Title: Contributor Onboarding
Author: Destiny Kanno
Published: 11 August 2026
Last modified: 12 August 2026

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# Contributor Onboarding

   60 mins   Beginner   Contributing     Updated August 12, 2026

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In this hands-on activity, participants will explore the Make WordPress contributor
ecosystem to make their first real contribution to the WordPress open-source project.
Operating entirely within a modern web browser, attendees will interact with make.
wordpress.org and GitHub.com without needing any local installations, coding knowledge,
or prior contribution experience. Participants will hands-on create three essential
accounts—a WordPress.org account, a WordPress Slack account, and a GitHub account—
before selecting a beginner-friendly path from the seven official contributor pathways(
Build, Design, Write, Translate, Test, Organize, and Promote). The session concludes
with a practical execution phase where participants complete a step-by-step contribution
task—such as filing a documentation issue on GitHub, submitting a translation string,
or filing a test report—and capture their successful result via a screenshot workflow
for a final group debrief.

## Learning Objectives

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

 * **Identify Contributor Teams**: Recognize at least two contributor teams that
   make up the WordPress open source project and describe what each one works on
   by scanning the ecosystem team list.
 * **Interpret Contributor Pathways**: Explain the purpose of the seven WordPress
   contributor pathways and identify what types of entry-level contributions are
   explicitly available to beginners.
 * **Configure Required Accounts**: Setup and verify the three specific free accounts
   required for active community participation: a WordPress.org account, a WordPress
   Slack account via make.wordpress.org/chat/, and a free GitHub plan account.
 * **Utilize Official Handbooks**: Navigate the step-by-step instructions hosted
   on the make.wordpress.org/handbook/pathways/ hub to choose and execute a targeted
   task.
 * **Execute an Open-Source Contribution**: Complete at least one real contribution
   to the WordPress open source project using an official beginner pathway, such
   as submitting a translation string, filing a documentation issue on GitHub, or
   submitting a test report.
 * **Evaluate Personal Alignment**: Assess which specific contributor pathways and
   communication channels best match their own technical skills, interests, and 
   availability for future involvement.

## What's included

### Facilitator Guide

Step-by-step instructions for running the session, including timing cues and discussion
prompts.

### Slide Deck

Presentation slides for the full workshop as a PDF, ready to present or print.

## Download this kit

This download includes a facilitator guide and presentation slide deck.

 [  Download kit ](https://learn.wordpress.org/files/2026/08/Contributor-Onboarding.zip)

 Free · No account required · 315 KB