The first key team decision is identifying the overall project manager for the campaign. Although roles and responsibilities vary, program manager responsibilities typically include leading meetings, coordinating working groups and partners, overseeing the RFP process and installer selection committee, managing communications with the selected installer, hosting the campaign website, and responding to issues that arise during the campaign.
Campaign managers typically fall in two categories: (1) internal local government campaign managers (typically a sustainability officer) or (2) external Solarize-like organization campaign managers. Examples of local government-led campaigns in 2021 and 2022 include Solarize East Boston, Solarize Hanover, Solar Over Louisville, Solar Salt Lake, and Solarize Santa Fe. Examples of external national organizations that run Solarize-like campaigns include Solar CrowdSource and Solar United Neighbors, and local organizations include OCGoesSolar. There are advantages and challenges to each model, which are summarized below.