Open source software runs on passion, but passion doesn’t pay the bills. WordPress powers over 40% of the web, yet many of the people maintaining it aren’t funded. That’s starting to change, and your company can be part of it.
In this talk, we’ll explore how sponsored contribution works, why it matters, and how companies, big and small, can participate. We’ll walk through my experience working within my company to sponsor contributors: from promoting the idea internally, identifying key areas of the WordPress project to support, finding and interviewing contributors, and building an internal framework for long-term sponsorship. You’ll hear real examples from contributors we support, and we’ll talk honestly about challenges like ROI, alignment, and accountability.
Whether you’re a founder, product leader, or agency owner, you’ll leave with a clear understanding of how to start supporting the people behind the platform your business relies on.