How to hire a community organizer

How to hire a community organizer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step community organizer 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 organizer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new community organizer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a community organizer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your community organizer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a community organizer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a community organizer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a community organizer that fits the bill.

   This list presents community organizer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Community Organizer	Description	Hourly rate
   Community Organizer		$15-31
   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
   Home Mission Worker	Home mission workers act as a head manager for an emergency food pantry. They have varied duties and responsibilities, which include assisting in the construction of playgrounds, helping children learn the softball game, and installing and troubleshooting computers, phones, and the internet... Show more	$11-41

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Community Outreach
   • Public Speaking
   • Social Justice
   • Community Organizations
   • Local Community
   • Press Releases
   • Community Events
   • Community Engagement
   • Leadership Development
   • Neighborhood Residents
   • Public Health
   • Civic Engagement
   • Economic Development
   • Non-Profit Organization

   Check all skills

   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.

   More community organizer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your community organizer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A community organizer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a community organizer in Illinois may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level community organizer usually earns less than a senior-level community organizer. Additionally, a community organizer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average community organizer salary

   $47,257yearly

   $22.72 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level community organizer salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 24, 2026

   Average community organizer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Michigan	$62,951	$30
   2	California	$62,074	$30
   3	New York	$59,724	$29
   4	District of Columbia	$57,090	$27
   5	Connecticut	$55,262	$27
   6	North Carolina	$53,578	$26
   7	Maryland	$52,815	$25
   8	Maine	$50,941	$24
   9	Pennsylvania	$48,055	$23
   10	Virginia	$47,825	$23
   11	Colorado	$43,564	$21
   12	Indiana	$43,471	$21
   13	Nebraska	$39,621	$19
   14	Missouri	$39,094	$19
   15	Ohio	$38,873	$19
   16	Texas	$36,772	$18
   17	Illinois	$36,138	$17
   18	Oklahoma	$34,929	$17
   19	Iowa	$31,792	$15
   20	Kansas	$30,866	$15

   Average community organizer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	City of San Jos	$79,604	$38.27
   2	Regional Medical Center- Orangeburg	$62,366	$29.98
   3	ACLU of Illinois	$62,249	$29.93	4
   4	The New York Foundling	$54,595	$26.25
   5	Service Employees International Union Local 205	$53,046	$25.50	49
   6	New Virginia Majority	$50,456	$24.26	3
   7	Sacred Heart Community Service	$49,612	$23.85
   8	Planned Parenthood	$48,520	$23.33	5
   9	Mental Health Systems	$47,694	$22.93
   10	Solid Ground	$47,241	$22.71
   11	PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NORTHERN CENTRAL	$47,180	$22.68
   12	Westcare Health Corporation	$47,180	$22.68	7
   13	Access International, Inc.	$47,180	$22.68	3
   14	Chinatown Community Development Center	$46,992	$22.59
   15	United Way of Larimer County	$46,435	$22.32
   16	Staffworks Group	$45,822	$22.03
   17	WeWork	$45,803	$22.02	2
   18	Casa de Maryland	$45,736	$21.99
   19	Mutual Housing California	$45,572	$21.91
   20	Americorps	$45,551	$21.90	67

4. Writing a community organizer job description

   A job description for a community organizer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a community organizer job description:

   Community organizer job description example

   A little about us… We are a statewide, grassroots membership organization that fights for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. We organize in communities to build power. We collaborate with organizations and coalitions in communities across New York to win on key issues and elect progressive candidates at the local, state and federal levels. Our member-driven organizing campaigns focus on issues at the state, local, and federal levels, including ending mass incarceration, public education funding, housing, health care, money in politics and taxing the rich. We play a leadership role in organizing major statewide coalitions and campaigns fighting for bold policy changes.
   We’re looking to add a Community Organizer to our team. This position will report to the Regional Director for the region.
   This dynamic, fast-paced role takes an individual with a strong work ethic and a desire to help others while furthering the movement. Success will require skills including supervision and team management, prioritization, organization and attention to detail, perseverance, and a solutions-oriented approach to the work.
   Citizen Action of New York takes pride in hiring staff who share our values & characteristics. These include: Commitment to Citizen Action’s mission and vision and passionate about issues of social, racial, economic and environmental justice Ability to think strategically and creatively to solve problems A high degree of professionalism and professional maturity Collaborative work style and demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and with people from a variety of different backgrounds
   What you’ll do and the impact you'll make: Community outreach to grow our base of prospective volunteers through door knocking, phone banks, canvasses, tabling, petitioning, and other activities that build visibility of Citizen Action in the community. Recruit, engage, and develop volunteer leaders to organize phone banks, canvass, plan events, lobby, facilitate committee meetings, and other chapter activities that advance the strategic goals of our campaigns. Maintain volunteer lists using VAN and other internal databases. Recruit dues-paying members to Citizen Action of New York and support fundraising events. Organize direct action events that engage the community to win campaigns that create concrete changes in people’s lives.
   Who you are and what you've accomplished: At least one year (preferred) of community organizing, paid canvass, or electoral campaign experience/ transferable skills. Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment that can be stressful and has competing priorities. Great people skills, proven to work well with diverse communities A commitment to promoting racial and gender justice. Be able to pay attention to detail and work well under pressure of deadlines and accountability systems. A positive attitude and work ethic toward social change and skills for organizing online using social media tools as well as in the field. Willingness to work long hours, including some nights and weekends.
   Extra Credit: Thorough knowledge of organizing and political campaign strategies, planning and execution. Demonstrated success in organizing communities on issue campaigns through activities like list building, phone banking and canvassing, committee creation and support, direct action event planning, and membership recruitment. Experience in fundraising. Ability to work independently with members and elected leaders in complex political situations. Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships and to work in a team. Willingness to work as part of a team, recognizing that compromise may be necessary in order to move the work forward. A deep commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice. Bilingual in Spanish.
   Our Benefits: Working collaboratively in an organization at the forefront of building power across NYS Competitive salary 100% paid employee monthly medical and vision premiums Access to mental health and dental plans 401(k) retirement plan Monthly cell phone stipend 12 organization-paid holidays, generous vacation Biannual statewide staff meetings
   Salary: The salary for this position is $51,188.00. Relocation stipend available.
   This position is based in the Southern Tier, NYS - preferably Binghamton and directly surrounding areas.
   Please note, all benefits are subject to change.
   Citizen Action of New York is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. We are looking for the most passionate people who want to join our team. People of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
   Applicants may be entitled to reasonable accommodations under the terms of the ADA and state/local laws. Please let us know if you need assistance participating in the interview process.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find community organizers 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 organizer job on Zippia to find and recruit community organizer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting community organizers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 organizer

   Once you've decided on a perfect community organizer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new community organizer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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 organizer?