This is the home of the Make Community team for the WordPress open sourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project!
Here is where we have policy debates, project announcements, and assist community members in organizing events.
Everyone is welcome to comment on posts and participate in the discussions regardless of skill level or experience.
Get Involved
If you love WordPress and want to help us do these things, join in!
We are currently updating the names of our contributor roles throughout our resources. The new role names are Community Team Event SupporterEvent SupporterEvent 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. (formerly MentorEvent SupporterEvent 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.), Community Team Program SupporterProgram SupporterCommunity 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. (formerly DeputyProgram SupporterCommunity 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.), and Program ManagerProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. (formerly Super DeputyProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule.).
From time to time, WordPress Community SupportWordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support PBC is a subsidiary of WordPress Foundation. It is created specifically to be the financial and legal support for WordCamps, WordPress Meetup groups, and any additional “official” events organized within the WordPress Community Events program. will receive a request from a MeetupMeetupMeetup 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. group to assist in paying for their venue from the application form. To review venue requests, you’ll need the following things:
Why the Meetup has left the previous venue (if there was one)
If they say they’ve outgrown the previous venue, then check attendance on Meetup.com. Make sure they are doing the things we would expect to make outgrowing a venue reasonable (regular events, engaging with members, etc).
If this is their first venue (or first event at all), then email back to suggest trying out a low-key and free venue while they pick up speed. Exceptions include areas where we would like to see more community involvement and the lack of a formal venue is a cultural hindrance.
Whether or not the organizer has asked the group as a whole for alternatives
If they have not emailed the group about venue options, then have them do that first.
If they have emailed the group and there are no other options, then continue to the second round of checking!
If the reasoning behind needing funds for a venue checks out, and the organizer did the necessary background work, then it’s time to review the venue. Meetup venues have the same guidelines as WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. venues:
It’s easy to access both from a transportation and human mobility standpoint.
It’s in a relatively safe area of town (this is based on local sentiment, not US-specific sentiment).
It has whatever tech requirements the group deemed necessary (internet access, power outlets, projectors/beamers are common requirements)
Food/refreshments are not a factor for Meetup event spaces. That’s a nice-to-have, not a must-have.
Note: You can ask the organizing team questions about it, do your own online research, or reach out directly to the venue. It’s your call!
If it all checks out, it’s time to check the pricing! When at all possible, we want to group venue payments into as few payments as possible, in order to keep bank fees to a minimum. Below are a few guidelines and some best practices:
Aim for under $10 USD per person (adjusted for cost of living, via the Big Mac Index). This is an average and doesn’t have to be exactly right for every single event.
Ask the meetup organizer/requestor to work with the venue for the following:
Try to work with the venue to get billed with events as units rather than months as units (charging per event gives organizers flexibility and doesn’t force anyone to lose money if a month has to be skipped)
Ask for an invoice that includes multiple events/months rather than an invoice for each event.
Ask for a 5-10% discount when paying in bulk (since it’s a guarantee of funds, most venues will be happy to work with you on this). If no discount is available, that’s okay. It never hurts to ask.
Once the venue is approved for an acceptable rate, tag the email in HelpScout as `needs-payment` and include all pertinent notes. Reply to the organizer with one of the “Meetup venue approval” saved replies, depending on their location.
When we receive payment details, a program supporter that handles finances will then pick up and process the request.
That’s it! You’ve made a community’s life happier and healthier. Good work!