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The differences between community advocates and outreach specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a community advocate and an outreach specialist. Additionally, an outreach specialist has an average salary of $41,863, which is higher than the $35,900 average annual salary of a community advocate.
The top three skills for a community advocate include community resources, community outreach and crisis intervention. The most important skills for an outreach specialist are customer service, patients, and social work.
| Community Advocate | Outreach Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,900 | $41,863 |
| Hourly rate | $17.26 | $20.13 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 36,520 | 46,523 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
The task of a community advocate is to provide advocacy and lobby for change or development within neighborhoods. Community advocates collaborate with a certain population like battered women or the deaf affected by environmental contamination. The advocates guide and assist on the hotline to make sure that every individual gets necessary guidance, safety plans, and resources. They provide crisis intervention or management with shelter residents. Also, they ensure confidentiality and legal compliance integrity based on corporate policy.
An outreach specialist is primarily responsible for organizing and managing social service programs that promote health and wellness within a community. They typically conduct research and assessments to determine the community's needs, thoroughly plan events and programs, participate in hiring staff and volunteers, and liaise with sponsors and suppliers. Often reporting to a manager or supervisor, an outreach specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports, preparing necessary documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments, and even responding to inquiries and concerns.
Community advocates and outreach specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Advocate | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,900 | $41,863 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $43,000 | Between $29,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Boston Medical Center | CME Group |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a community advocate and an outreach specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Advocate | Outreach Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between community advocates' and outreach specialists' demographics:
| Community Advocate | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.8% Female, 74.2% | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 24.6% Asian, 5.9% White, 49.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |