How to hire a community advocate

How to hire a community advocate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step community advocate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a community advocate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new community advocate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a community advocate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the community advocate you need to hire. Certain community advocate roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A community advocate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, community advocates from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of community advocate salaries for various roles:

   Type of Community Advocate	Description	Hourly rate
   Community Advocate	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$13-20
   Outreach Worker	An outreach worker is responsible for supporting community events and relief efforts to assist citizens with their needs, providing them resources, and facilitating lifestyle programs. Outreach workers coordinate with participants, suppliers, and sponsors for funding and promotions... Show more	$13-23
   Outreach Coordinator	An outreach coordinator is responsible for assisting community and fundraising programs, ensuring the smooth flow of events and participants' engagement. Outreach coordinators often work with humanitarian organizations or other nonprofit institutions to promote and develop citizens' welfare... Show more	$16-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Community Resources
   • Community Outreach
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Safety Planning
   • Social Work
   • Data Entry
   • Social Services
   • Community Engagement
   • Community Organizations
   • Community Events
   • Financial Assistance
   • Mental Health
   • Haitian Creole
   • Medical Appointments

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage social media communication including Facebook, Pinterest, and blog.
   • Provide ongoing case management and resource coordinator for individuals with special needs or developmental delays receiving DDA funding.
   • Provide services to WIC clients to promote establish goals and to reinforce positive results.
   • Assist the families with applying for Medicaid, food assistance, FIP, WIC, low income housing etc.
   • Authorize and monitor CCAD services to ensure that the consumer receives the services as authorized and their needs are being meet.

   More community advocate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your community advocate job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A community advocate can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, community advocates' average salary in indiana is 42% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level community advocates 33% less than senior-level community advocates.
   • Certifications. A community advocate with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a community advocate's salary.

   Average community advocate salary

   $35,900yearly

   $17.26 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level community advocate salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average community advocate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$49,383	$24
   2	New York	$43,812	$21
   3	Nevada	$43,082	$21
   4	California	$42,099	$20
   5	New Hampshire	$41,542	$20
   6	Massachusetts	$41,392	$20
   7	North Dakota	$41,162	$20
   8	Washington	$40,791	$20
   9	Maryland	$39,558	$19
   10	Virginia	$38,253	$18
   11	Oregon	$37,926	$18
   12	Michigan	$37,837	$18
   13	Pennsylvania	$37,479	$18
   14	Arizona	$37,278	$18
   15	Delaware	$37,074	$18
   16	Texas	$36,893	$18
   17	Iowa	$36,889	$18
   18	Illinois	$36,522	$18
   19	Colorado	$35,269	$17
   20	South Carolina	$34,693	$17

   Average community advocate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Medical Center	$43,004	$20.68	13
   2	United Way for Southeastern Michigan	$38,586	$18.55
   3	Mile High United Way	$38,137	$18.34	1
   4	S A F E Inc	$37,983	$18.26
   5	Good Shepherd Services	$37,157	$17.86	23
   6	Stevens Institute of Technology	$37,134	$17.85
   7	Community Action Organization	$36,985	$17.78	2
   8	ywcacentralmass	$36,810	$17.70	6
   9	SMOC	$36,424	$17.51
   10	Hoyleton Youth And Family Services	$36,373	$17.49	6
   11	Centene	$36,340	$17.47	31
   12	Tacoma Housing Authority	$36,173	$17.39
   13	Greystar Real Estate Partners	$35,971	$17.29	202
   14	National Disability Rights Network	$35,603	$17.12
   15	Indian Health Service	$35,387	$17.01	4
   16	FieldWorks	$35,214	$16.93
   17	Volunteers of America Colorado	$35,195	$16.92	7
   18	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$35,066	$16.86	4
   19	Hoag	$34,771	$16.72
   20	Ibero American Action League	$34,769	$16.72	5

4. Writing a community advocate job description

   A community advocate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a community advocate job description:

   Community advocate job description example

   You could be the one who changes everything for our 26 million members. Centene is transforming the health of our communities, one person at a time. As a diversified, national organization, you'll have access to competitive benefits including a fresh perspective on workplace flexibility.
   
   Position Purpose: Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with Health & Family Services, government agencies, community resource and advocacy groups, to build additional community support for current and potential members.
   
   • Identify and develop relationships with key community stakeholders throughout market region and act as the liaison between these organization and the health plan
   
   • Collaborate with stakeholders and community-based organizations to facilitate the development of community partnerships and assist in the translation of partnerships into operational strategies
   
   • Identify opportunities for partnering with community, provider, and advocacy organizations to establish stronger and visible relationships with various constituencies
   • Monitor and report on achievement of committed action plans
   
   • Facilitate and maintain communication between internal and external audiences Coordinate outreach activities to identify enrollees needing care within various populations
   
   • Monitor and report on achievement of committed action plans
   
   • Assist in coordinating and tracking funding and sponsorship requests in partnership with marketing team
   
   Education/Experience: Bachelor's degree in Public Health or related field. 2+ years of social services or advocacy experience preferably in Medicaid environment.
   
   Our Comprehensive Benefits Package: Flexible work solutions including remote options, hybrid work schedules and dress flexibility, Competitive pay, Paid time off including holidays, Health insurance coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) and stock purchase plans, Tuition reimbursement and best-in-class training and development.
   
   Centene is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, and values the ways in which we are different. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristic protected by applicable law.
   
   **TITLE:** Community Advocate
   
   **LOCATION:** Springfield, Illinois
   
   **REQNUMBER:** 1352301

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find community advocates for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your community advocate job on Zippia to find and recruit community advocate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit community advocates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new community advocate

   Once you've found the community advocate candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new community advocate first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a community advocate?