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!
Take a moment to be friendly. The person you’re talking to might be nervous. Smile. Thank them for their time. Whatever fits you and the situation.
Any time we chat one-on-one with an organizer or their team, we should take the opportunity to check in. Find out how things are going. See if they have any questions or concerns; these can be about the budget or any other aspect of 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. planning.
Before you dive into the numbers ask if there’s anything else they need to discuss. If all is well begin, the budget review.
The following are required items and must be covered during the budget review. These items do not have to be expenses, but if they’re not listed as an expense we must ensure that they’ve made adequate arrangements for each:
venue: all ages, without political or religious affiliation
wifi
comped tickets: for speakers, volunteers, and sponsors + scholarships if they wish
lunch: with vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free/lactose-free/kosher options
coffee and water service all day: and/or the regionally appropriate caffeinated beverage
videography: most commonly done by volunteers with WordPress FoundationWordPress FoundationThe WordPress Foundation is a charitable organization founded by Matt Mullenweg to further the mission of the WordPress open source project: to democratize publishing through Open Source, GPL software. Find more on wordpressfoundation.org. camera kits, but can be an expense
swag: no sponsor logos on swag. if t-shirts they must be provided in both men’s AND women’s cuts not just unisex
Other common expenses that should be discussed:
av rentals and fees
printing: signs? banners? badges?
after party/social event
speaker event/ gift
accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility): ensure they ask about it in ticket sales and remind them that WordCamp CentralWordCamp CentralWebsite for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. will cover the cost of accessibility services such as ASL translators and CART services
office supplies/event supplies: power strips, pens, scissors, etc
insurance: All WordCamps are covered by the WPCSWPCSThe collection of PHP_CodeSniffer rules (sniffs) used to format and validate PHP code developed for WordPress according to the WordPress Coding Standards.
May also be an acronym referring to the Accessibility, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, etc. coding standards as published in the WordPress Coding Standards Handbook. umbrella policy, so no extra event insurance is necessary.
Expenses we NEVER pay for:
design services
event organizing services
personal assistants
special perks or gifts just for the organizing team
special perks or gifts for sponsors
speaker perks of gifts for vendors
bribes
emcees
photography
Expenses we very, very, very, very, very rarely pay for (and only after getting agreement with other program supporters):
advertising
speaker travel
vehicle rental
stock photos
membership fees
bank fees or taxes: for events not running money through WPCS that will have to pay taxes or expenses on income
ticket sales income: are comped tickets accounted for? are they required to sell out to balance their budget?
total fundraising goal: their total expenses, minus their projected ticket sales income
local sponsorship goal: realistic sponsor levels, what were they able to raise in years past, what are they planning to include in sponsorship packages, maybe review the sponsorship rules
global sponsorship grant: 25-80% of the total fundraising goal. Larger grants for newer events!
in-kind (donated) items: mark the price as $0 or add a line, and include an estimated approximate value in the Approved Budget.
get verbal agreement that the organizer is comfortable with any updates made
add the Global Sponsorship Grant in the Income section on the budget NOTE: This can be added after the call if you have questions or need help determining the amount. Simply tell the organizer that you will update it soon.
click to submit the updated budget
click to approve
verbally share the organizer’s next steps. Ask them to:
send a venue contract or confirmation to support@wordcamp.org
update all required fields so the WordCamp can be moved to “Scheduled” as soon as (send them the edit link to their tracker page)
add a description about their camp to the top box on the tracker
share that you will be sending a follow-up email with the next steps information in it
update the tracker status to Needs Contract to be Signed
send the saved HelpScout reply that applies to both the organizer’s and the WordCamp’s email addresses:
WORDCAMP: After Budget Review Followup (NOT Running money through WPCS)
In this case, uncheck the “Running money through WPCS PBCWordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support PBC is a Public Benefit Corporation, 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.” field
WORDCAMP: After Budget Review Followup (Running money through WPCS)