News

The Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship Returns for WordCamp US 2022

The wait is over! WordCamp US is once again being held as an in-person, and with that the WordPress Foundation’s Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship returns.

Kim’s commitment and valuable contributions to the WordPress open source project are honored at each in-person WordCamp US by the WordPress Foundation. The Foundation’s goal is to further the efforts of other contributors demonstrating Kim’s spirit by helping to ease the burden that travel can bring.

This scholarship is awarded to someone who:

  • Identifies as a woman.
  • Is a WordPress contributor.
  • Has never attended WordCamp US before.
  • Requires financial assistance to attend.

This scholarship provides financial assistance so that the recipient can attend WordCamp US, including travel from the recipient’s home city, hotel stay for the duration of the event, and a ticket to WordCamp US.

Finally, since the WordPress Foundation was unable to offer the scholarship in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year only there will be three (3) scholarships awarded for 2022, 2021, and 2020.

If you meet these requirements and would like to be considered, please apply no later than Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 12 am Pacific. All applicants will be notified by July 12, 2022.

For more details, please visit the WordPress Foundation’s About the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship page.

Apply for the scholarship today.

How is open source software good for business?

In the late 1970s, staff programmers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sparked a movement. Little did they know that a jammed printer would lead to the beginning of an era: the free software movement. 

If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “free as in freedom, not beer,” this is what it means:

“Free software” means software that respects users’ freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. 

The GNU Project and Free Software Foundation

The WordPress Foundation’s philosophy requires that all projects and software we support be licensed under the GNU Public License, a free, copyleft license—this is intentional. If you mistakenly think open source has no place in business purely because there’s no monetary value attached to the software, we urge you to think again.

The path to innovation and progress

Open source software offers a low-cost entry to the market and paves an efficient way for innovation. These projects harness the power of diverse knowledge, skills, and community to create the best software. But what does this mean for businesses? 

“Companies who wish to create wealth are always interested in productivity. Productivity includes being able to innovate effectively […] Effective innovation is not merely being able to invent and improve, but also being able to determine what to invent and how to improve,” said Richard P. Gabriel and Ron Goldman. 

Most individuals recognize Apple as an innovative and successful technology company. However, few people outside the developer community may know MacOS X was based on Darwin, an open source project. Many of Apple’s platforms draw inspiration from open source, and plenty of other companies have done the same.

With open source software, organizations have access to the latest updates and bug fixes, thanks to frequent and reliable releases. Put simply, building on that existing work rather than reinventing the wheel puts them on the fastest path to creating a better product for their customers. 

Moreover, business strategies based on open source can level the playing field. Small organizations that rely on open source projects for their products can leverage ubiquity to build brand equity, as Gabriel and Goldman explain. This makes the companies more trustworthy to the customer, allowing them to compete fairly with organizations with extensive resources. There’s also a low risk of the software being discontinued and affecting the business. Even if the original programmers leave the project, the maintenance and development of open source software will go on.

We’re only scratching the surface of how open source software is good for business. The reality is that the work done in open source projects benefits the society at large—they help create a better world through technology. The best way businesses can support that future is by adopting open source technologies and contributing to such projects. 

What is the WordPress Foundation and Why Does it Exist?

The WordPress Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission to democratize publishing through open source, General Public License (GPL) software. Established in January 2010, the Foundation strives to ensure free access, in perpetuity, to the software projects we support.

The WordPress Foundation has a unique history. While it’s true that the organization is eponymously named, our work extends beyond the WordPress project. In this article, we’ll cover just that: what the WordPress Foundation stands for and why our mission matters.

The heart of the matter: open source

“If you believe (as I do) that software constitutes at once some of the core tools and core rules for the future of how human beings work together to create wealth, beauty, new ideas, and solutions to problems, then understanding how open source can change those processes is very important,” says Steven Weber in The Success of Open Source.

Imagine if you couldn’t use the various software that is fundamental to technology right now, be it WordPress, Linux, Android, or something else. Many of the tools we use may not be as commonly available without open source, as intellectual property rights could restrict that access.

But open source challenges the idea of property, as Weber explains in his book:

“The conventional notion of property is, of course, the right to exclude you from using something that belongs to me. Property in open source is configured fundamentally around the right to distribute, not the right to exclude. If that sentence feels awkward on first reading, that is a testimony to just how deeply embedded in our intuitions and institutions the exclusion view of property really is.”

At its core, open source is based on the power of community and collaboration. By bringing people together, these projects leverage the combined perspectives and knowledge to create something more remarkable—and available to everyone—than what we can achieve individually. 

The WordPress Foundation is here to ensure that open source software is part of the future. Human beings may have limited life spans, but our efforts don’t have to. Our organization wants to ensure that the source code for projects like WordPress will survive beyond the current contributor base, so we may create a stable web publishing platform for generations to come.

If you want a future where open source exists, you can help. Donate to the WordPress Foundation.

Looking back at 2021

As 2021 is coming to an end, it is time to look back at the year that was. 2021 was a challenging year for the world due to the continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite all the challenges, the WordPress Foundation was able to make excellent progress in its mission of educating the public about open source software and serving the public good – thanks to our global team of spirited volunteers and contributors.

Read on to find out about our various programs in 2021.

do_action charity hackathons

One of our focuses this year was to revamp our do_action program. Thanks to our hard work, do_action organizers now have a dedicated [email protected] email ID powered by Google Workspace for Non profits, which will help them in their initiatives. We also kick-started discussions to organize a global do_action charity hackathon held fully online, and we are all set to execute this idea in 2022. We also announced the return of in-person do_action hackathons after nearly 18 months of online events!

We had two do_action charity hackathons planned this year: do_action Karnataka and do_action Nigeria. do_action Karnataka was held in August 2021, where 12 volunteers worked hand-in-hand to create websites for three non profits. You can read more about the event here:

do_action Karnataka 2021: A report

While do_action Nigeria had to be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, the local WordPress community – led by WordPress Community Deputy Mary Job, is doing a phenomenal job on the ground by uplifting women and children through their own charitable initiatives using WordPress.

Introduction to Open source workshops

Last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we brought back our Introduction to Open source workshops as a way to re-engage the community and to reinforce our core mission of promoting open source software to the community. At the start of this year, we announced our plans to continue these workshops in 2021.

At the time of writing this post, we have had 11 Global Introduction to Open source workshops, which have had a total of 233 RSVPs so far. We also have our final Introduction to Open source workshop for the year scheduled for tomorrow (December 31) as well!

Learn WordPress

Learn WordPress (learn.wordpress.org) – a cross-team initiative led by the Make WordPress Training team was launched in December 2020. The initiative serves to democratize and support WordPress learning by providing high-quality WordPress learning content in different formats. At the time of publishing this post, the platform had published the following content in 2021 alone:

The contributor teams working on this project have some amazing plans for the project, and the WordPress Foundation will continue to support their work in the best way possible.

Several individuals contributed generously to the WordPress foundation this year. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our donors who supported us in sustaining the foundation this year. Special mention to the following individuals who went above and beyond in supporting us in 2021:

Sustainer – $1000 per year

  • 10up
  • Human Made
  • Jetpack
  • Matt Mullenweg
  • Multidots, Inc
  • Sujay Pawar
  • Wordfence
  • InMotion Hosting

Sustainer – $200 per year

  • Donavon Guyot
  • Eric Kuznacic
  • Ellen and Karl Olinger
  • Pippin Williamson
  • W4
  • René Hermenau / WP Staging

The WordPress Foundation has several ambitious plans for 2022, none of which would be possible without your help. If you would like to support the WordPress Foundation and contribute to our mission of serving the public good and educating the public about open source software, please consider donating to the WordPress Foundation. Your donation goes a long way in keeping the web open. Please use the link below to donate.

Donate

Thank you for your continued support of the WordPress Foundation. Here’s wishing you all an excellent holiday season and a happy 2022!

Give Back to Open Source this Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global, non-profit movement that encourages people, organizations, and companies around the world to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity.

Hosted on the first Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the United States, this year the charitable giving event will be taking place on November 30, 2021.

With Giving Tuesday around the corner, many in the world are thinking about giving back. If you’re one of them, consider this opportunity to give back to open source.

2021 and the pandemic brought a lot of changes to the world, including the open source community. And the year wasn’t without its challenges.

Open source developers worldwide still face roadblocks, from “lack of training opportunities” to “getting management buy-in for open source.”

This is why the WordPress Foundation exists.

How does the WordPress Foundation support open source?

As a non-profit organization, our work is to ensure that open source software gets the support it needs. The funds we raise go toward ensuring free access to the projects we promote, protecting the WordPress trademark, and funding multiple programs aligned with our mission.

Some of the programs the WordPress Foundation supports include:

  • Video documentation of WordCamp and WordPress meetup events.
  • “Intro to Open Source” workshops that increase awareness and understanding of the open web and open source in regions around the world that have relatively less participation.
  • Charity hackathons where developers come together and volunteer to build websites for nonprofit organizations around the world.
  • Workshops, both live and recorded, on how to use and develop for the WordPress platform.
  • School mentorship programs to encourage interest in WordPress and open source development from a young age.
  • Improving documentation about how to use and develop for, and contribute to the WordPress project.

But this is just the beginning. With your help, we can strengthen our support for these programs and fund many more exciting open source projects.

Volunteers from do_action Cape Town 2018 working on charity websites

How can you help this Giving Tuesday?

The future is open source, and whether you’re a believer or part of the open source community, you can play a part in helping build this foundation for generations to come.

This Giving Tuesday, consider donating to the WordPress Foundation so we can work together toward a future that’s built on open source.

You can choose to donate annually or make a one-time donation. Every gift counts!

Donate to the WordPress Foundation

Thank you for supporting our mission!

The WordPress Foundation publishes its 2020 financials

We are glad to announce that WordPress Foundation has published its financials for the year 2020.

In 2020, the WordPress Foundation and its subsidiary B-Corp (WordPress Community Support, PBC) provided support and guidance for a total of 33 WordCamps and hundreds of Meetup groups, organized by volunteers in communities all over the world.

WordPress Foundation’s total revenue in 2020 was $10,787, with donations making up all of this amount. Expenses for the WordPress Foundation totaled $3,438. Major 2020 expenses include:

  • do_action charity hackathon grants $1,650
  • Dues & Subscriptions $759

You can read about our finances in detail in our 2020 financials page:

2020 Financials

Support the WordPress Foundation

As you all may know, the WordPress Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that pursues a charter to educate the public about WordPress and related open source software. We regularly host educational programs like charity hackathons and open source educational events. These programs are made possible through the help of generous donations from our donors. 

If WordPress has helped you in any way, kindly consider donating to the WordPress Foundation.

Money raised by the WordPress Foundation will be used to ensure free access to supported software projects, protect the WordPress trademark, and fund various programs. 2022 will be an exciting year for the WordPress Foundation, as we have a plethora of exciting plans in mind, including a potential global charity hackathon program along with a host of novel educational initiatives through learn.wordpress.org.

In short – your donations will go a long way in sustaining and growing the WordPress project.

Every penny you contribute will help us build and grow our charitable programs that will in turn empower individuals and communities with the help of the WordPress open source software.

You can either make a one-time donation or choose to donate annually. If you sign up for any one of the four annual subscription plans, you will be featured on our Donors page – as a token of our gratitude for supporting education programs about WordPress and open source. A big thank you to all our donors for supporting us in our journey so far!

Check out our donations page for more information:

Donate

Show your support for WordPress by taking part in the Worldwide WordPress 5K run from wherever you are! You can also support the WordPress Foundation by donating to us directly through their website. Hurry up! The event concludes on October 31!

Thank you so much, for all that you do, to support our goal of serving the public good through our myriad initiatives.

Announcement: In-person do_action hackathons are back!

As announced in the Make/WordPress Community blog, in-person do_action charity hackathons are back! do_action hackathons moved online in March 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the past 18 months, we have had five do_action hackathons so far. As more and more people around the world are getting vaccinated and as the spread COVID-19 pandemic, it is time to bring back in-person do_action charity hackathons. While our online hackathons have been impactful, in-person do_action hackathons bring people volunteers, and non profits together in a shared space, helping to create a wonderful experience for everyone.

How do I organize an in-person do_action charity hackathon

Announcement: Returning to in-person do_action charity hackathons

Local WordPress Meetup groups can organize an in-person do_action charity hackathon if their region allows in-person events AND if their COVID cases are under control OR if vaccination/testing is freely available. The flowchart below describes the conditions for organizing an in-person charity hackathon.

If you wish to organize an in-person do_action charity hackathon, follow these steps:

  1. First, check if your local health authority allows in-person events. If local gatherings are not allowed, you cannot organize an in-person event in your region.
  2. If your local health authority allows in-person events, fill up the in-person meetup decision checklist in the Make/Community Handbook. (Here’s a direct link)
  3. If the checklist recommends that you organize a do_action hackathon, go ahead and fill up the do_action event application. A community deputy will get back to you with more details on how to organize the event.
  4. If the checklist does not recommend organizing an in-person event, you can still consider organizing an online do_action event.

The WordPress Foundation would like to highlight do_action events (whether they are held online or in-person) on the WordPress Foundation website (wordpressfoundation.org), through social media, and whenever possible, in local media. Send an email to [email protected] or ping one of the Community Deputies in Make/WordPress Slack if you would like help with organizing a do_action hackathon or if you need help with outreach.

Feeling inspired? Do you wish to organize an in-person do_action charity hackathon? Apply now!

do_action Nigeria coming up on November 29 – December 5!

The WordPress community of Nigeria is back once again to organize an online do_action charity hackathon from November 29 – December 5, 2021! For the last three years, local communities in Nigeria have organized in-person do_action WordPress Charity Hackathons in several cities, where they had spent an entire day building brand new websites for a selection of local charities and NGOs. This year, for the second annual regional do_action Nigeria event, the team aims to repeat the same in an online format, for a handful of charitable organizations! Learn more about the event by following the link below:

Nigeria 2021

do_action Karnataka 2021: A report

WordPress Community members in the state of Karnataka, India organized a do_action charity hackathon from 07 to 15 August 2021. The event, which was supported by 12 volunteers, helped create websites for 3 non-profits. do_action Karnataka was held completely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it concluded symbolically on August 15th 2021 — the 75th Independence Day of India. This is the second do_action Hackathon in Karnataka — the first one being do_action Bengaluru, which was held in 2019.

Karnataka 2021

Efforts behind do_action Karnataka kicked off three months prior, in April 2021. N Suresha, Prem Tiwari, UC Riyaz, Sagar Vora, SR Venkatesh, and Yogesh Londhe (myself) from the WordPress Community of Karnataka, joined hands to support local non-profits by helping them build websites. The following non-profits signed up for our hackathon: 

  • Luv Kush Foster Home: A foster home that aims to care for animals in need
  • Vridhi Foundation: which aims to support the education of underprivileged children
  • Peacespark Foundation: Welfare of women and children

12 volunteers immediately signed up to build websites for these non-profits. Not everyone could participate due to personal challenges related to COVID-19, but the teams worked hard to complete the work within the stipulated time. As a result of all that hard work, two non-profit sites were launched, and one is in the pipeline!

Peacespark Foundation: https://www.peacespark.org/

A screenshot of the Peacespark Foundation website created by the do_action Karnataka 2021 team.
A screenshot of the Peacespark Foundation website created by the do_action Karnataka 2021 team.

The website of Peacespark Foundation was built by SR Venkatesh (project manager) and Hari Shanker (content writer). Venkatesh collected all the content and the photos from the non-profit, and he was also in constant communication with the team. He also single-handedly designed and developed the website for the team! Since the content manager volunteer could not join on time, Hari stepped in to prepare the content for the site. As a result, the site was ready well within the deadline, and the non-profit was happy and grateful!

Vridhi Foundation: https://vridhifoundation.org/: 

A screenshot of the Vridhi Foundation website created by the do_action Karnataka 2021 team.
A screenshot of the Vridhi Foundation website created by the do_action Karnataka 2021 team.

N Suresha (project manager), along with Hussna Hussain (content writer) and UC Riyaz (designer) built the website for Vridhi Foundation. Makarand Mane helped with the multilingual translation plugin, the theme, and the required templates. Prem Tiwari set up the site and provided technical support during the development, as well. Together, the team worked in synergy to burn the midnight oil and deliver the site for the non-profit, which formally launched the same in a function at their premises, on August 15th! 

Representatives of the Vridhi Foundation at their website launch event on August 15, 2021
Representatives of the Vridhi Foundation at their website launch event on August 15, 2021

Since representatives of Luv Kush foster home were out of the country during the hackathon,  they couldn’t collaborate to give the content and the photos for the website. Most of the technical groundwork for their website is done, and it will formally be launched once the non-profit provides content for the teams. 

The hackathon would not be possible without the support of our kind sponsors who provided hosting, domain names, WordPress plugins/themes, and post hackathon support guarantees for all the non-profits. A big thanks to all of them! Our sponsors include:

  • Give WP – Who kindly sponsored a premium license for their flagship donation plugin
  • Yoast – Who kindly sponsored a premium license for their SEO plugin
  • Themeisle – Who provided premium licenses for their theme
  • WP Job Openings – Who provided a license for their job board plugin
  • WPGenius – Who provided a translation plugin, templates, and themes
  • Prem Tiwari – Who has offered post-hackathon tech support for non-profits
  • Bluehost India – Who provided hosting and domain names for all three non-profits

In addition to our sponsors, I wish to thank all stakeholders who helped make our event a grand success — especially our team of passionate volunteers and organizers who battled several personal challenges and a global pandemic to build an ever-lasting online presence for non-profits. Special thanks to the WordPress Foundation for supporting these do_action charity hackathons which empower non-profits across the globe, especially in these tough times.

As we were wrapping up the event on the final day of the hackathon, I asked our team of organizers and volunteers one question: “Despite all the challenges, would you do this again?” They all answered in one resounding voice: “YES!” 🙂 

On behalf of the do_action Karnataka 2021 Organizing team,
Yogesh Londhe

Feeling inspired, already? You can use WordPress for social good, by organing a do_action charity hackathon in your own city! Check out our handbook for more information. It just takes five minutes to fill out the application form. So why wait? Apply now!

Announcement: Online do_action hackathons in India and Nigeria

Following the success of online do_action events worldwide in 2020, the WordPress Foundation is doubling down on its mission by supporting more charity hackathons in 2021. Even as COVID-19 continues to wreck havoc around the world, our community organizers in India and Nigeria are working hard to empower local non profits by helping them build a stellar online presence. We are excited to announce do_action Karnataka 2021 and do_action Nigeria 2021!

do_action Karnataka (India) 2021

do_action Karnataka will be a week-long online hackathon which is being planned on: 07 – 15 Aug 2021. WordPress enthusiasts in the state of Karnataka, India are coming together to organize this event, and the efforts are led by the WordPress Bengaluru meetup group. Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, has already seen a successful do_action event in 2019.

do_action Bengaluru 2019
A snapshot from do_action Bengaluru 2019

The hackathon has shortlisted three Non-profits: Luv Kush Foster Home (a foster home that aims to care for animals in need), Peacespark Foundation (which aims to support the education of underprivileged children), and Vridhi Foundation (Women and children welfare). The event has also put forth its call for participants/volunteers – if you would like to support non-profits by helping them build websites, simply fill up the form on the event website. Read the participant’s guide for more details on what is expected of you when you sign up. You can also support the event by signing up as a sponsor. Please email the organizers at: [email protected] if you are interested in sponsoring the event.

You can find more details about the event in their website:

Karnataka 2021

do_action Nigeria 2021

Following the spectacular success of do_action Nigeria 2020, the vibrant WordPress community of Nigeria is back once again to organize an online do_action charity hackathon from October 25 through October 31, 2021! For the last three years, local communities in Nigeria have organized in-person do_action WordPress Charity Hackathons in several cities, where they had spent an entire day building brand new websites for a selection of local charities and NGOs. This year, for the second annual regional do_action Nigeria event, the team aims to repeat the same in an online format, for a handful of charitable organizations! 

do_action Lagos2019
Participants are building websites for non-profits at do_action Lagos 2019.

do_action Nigeria has currently opened up its call for non-profits. If you represent a non-profit based out of Nigeria which does not have an online presence, please submit the application on the event website. Applications close on the 15th September 2021. You can also support the event by sponsoring the event, please visit the do_action Nigeria website for more details. You can also email the organizers at: [email protected] if you would like to support the event.

Nigeria 2021

Organize a do_action charity hackathon in your region

Are you excited about these upcoming do_action events? Would you like to support your local community by organizing a do_action event for your region? Send in your application right away! You can read more about do_action in the event handbook. Don’t  hesitate to ask any questions you may have in the comments. 

Thank you for all that you do to empower the global community through WordPress!