Finding the Right Path: Getting More Involved in the Umbraco Community
An overview of different pathways for contributing in the Umbraco Community
Honestly, this is a question that comes up all the time. And it’s not just at Codegarden; it happens throughout the year at meetups, in Discord, and in just about every other casual chat or social get-together. The fact that so many people sense something special in our community is a testament to the friendliness and camaraderie that flourish here and to the incredible collective spirit of all the people who make up the Umbraco community.
Getting started in any open source community can feel a little intimidating, even if you’re a seasoned developer who just happens to be a newcomer in a particular context. Historically, “getting involved” often meant submitting patches and pull requests, which is great for some folks but a pretty steep on-ramp for lots of others. Thankfully that’s not the case anymore, especially not in the Umbraco community.
What do you want out of this?
Before we dive into the many ways you can participate and contribute, it’s worth taking a moment to think about what you hope to get from the experience.
“Rubbish!” you say. “I’m trying to contribute, not get something for myself. This is not about me.”
Contrary to what you might think, contributing to open sources isn’t purely an altruistic act. It can (and should!) be mutually beneficial. Much like the way contributions help improve future versions of code and documentation, your involvement should help you grow into the kind of person you want to be, whether that means becoming a better writer, a more confident speaker, a stronger developer, or simply more connected to a global network of kind and curious people.
In other words, being a part of this community should contribute to your wellbeing too.
Many Pathways for Participation
One of the best things about the Umbraco community is its huge surface area for involvement. No matter your interests, skills, predilections, and energy levels, there’s a way for you to participate. To make things a bit more approachable, it’s helpful to think of the community as a kind of garden with lots of different pathways for you to explore. The pathways all connect, so there’s not an authoritative “right way” for you to enter and exit, just plenty to experience and enjoy.
Here’s a breakdown of those pathways:
📚Resource Curation
Do you love writing? Are you good at explaining things? This path is all about helping people find and understand the resources they need to build things with (and for) Umbraco. That might mean:
- Contributing to Umbraco’s official documentation
- Writing blog posts or tutorials for Skrift, 24 Days in Umbraco, or your own blog
- Creating how-to videos or walkthroughs
- Maintaining collections of community links and learning tools
If you’ve ever written a guide to help your future self solve the same problem twice, you’re already halfway there.
💬Support and Mentorship
Maybe you’re the person who always has time to help a junior developer on your team; maybe you just remember what it’s like to be the new person. This pathway is about making the community a more welcoming, supportive place for others. This could look like:
- Answering questions in the Umbraco Forum
- Offering mentorship (formally or informally) to newer community members
- Participating in chats and sharing advice on Discord
- Helping people navigate the ecosystem and find their footing
This is meaningful work, and it has ripple effects that go far beyond any single conversation.
🎉Event Planning and Support
If you’ve got a flair for organizing or hosting, consider diving into the events side of the community. This includes things like:
- Finding and attending your local meetup regularly
- Helping run local Umbraco meetups
- Organizing social gatherings, festivals, or mini-conferences (whether in-person or virtual)
- Coordinating speaker lineups, venues, or accessibility efforts
Events need not be big to have a meaningful impact. Sometimes the most lasting connections happen over snacks at a local meetup.
🛡️Moderation and Governance
Every thriving community needs people who help keep things running smoothly. This contribution pathway includes:
- Helping moderate posts on the Umbraco Forum or in Discord
- Serving on Community Teams, Advisory Boards, and Guilds
- Weighing in on discussions that shape how the community operates
If you have strong empathy, good judgement, and a desire to make things better for everyone, this is a pathway you’ll likely enjoy.
🎙️Technical Ambassadorship
Public speaking isn’t everyone’s thing, to be sure. For those who love taking the stage (or who want to learn), it’s a great way to have a big impact. Here’s what that might look like:
- Giving talks about Umbraco at non-Umbraco conferences or meetups
- Helping staff booths at conferences
- Sharing your story and journey publicly to help inspire others
Whether you’re presenting your first lightning talk or delivering the keynote at a major event, this path is all about using storytelling to help more folks learn about Umbraco.
🧩Community Organizing
Are you the kind of person who always seems to know just the right people to introduce to each other? You might be a natural community organizer. This includes things like:
- Helping others find their path within the Umbraco ecosystem
- Connecting newcomers with mentors, resources, and opportunities
- Keeping an eye on the “big picture” of how people are finding each other and relating
This might sound a lot like support and mentorship, but it’s less about providing direct support in a particular area. Organizers are like the connective tissue of the community. You don’t need to be highly technical or possess deep expertise in any one area. You just need to be curious, caring, and good at spotting opportunities to connect ideas with people. If this feels like your wheelhouse and you’re not sure what to do next, reach out to the Developer Relations team at Umbraco HQ.
💻Writing Code
Yes, the classic, technical pathway that so many of us are familiar with. No list of contribution areas would be complete without it. But even here, the options are broader than you might think:
- Contributing to the core CMS codebase
- Pitching in on one of the hundreds of open-source community packages
- Building your own package or integration to share
If you’ve got an itch to scratch or a feature you wish existed, this is a great way to build something that helps the whole community. And remember, you don’t have to be a developer to contribute in this area. You can collaborate with developers who are building things by helping with testing, giving UX feedback, or helping them with documenting all the things.
Ready When You Are
While diving in and getting more involved in the community can seem intimidating, rest assured that there is no singular “right” way to be a part of the community. It’s a matter of finding the way that’s right for you. Whether you want to level up your skills, meet new people, give back to a tool that you love, or some combination of all of the above, there is a place for you in the Umbraco community.
If you’re not entirely sure where to get started, we’ve distilled a bit of practical guidance and links into a resource for you at https://community.umbraco.com/get-involved.
So find your people and explore the pathways. Try out a few different things. Reach out to someone who is already familiar with the path you’re curious about. And if all else fails, drop us a line. The Developer Relations team at Umbraco HQ is always happy to help you figure out where to start or where to go next.
We’ll see you out there! #H5YR