Become a DRRA Member

DRRA opened on August 3, 1958 and has grown to a 650 family non-profit membership association. The main pool and baby pool were refurbished in 2014. The main pool is 600,000 square feet in a “L” shape configuration with three diving boards. There is also a baby pool for children 5 and under, a bathhouse and snack bar. Donaldson Run is located in the Donaldson Run watershed adjacent to Marcey Park and Potomac Overlook Regional Park. The pool is open from Mid May to late September.

Donaldson Run offers several instructional and exercise programs for the benefit of its members throughout the summer:

  • swimming lessons
  • early-bird and evening lap swimming
  • water aerobics and amphibious bootcamp
  • competitive diving and swimming in the Northern Virginia Swimming League

Waiting List

The DRRA by-laws limit the number of voting members to 650 families. Eligible families must join the waiting list by submitting an application and $50 non-refundable fee. Applications are processed in the order they are received. Over the past five years, the turnover has averaged 40 families per year. The waiting period for full voting membership is approximately 7 to 9 years; however, there are provisional membership categories that allow you to use the pool while you remain on the wait list.

Apply For Membership

Membership Categories

There are two special membership categories designed to allow applicants on the wait list to use the pool with restricted privileges.

  1. Full Summer Membership— In order to accommodate as many families as possible on the wait list, the Board of Directors may grant summer use privileges for a year to members at the top of the wait list. Full Summer membership entitles the applicant and his/her family to use DRRA facilities during a summer season in the same manner and under the same rules applying to members, except that no membership rights of any kind are conferred by the granting of Full Summer membership. At the election of the Board, approximately 145-150 families are invited to swim for the entire summer as Full Summer members. The waiting period for Full Summer membership is approximately 4 to 5 years. If you reject an offer to swim as a Full Summer member you must pay a holding or inactive fee if you don’t want to be dropped from the waitlist.
  2. Late Summer Membership— Beginning on August 1st through the end of the season entitles the applicant and his/her family to the same benefits and restrictions as Full Summer membership. If you refuse the invitation for a Late Summer membership to swim for a season, your slot on the wait list is not affected and you will be invited to swim the next year if possible.

Membership Cost

DRRA has 650 shareholding memberships. When you reach the top of our waitlist (Full Summer and Late Summer memberships are waitlist positions for those waiting to become Shareholders), you are required to join the association and pay a $2800 capital buy-in payable within a month of having been notified by the Membership Coordinator of an existing pool vacancy. Your Capital Contribution is fully refundable whenever you leave the pool. At the time you make your Capital Contribution and become a shareholder you also pay a $200 non-refundable processing fee

In addition to the one time Capital Contribution, each year every shareholding membership pays summer dues. Each membership pays a $560 membership fee assessed reflective of the fixed costs of owning the pool. This fee includes one summer swimmer and is irrelevant to the costs associated with the summer opening of the pool. Those costs are covered by active members who pay a summer usage fee on a sliding scale based on family size.

An inactive member pays $525 to remain part of the pool.

For example, the 2025 season costs for a family of 4:

  • The Active member dues for a family of 4 are $830 which includes the $560 usage membership fee. The first swimmer pays $100 the second $100 the Third and Forth $85 the fifth and 6th $55 and after that $35 each.
  • The Full Summer dues for a family of 4 are $1030.
  • The Late Summer dues for a family of 4 to swim beginning in August is $505

If you decline the invitation to become a voting shareholder member when you reach the top of the waitlist, you will forfeit your place on the waitlist and must reapply. There are no special privileges for applicants reapplying.