tl;dr: Exemplary WordCampWordCamp WordCamps 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. budgets are lean and prioritize attendees’ needs. Running the money through the WordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support WordPress 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. can protect you legally and financially. WordCamps are financially transparent.
Once you’ve identified a venue, it’s time to make your budget so you’ll know how much money you’ll need to raise. Your budget approval is the last required milestone before you can announce your event and start gathering speakers, sponsors, and volunteers.
Elect one member of your organizing team to be in charge of the budget and the money management. It’s important for this to be managed by one person so that there’s someone who knows how much money is available as you come to spending decisions. This person will be responsible for keeping track of actual expenses and incoming funds (including tickets and donations), and for updating WordCamp CentralWordCamp Central Website for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. on changes to the budget.
Here is a Google Hangout from 2014 in which we discussed building a budget for your WordCamp and how to manage/prioritize expenses:
Prioritization
There are a lot of things you could spend money on, but there are very few that you need to spend money on. You want your event to be special, but be cautious about how you budget your money and don’t spend more money than you need. People will come for the content, the connections, and the community. Bells and whistles are usually not necessary, and in some cases, they distract from the things people came for in the first place. When you have to make choices, think about which choice will support the goal of growing the local WordPress community. If you’re choosing between a catered lunch and an extra room that could be used for a hack room, a workshop, or just a place for people to talk, let people buy their own lunch. If you’re choosing between extra swag and extra video coverage, go for the video — WordCamp attendees without fail say the biggest bummer of multi-track WordCamps is that they feel like they miss so much from the sessions they didn’t attend. You get the picture.
Advertising/Marketing Expense Guidelines
A portion of the WordCamp budget may be allocated for marketing and advertising, subject to the approval of a Program Manager during your budget review and funded by the Global Sponsorship grant. To ensure mindful use of program funds, there will be a minimum amount of $50 and a maximum amount of $400, based on factors like experience of the organizers, cost of living, size of the local community, etc. The budget should be used mindfully and efficiently to maximize the event’s reach and impact.
Remember that the best marketing strategy is word of mouth. How can you and other organizers spread the word? Attend other events in the area, email your contact lists, post on your social media channels, and share details at your places of work. NETWORK!
How to use the advertising funds
Advertising funds should be used strategically to attract new attendees and raise awareness. Here are some suggestions in order of expected return on your effort and investment:
- Event Directories: List on online calendars and tech forums.
- Newsletter Listings: Feature in relevant newsletters and publications.
- Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers of the targeted audience to promote the event.
- Collaborations: Partner with local businesses for mutual promotion.
- Physical Marketing: Distribute posters, flyers, and banners in strategic locations.
- Social Media Ads*: Targeted campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
- Traditional Media*: Use local TV, radio ads, and newspaper placements.
Notes
* The last two channels can be quite costly and should be considered when the prior five options have been explored, as they can deplete a budget very quickly.
We recommend focusing on going to where potential WP users might be – such as existing associations/clubs/groups. For example, a small business association or a professional networking event for entrepreneurs.
Important reminder
- Trademark: Read carefully the WordPress and WordCamp trademark policies to avoid unauthorized use of them.
- Family-friendly content: Ensure marketing content is family-friendly and reviewed by your 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..
- Code of ConductCode of Conduct “A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party.” – Wikipedia: Ensure all advertising respects the WordPress Community Code of Conduct, promoting inclusivity and respect.
Some things that WordCamps never include in their budgets:
- design services
- event organizing services
- special perks/gifts just for the organizing team or lead organizer
- special perks/gifts for vendors
- bribes
- emcees
- photography
Some things that WordCamps very, very, *very* rarely include in their budgets:
Most WordCamps are highly successful without spending money on the items below. While sometimes exceptions are made for unusual circumstances, you should plan not to include the following expenses in your budget, unless an experienced deputyProgram 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. approves the expense.
If the organizing team pays for one of the following expenses out of pocket, without getting an OK from an experienced deputy first, that expense might not be reimbursed.
If you’re not sure about an expense, please email support@wordcamp.org to ask.
- speaker travel (only for commit-level coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. developers with a financial need)
- vehicle rental for event setup/breakdown
- stock photos
- membership fees
- bank fees or taxes (for WordCamps not running the money through Central and that will have to pay taxes on the event expenses or income)
- door prizes
Handling the Money
It used to be that there was no central financial support for WordCamps, and each organizer had to handle the money for an event through a personal checking account, a business account, or by creating a DBA just for the event. All of these approaches were found wanting by the majority of organizers, who felt pressure about what would happen if they fell short of their budget or if handling the WordCamp funds would negatively affect them come tax time. Some WordCamps had the terrible experience getting the PayPal accounts they were using for ticketing suspended for a spike in activity, which took a long time to fix and held up registration. Now that the WordPress Community Support is a legal entity, dedicated to promoting WordPress and educational programs (like WordCamps), all WordCamp organizers can reap the benefits of the WordPress Community Support’s legal and financial protection. These days, all WordCamps in the US and Canada all run the money through WordPress Community Support, and WordCamps around the world can also request this benefit.
Ticket payments and donations can be made to WordPress Community Support PBCWordPress Community Support WordPress 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., and WordPress Community Support pays an event’s vendors directly, in advance. Should you run into last-minute situations that don’t lend themselves to pre-payment (“What do you mean, you forgot to order the coffee from Starbucks?!?!”), you can pay cash at the time and be reimbursed by WordPress Community Support when you submit the receipt. If you’ve reviewed the details on running the money through WordPress Community Support and you still have questions, ask via email to support@wordcamp.org.
Transparency
Whether or not you choose to have the actual funds managed by WordPress Community Support, your event is still required to be transparent about the budget and funding. In the spirit of the original BarCamps, budgets should be posted for the community to see. In addition to this keeping the organization out in the open, it also provides an opportunity for community members to identify places where they could help defray expenses. The final budget will be archived by WordCamp Central. There is a ton of useful info on running funds locally here. If that is the path your organizing team chooses, be sure to request access to a Google Drive folder and Transparency Report template during the budget review process to report all income and expenses post event.
Unused Funds
In case you have any leftover/surplus funds in the account after the event, please reach out to us at support@wordcamp.org to figure out the best method for handling it.
Sample Budgets
Here are some budgets from past WordCamps and previously used templates.
- WordCamp Nashville 2013
- WordCamp Boston 2013
- WordCamp Malaga 2013
- WordCamp Sofia 2013
- WordCamp Budget Template (for a one-day event of 350 or fewer attendees)
- Another WordCamp Budget Template (for a two-day event of 400 or more attendees)
Past WordCamp Organizers: What expenses took you by surprise? Which things did you wish you’d budgeted for differently? Let us know in the comments.
