diff --git a/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html b/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html
index 9a85d41a421..fcfbf0c6e08 100644
--- a/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html
+++ b/ckan/templates/package/snippets/package_basic_fields.html
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@
 {% endif %}
 
 {% if show_organizations_selector %}
+  {% set existing_org = data.owner_org %}
 <div class="control-group">
   <label for="field-organizations" class="control-label">{{ _('Organization') }}</label>
   <div class="controls">