How to hire an organizer

How to hire an organizer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step organizer hiring guide:

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

What does an organizer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The organizer 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?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect organizer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of organizer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Organizer	Description	Hourly rate
   Organizer		$18-30
   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
   Community Organizer	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... Show more	$15-31

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Community Outreach
   • Social Justice
   • Outreach Efforts
   • SEIU
   • Public Speaking
   • Leadership Development
   • Facebook
   • Non-Profit Organization
   • Community Organizations
   • Political Campaigns
   • Environmental Issues
   • Leadership
   • Local Community
   • Community Events

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead training of local volunteers to assure strong get-out-the-vote operation on election day.
   • Train, mobilize and manage volunteers in key organizing skills and get-out-the-vote techniques.
   • Manage voter contact tactics, organize phone banks, GOTV canvasses and visibility events such as campaign rallies.
   • Schedule, organize, and run phone banks.
   • Instruct small business and person bookkeeping using Quickbooks.
   • Utilize Skype, PowerPoint and other media in workshop presentations.

   More organizer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your organizer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An 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 an organizer in Utah may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level organizer usually earns less than a senior-level organizer. Additionally, an 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 organizer salary

   $49,763yearly

   $23.92 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level organizer salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average organizer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$64,475	$31
   2	New Jersey	$61,523	$30
   3	California	$61,278	$29
   4	North Carolina	$53,918	$26
   5	District of Columbia	$53,910	$26
   6	Pennsylvania	$53,087	$26
   7	Washington	$50,015	$24
   8	Colorado	$49,927	$24
   9	Massachusetts	$48,748	$23
   10	New Hampshire	$47,603	$23
   11	Oregon	$47,261	$23
   12	Virginia	$47,254	$23
   13	Florida	$47,201	$23
   14	Arizona	$45,776	$22
   15	Tennessee	$45,657	$22
   16	Georgia	$44,051	$21
   17	Missouri	$43,765	$21
   18	Texas	$42,954	$21
   19	Minnesota	$42,075	$20
   20	Wisconsin	$41,257	$20

   Average organizer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Committee of Interns and Residents	$63,060	$30.32
   2	Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt LLP	$62,947	$30.26
   3	Kiwi Partners	$60,688	$29.18
   4	Service Employees International Union Local 205	$59,914	$28.80	51
   5	Deloitte	$59,682	$28.69
   6	American Friends Service Committee	$59,409	$28.56
   7	CDK Global	$59,062	$28.40
   8	MomsRising	$58,569	$28.16
   9	Educators for Excellence	$58,028	$27.90
   10	ACLU of Illinois	$57,830	$27.80
   11	Union of Concerned Scientists	$57,567	$27.68
   12	Public Citizen	$57,217	$27.51	3
   13	New Virginia Majority	$57,173	$27.49	4
   14	Common Cause	$56,749	$27.28	2
   15	Mercy Children's Hospital	$56,599	$27.21
   16	Scripps Health	$55,381	$26.63
   17	NextGen America	$55,053	$26.47
   18	Food & Water Watch	$54,173	$26.04	4
   19	PA Democratic Party	$54,156	$26.04
   20	NARAL Pro-Choice America	$53,746	$25.84

4. Writing an organizer job description

   An organizer 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 an organizer job description:

   Organizer job description example

   • HS Diploma or GED and equivalent experience. Associates Degree preferred but not necessary.
   • Three (3) years’ experience in contract organizing and representational organizing including one (1) year experience in campaign management
   • Ability to design and implement creative and innovative strategies which result in membership growth.
   • Must be proficient with MS office applications (Word, Excel, E-mail and Internet).
   • Ability to speak, write, read Spanish and English is required

   COMPENSATION: Starting salary of $59,000 a year. Benefits package that includes family medical, dental, vision, pension, 401k, 5 Paid Sick Days, 10 paid holidays & paid vacations.

   ONLY RESUMES SENT WITH COVER LETTERS WILL BE CONSIDERED:

   UFW believes a strong commitment to equal employment opportunity is more than a legal and moral obligation - it is also sound business practice to realize the potential of every individual. In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at UFW will be based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Except where required or permitted by law, employment practices will not be influenced or affected by an applicant’s or employee’s race, color, religion, sex/gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, age, or any characteristic protected by law.

   UFW believes in second chances. As an organization, we will rely on individualized assessments in the hiring of those with past criminal convictions. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply for a position fighting for our immigrant communities!

   This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, counseling, discipline, termination, access to benefits and training. UFW will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with qualified disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act unless doing so would result in an undue hardship.

   UFW is an Equal Opportunity Employer

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit organizers, 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.

   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 organizer

   Once you've decided on a perfect 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new organizer. 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 an organizer?