Like hotels, membership clubs provide highly valued service and experiences to their members and guests. The organizations that club managers serve often require the highest standards in quality service. Club managers often act as trusted advisors to the boards that oversee the facilities on behalf of the membership. Country clubs often center on outdoor activities such as golf and tennis. City clubs provide a refuge from the bustle and hubbub of urban life.

Club managers oversee the planning of special events such as weddings, charitable fundraisers, and other significant social gatherings. They ensure that the facilities themselves are well maintained, and that the services provided to members exceed expectations. In many ways a club manager's role is very similar to that of a hotel's general manager. However, in a hotel the guests do not consider themselves to be owners, whereas in clubs the members typically do. This ownership aspect provides an added dimension of sophistication to the job of a club manager. In addition to managing the operations and maintaining the facilities, a club manager must also play a part in fostering the club's culture and preserving its traditions.

Membership clubs cater to people with specific interests or similar backgrounds. These can include profissional societies, fraternal organizations, cultural, arts, and civic organizations, dining clubs, athletic clubs, and so on. When a membership club acquires a facility for social functions, they often need a professional who can manage those facilities in ways that further the purposes of the membership. Universities and colleges might also provide clubs for faculty members and students.