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 an “L” shape configuration with three diving boards. There is also a baby pool for children 5 and under, a bathhouse, and a 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 many 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
  • Yoga
  • Competitive swimming and diving in the Northern Virginia Swimming League (NVSL)

Membership Wait List

The DRRA by-laws limit the number of voting shareholder members to 650 families. Eligible families must join the membership waitlist by submitting an application and $50 non-refundable fee. Applications are processed in the order they are received. Over the past five years, the shareholder turnover has averaged 40 families per year. The waiting period for full-voting shareholder membership is approximately 5 to 7 years. However, there are special membership categories that allow you to use the pool while you remain on the waitlist.

Special Membership Categories

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

  1. Full Summer Membership — In order to accommodate as many families as possible on the waitlist, the Board of Directors may grant summer use privileges for a year to families at the top of the waitlist. Full Summer membership entitles the applicant and his/her family to use DRRA facilities during a summer season under the same rules applying to shareholder members, except that no shareholder rights of any kind are conferred by the granting of Full Summer membership. At the election of the Board, approximately 150 families are invited to swim for the entire summer as Full Summer members. The waiting period for Full Summer membership is approximately 3 to 5 years. If you decline an offer to swim as a Full Summer member you must pay an inactive fee to maintain your place on the waitlist. Full Summer members may participate on the Swim and Dive Teams.
  2. Late Summer Membership — Beginning on July 22nd 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 decline the invitation for a Late Summer membership for a season, your slot on the waitlist is not affected and you will be invited to swim the next year if possible. Late Summer membership is generally immediately available to all families when they join the waitlist.  Late Summer members may participate on the Swim and Dive Teams for the entire summer season.

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 $525 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 2024 season costs for a family of 4:

  • The Active member dues for a family of 4 are $780 which includes the $525 usage membership fee. The first swimmer pays $100 the second $95 the Third and Forth $80 the fifth and 6th $55 and after that $35 each.
  • The Full Summer dues for a family of 4 are $980.
  • 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.