Application Guide
How to Apply for Manager of Membership, Education, and Programming
at Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)
🏢 About Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)
ASTDD is the national nonprofit membership organization that unites state and territorial oral health leaders—people who run public health dental programs across the U.S. It's a small, growing association at an inflection point: implementing a new Strategic Framework, expanding membership, and building out leadership development. If you want to help shape an organization's next chapter rather than maintain the status quo, this is a rare opportunity to do that in a mission-driven, fully remote setting.
About This Role
As Manager of Membership, Education, and Programming, you'll be the connective tissue between ASTDD and its members—running recruitment and retention, designing educational webinars and learning experiences, and managing programming that helps state oral health leaders connect and grow. You'll also help build the systems and processes that support ASTDD's expansion, meaning you're not just executing existing programs but co-creating what the role looks like. Success means members feel welcomed, engaged, and equipped to do their best work, and that ASTDD's programming runs smoothly and strategically.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might start with a check-in meeting with the Executive Director, then move to responding to member emails and planning an upcoming webinar—coordinating speakers, drafting promotional copy, and testing the virtual platform. You might spend time analyzing membership renewal data to spot trends, then hop on a call with a state dental director to hear how ASTDD can better support their work. In the afternoon, you could be brainstorming new engagement ideas with a colleague or updating the membership onboarding sequence to make new members feel welcome from day one.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) Is Looking For
- A natural relationship-builder who genuinely enjoys getting to know people, remembers details, and can make a remote member feel like part of a community.
- Experienced in membership or association management—understanding recruitment, retention, onboarding, and engagement cycles—and comfortable using an AMS/CRM to track and act on member data.
- A program manager who can juggle multiple education/webinar series, logistics, speaker coordination, and deadlines without dropping balls, and who brings creative ideas for making learning engaging.
- A self-starter who thrives in a small, evolving nonprofit: you see gaps and fill them, propose new initiatives, and aren't afraid to test and iterate.
- Someone who does not need a dentistry background but is curious about public health and eager to learn the language and priorities of state oral health programs.
📝 Tips for Applying to Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)
In your cover letter, explicitly address the 'you don't need a dentistry background' point—show how your membership/programming experience translates and express genuine interest in learning the oral health/public health context.
Reference ASTDD's new Strategic Framework and growth phase in your materials; explain why you want to help build something rather than just manage existing operations.
Highlight concrete examples of membership growth or engagement improvements you've driven (e.g., 'increased renewals by X%' or 'launched a mentorship program that served Y members').
Demonstrate familiarity with association management systems (AMS) or CRMs and virtual event/webinar platforms—ASTDD is remote, so tech-savviness for member tracking and online programming is key.
Show you understand the audience: state and territorial dental directors are busy public health leaders. Explain how you'd make their member experience effortless and valuable.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
Focus on: (1) your ability to build relationships and community in a remote, member-based organization; (2) specific experience managing membership recruitment/retention and educational programming; (3) your excitement about ASTDD's growth phase and new Strategic Framework—and how you'd contribute to shaping it; (4) your comfort with the unknown: why you thrive in a small, evolving nonprofit where you can bring ideas and initiative.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Visit ASTDD's website and read their new Strategic Framework—understand the pillars and goals so you can speak to how this role supports them.
- → Explore ASTDD's existing programs, such as the State Oral Health Program Peer-to-Peer Network, annual conference, and any current webinars or resources for members.
- → Look up a few state dental directors or ASTDD board members on LinkedIn to understand their backgrounds and the challenges they face in public health.
- → Research trends in association membership and remote engagement—what are other national nonprofits doing to keep members connected and learning virtually?
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming the role is clinical or requires dental expertise—focusing too much on dentistry rather than membership/programming skills will signal you didn't read the posting.
- Being vague about membership metrics or program outcomes; avoid saying 'I helped with events' without quantifying impact or describing your specific role.
- Treating this as a traditional, static association job—ASTDD wants someone who is excited to build and innovate, not just maintain the status quo.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD)!