Meetup Organizer Newsletter: September 2023

It’s September and a lot has happened recently in the WordPress community. Sit back, relax, and read on to discover this month’s highlights. But first, meet these Marlborough, MA USA 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. members!

7 members of the Marlborough, MA meetup standing in a restaurant.

Community Summit Notes are Published – Leave Your Feedback

Let’s keep the discussions going! The in-person phase of the WordPress Community Summit  was only the beginning of very important conversations around issues impacting our global WordPress community. Fortunately, the intention is always that these conversations would continue long after the in-person phase concluded.

In Phase Two, everyone can now read and comment upon the session notes. Visit the full list of Community Summit 2023 sessions to find a link to the corresponding session notes. Read and comment to share your unique and valuable perspective on these important issues.

Don’t Miss the Upcoming Diverse Speaker Workshop

Meetup organizers in India! Would you like to encourage more women to speak at your WordPress 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., WordCamps, and Next Gen events? Then this upcoming #WPDiversity workshop is for you. Invite your community to share this opportunity and sign up for the Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community, September 23–24, 2023.

Not in India, but still interested in growing the diversity of your speaker lineup? Reach out to the #WPDiversity team to schedule an event for your community. You can find them on Making WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. in either the #diverse-speaker-support or in the #community-team channels.

More from the WP Community

Next Generation WordPress Events: Looking for a new way to engage your community? A new WordPress event format might be just what you need! Use this form to share your idea with the Community Team.

Learn WordPress: The Training team is creating new material and resources – don’t miss their latest updates.

Reaching Out to Include New Meetups in the Chapter Program

In partnership with Meetup.com, we tested a 13-day, 3-touch email campaign to invite 144 groups related to WordPress to join the WordPress Chapter Meetup program, and we contacted the entire leadership team of each group to increase our chance of success. 

How did it work? Of the 144 groups contacted, 5 or 6 groups confirmed they submitted an application. We also had a nearly 40% open rate which means that approximately 35 meetups were informed of the program. Who knows what the future holds; they may join yet!

Meetup Tip of the Month – Optimize Your Topics

If you’re looking to maximize your reach on Meetup, evaluate the topics listed for your events and for your group.

Topics are a key element of the Meetup algorithm – the more topics you include, the more members will learn about your events & group. When WordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support WordPress 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. creates a new Meetup group, we apply our best guess as to what topics you will cover. You can change these listed topics at any time to best represent your specific community and focus. 

Additionally, meetups evolve overtime. The topics that fit at the beginning may no longer be relevant to your group.

Now, you can take advantage of the Event and Group topics to optimize your presence on Meetup. You can add up to 5 topics for each event you schedule and up to 15 topics for your group. Follow these instructions for Meetup to see how


A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: GoDaddy, Bluehost, Automattic, SiteGround, Weglot, and WooCommerce!


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: @mysweetcate, @peiraisotta, @juliarosia, @bjmcsherry

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Meetup Organizer Newsletter: August 2023

Hello 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. Organizers,

Welcome to the August edition of the WordPress Meetup Organizer Newsletter! Get ready to dive into community-building inspiration and stay updated on what’s happening. Let’s empower and connect with our vibrant community together.

This month, we are thrilled to share a photo from the folks at Vancouver WordPress Meetup. To share your photo, rename 1 (one) photo as “Meetup-name_event-date” and upload it to this folder. Don’t forget to ask for permission from your group members too!

Spark Your Meetup with Inspirations

WordPress Summer Meetup

The WordPress Meetup in Antwerp launched their first-ever WordPress Summer Meetup. Forget computers, it’s all about fun from afternoon till evening. Dive into the vibe in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTs2wiwD6Qg. They jazzed up the day with 3 WordPress games during their walks. Super simple setup—everyone paid for their dinner. Remember: a backup plan is key if the weather turns sour. They kept things cozy with 10-20 people, perfect for easy mingling.

WordPress in Spanish Meetup (Quedadas WordPress en Español)

“Quedada” – a Spanish term for informal gatherings and conversations, originating from early Internet 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.. The Meetup revives this spirit in an online realm, mixing presentations with open discussions, all centered on WordPress and its vibrant Community. Join them to connect, share, and explore, uniting Spanish speakers from Spain to Latin America.

Unleash Your Imagination with NextGen Events

Ready to shake things up? Be the architect of unique events! Think of self-learning gatherings, idea pitches, networking days, show-and-tell expos, or speedy connection sessions. Elevate engagement and embrace innovation in easy, exciting ways! Your creativity sets the stage – let’s rock those fresh formats and themes together!

Be part of NextGen Event experimentation by sharing your ideas with the Community Team using this form!

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. US: Join the Flagship Event Anywhere

Excitement ignites as WordCamp US 2023 unfolds this week in Maryland! This flagship event expects around 1,700 attendees from around the globe. Stay tuned with #WCUS on social media for real-time updates. Engage from anywhere through live-streamed WCUSWCUS WordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event. programming on their website and YouTube. Relive the magic on WordPress.tv post-event, just like all WordCamps. 

Community Summit is Back

Just ahead of WCUS 2023, on August 22-23, about 128 WordPress open-source project contributors will convene at the Community Summit 2023. They’ll address crucial project matters, selected based on applications. This ensures a global, diverse representation of new and seasoned contributors from various teams and organizations. Although no decisions will be made at the Summit, your input matters – share your thoughts on takeaways and suggestions via comments, to be posted on Make WordPress blogs.


A special thank you to our 2023 Global Sponsors: GoDaddy, Bluehost, Automattic, SiteGround, Weglot, and WooCommerce!


Need support or guidance from the WordPress Global Community TeamGlobal Community Team A group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps.

You can always reach the Community Team by sending a message to #community-events in Making WordPress Slack or an email to support@wordcamp.org.  

Thank you for your contribution to the 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/ projects and for supporting the WordPress Community! Let’s keep growing together, and inspire each other!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @bjmcsherry, @davelo, @_dorsvenabili, @jtleathers, @lmcliment, and @peiraisotta.

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: JULY 2023

Hello 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. Organizers,

We’re halfway through 2023 already, and it’s amazing how time flies! In just the past month, approximately 250 WordPress Meetup events have been organized. Thank you for keeping our community thriving!

Last month, we requested your Meetup photos, and here’s the first picture we’re featuring in our newsletter: a delightful crowd at Ahmedabad WordPress Meetup on June 24, 2023.

Keep sending photos from your Meetup Event!

Please share one picture with the Community team! Rename the image as “Meetup-name_event-date” and upload it to this folder. Supported formats are jpg and png. Remember to always ask for permission from your group members before capturing and sharing the picture with us!

Training Team needs a Translation Coordinator

The Training Team is ramping up its localization efforts for Learn.WordPress.org content and seeks your assistance! If you have a passion for translating content and want more resources to share with your local community, consider this exciting opportunity: Be a Translation Coordinator of the Training Team!

Inaugural Cohort of the Contributor Mentorship Program

The diverse group consists of 13 contributors from all over the world and will be working with a 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. from July 12th to August 9th. Seven Make team also participates in this cohort. They are CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress., Community, Documentation, Photos, Polyglots, Support, Test and Training. You can join or follow along with the cohort in the #contributor-mentorship channel on the Make/WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..

Let’s be creative with our community events! 

We invite you to share and organize events with fresh formats and topics we haven’t explored yet. Consider self-learning events, idea pitches, networking days, show-and-tell, or speed-connecting sessions to enhance engagement with your audience. Join our Next Generation Pilot Events by sharing your ideas with the Community Team using this form!


A special thank you to our 2023 Global Sponsors: GoDaddy, Bluehost, Automattic, SiteGround, Weglot, and WooCommerce!


Need support or guidance from the WordPress Global Community TeamGlobal Community Team A group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps.

You can always reach the Community Team by sending a message to #community-events in Making WordPress Slack or an email to support@wordcamp.org.  

Thank you for your contribution to the 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/ projects and supporting the WordPress Community! Let’s keep growing together, and inspire each other!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @bjmcsherry, @bsanevans, @_dorsvenabili, @harishanker, and @peiraisotta.

#meetups, #community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: June 2023

Hello, Organizers!

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. Europe 2023 has just ended, what an experience!

This year, we had 2545 attendees from 94 countries. Congratulations to all organizers, volunteers, speakers, and sponsors who made it happen!

In this month’s newsletter, we invite you to join the organizing team for WordCamp Europe 2024, learn more about the next generation of WordPress events, discover the new Community Team 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. Program, and find out about the latest news from the WP Community. Read on to discover more about them!

WordCamp Europe 2024: Call for organizers

A famous WordCamp Europe tradition is to reveal the next year’s city host during the closing remarks, and immediately open the call for organizers. For those who didn’t follow the live stream we’re excited to announce, without any further ado, that WordCamp Europe 2024 will be in Turin, Italy! 

We hope to see many of you join the organizing team. Fill out the organizer application today!

Next Generation of WordPress Events

Since the Next Generation of WordPress events discussion began on May 8, organizers have rushed to join the experiment and organize pilot events. The goal of the project is to make the process of event organizing easier, and enable more communities to have multiple impactful events per year. For the latest updates, please visit this post.

Do you want to organize a pilot event for your community in 2023? Use this form to share your idea with the Community Team!

New Community Team Mentor Program

With the Meetup Reactivation Project successfully concluded and WordCamps coming back, every week more in-person events are happening all around the world. To better support organizers, the Community Team wants to refine its structure to create a stronger network of 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.. If you want to learn more about, and apply to join the community team, visit the latest update post on the Make Community Blog!

More from the WP Community

Learn WordPress: the Training team is creating new material and resources, don’t miss their latest updates post!

Contributor Working Group’s Mentorship: contributing to WordPress has never been easier thanks to the Contributor Mentorships. Find out more and join the pilot project!

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. Organizers, we want to feature you!

We’d love to publish pictures from 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. 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!


A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: GoDaddy, Bluehost, Automattic, SiteGround, Weglot, and WooCommerce!


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: @mysweetcate , @devinmaeztri , @juliarosia, @nao, @bjmcsherry

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

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Meetup Organizer Newsletter: May 2023

Hello, Organizers!

WordPress 20th anniversary is just around the corner, have you already scheduled your celebration events? Check out the latest news about #WP20 on the official anniversary website.

In this month’s newsletter, we invite you to experiment with new event formats, join the Community Team at 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. Europe, and have fun while translating WordPress using the Live Translation Playground tool. Read on to discover more about all three!

The Next Generation of WordCamps

Since 2006, WordCamps have been a staple way that WordPress enthusiasts meet. Coming out of the pandemic, we’ve been hearing from many organizers and attendees the desire to experiment with new event formats, and we want to support you!

Join the discussion on The Next Generation of WordCamps post to learn more about the new purpose, the next steps, and ways to share your ideas for new event formats. You can also start discussing your ideas in the SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. #community-events channel or reach out to 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. via email support@wordcamp.org.

Do you already have a specific idea in mind for a new event type? Use this form and share it with the Community Team!

Join the Community Team at WordCamp Europe 2023

WCEUWCEU WordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. 2023 is happening in Athens on June 8-10. If you’re planning on attending and you haven’t purchased your ticket yet, do it as soon as possible on the WCEU Ticket page. There are only 50 tickets left! 

June 8 is the Contributor DayContributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/.. Come contribute to one or multiple WP teams in-person, or participate remotely. Check out the WCEU Contributor day page for all details, including how to prepare for Contributor Day.

If you attend WCEU in person, don’t miss the Community team WP Connect events: we’ll be hosting four panels where everybody who wants to participate can join and share their experience about all things WordPress. Additionally, there will be 2 special events focused on development and the WordPress Playground.

We hope to see you all in Athens!

Translate Live tool: Translating WordPress Plugins has never been easier!

Did you know that now you can translate WordPress plugins and themes directly from your browser? Oh yes, you can! Translate Live is a tool that uses WordPress Playground to allow everybody to execute live translations without leaving your browser. Find out about the latest updates and instructions on how to use it on the Polyglots blog.


A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: Jetpack, WooCommerce, Bluehost, Nexcess, Weglot, and WordPress.com!


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 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. newsletter: @mysweetcate , @devinmaeztri , @bjmcsherry , @akirk, @amieiro , @spiraltee

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

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Meetup Organizer Newsletter: APRIL 2023

Hello 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. Organizers,

As a fellow community organizer, I am thrilled to connect with all of you and share the excitement of organizing WordPress 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.. This newsletter is your go-to resource for tips, tricks, and inspiration to plan successful community events. 

Get ready to ignite your passion for organizing and empowering your local WordPress community!

Let’s Try This Together! 

If you are thinking of trying a new event format for your Meetup that will allow you and your members to learn together, check out the latest Tutorials that our Learn Team has prepared. You can choose to start with the Tutorials for WordPress users or WordPress developers. They range from how to display testimonials on your website, to how to interact with the WordPress REST APIREST API The REST API is an acronym for the RESTful Application Program Interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST and DELETE data. It is how the front end of an application (think “phone app” or “website”) can communicate with the data store (think “database” or “file system”) https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/..  

Better Engagement Strategy to Grow Your Group

Even if you host the most jaw-dropping events, it’s still important to keep group members involved between meetings to maximize engagement year-round. Do you have a solid communication plan in place for your group? Check out Meetup’s guide on how to pair events with a personalized communication plan that makes members feel at home.

Just Out: Downloadable #WP20 Celebration Photo Props!!

Keep the engagement rolling by adding some pizzazz to your WordPress Celebration photos. Simply download and print one or more of these newly created images. No shipping is required! Whether attending in-person or virtually, adding a prop to show your spirit is a fun way to celebrate 20 years of WordPress.

Download, print, photograph, and share using the hashtag, #WP20!

Continue to keep an eye on https://wp20.wordpress.net/ for updates and new information!


A special thank you to our 2023 Global Sponsors: Bluehost, Weglot, GoDaddy, Automattic, and WooCommerce


Need support or guidance from the WordPress Global Community TeamGlobal Community Team A group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps.

You can always reach the Community Team by sending a message to #community-events in Making WordPress Slack or an email to support@wordcamp.org.  

Thank you for your contribution to the 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/ projects and for supporting the WordPress Community. Let’s come together, share ideas, and make a difference in the WordPress community!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @bjmcsherry @devinmaeztri, @juliarosia @mysweetcate, and @nao.

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: March 2023

Hello 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. Organizers,

Time indeed flies as we are in March already! After the first 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. Asia took place in Bangkok in February, WordPress community gathering continues to happen.

Folks are excited to start a new meetup group or reactivate the existing one, and plan for a WordCamp.

WordCamp Asia 2024 will be in Taipei and the Call for Organizers is open until April 15, 2023.

Contributor Working Group: Call for Volunteers! 

The Contributor Working Group of the Make/WordPress Community Team has been revamped to focus on building a WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program. The membership to the working group is open to everyone. So, if you are interested in volunteering, you can comment on the article that @harishanker published or reach out to him directly on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.. The first team chat will be on March 20, 2023.

Getting Feedback from Your Event Attendees

Reviewing feedback from attendees is a great way to improve your events and the overall experience for your group members. Meetup has made some improvements on the post-event feedback feature on the Meetup App (iOSiOS The operating system used on iPhones and iPads. & Android). Check this page out to learn more about viewing feedback from your members. 

WP20 Celebrations and Wapuu Contest

#WP20 is coming soon and a fun way to bring your community together to acknowledge the power of WordPress and the love we have for it is with a party!

Don’t wait to schedule your meetup’s Celebration event. Planning resources are available in the Meetup Organizer Handbook. Sign up to have a bundle of event-specific swag shipped right to you! Once scheduled, you’ll be showcased on the event site alongside all of the Meetup Celebrations from around the world.

Additionally, show off your community’s creative side by joining the Wapuu Coloring Giveaway. Follow the link to learn the details and prizes available to win!

Keep an eye on https://wp20.wordpress.net/ for updates and new information!


A special thank you to our 2023 Global Sponsors: Bluehost, Weglot, GoDaddy, Automattic, and WooCommerce


Need support or guidance from the WordPress Global Community TeamGlobal Community Team A group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps.

You can always reach the Community Team by sending a message to #community-events in Making WordPress Slack or an email to support@wordcamp.org.  

Thank you for your contribution to the 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/ projects and supporting the WordPress Community! Let’s keep growing together, and inspire each other!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @bjmcsherry @devinmaeztri,@mysweetcate and @nao.

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

#meetups, #community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: January 2023

Hello Organizers,

Wishing you and your 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. communities a happy and fulfilling 2023. This is a particularly special year, as WordPress turns 20 in May!

Read on to learn about how we’ll celebrate this exciting anniversary, an upcoming 26 January training for meetup organizers, and a discussion about strengthening the Five for the Future contributor journey.

26 January Community Team Training: Use Learn Wor​dPress at Your WordPress Meetup

You are invited to our Zoom Training Session on 26 January! This session will cover how you can use 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/’s free Learn WordPress platform in your WordPress meetup events.

Learn WordPress offers a variety of resources that help people learn to use, extend, and contribute to WordPress through synchronous and asynchronous learning. The learning materials on Learn WordPress include tutorials, courses, and online workshops, as well as downloadable lesson plans that instructors can use in live environments.

Register here to attend the training!

WordPress Turns 20! 🎉

May 27, 2023 marks the 20th year of WordPress. Starting now, a number of different events will bring together the WordPress community to celebrate this important milestone, reflect on the journey, and look toward the future. 

Be sure to follow WordPress’s official social media accounts along with the official anniversary website for updates on how you and your meetup can be involved in this exciting celebration by contributing content, collecting cool anniversary swag, organizing a special 20th anniversary meetup, and much more. Use the hashtag #WP20 on social media to share the excitement! 

Seeking Feedback: How Can We Improve the Five for the Future Contributor Journey?

Launched in 2014, Five for the Future encourages organizations to contribute five percent of their resources to WordPress development. The initiative intends to foster “generous collaboration toward the long term health and stability of [the WordPress open sourceOpen Source Open 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 for the future.” 

This post shares research on the contributor journey for individuals and organizations committed to the Five for the Future initiative. Your feedback will be valuable in further refining the contribution experience for pledged contributors. Please read and comment on the post to share your ideas for strengthening the Five for the Future contributor journey!

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!


#WP20 will be here sooner than you think. Don’t forget to start planning for your Watch Party! Keep an eye out for it at: https://wp20.wordpress.net/


See you online soon!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @mysweetcate @juliarosia @bjmcsherry

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: December 2022

Hello, organizers!

It’s been a big year of reactivation and improvements in our 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. world. This month we take a look at a few of those: an accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (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) battle won, a new way to highlight your speakers, and useful updates to the handbook.

Meetup.com Updates & Tips

Meetup.com Accessibility Overlay Update

In November, WordPress meetup organizers expressed their disappointment in Meetup.com’s new accessibility overlay, and brought this to the attention of the Community Team. Since then, we met with Meetup’s Director of Engineering, their Head of Customer Success, and their GM of Meetup Pro, who understood the WP community, removed the overlay, and planned the next steps. Read here the latest updates.  

New from Meetup.com

We had a lot of new product releases in November, including:

  • Event Chat! Accessible via event pages, this new feature enables you and your members to talk in real-time—before, during, and after an event.
  • The new display of a group’s average event rating.
  • Messages tab in Meetup for Organizer app.

Find out all the updates and new features here

Meetup Tip of the Month for WordPress Local Leaders

You can now display event speakers in a more prominent way on your Meetup event pages. Try this new feature for your next event!

Updates to the Meetup Organizer Handbook

Alongside our meetup reactivation work, we’ve also been updating our meetup documentation to make it as smooth as possible to manage your meetup. 

You may have noticed the changes already, particularly if you held a State of the Word Watch Party, but there’s now a clear Table of Contents and Welcome pages, as well as easy-to-access information on how to get started, how to step down, and our current COVID-19 guidelines.

We’ll be continuing these updates in 2023, so if you have any suggestions on areas to improve or content you find confusing, please email us at support@wordcamp.com and let us know!

The 2022 WordPress Survey is Open

Each year, members of the WordPress community (users, site builders, extenders, and contributors) provide valuable feedback through an annual survey. This survey helps those who build WordPress understand more about how the software is used, and by whom. It also helps leaders in the WordPress open sourceOpen Source Open 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 learn more about our contributors’ experiences. 

The survey is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish. Learn more about it and share your feedback.


A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: Jetpack, WooCommerce, Bluehost, Nexcess, Weglot, and WordPress.com!


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 SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. 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: @mysweetcate @peiraisotta @bjmcsherry #community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: November 2022

Hello, organizers!

This month’s 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. Organizers newsletter is dedicated to sharing the progress we’ve made together as a community and improvements to the tools we all use, as well as coming together to look ahead at what 2023 may hold.

Hint. Hint. State of the WordState of the Word This is the annual report given by Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress at WordCamp US. It looks at what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and the future of WordPress. https://wordpress.tv/tag/state-of-the-word/. watch parties are back!!!!

Meetup.com Updates & Tips

New from Meetup.com

Are you making the best out of the meetup.com app? Check out the following tips for an incredible organizer and member experience!

  • Want to know how many attendees showed up after registering for your event? Try the Event Check-In Feature for Organizers!
  • Watch the recording of the latest Meetup Product Team’s Meetup Live event for an overview of new Meetup features coming up 

Meetup Tip of the Month for WordPress Local Leaders

As we’re approaching the end of the year, it’s a great time to survey your members to find out what they’ve enjoyed the most in 2022 and get ideas to bring even more engagement into the next year. 

You can use the survey to ask them what they value the most out of the events, what topics they’d like to hear more about, feedback on ways to improve the community, and offer them the opportunity to get more involved. 

There are many ways you can send an end of year survey to your Meetup group members. Here are three to consider: 

  • Start a group discussion
  • Use the ‘Contact members’ tool
  • Send an email to your group mailing list

Here’s a helpful list of the best free online survey tools

Meetup Reactivation Progress

The WordPress Meetup Reactivation Project is well underway. In June, the reactivation project identified that 416 of our meetup groups were dormant. 

Since then, 40 meetup global community members have joined as reactivation supporters. These amazing volunteers are reaching out directly to the organizers of each dormant meetup group, and through their efforts, 127 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. have been reactivated!

If you are interested in learning more about the project, check out the latest updates on the project monthly post.

Need help to re-engage your community, or assistance in finding new ideas for your Meetup events? Reach out to the Meetup Support team at meetup-support@wordcamp.org!

State of the Word Watch Parties

It’s time to plan your meetup’s 2022 State of the Word watch party!

When: December 15, 2022, 6:00 p.m. UTC

How: The live stream will be embedded in this post and available through the
WordPress YouTube channel.

Gather together to look back on how WordPress has grown in 2022 and what is ahead for 2023. Stay updated as a group on the latest happenings in the WordPress world and have the opportunity to ask questions directly to Matt Mullenweg!

If you have a question to ask, you can either send it ahead of time to ask-matt@wordcamp.org or ask during the event in the live stream chat on YouTube.

Like last year, you can find information and templates in our handbook to help plan your watch party event. And if you’re meeting online, request a community zoom pro account for your online watch party right away!

  • Is State of the Word happening at an odd hour in your timezone? Meet to watch the replay of the live stream at a date/time that is convenient for your group.
  • Need swag for your in-person event? Fill out this form so that we can ship you some swag for your meetup group to celebrate! Request yours by November 30, 2022.

Even if a watch party isn’t right for your community, meetup organizers can help promote State of the Word by emailing your attendees about the event. Once again, we have some email templates that make it easier!


A special thank you to our Global Sponsors: Jetpack, WooCommerce, Bluehost, Nexcess, Weglot, and WordPress.com!


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 SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. 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: @mysweetcate @peiraisotta @bjmcsherry#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter

#community-team, #meetup-organizer-newsletter, #newsletter