Nathan Wrigley interviews Roger Williams, Kinsta’s partnership and community manager for North America, about Kinsta’s sponsored contributions program and practical ways companies can support WordPress and related open source projects.
Roger’s role and the program
Roger connects Kinsta with the WordPress ecosystem: working with agency and technology partners, feeding community concerns back into the company, and building relationships. In early 2025 Kinsta launched a sponsored contributions program. Roger helped shape the idea and the practical approach for who to sponsor and how to support contributors across WordPress and other open source efforts.
Why companies should sponsor contributors
WordPress runs more than 40% of the web, yet many maintainers and contributors are unpaid. As the platform becomes more critical, sustainable funding matters. Roger recommends moving beyond the binary idea of pure philanthropy versus immediate ROI. Framing sponsorships in business terms can bring more organizations into supporting the ecosystem.
Three practical benefits for businesses
1. Strategic: Improvements to performance, security, and compatibility reduce downstream incidents and support costs for hosts and platforms. Sponsoring work that improves these areas can decrease operational headaches.
2. Operational: Contributing upstream reduces technical debt. Funding work in core projects or documentation can offload maintenance that would otherwise be handled internally.
3. Second-order: Networking, hiring pipelines, mentorship, reputation, and community goodwill are harder to quantify but real. Sponsored contributors can expand project capacity and mentor others, benefiting the broader ecosystem.
Who and what to sponsor
Sponsorship is not limited to WordPress Core. Valuable options include:
– Polyglots (translations) to serve non-English customers
– Documentation teams to lower support burdens
– Events such as WordCamps and contributor days
– Podcasts, media, and other community initiatives
Kinsta prioritised core contributors while also supporting Polyglots and docs because those areas directly reduce support load and serve global customers. Sponsorship can be direct (paying individual contributors) or indirect (funding events, organizations, or pooled funds).
Sponsoring individuals vs allocating employee time
Two common approaches:
– Sponsor external contributors: Easier and faster for organizations new to open source sponsorship. It provides a clear entry point and immediate impact.
– Allocate employee time: More integrated but requires coordination, role adjustments, and planning inside the company.
For many companies, sponsoring individuals is the simplest way to start.
Practical recommendations to get started
– Start small and iterate: A modest, clearly scoped budget and simple processes beat overplanning and inactivity.
– Create an intake process: Use an application form asking what the contributor works on, prior contributions, goals, and how their work benefits the sponsor.
– Set clear expectations: Ask for lightweight promotional actions if appropriate (a blog post or podcast appearance), but prioritise genuine contribution over marketing. Avoid heavy-handed branding demands.
– Track outcomes: Maintain a simple spreadsheet or dashboard of sponsored contributors, activities, and outputs so leadership can see impact.
– Tailor internal pitches: Align the sponsorship case to company objectives — performance and security for hosts, localization for global services, and so on.
– Stay ready: Sponsorship budgets can become available quickly. Keep candidate shortlists and community relationships so you can act when funding appears.
How contributors should approach companies
Contributors should prepare a concise pitch describing: what they do, what they plan to deliver, and how it benefits the company. Target organizations whose business aligns with the contribution (for example, hosting companies for performance work). Ask straightforward questions: does the company have a sponsorship program, would they help set one up, and how does your work map to their priorities?
Concerns about commercialization and community culture
Roger acknowledges fears that business involvement could dilute open source values. His view is that excluding business language and ROI removes many potential supporters. The aim should be to welcome business-aligned framing while respecting the volunteer-driven nature of the project. Marketing should not be the primary goal; the priority must remain meaningful contributions to the project.
Coordination beyond single companies
Collective models exist, such as community collectives or pooled funds, that coordinate contributions and distribute grants. Roger values these models but cautions they can introduce complexity and slow decision-making. He recommends that companies willing to act directly do so, while still being open to collaborative models when they make sense.
How Kinsta approaches sponsorship
Kinsta gave autonomy to its community and partnership team to choose sponsorships. Roger and colleagues scan core, Polyglots, docs, events, and media to fund impactful work. Promotion is gentle and contributor-focused: podcasts, interviews, and occasional posts that highlight the contributor rather than heavy branding.
Key takeaways
– Start small and iterate; a simple program with clear scope is better than waiting for perfection.
– Frame sponsorships in terms executives understand: strategic, operational, and second-order benefits.
– Have intake forms, tracking sheets, and sample outcomes ready so you can act when budgets appear.
– Be respectful about marketing asks; prioritise supporting contributors and the project’s needs.
Where to find Roger
Roger is active on LinkedIn and open to conversations about sponsorship, contributions, and supporting open source. The interview closes with Roger thanking the community and Nathan directing listeners to the episode show notes on wptavern.com.