Post job

Community organizer vs community support specialist

The differences between community organizers and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a community organizer has an average salary of $47,257, which is higher than the $39,320 average annual salary of a community support specialist.

The top three skills for a community organizer include community outreach, public speaking and social justice. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.

Community organizer vs community support specialist overview

Community OrganizerCommunity Support Specialist
Yearly salary$47,257$39,320
Hourly rate$22.72$18.90
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs16,373111,431
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4343
Years of experience-12

What does a community organizer do?

Community organizers assist communities in clarifying and determining their problems, articulating their needs, and exploring resolution strategies. The organizers choose and apply strategies related to the intervention. They establish their capacities to cope effectively and deal with their respective issues. Part of their job is to organize communities acting collectively on shared interests. Honesty, compassion, and a sense of responsibility in carrying out their duties are all necessary for the postition.

What does a community support specialist do?

A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.

Community organizer vs community support specialist salary

Community organizers and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Community OrganizerCommunity Support Specialist
Average salary$47,257$39,320
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $66,000Between $27,000 And $56,000
Highest paying CityDetroit, MIWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew JerseyAlaska
Best paying companyCity of San JosMeta
Best paying industryProfessionalNon Profits

Differences between community organizer and community support specialist education

There are a few differences between a community organizer and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:

Community OrganizerCommunity Support Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorPolitical SciencePsychology
Most common collegeStanford UniversityCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Community organizer vs community support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between community organizers' and community support specialists' demographics:

Community OrganizerCommunity Support Specialist
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 42.6% Female, 57.4%Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage21%11%

Differences between community organizer and community support specialist duties and responsibilities

Community organizer example responsibilities.

  • Manage local campaigns to improve the NYC public education system and perform research on school districts to gather and analyze statistics.
  • Grow and manage existing relationships in assign territories with physicians, hospitals, skil nursing and rehabilitation facilities and assist livings.
  • Lead strategist and coordinator for creating and advancing Latino community organizing throughout rural Oregon.
  • Grow and manage existing relationships in assign territories with physicians, hospitals, skil nursing and rehabilitation facilities and assist livings.
  • Coordinate monthly meetings for city-wide coalition of organizations working on human rights issues in NYC.
  • Maintain organizational Facebook, and blog.
  • Show more

Community support specialist example responsibilities.

  • Provide PSR services to clients with mental illness in order to help them achieve the highest standard of living possible.
  • Review notes complete by other community support workers to assess progression towards individualize goals for patients on caseload.
  • Complete CPR and first aid training.
  • Participate in IEP meetings and academic action plans.
  • Develop new techniques to engage teenage males with autism in focuse areas of activity.
  • Provide direction to the program's register nurse and ensure compliance with OPWDD regulations.
  • Show more

Community organizer vs community support specialist skills

Common community organizer skills
  • Community Outreach, 15%
  • Public Speaking, 7%
  • Social Justice, 6%
  • Community Organizations, 5%
  • Local Community, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%
Common community support specialist skills
  • Social Work, 11%
  • Mental Health, 10%
  • Rehabilitation, 10%
  • Community Resources, 6%
  • Independent Living, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 5%

Browse community and social services jobs