Last Updated on January 22, 2023 by Team TSW

Community organization is one of the three primary methods of social work. It is important that community organizers stay aware of the required characteristics and skills along with sound knowledge about the process and steps of community organization for successful practice of method. It is expected of workers to apply the acquired knowledge in different settings by shouldering appropriate roles. This article will discuss the different roles of a community organizer in detail.

Roles of community organizer

Following are the major roles played by the community organizer:-

Innovator

Problems, concerned community is facing are often old and have already been addressed in some other part of the world. Organizers can use the documents and implement the best practices in the concerned community as well. Things that worked in the past in other communities in all certainty may work in new communities as well but it’s not true all the time. People of different locations behave differently and so the solution for the same problem varies from place to place.

In this situation, it is important that the organizer brings in innovation in the process. Organizer needs to alter the already tested plans and process to cater local aspirations. 

Example:- Let’s learn the innovator role through the following example.

Problem:- Various diseases are spreading in the locality.

Community1:- This community is composed of a single ethnic and religious group.

Solution: With his expert knowledge, Organizer will make the community understand that it’s water clogging that is causing diseases in society. So, the solution lies in clearing the drainage and keeping it clean hereafter. As there are no inter-community issues, they may agree to keep the drainage clear. 

Community2:-  This community is composed of multiple ethnicities,faith and religions.

Solution:- Ultimate solution is the same as the previous one but here issues are more than just water clogging. First organizer will have to address the inter-community issues caused due to different faiths. Once there is no issue and people of different faiths have trust and confidence in the organizer, the organizer can move ahead with the implementation of the already tested solution.

This is just an example and different communities may be different in numerous ways. The solution here is developing trust and brings in innovation to solve the problem.

Guide

Community in problem look for the experts to help them get out of trouble. Workers are expected to guide the community and chalk out a plan and process to get rid of problems which are a concern for said community. As a guide, a worker with his expertise provides multiple options to the community and then helps them choose the best option for them. It is the community which decides on direction to move with. Thus, a worker is not a person to shoulder the responsibility or solve problems of the people. Instead, he provides the various options or avenues, and shows different ways of dealing with the community problem/ s. Worker helps the community to discover the ways and means of achieving its own goals. 

Example:-  Let’s consider a community facing the problem of unemployment. Role of the worker here is to provide information about the various employment schemes launched by the government, self employment opportunity, various avenues for availing credit, and other relevant information. The Final call rests with the community on what fits the bill to earn bread.

Communicator

Main cause of persistent community problems is ignorance. Everyone in the community either thinks that others will address the issue or the community really lacks solutions. They have no information or idea to get rid of the trouble. The community organizer transfers relevant information and knowledge to the community. As a guide, the organizer can share the information to solve the problem but what if the community doesn’t understand the information completely. So, not just the guide but the worker needs to be an effective communicator to get the best results. With the complete understanding of information, the community can use this information to meet its needs or resolve its problems. 

The communication between organizer and the community can take place in various ways like, through direct contacts, group meetings, group discussions, public meetings, written material etc. Organizers can employ various techniques to transmit information among masses like skits, role plays, street theater, and audio-visual shows.  

Organizers must provide utmost importance to locally accepted and indigenous channels of communications, as it leads to more effective communication. Help from Local leaders, and local groups like women’s groups, youth groups, children’s clubs etc. can be taken as they not only understand the locals but also have a certain level of influence over the community. 

Enabler

As discussed earlier, a worker is not expected to carry out the work by himself but is expected to enable the community to plan and execute work to solve the community problems. Community organizer helps in capacity building and empowerment of the community.

First task faced by the organizer is to make the community accept the problem they are in and then facilitate members to sort out their discontent. Thereafter, the organizer nourishes the hope that if the community can come together, a solution is very much possible.

Once the community understands their problem, and shows the strength of togetherness, the organizer enables the community to act. As an enabler, the organizer also decides how much encouragement can be given, how much anxiety is relieved, how much support needs to be provided at different stages so that the community is able to move at a comfortable pace and with sufficient self confidence. 

Expert

As a community organization expert, organizer helps the community to understand its own structure, dynamics, potentialities and constraints. He should be well informed and able to provide information about various government programmes, policies, legislation. Also must be aware of the resources provided by government departments, private agencies, international organizations, and ways of securing the same. 

Organizer’s knowledge and advice in a number of areas only improve his acceptance in the community and earn him much needed respect. A well informed and smart organizer sets the tune of successful community organization work.

All his knowledge and experience may avail nothing if the organizer tries to impose his plan on the community. Organizer must understand that his knowledge and plan will only work if his programmes are acceptable to the community. 

Counsellor

To be a successful counsellor, organizers must know the history and composition of the community, what they like, what irritates them and how they have reacted in the past to certain circumstances. What are the sub groups and what unite and divide them.

With the deep knowledge of concerned community, organizer can counsell the forces which can disrupt the community organization process.

Animator

Organizer as an animator helps the people to come forward and participate in all phases of the process, from planning to evaluation. By raising suitable questions/issues, he assists in conscientising the community and stimulating people to overcome their attitudes and blocks to participation.

Collaborator

Collaboration with the other forces working in the community like NGOs, government departments is desirable in the community organization process.  As an collaborator, the organizer is expected to have a good network and must have knowledge of other organizations working in the same community and for the same cause. A joint effort with collaboration of multiple organizations is well recognized in community organization.

Consultant

A consultant is a person who provides expert guidance on solving a problem or implementing a solution. This is the basic work of a consultant but is that enough to solve community problems? Society is very different from science where things happen in set patterns but in society nothing is permanent, people react differently in the same circumstances at different times. So, having knowledge and information is important but having trust and confidence of the people is even more important. If the community has trust in the organizer, it will follow his instructions and it’s become easier for him to execute the plan. As a consultant, he makes himself easily available to people at all times.

Model

The community organizer is often looked upon as a role model and a source of inspiration by the people. He needs to be very alert and conscious as his behaviour, attitude and approach are often emulated by the people. Community looks up to him for his knowledge, skills and expertise. 

Motivator

The community organizer encourages the community to take up a minor task and complete it successfully. This in turn enables the people to take up more difficult tasks in future.

Role of the organizer as a motivator is not restricted to just initiating the process. People usually are self motivated in the beginning as they think that good changes are close enough but as the time passes the whole process starts to lose steam. That is the time when the organizer motivates the people and sets them small tasks. These tasks are usually the baby step towards big achievements. Sometimes people get to the end and then fail to sustain and gradually the community sinks into the same problems again.

When people are discouraged, because they are not able to achieve what they wanted or there is resistance and opposition, in such situations the organizer plays the role of a motivator to help them continue efforts in spite of difficulties.

Catalyst

Catalyst is something which forces an increase in the rate of changes. In the process of community organization, the community organizer first enables the people to bring the change then motivates them to sustain the process. Sometimes the rate of change in the community remains very limited and it is expected from the organizer to increase this rate of changes. In this situation, organizer without shouldering the responsibility directly tries to make the process faster and this role is considered as catalyst.

Advocate

There are certain situations where people of the community need help from government authorities. People don’t have courage and often don’t have any hope that authority will listen to them. In these kinds of situations the organizer works as an advocate and presents their case to authority. Organizer makes people believe that if we use the right means we can force the authorities to listen to them. 

The community organizer as an advocate, argues, debates, bargains, negotiates, and confronts the forces working against the interest of the community.

Facilitator

As a facilitator, the organizer provides support, motivation, and ideas to the community so that people may march more easily and skillfully towards solving problems. A facilitator helps the community or rather makes them believe that a solution is possible and just needs little effort in the desired direction.

Mediator

More or less every community has sub-groups and often these subgroups are the major obstacles in solving the real problems. Task of the organizer is to find the common community problems, make the community aware of the problems and then sit with them to find the solution best suited for the concerned community. 

Apart from finding solutions to main problems the organizer has to look for the composition of the community, cause of discontent among people. Before a plan is laid to solve the real problem, the organizer works as a mediator between different groups and makes them agree to solve the problem they all are facing.