Membership Coordinator

Joplin Historical Neighborhoods, Inc. is a nonprofit that preserves and interprets two Victorian era homes on South Sergeant Avenue: the Schifferdecker Home and the Zelleken Home. Charles Schifferdecker and Edward Zelleken built these houses during Joplin's mining boom, and they still stand because people in this community decided they should.

We opened to the public in April 2026. We are a small team, everyone here does real work, and what you do shows up in the numbers quickly.

About this position

This is a new role, and it exists for one reason: the museum needs more members and more visitors.

You will be the person who goes out and gets them. You will be at the job fair, at Porchfest, at the chamber lunch, and in the room when a local company decides where its community dollars go. You will know the museum well enough to make someone want to see it, and you will ask people to join.

You will also take care of the members we already have. Our first renewal season arrives in spring 2027, and building that renewal process from scratch will be some of the most important work you do here.

This is not a marketing or social media job. We have people who handle content, design, and publishing. You will tell them what needs promoting and coordinate the timing, but your work happens in conversations, not in a content calendar. If you are looking for a communications role, this is not it.

What you will do

• Recruit new individual, household, and corporate members
• Manage renewals and win back members who have lapsed
• Represent the museum at community events, job fairs, school events, and civic organization meetings
• Build relationships with schools, libraries, senior groups, and tourism partners to bring in group tours
• Keep a real lead pipeline with real follow up
• Plan and run membership drives and member appreciation events
• Help administer our member event program, including private dinners, garden parties, and photography sessions
• Report weekly to the Deputy Director
• Help out during large events and group tours when the museum needs hands

What we are looking for

• You can build a relationship and then ask for a commitment. Sales, fundraising, membership, recruiting, or anything comparable.
• Strong computer skills. You can run a spreadsheet, manage your email, and keep a lead tracking system current without being reminded.
• Clear writing and clear speaking.
• You can manage your own calendar and hold yourself to a pipeline. Nobody will be checking your work daily.
• You are comfortable walking up to someone you have never met and starting a conversation about the museum.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation. You will be driving around Joplin, and we reimburse mileage.
• Availability for some evenings and weekends when events require it.
• Real interest in local history and historic preservation. You cannot sell this museum if you do not care about it.

Experience in membership, development, sales, or community outreach is preferred, as are existing relationships in the Joplin area. Museum experience is not required.

Pay and the path to full time

This position starts at 25 hours per week. It is built to grow: when museum membership reaches 200 active members with a renewal rate at or above 60 percent, the role converts to full time at a salary between $50,000 and $60,000 depending on experience. That target is written into the position, not a vague promise, and you will have a direct hand in reaching it.

Please read this before you apply: we do not currently offer health, dental, vision, or retirement benefits. We would rather tell you now than at the offer stage. If you need employer provided health coverage, this position will not work for you, and we understand.

What we do offer: paid time off and museum holidays, mileage reimbursement at the IRS rate, free museum admission for you and your household, and support for a professional membership or conference.

Training

You will not be expected to know the museum on day one. Your first month is structured. You will shadow tours in both homes, learn the Schifferdecker and Zelleken histories with our Executive Director and Principal Historian, learn our systems, and get to the point where you can talk about this place with authority. We will not send you to a community event before you are ready.

To apply

Send a resume and a brief note about why this position interests you. In your note, tell us about a time you got someone to say yes to something. That is the job.

Joplin Historical Neighborhoods, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

Pay: $45,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person