After the success of WordCamp Kolhapur 2025, I wanted to keep the momentum going. Instead of hosting just a one-day contributor sprint, we ran a nine-event Online Contribution Series with our Kolhapur WordPress Community—and it worked even better than we imagined.
Why We Started
I led this initiative as the Lead Organizer of WordCamp Kolhapur 2025, with strong support from Abhay Kulkarni and our local team.
The idea was simple: many people cannot always attend physical contribution days because of travel, equipment, or time limits. So we decided to go online. This made contributing easier because:
- People from other cities and remote areas could join.
- Screen sharing allowed participants to get quick help and solve issues on the spot.
- Back-to-back sessions were possible without travel fatigue.
- We could focus completely on contributing instead of logistics.
- Many people couldn’t bring laptops or travel for in-person meetups.
While in-person events are great for networking, going online gave us more focus, less travel, and higher participation in actual contributions.
How the Series Worked
I took inspiration from both in-person Contributor Days at WordCamps and online Contributor Days. We mixed the best of both formats by spreading activities across several meetups, with each session focusing on one Make WordPress team.
This format allowed contributors to:
- Explore one team at a time (Core, Polyglots, Photos, Patterns, WordPress.tv, Test, etc.).
- Learn hands-on with real-time guidance and screen sharing.
- Join sessions easily, even back-to-back, without the barrier of travel.
It was a simple approach that gave contributors confidence and made learning easier.
Impact
This approach brought real results:
- Many first-time contributors joined and discovered how WordPress is built.
- Participants earned multiple badges and props, which encouraged them to stay involved.
- Our reach expanded beyond Kolhapur, with contributors joining from other regions.
- Some participants grew into mentors themselves, guiding others in future meetups.
- Several contributors continued contributing independently after the series ended.
How You Can Run One in Your Community
If your community finds it hard to gather people physically for contribution days—or if you want to give contributors a chance to dive deeper—an Online Contribution Series can be a good idea.
- Focus each session on one Make WordPress team.
- Use screen sharing to help contributors in real time.
- Ask participants to set up their WordPress.org profiles and join Slack before the first session.
- Celebrate every contribution and explain how badges and props work.
Acknowledging Our Contributors
I’m thankful to the 29 community members who actively joined and contributed in this series. Your energy kept the initiative alive!
@contactprashantpp, @sohamjoshi8275, @snehal5774, @mrunalkulkarni, @harshada555, @rajeshrathodwp, @surajswalstar, @iamshubhamsp, @digitalpritam, @vaibhavsweb, @ketanniruke, @diguj, @atharvprakashan, @prathameshbhagat1511, @shreyashd21, @sunithak, @snilesh, @amitbhosale, @vgnavada, @rupesh5438, @akshaydhere, @adityab98, @sketchboy, @vaibhav2527, @dheeraj2995, @rajendrapatilraj, @prathameshp, @krupajnanda, @hiabhaykulkarni & @mkrndmane
📖 You can read the full detailed recap (with session details, photos, and stats) on central.wordcamp.org.
Our Next Steps
The Kolhapur WordPress community will continue to host contribution-focused events, and we welcome contributors from around the world to join us.
If you’d like to try something similar, connect with the Make WordPress Community Team
Together, we build a better WordPress for everyone.
Props to @webtechpooja for reviewing this post!