or mission-driven organizations.
• Experience with donor journey mapping, conversion funnels, and lifecycle marketing strategy preferred.
• Knowledge of public media organizations including PBS, NPR, APT, and related systems.
• Experience with broadcast fundraising environments.
• Familiarity with FCC fundraising and underwriting guidelines.
• Experience with live or recorded production workflows, editing environments, traffic systems, or media asset systems.
• Experience working with and analyzing data to support informed decision-making

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of KPBS’s annual membership acquisition strategy focused on new member growth, revenue generation, and donor pipeline development.
• Lead cross-functional planning meetings to develop integrated acquisition campaigns across television, radio, digital, direct response, canvassing, and emerging channels.
• Establish campaign goals, budgets, KPIs, and benchmarks; monitor results and adjust tactics to improve ROI and conversion rates.
• In partnership with the department’s Business Analyst, analyze acquisition funnel performance, donor behavior, audience trends, and campaign outcomes to inform future strategy and demonstrate continuous improvement.
• Identify and test new acquisition opportunities, channels, offers, messaging strategies, and audience segments.
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to promote campaigns across owned and paid channels.
• Prepare regular performance reports, recommendations, and strategic updates for leadership.
• Stay informed on industry trends and best practices in public media fundraising and membership growth.
• Participate in CRM, technology, and process improvement initiatives supporting donor acquisition and lifecycle management.
• Directly supervise assigned staff, contractors, students, and temporary employees supporting acquisition programs.
• Set priorities, assign work, monitor progress, and ensure accountability for campaign deliverables and timelines.
• Coach, develop, and evaluate team performance while fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and results-oriented culture.
• Foster an environment of belonging where different identities and perspectives are respected
• Serve as a member of the KPBS Leadership Team and engage with departments throughout the organization
• Identify and address conflicts of interest and potential concerns promptly
• Ensure proper administrative processes including scheduling and required personnel paperwork.
• Assist with budget monitoring, invoice approvals, and financial forecasting related to acquisition programs.
• Manage relationships with external acquisition vendors, including canvassing, fulfillment, production, and other service providers.
• Negotiate scopes of work, deliverables, timelines, and performance expectations in partnership with leadership.
• Hold vendors accountable to KPIs, quality standards, donor experience expectations, and budget parameters.
• Review vendor reporting and recommend optimizations to improve results and efficiency.
• Represent KPBS internally and externally on membership acquisition initiatives as assigned.
• Attend and represent KPBS at community and station events, with flexibility to attend and/or host events that during evenings and weekends, as needed

Benefits

• Access to campus facilities and staff perks
• weekly farmer's market
• tons of eateries
• community events
• entertainment
• Hybrid schedule/ remote work flexibility options (varies by position)
• 10 vacation days
• 1 personal day
• 13 holidays off (4+ days off over winter break)
• local employee discounts
• Opportunity drawings to attend SDSU basketball games, local concerts and events
• Discounts on local attractions (theme parks, entertainment, restaurants, memberships)
• Free wellness classes & programs
• Staff pop-up events
• Full benefits packages that are unmatched (medical, dental, vision, life)
• Sick leave accruals and paid leave options
• On-site childcare at a discounted rate (based on availability)
• Opportunities for continued learning and professional development
• Flexible spending account(s)
• Employee assistance program
• Matching and voluntary retirement savings plan

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree