Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Community Engagement Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Community Engagement Coordinator is responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating outreach and engagement strategies that deepen relationships between the organization and its communities. This role combines event management, partnership development, volunteer coordination, communications, and data-informed program improvement to increase participation, strengthen trust, and amplify community voice. Ideal candidates bring a mix of relationship-building, project management, and analytical skills to translate community needs into measurable programs and sustainable partnerships.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Outreach Assistant / Outreach Coordinator
Volunteer Coordinator / Program Assistant
Community Organizer / Field Representative

Advancement To:

Senior Community Engagement Manager
Director of Community Partnerships or Engagement
Program Director (Community Programs, Outreach)

Lateral Moves:

Communications / Public Relations Manager
Volunteer Program Manager
Fundraising or Development Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and implement a multi-channel community engagement strategy that increases participation, strengthens partnerships, and aligns with organizational goals, including outreach plans for underrepresented and priority populations.
Identify, cultivate and maintain strategic partnerships with local nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations, businesses, and government agencies to co-create programming and extend the organization’s reach.
Plan, coordinate, and execute in-person and virtual events (workshops, town halls, volunteer days, info sessions, cultural events) from concept through logistics, promotion, vendor management, staffing and post-event evaluation.
Recruit, onboard, train, schedule, and supervise volunteers and community ambassadors; develop clear role descriptions, maintain volunteer records, and implement recognition and retention strategies.
Manage community outreach campaigns across channels (email, SMS, social media, print, door-to-door outreach) and optimize messaging for target audiences and metrics such as attendance, conversion and retention.
Serve as the primary point of contact for community members—respond to inquiries, mediate concerns, collect feedback, and escalate issues to program leadership as needed while maintaining a high level of cultural humility and responsiveness.
Maintain and administer the constituent relationship management system (CRM) — e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, or NationBuilder — to track outreach activities, contact records, event RSVPs, volunteer hours and partnership commitments.
Monitor, collect and analyze program and engagement data (attendance, demographic breakdowns, volunteer metrics, satisfaction surveys) and translate findings into actionable recommendations and periodic reports for leadership and funders.
Design and deploy surveys, focus groups and other feedback mechanisms to understand community needs and measure program impact, then synthesize results into accessible briefs and presentations.
Create clear, compelling outreach materials and content (flyers, newsletters, social posts, talking points, press releases) in coordination with communications and marketing teams to ensure consistent branding and messages.
Develop and manage modest budgets for outreach programs and events, track expenses, procure supplies, and prepare budget reports to ensure cost-effectiveness and compliance with funding restrictions.
Support grant applications, reporting and stewardship through provision of community impact narratives, participation metrics, and documentation required by funders and partners.
Work closely with program staff to integrate community feedback into program design, curriculum, policy recommendations and service delivery improvements.
Coordinate translation and interpretation services, culturally appropriate materials and accessibility accommodations to ensure inclusive participation for multi-lingual and diverse community members.
Facilitate community advisory boards, stakeholder meetings and cross-sector working groups; prepare agendas, take notes, follow up on action items and foster equitable participation.
Develop outreach timelines, enrollment plans and outreach toolkits for campaigns such as program launches, registration drives, and advocacy pushes, ensuring deadlines and KPIs are met.
Negotiate and manage contracts with vendors, venues, caterers, consultants and partner organizations; ensure deliverables, timelines and invoices align with organizational standards.
Act as an on-site representative at community events and public meetings—staffing booths, delivering presentations, facilitating workshops and documenting interactions and leads.
Implement equity-centered engagement practices and outreach tactics that remove barriers to participation, proactively address mistrust, and prioritize historically marginalized communities.
Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for engagement channels and programs, develop dashboards and communicate insights to leadership to inform strategy and resource allocation.
Provide training and capacity-building for staff, volunteers and partners on community outreach best practices, anti-bias engagement, de-escalation, and culturally-responsive communication.
Support advocacy and policy efforts by gathering community stories, coordinating constituent testimony, preparing background materials and mobilizing community members for civic actions when applicable.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to attendance, demographics and outreach conversions.
Contribute to the organization's community engagement strategy and roadmap, offering grassroots insights and implementation details.
Collaborate with program, communications and fundraising teams to translate community needs into programmatic and resource priorities.
Participate in sprint planning, weekly operations meetings and cross-functional project planning to ensure community perspectives are integrated.
Maintain up-to-date contact lists, community resource directories and outreach collateral in shared drives or project management tools.
Assist with internal reporting and documentation required for compliance, insurance, or event permitting.
Provide backup support for front-desk inquiries, intake forms and basic case-referral workflows during peak activity.
Pilot new engagement tools or technologies (e.g., SMS platforms, volunteer apps, event registration systems) and document lessons learned.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Community outreach & stakeholder management — proven ability to design outreach plans and sustain multi-sector relationships.
Event planning & logistics — experience managing vendor contracts, site logistics, permits, checklists and onsite coordination.
Volunteer program management — recruitment, training, scheduling, recognition and record-keeping using volunteer management systems.
CRM proficiency (Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, NationBuilder or similar) — data entry, segmented lists, reporting and constituent tracking.
Social media and digital communications — content creation, scheduling tools (Hootsuite, Buffer), analytics and email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, Constant Contact).
Data collection and basic analysis — Excel, Google Sheets, or similar for trend analysis, pivot tables and simple dashboards.
Survey design and evaluation tools — familiarity with SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics or Google Forms and techniques for analyzing qualitative and quantitative feedback.
Grant support and reporting — ability to compile program metrics, narratives and documentation for funder reporting.
Budget tracking and basic financial oversight — creating and reconciling event budgets, purchase orders and expense reports.
Accessibility and translation coordination — experience arranging interpretation and accessible materials for diverse audiences.
Familiarity with community engagement frameworks and M&E (monitoring & evaluation) methods to measure program effectiveness.
Bilingual or multilingual communication skills (e.g., Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic) strongly preferred in communities where applicable.

Soft Skills

Exceptional verbal and written communication — clear public speaking and persuasive writing for diverse audiences.
Relationship building and trustworthiness — ability to engage authentically with residents, partners and stakeholders.
Cultural competency and equity orientation — demonstrates humility, sensitivity and inclusive practices across identities and lived experiences.
Facilitation and conflict resolution — managing group dynamics, mediating disputes and encouraging productive dialogue.
Project management and organization — strong planning, prioritization and deadline-management abilities for concurrent initiatives.
Empathy and active listening — centering community voices and responding constructively to feedback and concerns.
Problem-solving and adaptability — resourceful in fast-changing, ambiguous environments and able to pivot tactically.
Attention to detail — accuracy in records, logistics and reporting while juggling multiple stakeholders.
Collaboration and teamwork — works cross-functionally, shares knowledge, and fosters a cooperative work environment.
Initiative and self-direction — proactive in identifying engagement opportunities, following through and documenting outcomes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Public Relations, Social Work, Nonprofit Management, Public Health, Urban Planning, Political Science or related field OR equivalent professional experience in community engagement or outreach.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s plus a relevant certificate (community organizing, project management, nonprofit leadership) or a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Community Development
Public Affairs / Public Administration
Social Work / Human Services
Communications / Marketing
Public Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years of progressively responsible experience in community outreach, engagement, volunteer coordination, or program implementation.

Preferred:

3+ years in community-facing roles with demonstrated success designing and running engagement initiatives.
Experience working with diverse and historically underserved populations, evidence of culturally competent approaches.
Prior experience using CRMs and managing event budgets, plus demonstrated skills in data collection and impact reporting.