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What is a community development specialist and how to become one
Community development specialists typically work at government agencies, often functioning in collaboration with the local authority and voluntary sector providers.
Successful community development specialists focus on the following key action areas in community development programs or projects; Organizational development- they ensure structure, systems, and procedure of an organization reflect its values and roles; Workforce development-they ensure people have the abilities and commitment to contribute to the established goals; Resources allocation- they oversee all things needed to support a program or project; Leadership- they develop and build leadership qualities in themselves and others by fostering environments that promote learning and personal growth; Partnership- they develop effective and appropriate partners and services that share goals and objectives of community development program or project.
How do you become a community development specialist? To become an eligible community development specialist, one requires a degree in social sciences. Relevant work experience is equally important. Entry into this career without a degree or with a higher national diploma is possible, but one's career development will be more restricted. In exchange for their expertise, community development specialists earn an average annual salary of $48,035.
What general advice would you give to a community development specialist?
Jaunelle Celaire
Chair, Professor of Voice, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Avg. Salary $39,476
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 8%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%
Asian 5.94%
Black or African American 11.29%
Hispanic or Latino 17.07%
Unknown 6.33%
White 58.85%
Genderfemale 68.51%
male 31.49%
Age - 44American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 44Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Community development specialist career paths
Key steps to become a community development specialist
Explore community development specialist education requirements
Start to develop specific community development specialist skills
Skills Percentages Event Planning 19.21% Community Outreach 19.05% Lead Generation 13.25% Non-Profit Organization 11.05% Economic Development 4.75% Complete relevant community development specialist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New community development specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a community development specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real community development specialist resumes.Research community development specialist duties and responsibilities
- Manage all aspects of donor prospecting, cultivation, stewardship, and budget/vendor/consultant management for special events and individual giving.
- Prepare and edit donor stewardship and proposals, physician presentations, and leadership communications independently and in conjunction with communications teammates.
- Create community partnerships in addiction ministry and education resulting in ecumenical collaboration surrounding the issues of addiction and recovery.
Prepare your community development specialist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your community development specialist resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a community development specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable community development specialist resume templates
Build a professional community development specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your community development specialist resume.
Apply for community development specialist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a community development specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first community development specialist job
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Average community development specialist salary
The average community development specialist salary in the United States is $39,476 per year or $19 per hour. Community development specialist salaries range between $25,000 and $61,000 per year.
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Updated January 8, 2025
