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How to hire a community relations coordinator

Community relations coordinator hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring community relations coordinators in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a community relations coordinator is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new community relations coordinator to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a community relations coordinator, step by step

To hire a community relations coordinator, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a community relations coordinator:

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

What does a community relations coordinator do?

A public relations coordinator or community relations coordinator is an individual who is responsible for promoting or creating a public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. Since businesses are major contributors to communities and fundraisers, public relations coordinators are required to handle donations requests and build a marketing platform for the company. They must work with advertising representatives and other members of the media team to help promote the image of the company to the community. Community relations coordinators are also required to handle charity events such as blood drives or hold a corporate carnivals to benefit cancer research.

Learn more about the specifics of what a community relations coordinator does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    The community relations coordinator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A community relations coordinator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, community relations coordinators 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.

    This list shows salaries for various types of community relations coordinators.

    Type of Community Relations CoordinatorDescriptionHourly rate
    Community Relations CoordinatorPublic relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent. They design media releases to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals.$16-29
    Public RelationsPublic relations is a strategic way of developing and maintaining a client's or company's public image through media coverage, appearances, and press releases by designing and developing events to raise funds or to spread awareness to the public regarding products, brands, or individuals. It involves research and evaluation of programs including financial, marketing, employee, or government relations using topics of public interest and news items... Show more$15-34
    CoordinatorCoordinators are responsible for liaising between the department they are assigned to and any other external party. They oversee projects or agreements... Show more$12-29
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Patients
    • Event Planning
    • Press Releases
    • Admission Process
    • Medicaid
    • Community Organizations
    • Public Speaking
    • Local Community
    • Community Relations
    • Medicare
    • Health Fairs
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Develop, write, solicit and manage communication for the campus and corporate Facebook pages.
    • Organize and manage various educational and physical programs sponsor by the NBA and its affiliates.
    • Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
    • Assist families with completing the Medicaid application.
    • Track player, coaches and alumni involvement in the community.
    • Utilize Salesforce database and prepare weekly status reports for outbound calls and meeting census.
    More community relations coordinator duties
  3. Make a budget

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

    • Location. For example, community relations coordinators' average salary in mississippi is 55% less than in district of columbia.
    • Seniority. Entry-level community relations coordinators 44% less than senior-level community relations coordinators.
    • Certifications. A community relations coordinator 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 relations coordinator's salary.

    Average community relations coordinator salary

    $45,632yearly

    $21.94 hourly rate

    Entry-level community relations coordinator salary
    $34,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 20, 2026

    Average community relations coordinator salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1District of Columbia$73,824$35
    2Virginia$59,603$29
    3Connecticut$59,390$29
    4New Jersey$58,951$28
    5California$56,546$27
    6New York$56,116$27
    7Ohio$51,243$25
    8Oregon$50,467$24
    9Massachusetts$49,683$24
    10Minnesota$47,175$23
    11Georgia$45,280$22
    12Pennsylvania$44,779$22
    13Maryland$44,140$21
    14Illinois$44,020$21
    15West Virginia$43,653$21
    16Colorado$43,442$21
    17Tennessee$40,642$20
    18North Carolina$40,343$19
    19Indiana$39,950$19
    20Texas$39,355$19

    Average community relations coordinator salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Tenaska$70,672$33.98
    2Boston Public Schools$60,004$28.85
    3Shriners Hospitals for Children$57,902$27.84
    4SonderMind$55,207$26.54
    5Centene$53,760$25.8527
    6University of California-Berkeley$52,584$25.28
    7Vidant Health$51,371$24.703
    8Rutgers University$51,314$24.675
    9Ameren$50,766$24.41
    10San Diego Gas & Electric$50,745$24.40
    11City Of Alexandria$50,423$24.241
    12Arkansas Children's Hospital$50,393$24.235
    13Deschutes County$50,052$24.06
    14Mayo Clinic$49,829$23.961
    15Webster University$49,728$23.912
    16Seacoast Bank$49,545$23.82
    17Kaiser Permanente$49,456$23.7836
    18Arizona State University$49,318$23.712
    19Williamson County$49,112$23.611
    20University of Colorado Boulder$49,050$23.581
  4. Writing a community relations coordinator job description

    A job description for a community relations coordinator 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 relations coordinator job description:

    Community relations coordinator 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: Serve as the liaison between the health plan and community organizations, stakeholders, members and potential members. Create and guide strategic initiatives and outreach plans to promote the organization and its services to the community, while serving as the subject matter expert for the team.
    Develop and implement strategies to support community outreach efforts.

    Maintain collaborative relationships with community resource and advocacy groups to build additional community support for current and potential members.

    Determine demographic target areas and populations, and coordinate events and activities for marketing and/or membership outreach and feedback.

    Identify and coordinate outreach activities and necessary materials at community and health events.

    Represent the community at health events to present and distribute member benefits and services information.

    Lead the coordination and logistics of various community events and activities.

    Support members in accessing health care, transportation needs and other services or issues as they occur and pertain to members.

    Organize and support volunteer programs and coordinate with local groups.

    Participate in the organization's charitable giving programs as it affects community initiatives.

    Ability to travel., Spanish

    Education/Experience: High school diploma or equivalent and 5+ years of community outreach experience. Experience in working with government-sponsored population, especially Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP. Experience in public speaking. Bilingual Preferred

    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:** Senior Community Relations Coordinator

    **LOCATION:** Rockford, Illinois

    **REQNUMBER:** 1353310
  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find community relations coordinators 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.
    To find community relations coordinator candidates, you can consider the following options:
    • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
    • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
    • Post your job on free job posting websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting community relations coordinators 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.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    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 relations coordinator

    Once you've selected the best community relations coordinator candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new community relations coordinator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  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 relations coordinator?

Recruiting community relations coordinators involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $45,632 per year for a community relations coordinator, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for community relations coordinators in the US typically range between $16 and $29 an hour.

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