Title: 2026 – WordPress.org Project

---

#  Yearly Archives: 2026

 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/) [Isotta Peira](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/)
8:59 am _on_ July 29, 2026      

# 󠀁[WordPress Credits Student Feedback: the program works, now for quality and retention](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/07/29/wpcredits-student-feedback/)󠁿

WPCredits invites students to contribute to WordPress, through translation, design,
code, photography, documentation and more, and to earn academic credit for it. This
is the first comprehensive analysis of student feedback since the program launched.
It covers 242 students who responded between December 2025, when our first cohort
graduated, and the end of June 2026. We will repeat it twice a year.

**TL;DR**
**What we found**– The program works.– Resources and multiple handbooks
are overwhelming.– Choosing a contribution is the least clear moment.– The 50-hour
track builds skills, but not community ties.– We don’t ask students why they leave.**
What we do next**– A school kit so students find all relevant resources in one place.–
Tailored tracks by field of study.– Better preparation and support for teachers 
acting as mentors.– Reposition the 50-hour course as certification training.– Better
forms, including a first exit survey.

## **How we gather this feedback, and who answered**

Students on the 150-hour course answer three short surveys: just after they choose
their contribution team and project, mid-way through, and as they complete the program.
Students on the shorter 50-hour course answer only the final survey. Across these
we ask about their overall experience, the support they receive from their mentor,
what they are contributing, and the skills they are gaining.

Who answered shapes how these results should be read. 83% of respondents study Technology&
Engineering; the remaining 17% are spread across Design & Creative Media, Languages,
Business, and Humanities. The base is also geographically concentrated: LATAM (51%)
and EMEA (44%) account for 95% of all responses, with only small numbers from the
US/Canada and APAC.

![](https://make.wordpress.org/project/files/2026/07/image-1024x375.png)

## **Finding 1: the experience dips at the start, then recovers**

Across the program we ask students how easy it was to get started, how clearly they
could choose a project, and how satisfied, confident, and impactful they feel as
they contribute. Getting started scores the lowest of all, and choosing a project
is the least clear. Both climb once students are underway, project satisfaction 
and confidence are high, and perceived impact is strong. The shape of the journey
is a hard first step followed by a steady rise, which tells us the problem is the
entry point, not the program.

Worth keeping in perspective: our weakest moment still scores 4 out of 5. Getting
started is where we have the most to gain, and we will improve it, but for a brand
new program with no precedent to follow in 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., that is a solid base to build from.

![](https://make.wordpress.org/project/files/2026/07/image-1-1024x581.png)

## **Finding 2: the challenges students flag all point to one need**

When we group the challenges students flag, we find one consistent trend. Unclear
instructions, too few examples and videos, no clear structure, scattered resources,
and uncertainty about which team to join are all versions of one need: a clearer,
more relevant place to begin. English only materials also came up, though only among
a small minority: 8% of respondents overall, rising to 17% of students in Spain.
Worth addressing, but not a leading concern. Note, too, that no question asks about
language directly.

![](https://make.wordpress.org/project/files/2026/07/image-2-1024x511.png)

## **Finding 3: what to protect**

Students are just as clear about what works. Concrete skills, learning by doing,
a responsive mentor, real contributions, and a welcoming community are named again
and again. These are the assets the program should guard while it fixes the entry
point.

![](https://make.wordpress.org/project/files/2026/07/image-3-1024x515.png)

## **Finding 4: success depends on the conditions around the students**

The friction students hit is similar everywhere, but how quickly they get past it
varies widely, and that difference comes from the conditions around them, not the
students themselves. Two variables matter most. The first is mentorship: whether
a school’s own teachers act as mentors, and how connected they are to the local 
WordPress community. The second is maturity: our first pilots exposed clear problems
with onboarding, materials, and mentor readiness, and we built the fixes into the
cohorts that followed, which is why our newer cohorts are moving faster than the
first ones.

## **Finding 5: the 50-hour course delivers practice hours, not community retention**

What keeps students contributing after they graduate is a sense of belonging, and
belonging takes time: time with a mentor, and time inside the community.

The 50-hour course is a condensed track built around a single guided contribution
project. Its students report lower perceived impact (4.09 against 4.34) and are 
meaningfully less likely to keep contributing after the program (69% against 82%).
Keep the first number in perspective: 4.09 out of 5 is still a good score, and these
students clearly valued what they did. The gap that matters here is retention. My
read is that the format is simply too short for belonging to form. We cannot prove
that from the data, since we never ask students about belonging, but it fits what
the rest of the feedback tells us about how community ties are built.

That is not a flaw in the track: the 50-hour course already meets institutions’ 
need for completed practice hours, and it lets students build skills relevant to
their field. What it cannot do is create in 50 hours the community ties the full
program builds over 150. We have an opportunity to pivot it into a dedicated training
track for the WordPress certification and micro-credential exams, giving these students
a more tangible outcome that plays to the format’s strengths, while community retention
stays the job of the full program.

![](https://make.wordpress.org/project/files/2026/07/image-4-1024x489.png)

## **What we do next**

Create one centralized, relevant starting place. Instead of sending students into
the full team handbooks to hunt for what applies to them, give them a curated home
with the resources for their specific path.

Offer a portfolio of tailored tracks instead of one size fits all. Rather than the
full tour of the entire WordPress ecosystem, give students the experience relevant
to what they study, a track for developers, designers, translators, photographers,
law students, and so on. We do not build from scratch. We keep what works on the
WPCredits structure, trim what is not relevant, and turn one general program into
a set of experiences shaped to each department.

Invest further in preparing and supporting the teachers who act as mentors. We strengthened
this training once after the first pilots, and it needs to go further: we suspect
mentorship contributes most to turning a graduate into a retained contributor.

Reposition the 50-hour course as training for the WordPress certification and micro-
credential exams. Rather than asking a condensed track to build community ties, 
aim it at an outcome it can reach.

We are also improving the surveys themselves. We never ask students about belonging,
or about language, and we learn nothing from the students who leave. A short exit
survey is the first gap we will close.

## **Method**

The analysis covers feedback collected from December 2025 to June 2026 from 242 
students who genuinely took part. We excluded 15 who dropped out, did not move forward,
or failed, which changes none of the numbers. One limit worth stating plainly: we
found no evidence of a contribution team or mentor effect on impact or retention.
We suspect mentorship does influence retention, but we have no data to prove it.
We will start surveying students on this.

---

Want to help improve the student experience in the WordPress Ecosystem? Join the
conversation in the [#wpcredits](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C0959D2M3T8)
channel on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/).
The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/)!
If you want to bring the program to the institution you work for, please [register here](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/wordpress-credits-contribution-internship-program/#get-involved).
If your company wants to support the program, please [check out our sponsorship opportunities](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/wordpress-credits-contribution-internship-program/get-involved-company-guide/)
and fill out the interest form.

Props to the following people for reviewing this post: [@celigaroe](https://profiles.wordpress.org/celigaroe/)

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 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karenalma/) [Karen Alma Arnold](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karenalma/)
9:36 pm _on_ July 9, 2026     
Tags: gatherpress   

# 󠀁[Meetup.com -> GatherPress](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/07/09/meetup-com-gatherpress/)󠁿

Wanted to give everyone a heads up on where we’re at with moving away from Meetup.
com. It’s something the community has talked about for years, and it comes at a 
cost of about $250,000 a year to the WordPress Community SupportWordPress Community
Support A public benefit corporation and a subsidiary of the WordPress Foundation,
[established](https://wordpressfoundation.org/news/2016/introducing-wordpress-community-support-a-public-benefit-subsidiary/)
in 2016. (WPCSWordPress Community Support A public benefit corporation and a subsidiary
of the WordPress Foundation, [established](https://wordpressfoundation.org/news/2016/introducing-wordpress-community-support-a-public-benefit-subsidiary/)
in 2016.), for a platform that doesn’t fully serve our needs.

Some of you may be aware, but for those that aren’t: we’re building around [GatherPress, the open-source, community-built event plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/gatherpress/).
It’s made by the WordPress community for the WordPress community. The plan is to
use GatherPress as the foundation and build 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/](https://wordpress.org/)
pieces on top, contributing improvements back to the GatherPress pluginPlugin A 
plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added 
to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your
WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language
and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org 
Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/)
or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. where possible and giving direct
feedback otherwise.

[@annezazu](https://profiles.wordpress.org/annezazu/) is wrangling people to carry
this project forward, with early work from [@dd32](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/),
alongside [@patricia70](https://profiles.wordpress.org/patricia70/), [@mauteri](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mauteri/),
and the [@GatherPress](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gatherpress/) contributor 
community. This is the direction, not a finished plan yet, and we’ll share specifics
as scope and timeline firm up.

If you organize events or want to help shape this, we’d love your thoughts in the
comments.

[The GatherPress team](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gatherpress/) is [always looking for new contributors to join the project](https://gatherpress.org/get-involved/).
No contribution is too small, and your contribution doesn’t have to be code. Join
[#gatherpress](https://make.wordpress.org/project/tag/gatherpress/) in SlackSlack
Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/).
The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/).

[GatherPress will have a table at WCUS](https://us.wordcamp.org/2026/contributor-day/),
so that is a great time to meet the team and join the project if you’re interested.

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 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/) [Isotta Peira](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/)
11:22 am _on_ June 29, 2026      

# 󠀁[WordPress Credits Updates](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/06/29/wordpress-credits-updates/)󠁿

The first six months have been full of learnings and accomplishments for [WP Credits](https://wordpress.org/education/credits/),
the program that brings students to contribute to WordPress as part of their academic
journey, and I’d love to invite you all to pause and reflect on where we have landed.
We ran two pilots and both taught us something worth sharing. The first tested an
alternative mentorship model, where students would complete onboarding on their 
own and only then be matched with a mentor. It did not prove effective, and instead
it confirmed what we had suspected: mentorship is one of the key ingredients of 
the program’s success. That is why we are launching a new mentorship structure, 
with regional leads coordinating the work of the mentors across their own regions.
I deeply care about this shift, because belonging to a regional community gives 
students and mentors a real sense of place and shared context, while staying part
of the global network keeps everyone connected to something bigger than their own
corner of the map. The second pilot, a condensed 50-hour module, was a clear success,
and we will run it again in July and August.

A few milestones worth sharing:

 * **20+ partnerships, and we are only halfway through the year 🎉.** We have already
   met our 2026 goal of signing 20+ partnerships with schools worldwide. Reaching
   it this early came down to hard work and the strength of the program in equal
   measure. WP Credits fills a meaningful gap between classroom learning and the
   professional world, giving students real contributions they can stand behind 
   and schools a concrete way to connect their teaching to industry practice, which
   is why so many institutions have been quick to come on board.
 * **WCEU.** At WCEU we saw tangible outcomes in a way that is hard to capture in
   a report. Students from the program volunteered at the event, key partners spoke
   on stage about their commitment and how much they believe in what we are building,
   and we are seeing graduates stay active in their local communities. That last
   point matters most to me, because it is the clearest sign that when we add human
   value to the contribution skill-building piece, students carry the experience
   with them rather than treating it as something they do once and leave behind.

None of this would have been possible without our local communities. Across countries
and continents, contributors have championed WordPress Credits with the schools 
and institutions closest to them, adapting it to their own languages and contexts,
opening doors we could never have reached from the outside, and standing by students
once they joined. The program scales organically precisely because so many people
have made it their own on the ground, and that grassroots energy is what turns a
framework into a living, worldwide effort.

### What comes next

Now that we have proven the program works and that it scales organically, it’s time
to intentionally shift the focus for the next six months. We have hit our partnership
goal, the pilots have validated the model, and graduates are staying and contributing
on their own. This is exactly the moment to ease off the push for sheer growth and
turn our attention to quality, so that we are ready for the much larger scale we
expect in 2027 rather than scrambling to keep up with it. Growth stays on the table,
just in a measured way: we now aim to reach 35 partnerships by the end of the year,
with the new ones opening doors in countries and cities where we do not yet have
a presence.

In other words, the second half of 2026 is about building strong foundations before
the big jump, not about adding more numbers for the sake of it.

### Quality, Retention & Foundations for Scale

Primary focus: deepen the program’s quality and durability while growth is still
manageable.

 * **Build a public dashboard** that shows the growth and impact of the program,
   so the story we have been telling in updates becomes something anyone can see
   and trust.
 * **Explore alternative forms of contribution** to engage students, broadening 
   what participation can look like beyond the current pathways.
 * **Analyze student feedback** systematically and use it to raise the quality of
   the program, both in the tools students use and in the processes they move through.
 * **Ship a retention program for graduates**, turning the alumni-to-contributor
   pipelines our mentors started informally earlier this year into something formal
   and supported.
 * **Increase the sponsorship base** to secure sponsorship for mentors, so the mentorship
   model rests on stable funding as we head into a larger 2027.
 * **Grow with intention** toward 35 partnerships by the end of the year. Growth
   is not the headline this half, but the partnerships we do add should reach new
   countries and cities, widening where WP Credits has a footprint rather than deepening
   only the places we already know.

### Key outcome 

By the end of 2026, WordPress Credits is not just bigger, it is better. We will 
have clear, public evidence of our impact, a richer set of ways for students to 
contribute, a program shaped by what students actually tell us, a retention path
that keeps graduates in the community, a sponsorship base that supports our mentors,
and a footprint that reaches new countries and cities. That is the foundation we
want under us before 2027.

Get involved by joining us on SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform
[https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its own Slack
Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/) 
in the [#wpcredits](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C0959D2M3T8) channel, and
help the program grow by introducing us to schools or companies you know via our
[program page](https://wordpress.org/education/credits/).

Props to the following people for reviewing this post: [@celigaroe](https://profiles.wordpress.org/celigaroe/),
[@gomp](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gomp/), [@webtechpooja](https://profiles.wordpress.org/webtechpooja/),
[@francescodicandia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/francescodicandia/), [@naseem10](https://profiles.wordpress.org/naseem10/),
[@roblesloaiza](https://profiles.wordpress.org/roblesloaiza/)

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 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kel-dc/) [Kel Santiago-Pilarski](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kel-dc/)
9:38 am _on_ June 22, 2026      

# 󠀁[WordPress Contributor Dashboard: New Views, Custom Ladder, and More](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/06/22/wordpress-contributor-dashboard-new-views-custom-ladder-and-more/)󠁿

---

The [WordPress Contributor Dashboard](https://wpcontributordashboard.org/) now has
new views and a major new feature: a customizable contributor ladder. Here’s what’s
new and how to use it.

Contribution activity is scattered across forums, translations, events, and more,
which makes it hard to see how contributors grow and engage with the project over
time. The Contributor Dashboard pulls that activity together to show those patterns.

The [pilot launched in March 2026](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/03/04/the-contributor-dashboard-pilot-is-live-whats-next/),
and the project has grown since based on community feedback. New to the dashboard?
Start with the [project handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/contributor-dashboard/).

### What’s New

The dashboard now has four views: **Wrapped**, **Ladder**, **Cohorts**, and **About**.

#### 󠀁[Wrapped](https://wpcontributordashboard.org/?view=wrapped)󠁿

A quick snapshot of how the community showed up during any period, from the last
12 months to any year back to 2019. It shows total contributions and contributors,
daily and per contributor averages, month by month trends, and a breakdown by contribution
type (forum replies, translations, 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](https://central.wordcamp.org/about/).
attendance, courses, and more).

#### 󠀁[Ladder](https://wpcontributordashboard.org/?view=ladder)󠁿

The Ladder view shows contributor progression as a funnel, from all users down through
Connect, Contribute, Engage, and Perform stages, with active and at risk counts 
per stage.

**The big update is customization.** What counts as contribution differs by team.
A translation approved matters to Polyglots, while Support measures engagement differently.
The default ladder is a starting point, not a fixed standard.

Anyone can use the **Customize ladder** button without logging in. Rename stages,
reorder them, or adjust activity requirements and thresholds to match your team.
Click **Apply**, and the URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page 
on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org updates to encode your
configuration. Share that URL, and anyone with the link sees the same custom view.

A Polyglots teamPolyglots Team Polyglots Team is a group of multilingual translators
who work on translating plugins, themes, documentation, and front-facing marketing
copy. [https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/](https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/)
member could build a ladder around translations. A Support team member could build
one around forum replies. Same dashboard, tailored to whoever’s looking.

#### 󠀁[Cohorts](https://wpcontributordashboard.org/?view=cohorts)󠁿

The Cohorts view groups contributors by registration month and tracks average cumulative
contributions over time, helping spot patterns like how quickly new contributors
engage or whether certain groups stick around longer. FilterFilter Filters are one
of the two types of Hooks [https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks](https://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Hooks).
They provide a way for functions to modify data of other functions. They are the
counterpart to Actions. Unlike Actions, filters are meant to work in an isolated
manner, and should never have side effects such as affecting global variables and
output. by registration date range and activity type.

#### 󠀁[About](https://wpcontributordashboard.org/?view=about)󠁿

The About view explains how the dashboard works and its current limits. Coverage
isn’t complete, CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. 
The Core Development Team builds WordPress., MetaMeta Meta is a term that refers
to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal
WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress., GitHubGitHub 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 ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors
can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. [https://github.com/](https://github.com/),
and SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/).
The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/)
aren’t fully integrated yet, so treat the numbers as a general signal, not a complete
record. It also lists every contribution type currently in scope.

### Get Involved

The WordPress Contributor Dashboard is 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. and community built. Project collaborators include [@dd32](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/),
[@felipevelzani](https://profiles.wordpress.org/felipevelzani/), [@francescodicandia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/francescodicandia/),
[@kel-dc](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kel-dc/) and [@unintended8](https://profiles.wordpress.org/unintended8/).

Have a feature idea or found a bug? Head to the GitHub repository: [github.com/WordPress/wporg-contributor-dashboard](https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-contributor-dashboard)

Or join the conversation in [#contributor-dashboard on Slack](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C0AHJA81PDE).

Thanks to those who contributed feedback, issues and comments on GitHub, including
[@chaion07](https://profiles.wordpress.org/chaion07/), [@mosescursor](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mosescursor/)
[@sumitsingh](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sumitsingh/)

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 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/4thhubbard/) [Mary Hubbard](https://profiles.wordpress.org/4thhubbard/)
4:53 pm _on_ May 7, 2026     
Tags: community-slack-migration   

# 󠀁[Welcome All Languages and Communities to Make WordPress Slack](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/05/07/welcome-all-languages-and-communities-to-make-wordpress-slack/)󠁿

Over the past few months, there has been a lot of chatter regarding how contributors
connect and collaborate across the WordPress project.

One thing is clear: our global contributor network is incredibly strong, but much
of that work happens across separate SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat
Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community has its
own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/)
instances and community hubs around the world. As Matt recently pointed out in “
[Let’s Slack Better](https://make.wordpress.org/meta/2026/02/18/lets-slack-better/),”
that separation can make it harder for contributors to discover one another, share
knowledge across locales, and connect more directly with the broader WordPress project.

At the same time, these spaces reflect years of local leadership, collaboration,
and community building that continue to strengthen WordPress globally.

That’s why Make WordPress Slack is becoming more multilingual.

**A more connected contributor network**

Make WordPress Slack now has space for local WordPress communities to connect in
their own languages, while also being part of the broader contributor ecosystem.
This has been a long-standing request from many contributors, and it’s the right
time to move it forward.

This effort includes bringing MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are
officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through
[https://www.meetup.com/](https://www.meetup.com/). A meetup is typically a chance
for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from
one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options 
in your area. communities, local and regional 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](https://central.wordcamp.org/about/).
Slack spaces, and flagship event communities like WordCamp Europe, WordCamp US, 
and WordCamp Asia into Make Slack so collaboration around events, contribution, 
and community support can happen closer to the rest of the project.

**Why this matters**

There are several benefits to welcoming local communities into the Make WordPress
Slack:

 * Centralizing contributor collaboration: Contributors will be able to connect 
   in one shared space while still maintaining room for local-language discussions.
 * Improving cross-locale collaboration: Communities will have more visibility into
   what others are building, organizing, translating, and solving around the world.
 * Strengthening ties with global teams: It will be easier for contributors to engage
   with Make teams, share updates, and participate in project-wide initiatives.
 * Providing access to Slack Pro tools: Many local Slack workspaces operate on free
   plans, which means limited message history and fewer collaboration tools. Expanding
   multilingual participation in the Make WordPress Slack helps more communities
   benefit from Pro-level functionality.
 * Preserving knowledge and history: Important conversations, decisions, and community
   knowledge are too valuable to lose. A more unified space helps us better retain
   and access that history over time.

**Building on the strength of local communities**

To be clear, this effort is not about replacing the important work that happens 
in local communities today. Local organizers and contributors have built vibrant
spaces that reflect their own needs, languages, and cultures. That work matters 
deeply.

Instead, this is about creating stronger bridges — making it easier for contributors
from every language and locale to take part in the wider WordPress project without
having to choose between local connection and global visibility.

Multilingual collaboration requires care, thoughtfulness, and shared responsibility.
As this rolls out, the Community team will continue working with local leaders and
contributors to make sure these spaces are welcoming, useful, and aligned with WordPress
community expectations.

**What’s next**

Some of this work is already underway. WordCamp Asia and WordCamp US are now active
inside Make Slack, with WordCamp Europe planning to transition for the 2027 season.
[@nukaga](https://profiles.wordpress.org/nukaga/) is leading the Japanese WordPress
community’s transition into Make Slack, with support from [@dd32](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/)
and [@karenalma](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karenalma/). Karen will share a 
practical guide on the Community P2P2 P2 or O2 is the term people use to refer to
the Make WordPress blog. It can be found at [https://make.wordpress.org](https://make.wordpress.org/)
with next steps and details.

Message archives from legacy workspaces will be preserved through Google Drive.

For now, I want to recognize the many contributors who have asked for this over 
time and the local community leaders who have continued building connections across
the project, even when our systems made that harder than it should have been.

WordPress is a global project, and our contributor spaces should reflect that.

Let’s connect in one place, support one another across languages and regions, and
make it easier for every community to participate in shaping WordPress together.
If you want to help with this effort, please let us know in the comments or join
the [#community-slack-migration ](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/community-slack-migration)
channel in the [Make WordPress Slack](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/).

**Welcome, 欢迎, स्वागत है, Bienvenidos, Bienvenue, Bem-vindos, Benvenuti…!**

Props to [@_dorsvenabili](https://profiles.wordpress.org/_dorsvenabili/) [@karenalma](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karenalma/)
for this post

[#community-slack-migration](https://make.wordpress.org/project/tag/community-slack-migration/)

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 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/supernovia/) [Velda](https://profiles.wordpress.org/supernovia/)
5:47 pm _on_ April 23, 2026     
Tags: core-program, [wpcontributors ( 5 )](https://make.wordpress.org/project/tag/wpcontributors/)

# 󠀁[Help us help others contribute to WordPress](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/04/23/help-us-help-others-contribute-to-wordpress/)󠁿

If you’ve ever been part of a make team or helped at a 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/](https://make.wordpress.org/)
There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus.
[https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/](https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/),
we need your eyes and expertise to help our newest contributors.

In support of [WP Credits](https://wordpress.org/education/credits/) and [this year’s goals](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/01/23/big-picture-goals-for-2026/),
a [few of us](https://github.com/orgs/WordPress/projects/282/insights/2) have started
building an on-ramp for our contributor pipeline: [Pathway Guides](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/pathways/)
for evergreen contributions, and a [Good First Issues](https://github.com/orgs/WordPress/projects/289/views/1)
board for one-off tasks across the project. We’d like to officially launch 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](https://central.wordcamp.org/about/). Europe in June, and we need help
leveling up before that.

> “We’re tackling this now because there is a huge gap in showing up and contributing.
> We’ve not made it easy. We need to simplify things for folks so people can get
> to impactful contributions, quickly. This will lead us to folks sticking around,
> and hopefully being the next big thing in the project.” _—Mary Hubbard_

Any new contributor hits the same walls: onboarding info is scattered, pathways 
aren’t clear, messages go unanswered in SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group
Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress community 
has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/),
and good work sometimes stalls in review. Teams want help, but we’re losing people
at the door. Hundreds of student contributors from [WP Credits](https://wordpress.org/education/)
made this impossible to ignore. So let’s make this better for everyone.

## Pathway Guides

We’ve identified several evergreen contribution patterns in WordPress. For each 
one, we’ve [written a scannable guide](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/pathways/)
that covers the steps involved and links to the right resources. This collection
maps contribution opportunities across the project in one place.

**How to help:**

 * **Test:** [walk through a guide](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/pathways/test/review-a-pathway-guide/)
   to make sure the steps work for you
 * **Write:** [map a route to contribution](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/pathways/write/create-a-pathway-guide/)
 * **Make it better:** [help improve the design and UX](https://github.com/WordPress/contributor-handbook/issues/131)

This project growing in a [community-owned repository](https://github.com/WordPress/contributor-handbook#contributor-handbook-contribution-pathways)
so every team can help. Guides map to handbooks rather than duplicate them, and 
feedback from guides flows back to teams for handbook improvements.

## Good First Issues

Good first issues are specific one-off items that folks can pick up, finish, and
close. They’ve always existed in our repos, but until now, they were hard to find
and track. A new [Good First Issues](https://github.com/orgs/WordPress/projects/289/views/1?pane=info)
board automatically collects new and updated Good First Issues from repositories
across the project. Since we can’t automatically import _old_ issues, we need your
help populating this board.

**How to help:**

 * **Connect** your repo if it’s not [already listed in the README](https://github.com/orgs/WordPress/projects/289/views/1?pane=info)
 * **Close** or update any stale Good First Issues
 * **Follow up** on any GFIs awaiting reviews
 * **Invite new contributors** by using the Good First Issues tag and including 
   context

## Spread the Word

Tell your teams and meetups about this work. More eyes and more experiences will
make this better. And if you can work with students directly, consider [applying to become a WP Credits mentor](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/wordpress-credits-contribution-internship-program/a-guide-for-wp-credits-mentors/call-for-mentors/).

The sooner we can get guides tested and issues cleaned up, and the healthier our
Good First Issues are, the stronger this is at WCEU. PingPing The act of sending
a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to
illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a 
term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users 
might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” me (Velda)
in [#core-program](https://make.wordpress.org/project/tag/core-program/) with questions
or ideas for how to move this forward. Thank you for your eyes, thoughts, and any
time you can share.

_Props [@peiraisotta](https://profiles.wordpress.org/peiraisotta/), [@karenalma](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karenalma/),
[@annezazu](https://profiles.wordpress.org/annezazu/), and [@karmatosed](https://profiles.wordpress.org/karmatosed/),
and [@4thhubbard](https://profiles.wordpress.org/4thhubbard/) for reviews, to the
many who have reviewed individual guides, to [@mosescursor](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mosescursor/)
and [@fellyph](https://profiles.wordpress.org/fellyph/)_ for_ contributing to guides,
and to [@clk87](https://profiles.wordpress.org/clk87/), [@marutim](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marutim/),
and [@kel-dc](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kel-dc/) for getting this started with
me._

[#wpcontributors](https://make.wordpress.org/project/tag/wpcontributors/)

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 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kel-dc/) [Kel Santiago-Pilarski](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kel-dc/)
9:08 am _on_ March 4, 2026      

# 󠀁[The Contributor Dashboard Pilot is Live: What’s Next?](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/03/04/the-contributor-dashboard-pilot-is-live-whats-next/)󠁿

Building on the [initial project thread](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2025/12/20/project-thread-contributor-dashboard-pilot-project/),
the Contributor Dashboard pilot is now live, marking an important step toward creating
a clearer view of how contributors join, participate, and grow across the WordPress
project.

This post outlines proposed features for the next phase of the Contributor Dashboard
pilot. We’re sharing these ideas early to gather feedback from the community before
implementation begins.

## **Current Status**

**The pilot dashboard is finally ready: [https://wpcontributordashboard.org/](https://wpcontributordashboard.org/)**

The coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development
Team builds WordPress. functionality is in place:

 * Three-tier data architecture (Events → Profiles → Dashboard)
 * Contributor Ladder framework
 * Activity status tracking (active/warning/inactive)
 * CSV import system for contributor activity data

Development is happening in the [public GitHub repository](https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-contributor-dashboard).

[View the dashboard demo video here.](https://cleanshot.com/share/hkpxHJjc)

Contributors from multiple Make teams are developing the Contributor Dashboard pilot.
Project collaborators include [@felipevelzani](https://profiles.wordpress.org/felipevelzani/),
[@unintended8](https://profiles.wordpress.org/unintended8/), [@francescodicandia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/francescodicandia/),
[@dd32](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dd32/) and [@kel-dc](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kel-dc/)

## **Proposed Features**

We’re proposing two features for the next phase. Feedback is welcome on both.

### **1. Team-Managed Personas**

**Each Make team can create its own contributor personas, with custom ladders and
requirements that reflect how that team actually works.**

Different teams contribute in different ways, one ladder doesn’t fit all. Team reps
can define and manage these personas, and contributors can appear on multiple ladders
based on their activity across teams.

**Example use cases:**

 * Polyglots can create language-specific personas for translation contributors.
 * Community can create personas for 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](https://central.wordcamp.org/about/).
   or MeetupMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the
   WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through [https://www.meetup.com/](https://www.meetup.com/).
   A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and 
   share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on 
   meetup.com will help you find options in your area. organizers.
 * Support can separate forum contributors from those seeking help.

### **2. Automated Engagement**

**Automatically recognize contributors when they reach key milestones.**

Timely recognition improves retention and reinforces meaningful participation. When
someone makes their first contribution, reaches a new ladder step, or stays consistently
active, the system can trigger messages, props, or even swag (stickers, etc) from
[The Mercantile](https://mercantile.wordpress.org/).

Recognition becomes built-in, not manual.

## **Feedback Requested**

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these proposals. If we had to start with one 
of these two, which would provide the most value? Are any other things not considered
that you think should be implemented and/or could bring a lot of value?

The overall goal is to create an engine focused on improving the contributor experience
overall.

Please share any feedback by **March 17, 2026. **We plan to start implementing the
new phase by this date.

## **Get Involved**

If you’re interested in contributing to these features:

 * Comment on this post with feedback or questions
 * Join the discussion in the [#contributor-dashboard](https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C0AHJA81PDE)
   SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/).
   The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/)
   channel
 * Check out the [ Contributor Dashboard Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/handbook/contributor-dashboard/)
   and the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-contributor-dashboard)
   for technical details and contribute with the working group

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 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/4thhubbard/) [Mary Hubbard](https://profiles.wordpress.org/4thhubbard/)
6:41 pm _on_ January 23, 2026      

# 󠀁[Big Picture Goals for 2026](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2026/01/23/big-picture-goals-for-2026/)󠁿

I’ve been here a little over a year now. In that time, I’ve seen what works, where
things get stuck, and how much care and effort contributors bring to this project
every day. As I shared during [State of the Word](https://wordpress.org/news/2025/12/sotw-2025/),
2026 is about momentum. 

Momentum means building on what’s already working, being clearer about direction,
and making it easier for people to participate and move forward. It means taking
the energy that already exists in this community and turning it into progress that
compounds.

This is my first time sharing big picture goals with the Make community. My aim 
is to be clear about priorities and direction, while keeping the door wide open 
for collaboration. WordPress works because contributors show up. 2026 is about making
it easier for more people to do exactly that.

### CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Development and WordPress 7.0

2026 will return to [3 releases a year coinciding with our events](https://make.wordpress.org/project/?p=1125).
With WordPress 7.0 coinciding with [WordCamp Asia](https://asia.wordcamp.org/2026/).
7.0 aims to offer a significant step into [Phase 3: Collaboration](https://wordpress.org/about/roadmap/),
with real-time co-editing bringing Google Docs-style collaboration directly into
the Editor. 

Efforts are underway to unlock powerful new workflows through the Abilities APIAPI
An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows
programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined 
ways.-powered Command Palette and a standardized WP AI Client API, enabling plugins
and hosts to integrate AI assistants in a provider-agnostic way.

Media handling will take a major leap forward in 7.0 with the graduation of client-
side media processing into Core. Image resizing, compression, and format handling
will increasingly happen directly in the browser, dramatically reducing server load
while delivering faster, more reliable uploads for creators.

On the styling front, customization of mobile menus and responsive editing controls
will finally give creators the ability to tailor layouts for different screen sizes
and hide blocks by viewport, addressing a long-requested community need. The introduction
of simplified pattern editing alongside new blocks like Tabs and Icon expands the
creative toolkit available out of the box, making design more intuitive for a wider
range of creators.

Together, these features represent a cohesive push toward a more collaborative, 
intelligent, and responsive WordPress experience.

[[Get Involved with WordPress Core]](https://make.wordpress.org/core/)

### AI Everywhere, With Clear Guardrails and Benchmarks

WordPress will continue to invest in AI in a focused, intentional way. The goal 
is to make WordPress easier to use, easier to build with, and easier to contribute
to, across the entire experience.

[Guided by the AI building blocks,](https://make.wordpress.org/ai/2025/07/17/ai-building-blocks/)
AI in WordPress will prioritize a few practical outcomes:

 * Helping people create, edit, and refine content where they already work.
 * Reducing friction in site building, configuration, and common workflows.
 * Supporting contributors and users with clearer guidance, context, and next steps.
 * Lowering the barrier to contribution by helping people find and complete meaningful
   work.

At the same time, the Core AI team will publish project-wide guidelines for AI usage
within WordPress. These guidelines will focus on transparency, user control, data
responsibility, and alignment with WordPress values. As AI becomes more embedded
across the project, shared expectations matter, both for contributors and for the
broader ecosystem.

[[Read More from the Core AI Team]](https://make.wordpress.org/ai/)

### Revamping Meetups

Meetups are the primary front door to the community. Let’s be more intentional about
getting new people involved quickly.

As more contributors come in through initiatives like education programs, like Campus
Connect and WordPress Credits, mentors should help them find a local meetupMeetup
All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world 
but are not WordCamps are organized through [https://www.meetup.com/](https://www.meetup.com/).
A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share
new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com
will help you find options in your area.. Meetups are often the first place WordPress
feels real. They are local, human, and reputable. Many WordCamps started as meetups,
and that pathway still matters.

This year, we want to double down on meetups as places of active participation, 
not passive attendance. As AI tools become more common across the web, the need 
for shared learning increases. Meetups are where people can sit side by side, learn
how these tools actually fit into WordPress workflows, and build confidence together.
AI moves fast and we can develop better understanding, judgment, and together as
a community.

That means prioritizing issue-focused sessions where people work together on real
problems, hands-on learning tied to actual WordPress needs, and clear next steps
that move people from meetup participation into contribution.

Meetups are where people build confidence, relationships, and momentum. When they
work well, they turn curiosity into commitment. That is why they remain the primary
front door to WordPress in 2026.

[[Find a Meetup]](https://www.meetup.com/pro/wordpress/) | [[Start a Meetup]](https://central.wordcamp.org/meetup-organizer-application/)

### Community, Education, and the Contributor Pipeline

WordPress education programs are scaling quickly. [WordPress Credits](https://wordpress.org/education/credits/)
and [WordPress Campus Connect](https://wordpress.org/education/campus-connect/) 
have students arriving ready to participate and eager to contribute.

The project needs to be much clearer about where new contributors should go next
and how they get started. Program managers can help connect student groups to Make
teams, but that only works if each team is prepared to receive them.

I’d like to ask the Make teams to help make this possible by:

 * Maintaining clear onboarding materials and contribution paths.
 * Identifying approachable first issues or starter tasks.
 * Encouraging mentors who can help new contributors get oriented and moving.

Education is becoming one of WordPress’s strongest growth engines. It brings in 
new voices, fresh perspectives, and people eager to learn. As contribution continues
to grow, the long-requested [Contributor Dashboard](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2025/12/20/project-thread-contributor-dashboard-pilot-project/)
will help make that work more visible. 

Over time, we want to move toward WordPress Foundation credentials that help standardize
how WordPress skills are understood and communicated. These credentials would reflect
what someone knows, what they can do, and how they work, giving employers a clearer
signal when hiring for WordPress-related roles.

[[Learn More About WordPress Education Programs]](https://wordpress.org/education/)

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