The Community Organizer

(Roles, Functions, Knowledge, Skills,

Integration, and Synthesis)
Functions of the Community
Organizer
The following are the Functions of the Community
Organizer:
1. Fact Finding – to secure and maintain an adequate
factual basis for sound planning.
2. Program development – to initiate, develop new programs
and services and modify or terminate social welfare
programs and services had had become irrelevant
3. Establishment of standards – to establish, maintain and
improve social welfare standards, and to increase the
effectiveness, efficiency and economy of operation of
social welfare agencies.
4. Coordination – to improve and facilitate inter-
relationships and to promote coordination between
organizations, groups and individuals concerned with
social welfare programs and services.
5. Education – to develop better public understanding of
social welfare needs, problems, resources, objectives,
services, methods and standards.
6. Support and participation – to develop adequate public
support of and public participation in social welfare
activities.
The roles of a Community Organizer
The roles of a Community Organizer are the following:
1. Enabler – enabling the community to engage in
establishing goals, objectives and setting priorities.
2. Helper – helping community groups identify their
problems/needs and take effective action on their
planned goals and objectives to solve their problems
and meet their needs and aspirations.
3. Guide – guiding the community groups in the process
through difficulties encountered.
4. Initiator – initiating action through education,
demonstration and other techniques and
strategies.
5. Broker – acting as broker between groups, the
client community and outside resources.
6. Advocate – advocating the just cause of any
disadvantaged groups, sector or community as a
whole.
7. Consultant – providing expert knowledge and
information to achieved planned goals and
objectives.
8. Inventor – intervening for and on behalf of the
people for their participation and involvement
in the formulation of social welfare programs,
services and projects intended to benefit or
affect them or when their interest and welfare
are in jeopardy.
9. Planner – sits as planner for the social
welfare/social services sector in planning
bodies as the barangay, municipal, provincial,
regional and national development councils.
10. Researcher – makes research on current
problems, needs and issue as basis for action
planning
Knowledge of a Community
Organizer
Based on the CO worker’s roles and functions, she should
possess the following knowledge:
1. The goals and objectives 8. Problem-solving and
of the society decision making
2. Social legislations 9. Situation analysis
3. Research 10. Planning processes
4. Group processes/human 11. Policy formulation
and group behavior 12. Existing resources
5. Power structure in a (internal and external)
community 13. Program development
6. Management of power
7. Use of inter-group
relationship
The skills required of a CO worker
 The skills required of a CO worker are the
following:
1. Working with people/one 9. Planning and policy
on one and small groups formulation
2. Organizing 10. Strategy design and
3. Verbal and written implementation
communication 11. Lobbying
4. Committee work 12. Recording
5. Leadership 13. Social education and action
6. Administration 14. Inter-group relationship
7. Interviewing 15. Coordination
8. Research
Synthesis
 Synthesis
In the Social Work profession different roles, skills,
knowledge, and functions that would be helpful in
performing tasks. As a student knowing these matters are
needed. In studying these, different role of a Social
Worker will be known such as:
enabler;advocate;guide;broker; and mediator and others.
These roles are the general role of a social worker in
their profession. The following are the examples of skills
needed to become a social worker: verbal and written
communication, organizing, working with people,
interviewing, leadership, and planning & policy
formulation.
Knowledge is the product of experiences and learning. In
social work there are knowledge that should be known
to perform social work roles such as: problem solving,
research, decision-making, situation analysis, program
development, planning processes, and the goals and
objectives of society. A social worker is nothing without
its functions, here are the examples of what are the
functions of a social worker according to Arthur:
program development, in the field of education, fact
finding, establishment of standards, and in coordination.
 At the end of the day these matters: roles,
functions, knowledge, and skills should be taught to
students to fully understand the profession in a way the
students can relate it to personal experiences. Though
there are many topics and concepts in social work but
these are also important to better perform the profession
as social workers in different fields.