Kris Butterfield Cance: Building Club Culture Through Belonging, Authentic Service and Shared Responsibility

ABOUT KRISKris Butterfield Cance, MCMP, is director of membership and communications at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara, CA. She brings two decades of private club experience spanning membership, communications, operations and people and culture.Her leadership perspective is informed by organizational change, global leadership and psychology. Those disciplines reinforce a principle that guides her work: Private clubs are in the people business. Strategy may establish direction, but culture is created by how members and employees experiencechange, communication and everyday interactions.A natural relationship builder, Kris focuses on helping people move from feeling like visitors to feeling that they have found their community. At La Cumbre, she has used communication as a culture-building tool, including adding club-specific language to the employee handbook so new team members can understand the traditions, terminology and history behind themember experience. Her approach connects clear communication, authentic service and shared responsibility for member engagement across every department.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTStep into an insightful conversation with Kris Butterfield Cance, MCMP, director of membership and communications at La Cumbre Country Club. Drawing on experience across membership, communications, operations and people andculture, Kris explains why the strongest private clubs understand that they are not simply managing amenities. They are creating belonging.Kris begins with a simple truth: Culture is not something a club declares. It is something members feel and employees live in every interaction. When team members feel seen, supported and connected to a shared purpose, they are betterprepared to create experiences that feel personal rather than transactional.Communication is central to that work. Kris describes creating a section of La Cumbre’s employee handbook devoted to club language, including the history and meaning behind traditions. Shared language helps employees understand the club’s story and gives them the confidence to participate in its culture from the beginning.Kris explains why clubs should hire for curiosity and genuine care, give employees permission to be human and preserve the traditions that define the club while allowing other practices to evolve. Her phrase ‘progressively rooted’ captures the balance: grounded in identity, but open to becoming what the community needs next.WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS CONVERSATIONIn this thoughtful discussion, Kris shares practical ideas shaped by two decades in private clubs and her experience across both the member and employee sides of club culture. You’ll hear:How organizational change, global leadership and psychology shape Kris’s approach to culture and connectionWhy culture is created through small, repeated behaviors rather than declarationsWhy meaningful engagement should be measured by relationships formed, not only attendanceWhy shared communication allows every department to read from the same bookHow club-specific language and history can strengthen employee onboardingand belongingHow giving employees permission to be human creates service that feels authentic rather than scriptedWhy retention belongs to the entire club rather than one membership professionalWhy trust gives club leaders the grace to navigate disagreement and imperfectionHow a private club creates belonging through continuity, recognition and relationships that deepen over timeThroughout the conversation, Kris brings leadership back to human connection. Her perspective reminds us that members are not simply joining a place. They are searching for their people. When a club builds belonging internally, communicates with clarity and creates intentional opportunities for relationships to grow, engagement, retention and long-term relevance follow naturally.