YMCA OF METROPOLITAN LOS ANGELES

The LA Y is the Center for Community Well-Being in Los Angeles, committed to building stronger communities by providing equitable programs and services to empower all. We are focused on fighting food insecurity, providing equity in education, making sure every child has the opportunity to experience the joy of sports, ensuring kids and teens have a safe place to grow, learn and live a healthy lifestyle. The LA Y’s health and wellness initiatives offer medical and mental health resources to ensure everyone has access to basic health needs. Our mission is to provide services and resources that contribute to the well-being of our community. The LA Y operates 29 Centers and over 200 program sites across LA County.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Belonging Director is responsible for leading and scaling membership growth, engagement, and retention at the local YMCA center. This leadership role drives a high-performing membership department focused on sales excellence, exceptional member experience, and strong community connection. The Belonging Director oversees membership operations including recruitment, onboarding, retention strategies, and member engagement initiatives. The role leads a membership team responsible for achieving monthly membership sales, revenue, and retention metrics while ensuring members experience a welcoming and inclusive YMCA community.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Membership Growth and Sales Leadership

• Lead and manage the membership department to achieve monthly membership sales, revenue, and retention targets.


• Develop and implement strategic plans to grow and scale membership at the center.


• Track membership performance metrics including joins, retention, conversion, and engagement.


• Oversee membership sales processes including tours, consultations, follow-up systems, and closing strategies.


• Analyze membership data to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.

Membership Experience and Belonging  

• Create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment in all YMCA areas by greeting and engaging with members and guests.


• Build meaningful relationships with members to understand their goals and connect them to Y programs, wellness services, and community activities.


• Facilitate small-group connections to enhance member belonging and long-term engagement.


• Conduct new member onboarding sessions and wellness consultations to help members set and achieve healthy living goals.


• Respond promptly and courteously to all member inquiries, compliments, and concerns, resolving issues with care and accountability.


• Oversee new member onboarding strategies that support retention.

Membership Retention

• Actively promote YMCA membership, programs, and services through tours, community outreach, and referral campaigns.


• Conduct prospective member interviews, tours, and follow-ups — closing with an invitation to join the YMCA.


• Meet or exceed individual and team membership retention goals.


• Implement grassroots and digital outreach strategies to engage local communities and attract new members.


• Conduct member retention calls and exit interviews to strengthen relationships and address barriers to participation.

Staff Leadership and Department Management

• Recruit, hire, train, and supervise membership staff.


• Provide coaching and professional development.


• Establish clear expectations and accountability for membership performance goals.

Community Engagement and Partnerships

• Build relationships with local businesses, schools, and organizations to grow membership.


• Represent the YMCA at community events and outreach opportunities.


• Develop grassroots outreach strategies to increase community awareness.

Operations and Compliance

• Accurately process memberships, payments, and registrations while maintaining data integrity.


• Adhere to cash-handling procedures and maintain confidentiality of member information.


• Uphold YMCA policies related to safety, supervision, mandated reporting, and risk management.


• Participate in staff meetings, trainings, and association-wide campaigns such as the Annual Support Campaign.


• Model and enforce the YMCA’s Code of Conduct and Core Values of Caring, Respect, Honesty, and Responsibility.

MONTHLY KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

The Belonging Director is responsible for achieving and monitoring the following membership performance metrics. Targets may vary by branch size and market conditions.

 

KPI Category	Example Target	Measurement
New Membership Sales	75–120 new members per month	Total new join units
Membership Revenue Growth	3–5% monthly increase	Membership dues revenue
Membership Retention Rate	85–90% monthly retention	Active members retained
Tour-to-Membership Conversion	50–65% conversion rate	Tours resulting in memberships
Member Engagement	60% of members in programs	Program participation rate
Referral Growth	15–20% of new members from referrals	Referral tracking
Member Satisfaction	90%+ positive feedback	Surveys and Net Promoter Score
Community Outreach	8–12 outreach events monthly	Events, partnerships, presentations

 

Leadership

• Engage with members regarding their participation in YMCA Programs, Annual Support Campaign, and special events.


• Participate in community outreach through grassroots outings, building relationships and partnerships with community leaders, local businesses, and local government.


• Attend staff meetings and trainings as required.


• Uphold YMCA policies for safety, supervision, mandated reporting and risk management.


• Demonstrate the Six Pillars of Character (Trustworthiness, Citizenship, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, and Fairness) as well as the YMCA Core Values of caring, respect, honesty and responsibility in all dealings with members, guests, volunteers and fellow staff.


• Demonstrate competencies in and willingness to develop in the Cause Driven Leadership areas of mission advancement, collaboration, operational effectiveness and personal growth.


• All other duties as assigned by your supervisor.

YMCA LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

The Y’s Leadership Competency Model is comprised of 14 Leadership Competencies (leadership knowledge, skills, and behaviors required for success in the Y), organized by the four disciplines of Cause-Driven Leadership:

• Advancing Our Mission & Cause: Provide visionary leadership to the organization and to ensure that all resources are mobilized to adapt to new challenges and needs in the community
  
  
  
  
  • Competencies Include: Change Leadership, Engaging Community, Philanthropy, & Volunteerism
  
  
  
  


• Building Relationships: Connect people to the Y’s cause by developing inclusive relationships, partnerships and collaborations so that Ys can co-create solutions to pressing social needs
  
  
  
  • Competencies Include: Collaboration, Communication & Influence, & Inclusion
  
  
  
  


• Leading Operations: ensure relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the organization so that we can continue to fulfill our promise to the community
  
  
  
  • Competencies Include: Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Fiscal Management, Functional Expertise, Innovation, & Program/Project Management
  
  
  
  


• Developing & Inspiring Others: support the holistic development of self and others so that everyone can embrace the Y’s cause, sustain the Y’s culture, and inspire others to take individual and collective action to further our impact
  
  
  
  • Competencies Include: Emotional Maturity & Developing Self & Others
  
  
  
  

While all competencies are significant the following are critical to success in this position:

• Engaging Community


• Inclusion


• Program/Project Management


• Emotional Maturity