Meetup Organizer Newsletter: June 2024

Welcome to the June edition of the WordPress MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Organizer Newsletter! As we launch into a new season, we’re excited to bring you a range of engaging activities, inspiring stories, and useful tips to help you make the most of your meetup events. Whether you’re a seasoned organizer or just starting out, there’s something here for everyone. Let’s continue to grow, share knowledge, and strengthen our vibrant WordPress community together!

Did you know that the new focus of WordPress community events is to attract new users/attendees? Please share your feedback and join the discussion about the Current Challenges of WordPress Events and Shaping the Future.

June 25 – Join the first Training Team Thumbnail-a-thon: Make graphics together for the new Learn.WordPress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/!

Banner that says "Thumbnail-a-thon: Let's make graphics together for the new Learn.WordPress.org!" and below that says "Kathryn Presner" next to Kathryn's headshot.

We’re happy to share a great WordPress contributor opportunity for your meetup group: Participate in a group activity to make Learn WordPress Thumbnails (What’s a “Thumbnail-a-thon”? It’s simply a fun name for an event that brings people together to create Learn WordPress thumbnails – like a marathon, but for making Thumbnails!).

Now is your chance to contribute to the new Learn.WordPress.org redesign! The official WordPress education site is launching soon with a fresh look and Learning Pathways geared to users, designers, developers, and contributors. The WordPress Training Team needs help creating small thumbnail graphics for lessons and tutorials on the new site. You can see examples of what the graphics look like in the “Featured Courses and Courses” sections on the new site, which you can preview here. No previous graphics experience is required, since there’s a handy tool that makes the process of creating thumbnails simple!

Join the WordPress Training Team on Tuesday, June 25 for a free online workshop to learn how to use the tool, help make graphics for the new site, and have some fun along the way. You’ll get recognition for your contribution and get a foot in the door with the WordPress.org Training team. A recording of the workshop will be available afterwards.

Inspire Your Community with a “Success Stories” Session

As a WordPress Meetup Organizer, you have a unique opportunity to inspire and empower your community. One effective way to do this is by hosting a “Success Stories” session at your next meetup. This type of event can showcase the incredible achievements of WordPress users within your community, fostering a sense of pride and motivation among your attendees.

Here’s how to organize a “Success Stories” session:

  1. Invite Speakers: Reach out to members of your community who have compelling success stories to share. These could be stories about launching a successful blog, building a thriving e-commerce site, or creating impactful nonprofit websites using WordPress.
  2. Select Diverse Stories: Ensure a variety of stories by including different types of projects and experiences. This diversity will show the wide range of possibilities with WordPress and resonate with a broader audience.
  3. Prepare Questions: Help your speakers prepare by providing them with a list of questions or topics to cover, such as the challenges they faced, how they overcame them, and the specific WordPress tools or plugins they used.
  4. Interactive Q&A: After each story, allow time for a Q&A session. This interaction can provide valuable insights and practical advice to your attendees.
  5. Share Online: Record the session and share it on your Meetup group’s page and social media channels such as LinkedIn. This can inspire even more people and showcase the strength of your community to a wider audience.

Hosting a “Success Stories” session can build confidence among your attendees by showing them real-life examples of what they can achieve with WordPress. It also fosters a supportive and inspiring community atmosphere, encouraging members to pursue their own WordPress projects with enthusiasm.

Host a WordPress Showcase for Your Meetup Group

A screenshot of the WordPress Showcase page.

The WordPress Showcase highlights the incredible versatility and power of WordPress, featuring a wide array of use cases such as personal blogs, small businesses, enterprise companies, and national governments.

Consider organizing a Meetup event to explore Showcase sites! This engaging activity will allow your Meetup members to discover the diverse brands and websites built with WordPress, and the most unique and innovative uses of WordPress.

Begin by introducing the WordPress Showcase to your attendees. Review some of the most impressive and innovative sites featured in the Showcase to inspire your group. Encourage group discussion about which designs and features most stand out to them. This interaction can spark new ideas and encourage community members to innovate in their own projects.

You can also invite local developers and agencies to present their most interesting WordPress projects. Ask them to participate in your Meetup event, share their experiences, and showcase their most innovative websites. Encourage presenters to discuss the challenges they faced, the solutions they implemented, and the WordPress tools and plugins they used. This can provide valuable insights and learning opportunities for your attendees.

Then motivate your presenters and attendees to submit their projects to be included in the WordPress Showcase. The WordPress Showcase is accepting submissions of innovative, modern, and/or enterprise sites and case studies. 

WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program Q4 2024: Call for Interest

We are excited to announce an early interest form for the Q4 2024 WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program Cohort! This program connects seasoned WordPress experts with newcomers, offering a fantastic opportunity for mentees to gain hands-on experience contributing to WordPress, while mentorsEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues. share their expertise and improve their leadership skills. Learn more and indicate your interest in joining the Q4 Cohort as a Mentee or MentorEvent Supporter Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues..

Announcing the New Handbook for Sustainable WordPress Events

Are you interested in how your Meetup group can be more sustainable? Check out this brand new Sustainability Handbook, created by the WordPress Sustainability Team.

MeetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. of the Month

More than 20 people seated at tables, facing a speaker in the front of a large room.
Vancouver WordPress Meetup (Vancouver, Canada)
Approximately 15 people facing three people who are seated in the front of a very colorful room.
East Bay WordPress Meetup (Oakland, California, USA)

Meetup Organizers, we want to feature you!

We’d love to publish pictures from Meetups all around the world in each newsletter. Do you want your Meetup to be featured? Share 1 picture with the Community team! Rename your picture as “Meetup-name_event-date” and upload it to this folder. The formats supported are JPG and PNG. Please remember, always ask for permission from your group members before taking the picture and sharing it with us!

Do you have content ideas for future editions of the Meetup Organizer Newsletter? Please let us know by submitting a GitHub issue!


A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: Bluehost, GoDaddy, Automattic, WPBeginner, and Woo!


If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. are here to help. Please email us at support@wordcamp.org or join the #community-events Slack channel. Thanks for everything you do to grow and support the WordPress community—let’s keep sharing knowledge and inspiring each other with our contributions!

See you online soon!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @juliarosia, @bjmcsherry, @_dorsvenabili @peiraisotta @rmartinezduque @zoonini @courtneypk @harishanker

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