{"id":86465,"date":"2026-05-08T15:10:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/community\/?p=86465"},"modified":"2026-05-08T15:10:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:10:34","slug":"automating-wordpress-campus-connect-application-processing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/community\/2026\/05\/08\/automating-wordpress-campus-connect-application-processing\/","title":{"rendered":"Automating WordPress Campus Connect application processing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WordPress Campus Connect (WPCC) program has been growing steadily, with around 3 to 4 applications coming in each week, and the time it takes to move an application from \u201csubmitted\u201d to \u201cyou\u2019re approved, here\u2019s your event site\u201d has stretched to days, sometimes longer. Most of that wait isn\u2019t the decision itself, it\u2019s the manual steps around the decision: vetting against the checklist, writing the notes into the tracker, triggering the email, creating the site. @<\/span>_dorsvenabili<\/a> and I are working on cutting that wait by automating the parts that don\u2019t need a human touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what we\u2019re building, and why each piece matters. We hope to be able to achieve all our dreams listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automated first pass on the vetting.<\/strong> Today every application is read by a program supporterProgram Supporter<\/span> 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<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span> who walks through the criteria and writes notes into the tracker. The criteria are documented well enough that an agent can do most of that first pass, and a vetter can pick up from there. The agent (already built by @<\/span>piyopiyofox<\/a> and being tested by @<\/span>clk87<\/a>) will run hourly, leave its notes in the existing \u201cAdd Private Note\u201d field, and move the application to a new \u201cNeeds Action\u201d status so the right person knows it\u2019s ready for human review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simpler status list for Campus Connect.<\/strong> WPCC currently uses the full WordCampWordCamp<\/span> 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\u2019ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span> status list, which has eighteen statuses, most of which don\u2019t apply to a campus event. We\u2019re trimming the Campus Connect list to eight statuses that match the actual lifecycle: Needs Vetting, Needs Action, Needs More Info, Approved For Pre-Planning, Declined, Canceled, WordCamp Scheduled, WordCamp Closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automatic actions when an application is approved.<\/strong> When a program supporter moves an application to \u201cApproved For Pre-Planning,\u201d a follow-up organizer email goes out with instructions on how to proceed, the site is created and its url shared with the organizer, an admin notice appears on the post, and an audit log entry lands in the private notes field. Today those are four separate manual steps that happen in different windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small change to the application form.<\/strong> Applicants will need to read and check a box acknowledging the WPCC organizer agreement before submitting, should their application be approved. Checking the box is treated as equivalent to signing the agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technical breakdown lives in the tracking issue we filed: WordPress\/wordcamp.org#1714<\/a>. It covers the six steps we\u2019ll land in order, the dependencies between them, and the open items where we still need final copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll post follow-ups here as the project progresses and as we learn from the first batch of applications that go through the new flow. If you\u2019ve vetted WPCC applications recently, or if you\u2019re a Campus Connect organizer who\u2019s been on the receiving end of the wait, your feedback would help us a lot. Please drop questions, concerns, or ideas in the GitHubGitHub<\/span> GitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the \u2018pull request\u2019 where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https:\/\/github.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> issue or in the comments below.<\/p>\n