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 deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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 deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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 deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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: October 2022

Hello, organizers!

October has been another terrific month for WordPress events – we are seeing continued interest in hosting 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. and WordCamps worldwide.

In this edition of the newsletter, we are excited to share updates on 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. Reactivation Project and the Community Team’s effort to improve tools & documentation to help contributors!

Around WordPress

WordPress 6.1: On November 1, 2022, WordPress 6.1 will be released. Be sure to check out the RCRelease Candidate A beta version of software with the potential to be a final product, which is ready to release unless significant bugs emerge. version and Twenty Twenty-Three (TT3) with your community! The latest episode of the WP Briefing podcast peeks at the new version with Nick Diego, this release’s Editor Triage Lead.

Gutenberg 14.3 became available on October 12, 2022, with improvements in text blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. navigation and drag-and-drop functionality for images, among other updates.

The Hosting and Documentation Teams are collaborating on creating a new WordPress Advanced Administration Handbook.

The first online Contributor Day focused on documentation took place on October 25, 2022.

The Asia-Pacific #WPDiversity Network Building effort celebrated its 10th meeting. If you are based in the APAC region and interested in #WPDiversity, we invite you to get involved!

Don’t miss the latest news from The Month in WordPress – September edition.

Upcoming Events

Meetup Reactivation Project Updates

Since the launch of the Meetup Reactivation Project in July, 39 meetup reactivation supporters globally have been busy reaching out to more than 400 dormant groups to offer support. As of September 29, 2022:

  • 117 meetup groups have reactivated or plan to reactivate in 2022 (🎉)!
  • Removed 14 dormant meetups from the chapter program due to no longer having any members who can serve as an organizer.

We can’t be happier that more than 30% of the dormant meetup groups are now active again! If you are interested in learning about this ongoing project, you can read the full post here.

Do you need help reactivating your Meetup? Send an email to meetup-support@wordcamp.org with your Meetup link and share the challenges you are facing, and a Meetup Reactivation Supporter will get back to you to provide help.

Help Improve 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. Tool & Contributor Onboarding

As we encourage more new event organizers to get involved, it’s essential to make sure we have clear and easy processes for everyone. Right now, we have a few posts that can use your input!


Thanks for everything you do to grow and support the WordPress community — let’s keep sharing knowledge and inspiring each other with our contributions! If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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.

See you online soon!

The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup Newsletter: @mysweetcate @_dorsvenabili @nao @evarlese @bjmcsherry @jillbinder

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

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: September 2022

Hello, organizers!

This month… What a month! September kicked off the new season of WordCamps with four spectacular in-person WordCamps: WCUSWCUS WordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event., 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. Kathmandu, WordCamp Jinja, and WordCamp Netherlands!

Want to check out the next WordCamps? Have a look at the schedule! If there are no WordCamps near you, here are a couple of suggestions for you:

Talking about new ideas for Meetup events, have you ever thought about organizing a do_actiondo_action do_action hackathons are community-organised events that are focussed on using WordPress to give deserving charitable organisations their own online presence. Learn more on doaction.org. charity hackathon? This month’s newsletter is focused around do_action events: what they are, and why your community might want to host one.

Around WordPress

Polyglots: join Polyglot teams on September 28th to celebrate the WordPress Translation Day 2022!

Code references in DevHub (WordPress Developer Docs) are now easier to use, understand and navigate.

Gutenberg 14.0 was released on August 31, 2022, and brings with it enhancements, extra blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. support in the UIUI UI is an acronym for User Interface - the layout of the page the user interacts with. Think ‘how are they doing that’ and less about what they are doing., a revamped List block, and more.

Want to support the Test Team? They are looking for Testing Facilitators.

Photo team: get inspired from the photo challenge organized to celebrate World Photography Day!

Community: check out the new proposal for integrating CamPix to Google Sheets, and join the discussion.

The Diverse Speaker Training group met on Sept 14, and talked about the Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community that will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25, 2022, from 9:00am to 11:30am (IST).

Curious to know what happened during WordCamp US 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/.? Read the recap here! In the WordPress Briefing, you can hear contributors at WordCamp US share stories about their why for using WordPress and attending WordCamps.

Don’t miss the latest news from The Month in WordPress – August edition.

News From the Learn WordPress Team

Exciting news from Learn WordPress this month! First of the list, the Lesson Plans part of Learn has a brand new landing page!

And for all polyglots out there, everyone is welcomed to join and spread the word about the Content Localization project. By doing it, you will help increase and expand availability of content on Learn WordPress to a variety of non-English locales.

Last but not least, there are new tutorials available on Learn WordPress!

The latest video are:

Excited to see what else the LearnWP team is up to? Check out their blog to find updates and more. While there, subscribe in the right column to stay up-to-date between newsletters!

do_action events: WordPress Community Charity Hackathons

do_action hackathons are community-organized events that use WordPress to give deserving charitable organizations an online presence. Each do_action event includes participants from the local WordPress community coming together to plan and build brand new websites for one or more local organizations in one day or a few hours.

With do_action events, the WordPress community has helped more than 9500 NGOs around the world!

Are you interested in learning more about WordPress charity hackathons? Visit the do_action official page here! If your Meetup group can’t gather together in person yet, here you can find a video about how to organize an online do_action.

Use this form to apply if you want your Meetup group to be the next to host a do_action charity hackathon!


If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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: @evarlese @peiraisotta @bjmcsherry

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

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

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: August 2022

Hello, Organizers!

Congratulations to you all for motivating and nurturing your communities. There wouldn’t be 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. without you! Let’s first take a moment to applaud you.

During the past months, the number of active 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. groups have increased every week, but many organizers are still struggling to return to in-person or virtual events. So, we are teaming up as a global community to help each other.

This month’s newsletter is focused around the Meetup Reactivation Project: how to join the project as a Supporter, and how to receive help reactivating your meetup. 

Around WordPress

Accessibility Team: The team has nominated a new team repTeam Rep A Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts.. Follow their blog to catch up with the latest news.

Meetup Annual Survey: For the first time, the Meetup Annual Survey for organizers and members is available in 14 languages! Please spread the word and share it with your meetup members.

WCUS 2022 Contributor Day: If you are attending 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 (September 9-11, 2022) and will be participating in the Community Team table at 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/., we’d love your ideas for projects! The Call for Contributor Day Ideas is live on the Make WordPress Communities blog.

WCEU 2023: If you’re in Europe and would like to help organize this flagship WordCamp, here’s your chance! The call for organizers is now open. Be a part of creating the best event possible.

WordPress 6.1: The WordPress 6.1 development cycle has been published along with its release team. The expected release date has been updated to November 1, 2022, to incorporate feedback received on the first proposed schedule.

Training Team: If you are looking for topical resources for Meetup Organizers, have a look at Tuesday Trainings!

News From the Learn WordPress Team

Thanks to the great increase in contributors the last few months, the Training team has been able to publish some new non-English content on Learn WordPress.

We’re excited to share:

An online workshop is a safe zone where you can come as you are, develop new ideas, explore issues, ask questions, network over shared interests, exchange theories, collaborate on work, and thrive in uncertainty.

Want to get involved in making online workshops happen? Apply to facilitate!

Join the Meetup Reactivation Project

To support all organizers around the world as they reactivate their meetup groups, the community team last month kicked off the Meetup Reactivation Project with a Call for Supporters.

By signing up, you will join a global team whose goal is to reach out to those Meetups who haven’t had events in a while, and support them in the reactivation process. You will connect with organizers in your region and check in on them, understand their challenges and help them get back to organizing events, or help them find replacement organizers for their groups if they prefer to step down as organizers.

You decide the time commitment and the number of Meetups you want to support. As a part of a team, you will also have a dedicated point of contact on the community team.

So far 50 supporters have already joined the project! The more we are, the more Meetups we can support! Are you ready to support this project by reaching out to meetup organizers in your region? If so, complete this form

Do you need help reactivating your Meetup? Send an email to meetup-support@wordcamp.org with your Meetup link and briefly explain what challenges you. A Meetup Reactivation Supporter will get back to you and support you!


If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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: @megabyterose @mysweetcate @bsanevans @_dorsvenabili @tacoverdo @sippis @juliarosia @bjmcsherry

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

July Meetup Organizer newsletter

Hello, organizers!

As the rise of in-person events continues, this month’s newsletter is focused around engaging and growing your community. Read on to find tips and tools that can help you with the process!

Help Other 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. in Your Region

Do you want to work with us to reactivate 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. groups in your region? We’re looking for experienced Meetup organizers to join us in the global Meetup reactivation project!

Around WordPress

Make WordPress Design: The team has a call out for feedback as they kick off a redesign of 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/ homepage and download page, which haven’t had substantial updates since 2016. They’d like to hear your thoughts specifically on:

  • How do you envision the WordPress.org homepage looking?
  • What content would you like to see included on these pages?

Comment on the post to leave your feedback.

Make WordPress Marketing: The team has been discussing how best to promote WordCamps with the WordPress.org social media accounts. Take a look at the guidelines they’re laying out and the feedback they’re looking for.

WCUS 2022: Tickets are sold out, but plans can change at any time. If you’re still hoping to go, check the Ticket page to see if any have been returned. And as in past years, the event will be livestreamed.

WCEU 2023: If you’re in Europe and would like to help organize this flagship 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., here’s your chance! The call for organizers is now open. Be a part of creating the best event possible.

News From the Learn WordPress Team

Naming changes: LearnWP is adapting and growing all the time to best serve the WordPress community. They recently directed those efforts toward updating their terminology.

Workshops have become Tutorials. Social Learning Spaces have become Online Workshops.

July Roundup: New topics you can use with your Meetup groups include Creating a Front Page for a Block Theme, Using Schema with WordPress theme.json, and Submitting Block Patterns to the Directory.

Excited to see what else the LearnWP team is up to? Check out their blog to find updates and more. While there, subscribe in the right column to stay up-to-date between newsletters!

Tips to Engage and Grow Your Local Community

A lot has happened in the last few years. Your local WordPress community may need to be reminded of the fun reasons we meet together in person. Here are a few tips that could help you reconnect to your community as your meetup returns to in-person events.

Activating Your Current Members

Inspire participation: In case you missed it, the June Meetup Organizers newsletter has several ideas that can help in this area.

Grow community skills: Many people come to meetups to grow their skills. LearnWP can be a great asset here. Check out their simple to use resources (like the lesson plans) that are designed for groups to learn together.

Encourage new co-organizers: Want help organizing? The path to co-organizers often begins with including your members in planning the meetup and encouraging them to host events on their own. 

Reaching Out to New Members

Some meetups grow well organically. Others need a little help. A comfortable place to look for new members can be at other meetups and locations where your community hangs out.

  • Collaborate with other meetups or tech communities on a topic for an upcoming meetup.
  • Make your meetup known by introducing yourself at events as the local WordPress meetup organizer.
  • Post flyers about your meetup at coffee shops, libraries, and university campuses.

Often a little creative effort can go a long way to engaging members and growing your meetup. Whatever your community’s needs are, we hope these tips will help!


If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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: @bjmcsherry @eidolonnight @mysweetcate @peiraisotta @devinmaeztri @juliarosia @_dorsvenabili @nao

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

Meetup Organizer Newsletter: June 2022

Hello, organizers!

Welcome again to the new Monthly 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. format. This month we have a new release in the news and a whole list of community-generated thoughts on reactivating 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.. It’s a little bit longer – there were a lot of ideas – and we hope they help!

News From Around WordPress

WordPress 6.0 “Arturo” was released on May 24, 2022. This WordPress 6.0 video and the announcement post give a handy overview of what’s new.

Speaking of new, this Roadmap to 6.1 post and demos are a great look at what’s to come.

And if you want a glimpse into the future of the WordPress dashboard, take a minute to read Mathias Ventura’s post, Thinking Through the WordPress Admin Experience.

Ideas to Reactivate your Meetup Group

As communities around the world return to in-person events, there is a lot of competition for people’s attention. In the midst of this, some meetup organizers are facing a new dilemma: how to reignite their local community’s interest?

How do we know this?

This year at WCEU 2022 Contributor Day, we sat around a table with current and future organizers from around the world and talked. We shared struggles and concerns, and brainstormed the following approaches to reignite interest and re-engage our meetups:

Work together on a common project. Work on something suggested by a meetup member. Maybe a member is stuck, and the meetup can rally to help solve their problem. Whatever it is, allowing attendees to be involved in choosing will help keep everyone engaged.

Help a WordPress.org contributor team. Contributor teams are composed of people just like you who want to be part of building WordPress. These teams are simple to connect with on the 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/. channel. Collaborating with them can be a great way to link your local community with the global community, all while helping WordPress grow.

Plan a do_action event. Speaking of connecting with communities, do_actiondo_action do_action hackathons are community-organised events that are focussed on using WordPress to give deserving charitable organisations their own online presence. Learn more on doaction.org. events are a great way to connect with your local group. Whether you take on multiple projects or simply focus on one, do_action events allow participants to grow everyone’s skills, build relationships, and have fun, all while helping a local nonprofit.

Hold a show and tell. People in general like to talk about themselves and what they’re working on and this is a great way to introduce, or reintroduce, community members to each other. This format also showcases different ways to use WordPress while allowing participants to see the range of skills within their local community.

Use the free resources from Learn.WordPress.org. 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/ Training Team continually creates a variety of resources that the community can use. Choose from workshops, lesson plans, interactive social learning spaces, and more. This is a wonderful way to expand your meetup’s knowledge with minimal effort on your part.

Consider a multi-format meetup. There’s no set rule about what a meetup must include. Though meetups often feature talks, that’s not the only option. Consider pairing a short talk with Help Desk time, or a short talk along with Show and Tell. Maybe your first few meetups consist of a longer social time and brainstorming session about what to include in future events.

Host multiple types of events in a month, at varying times. Some people like talks. Others want a social activity. Maybe they enjoy co-working and a chance to discuss problems as they pop up. Want even more to consider? Check out our list of event formats in the Meetup Organizer Handbook.

On a final note, I want to remind you that all members of the Meetup group can host an event. This can make it easier to host events at various times, which gives all community members more flexibility to attend.

Plus, once attendees start hosting, they are more likely to become co-organizers and help with the work of running a meetup!


If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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: @eidolonnight @bjmcsherry @mysweetcate @_dorsvenabili @devinmaeztri @juliarosia @nao @peiraisotta

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Meetup Organizer Newsletter: May 2022

Hello, organizers!

Welcome to the new format we are trying out for the Monthly 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. Our goal with this new format is to continue to provide useful information to support your meetup, simply in a new way. 

This Month in WordPress

As usual, 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/ was busy in April.

Find out more about these, the new COVID-19 guidelines, and everything else that made the April edition.

WCEUWCEU WordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. is Just Around the Corner

WCEU has a lot to celebrate this June 2-4 with both its 10th Anniversary and the return to in-person events. Fortunately for you and your community, tickets are still available!

Can’t travel yet, or that far? You (and your meetup) can watch the WCEU live stream right from wherever you are.

And as always, keep an eye on the  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. schedule. New events are rolling in.

WordPress’s 19th Birthday

Looking for a great way to kick off in person 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.? Consider having a WordPress birthday party on – or around – May 27.

Coming together to celebrate the 19th birthday of WordPress is a fun and relaxed way to meet old and new friends. Take pictures. Have treats. Maybe play a game (trivia? bingo?) or share what brought you all to WordPress.

Whatever you choose, please share your celebration with all of us in the comments below the newsletter and using the hashtag #WP19Day on social media.

If you need a little inspiration, check out the ideas David Bisset has pulled together at wp19.day. This unofficial, community-focused celebration of WordPress has a variety of opportunities to celebrate either as an individual or a community. What a great way to introduce your meetup to the larger WordPress community.

Wondering about the big 2-0 in 2023? WordPress.org already has official plans in the works for next year’s 20th birthday celebration. More to come!!


If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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: @rmartinezduqueue @mysweetcate @_dorsvenabili @dansoschin

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Meetup Organizer Newsletter: April 2022

Hello everyone,

We have some exciting updates for you and your local 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. groups in this issue- read on to find out more! For more news from the WordPress community, check out the latest Month in WordPress.  

Here’s what’s inside this issue:

  • Watch the WordPress 6.0 Walkthrough
  • Contribute your voice to these WordPress Topics
  • New #WPDiversity Events
  • Resources from the Learn Team
  • Upcoming WordPress events

🎷 Watch the WordPress 6.0 Walkthrough

Earlier this month, the WordPress 6.0 leads hosted a live-streamed walkthrough of features slated for the upcoming release.

Catch the replay here on WordPress.tv and make sure to follow the schedule to keep you and your community in the loopLoop The Loop is PHP code used by WordPress to display posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each post to be displayed on the current page, and formats it according to how it matches specified criteria within The Loop tags. Any HTML or PHP code in the Loop will be processed on each post. https://codex.wordpress.org/The_Loop. regarding other key dates related to the next major WordPress release! If you’re someone who’d rather read than watch, then check out that recap here.

Here’s a quick link to the release schedule for WordPress 6.0, the second major releaseMajor Release A set of releases or versions having the same major version number may be collectively referred to as “X.Y” -- for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, and all other versions in the 5.2. (five dot two dot) branch of that software. Major Releases often are the introduction of new major features and functionality. of 2022.

🤝 Contribute to WordPress

There are two posts open for comments over on the Make Community blog. 

🏳️‍🌈 New #WPDiversity Events

Upcoming #WPDiversity Events

  • Sunday, April 24, 2022: Does the thought of you or your Meetup members speaking at one of our 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. in Nigeria intrigue you? We are holding a 1.5 hour live, hands-on, interactive workshop – How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at Nigeria WordPress Meetups — for people who are thinking about speaking at WordPress Meetups in Nigeria. Please invite your Meetup members to join us!
  • May 2022: Our next Allyship for WP Event Organizers will be in the second week of May 2022. It is a valuable and proven action-oriented workshop to create more welcoming and inclusive WordPress events. You will walk away with a list of action items you can start doing right away. Please watch https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/wpdiversityworkshops/ for the May 2022 date.

New APAC-friendly meeting times will be announced very soon. Stay tuned to the #WPDiversity posts for more information.

Integrating #WPDiversity into WordPress Event Organizing

A pathway has been suggested to introduce all 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. and meetup organizers to #WPDiversity programs, with the aim of helping to strengthen their events from inception.While the post has closed to comments, the conversation will continue on how to become an ally in the #community-team 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/., and look for future updates on how these suggestions will be implemented.

💻 Resources from the Training Team

Each month the Training Team puts out a list of their new Lesson Plans and Workshops. These can be ideal to use for planning your next meetup! Take a look at what they have to offer and see if there’s an option that’s useful to your community and makes meetup organizing a little bit easier. After all, that’s why they’re here!

🌍 Upcoming WordPress events

We’d like to thank our global community sponsors for 2022 who make WordPress events possible!

2022 is seeing a return to in-person events. We have mandatory safety guidelines in place to protect your and your community. As COVID changes, these will change, so please stay current. And for those planning an in-person event, we also have legal protections available to you. Take a minute to see how the WordPress Community team has you covered.

📚 From the flagship WordCamps

  • 🇪🇺 WordCamp Europe in Porto, Portugal from June 2 to 4
    Tickets for the 10th Annual WordCamp Europe. Each ticket includes entry, lunch, coffee, and snacks, access to 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/., the After Party, and your yearly event t-shirt.
  • 🇺🇸 WordCamp US in San Diego, California from September 9 to 11, 2022
    WCUSWCUS WordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event. has opened its call for volunteers of all backgrounds and experience. You can be certain there is a volunteer role that could use your help! Apply today.
  • 🇹🇭 WC Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, dates to be determined
    The WordCamp Asia Call for Organizers is now open! If you meet the criteria – a full list of which can be found in the Call – then, apply now. Travel to the event is not required.

🎪 Other WordCamps on the horizon

We have plenty of WordCamps taking place this year, and so far all are in-person! Below are some of the WordCamps coming up soon—feel free to attend or share them with your meetup groups.

🔎 Check out other WordPress meetups

Did you know that there are 762 WordPress Meetup groups across 111 countries with at least 484,214 members amongst them? And those numbers continue to grow.

Take a minute to look around at where they’re located and what they’re doing. You might feel inspired to try something new at your next meetup, find some new speakers you could reach out to, or find a meetup near you to collaborate with. Who knows what you might find!

And that’s a wrap! 


If you have any questions, Community Team deputiesDeputy Community Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy 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!

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The following people contributed to this edition of the Meetup newsletter: @rmartinezduque @eidolonnight @harishanker @mysweetcate @webcommsat @lmurillom

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