My WordPress journey began with WordPress as a tool to accomplish a goal. I didn’t even build that site – I added content. I had no idea that WordPress was open source, or had a community, or anything other than my login and how to write posts.

Fast forward a couple of years and I was invited to a meetup. I went. I was overwhelmed. I was the only woman in a darkened room (so the projection could be seen better). It was in an unfamiliar part of the city. And I had no idea what the technology was they were talking about: CSS? DNS? PHP? Those were all unknown to me at that time, and I was clearly out of my element. I decided not to return.

Until I was invited to help organize it. By then a couple more years had passed and I felt more confident in my tech know-how. I also could organize events with ease. So I became the organizer of the Rochester, NY WordPress meetup. (I still am, actually.)

Then I attended a WordCamp (Buffalo, actually). I was in awe of all the people I met, the speakers I learned from, and the introduction to WordPress beyond Rochester. I was hooked.

I didn’t even realize that by organizing a meetup I was already contributing to the open source project. I had no idea that “contributing” was anything other than coding core. But I learned. And I contributed more. And now I want to share with you how I’ve learned to give back and pay forward all that I’ve gained through WordPress, and help you contribute, too.

WordPress is a Gift

WordPress itself is free. But it’s kind of like a “free puppy” in the way that it’s free. You can use WordPress.com without paying money. But to use self-hosted WordPress requires some financial investment. After all self-hosted requires, well, hosting. And if you want other functionalities (like security, courses, calendars, e-commerce, and more) then you’ll probably invest in a few plugins and themes, too. But those are absolutely worthwhile investments.

Giving Back and Paying Forward

For you, maybe contributing to WordPress isn’t about giving back or paying forward. Maybe it’s a means to an end. But for me it’s absolutely about helping others as I have received so much help and guidance from others in the community.

Ways to Contribute

(Although this list is lengthy, it is, by no means, comprehensive. There are many ways to contribute to WordPress, and you may find other ways to contribute in addition to these. )

Mentoring

Mentoring someone in the WordPress community can be a very rewarding experience. Regular meetings with someone in the community to help them learn WordPress or contribute to the project not only helps them, but helps you grow, too. If you have the capacity, take someone under your wing. Share resources with them. Help them grow.

Teach a Class on a WordPress Topic

Joseph Joubert said “to teach is to learn twice,” and that is absolutely true. Every time you teach someone else something about WordPress (from beginning to use it to coding, marketing, blogging, etc.) you more deeply internalize the information yourself – AND you’ve helped someone else learn something new.

Hold a WordPress Clinic

Lots of folks don’t need a ton of help, sometimes it’s little things like changing a color with CSS, or understanding they layout on a theme, or simple WordPress settings. Sometimes needs are more complex. Holding a clinic (online or in person) allows attendees to ask questions and get some help moving their sites forward. And if you don’t know an answer, it’s an opportunity for you to learn or to find a new resource that can help them.

Attend (or organize) a Co-working Day

Co-working is an excellent opportunity for WordPressers to work on their own projects but at the same time, and in the same physical space (or digital space for online co-working). Not only do attendees usually help one another with ideas and questions/answers, but it’s an excellent networking opportunity and learning experience when you have a room full of people working alongside one another.

Attend, Speak at, or Organize a Meetup

Whether you attend, speak at, or organize a Meetup, you learn, grow – and contribute. If you don’t already attend a meetup, you can search for “WordPress” in the search field at meetup.com. Find the nearest meetup and join. It’s free to join. You can also find online events on events.wordpress.org.

Attending is great! Ask questions to learn more and for deeper discussion. Help others if you can.

Speaking is amazing. You have knowledge. Share it! Everyone has something that others can learn from them. Even if you think you don’t – you do! Some of the coolest things I’ve learned from people sharing at Meetups and WordCamps.

Attend, Speak at, Organize, or Volunteer at a WordCamp

Attending, speaking, organizing, or volunteering at a WordCamp is similar to participating in a Meetup, but with a much larger crowd. And attending WordCamps and Meetups can increase your WordPress game, too.

While speakers get the most publicity at a WordCamp, organizing and volunteering are where the bulk of the work happens, and where there is a lot of need – of both time, energy, and skills.

And while you’re at a WordCamp, sit down at the Happiness Bar (if they have one) and see how you can be helpful to someone else on their WordPress journey. I’ve surprised myself by knowing things that helped others (true confession of a non-coder 😉).

Build Your WordPress.org Profile

It may feel like having a built-out profile on WordPress.org isn’t really a way to contribute to the open source project, but it is.

Your profile is a way to be discovered in WordPress. Having your bio, work that you do, and links to your sites and social media is a way for others to see the work that you do, get to know you a bit, and reach out to you for collaboration or be able to see more about you if you volunteer within WordPress.

So add your third-person bio, links, and more, and be found.

Make Teams

The Make WordPress Teams are probably what most people think of when they think of contributing to WordPress. This is where you can help with code, forums, design, testing, vetting plugins & themes, and more. It’s also where you can contribute photos to the photo directory.

To join a team, you need a WordPress.org profile. You also need to join the WordPress Slack community.

I suggest that you read through the different teams. (There are 23 of them.) Look at the descriptions for each team. Think about how you want to contribute. Then join the Slack channel for those teams. From there you can observe awhile or jump right in.

And if you’re considering joining a release squad, get ready for something really exciting. Each squad moves the WordPress instance further with each release. You don’t have to code to help. You can help with content, documentation, testing, and support.

Why Contribute, Anyway?

Contributing to WordPress is not only a way to give back and pay forward, but it’s an opportunity to network, to feel good about building the community and software, and even grow your own business.

I’ve made true friendships, found my current role, gained customers (in my freelancing days), and had so much fun contributing and building within WordPress.

There’s a lot to be said for contributing to the growth of others through the community that has been built around WordPress.

Need More Resources?

I’m happy to help connect you to more resources in WordPress. Email me at [email protected] or find me on WordPress Slack or Twitter/X!