The WP Community Collective Launches Nonprofit to Fund Individual Contributors and Community-Based Initiatives – WP Tavern
The WP Community Collective (WPCC) formally launched right this moment as a brand new nonprofit group devoted to funding particular person WordPress contributors and community-led initiatives. It was based by Sé Reed, Katie Adams Farrell, and Courtney Robertson.
The group was created to handle a number of the challenges of contribution, the place bigger firms are inclined to have extra sources to sponsor contributors, whereas people and smaller firms could battle to steadiness their means to volunteer with the necessity to make ends meet.
One of many main methods the WPCC goals to help contributors is thru Fellowships. That is an settlement the place people obtain monetary help for his or her contributions to WordPress with world pay parity. They may also have interaction in skilled growth and are inspired to take part in regional WordCamps as attendees, audio system, and/or organizers with bills lined by the fellowship.
The fellowships are an attention-grabbing idea, designed to incubate top quality contributors who’re linked to the group with a well-rounded set of expectations that aren’t narrowly restricted to the code produced.
WPCC goals to establish areas the place the group is underrepresented or contribution is required and fund Fellowships in these areas. The primary fellowship they plan to fund is for an Accessibility contributor, who will dedicate 5-10 hours per week to work on the Make WordPress Accessibility Workforce and its current accessibility initiatives.
“The Accessibility Fellowship might be a little bit of a check, by way of fundraising and response from the group,” WPCC co-founder Sé Reed mentioned. “Accessibility is a straightforward place to begin as a result of the group already is aware of it can be crucial and we’ve contributors who’re doing essential work with none financial help.”
WPCC is utilizing Open Collective because the fiscal sponsor for its 501(c)3 standing, enabling donations to be categorized as charitable giving, which is in lots of instances tax-deductible. All transactions that run via the group are clear and publicly documented on the group’s transactions page.
Reed mentioned the tipping level for her staff to get organized to make this occur was a tweet from Matt Mullenweg shortly after the 2021 WordCamp US, the place he responded to individuals calling for customers of assistive expertise to be paid for testing Gutenberg.
“His assertion in that tweet actually made two issues clear to me,” Reed mentioned. “One, that this funding idea wouldn’t be in battle with the work of the WordPress Basis or the official venture, and two, that if we wished one thing like this to occur it must be performed as an unbiased entity.”
The WPCC founders joined in on a latest WPwatercooler podcast episode the place they shared their contributor tales and why they began the group. One in every of their commonalities was a honest need to contribute extra however not sufficient time within the day. With only a few sponsored contributor positions obtainable, volunteering just isn’t all the time potential, ensuing within the venture being led primarily by sponsored contributors.
“We hope that the WP Neighborhood Collective may also help bridge the hole between the fervour individuals really feel for WordPress, and the very actual and sensible limits of volunteer contribution,” Reed mentioned.
WPCC is beginning out with a small governance staff that consists of the three co-founders however plans to develop the organizational construction to incorporate extra group illustration, together with an Advisory Board with a everlasting seat for the Government Director of WordPress.
Individuals who need to help the WPCC can be part of with an individual membership at no cost to remain updated with the group’s actions. Try the podcast episode beneath to satisfy the co-founders and be taught extra in regards to the initiative.
