What is an outreach specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Carolyn Gascoigne,

Dr. T. Thao Pham Ph.D.

An outreach specialist is an individual who promotes and advocates for a specific cause or organization through various communication channels. Their role is to engage with communities, stakeholders, and individuals to increase awareness and participation in their organization's activities or services.Outreach specialists collaborate with other organizations and community members to build relationships that support their cause. Their goal is to expand their organization's reach by connecting with people and communities both online and offline.

What general advice would you give to an outreach specialist?

Carolyn Gascoigne

Professor of French and Humanities, University of Houston - Downtown

Nonprofit coordinators are often involved with planning and organizing public outreach activities.

ScoreOutreach SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,863

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.15%

Asian 6.13%

Black or African American 11.51%

Hispanic or Latino 21.56%

Unknown 5.17%

White 53.48%

Gender

female 65.65%

male 34.35%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an outreach specialist?

Pros

Opportunity to make a positive impact on individuals and communities
Ability to work with a diverse range of people and organizations
Chance to develop strong communication and interpersonal skills
Opportunities for professional growth and advancement
Strong sense of purpose and fulfillment from helping others

Cons

High levels of stress due to demanding workload and tight deadlines
Difficulty in reaching certain demographics or populations
Need for strong organizational and time management skills to keep up with tasks and responsibilities
Potential for negative feedback or criticism from those who do not support outreach efforts
Potential for conflict or disagreement with colleagues, partners, or stakeholders involved in the outreach process

Key steps to become an outreach specialist

Explore outreach specialist education requirements

Most common outreach specialist degrees

Bachelor's

62.8 %

Associate

13.5 %

Master's

12.3 %

Start to develop specific outreach specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	11.42%
Patients	8.95%
Social Work	5.58%
Veterans	4.17%
Scheduling Appointments	4.02%

Complete relevant outreach specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New outreach 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 an outreach specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real outreach specialist resumes.

Research outreach specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage low volume Medicare caseload when need.
Manage incoming/outgoing referrals and some ICD-9 medical coding.
Preform contact investigations on active TB clients.
Conduct thorough, detail screenings of contacts through TB Mantoux test.

Prepare your outreach specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your outreach 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 an outreach 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 outreach specialist resume templates

Build a professional outreach 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 outreach specialist resume.

Apply for outreach specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an outreach 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 do outreach specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Outreach specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

I love the flexibility and autonomy in my work. Every case is different and can present a chance to educate and assist community members. We are filling the gaps that providers are often leaving empty.

Cons

Can be stressful and frustrating. Disgruntled individuals can be emotionally exhausting. Element of personal danger/safety issues, going into the field alone to locate people or privately test strangers.

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020