Become A Communications Manager

Social and community service managers coordinate and supervise social service programs and community organizations. They manage staff who provide social services to the public.

Social and community service managers typically do the following:

• Work with members of the community and other stakeholders to identify necessary programs and services
• Oversee administrative aspects of programs to meet the objectives of the stakeholders
• Establish methods to gather information about the impact of their programs
• Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of programs
• Suggest and implement improvements to programs and services
• Develop and manage budgets for programs and organizations
• Plan and manage outreach activities to advocate for increased awareness of programs
• Write proposals for social services funding

Social and community service managers work for a variety of social and human service organizations. Some of these organizations focus on working with a particular demographic, such as children, people who are homeless, older adults, or veterans. Other such organizations focus on helping people with particular challenges, such as mental health needs, the presence of chronic hunger, and long-term unemployment.

Social and community service managers are often expected to show that their programs and services are effective. They collect statistics and other information to evaluate the impact that programs have in their community or on their target audience. They are usually required to report this information to administrators or funders. They may also use evaluations to identify areas that need improvement for programs to be more effective, such as providing mentorship and assessments for their staff.

Although the specific job duties of social and community service managers may vary with the size of the organization, most managers must recruit, hire, and train new staff members. They also supervise staff, such as social workers, who provide services directly to clients.

In large agencies, social and community service managers tend to have specialized duties. They may be responsible for running only one program in an organization and reporting to the agency’s upper management. They usually do not design programs but instead supervise and implement programs set up by administrators, elected officials, or other stakeholders.

In small organizations, social and community managers often have many roles. They represent the organization to the public through speaking engagements or in community-wide committees; they oversee programs and execute their implementations; they spend time on administrative tasks, such as managing budgets; and they also help with raising funds and meeting with potential donors.