Nathan Wrigley speaks with Roger Williams, Kinsta’s North America partnership and community manager, about Kinsta’s sponsored contributions program and practical ways companies can support WordPress and other open source projects.
Roger’s responsibilities center on linking Kinsta to the broader WordPress ecosystem: agency partners, technology collaborators, and community contributors. In early 2025 Kinsta launched a sponsored contributions program. Roger helped initiate the idea internally, secure funding, and design a straightforward process to support contributors and projects that matter to the company.
Why companies should sponsor contributions
Open source has long depended on volunteer energy, but as WordPress now powers a significant portion of the web, sustainable funding is increasingly important. Businesses rely on WordPress for uptime, performance, security, and global reach; improvements in these areas reduce hosting costs, lower technical debt, and improve customer experience. Sponsoring contributors yields direct benefits like bug fixes and new features, operational gains by reducing internal maintenance, and second-order benefits such as stronger industry relationships, goodwill, and mentoring that grows the contributor base.
Who to reach
Roger describes three audiences to influence:
– Project insiders who already understand the need for funding.
– Organizations that depend on WordPress but haven’t decided how to give back.
– The wider public who may not realize the scale of work behind open source.
The practical goal is moving the middle group toward active sponsorship by using business-aligned arguments instead of only appealing to philanthropy.
Balancing philanthropy and business needs
There is natural tension between the volunteer culture of open source and corporate demands for return on investment. Roger’s view is that broadening the conversation to include strategic and operational advantages attracts more organizations without replacing volunteer contributions. Sponsorship should expand the funding base while respecting community norms.
What sponsorship can fund
Contributions don’t have to be limited to core code. Useful sponsorship areas include:
– Core WordPress development and maintenance.
– Polyglots and translation teams for global reach.
– Documentation to lower the onboarding barrier and make the project accessible.
– Events (Contributor Days, WordCamps) and content (podcasts, guides) that grow awareness and participation.
How companies can get started
– Start small: set aside a modest budget and begin experimenting rather than waiting for a perfect plan.
– Align with company priorities: pick sponsorship areas that support your goals (performance, security, internationalization, docs).
– Use simple processes: an intake form and a tracking spreadsheet are often enough to manage requests and show outcomes.
– Keep marketing expectations realistic: it’s fine to ask for modest visibility (a blog post, an interview), but prioritize project needs and contributions over overt promotion.
– Prepare to address internal objections by framing sponsorship as strategic: it reduces maintenance costs, improves product reliability, and builds relationships.
Advice for individual contributors seeking sponsorship
– Prepare a concise pitch describing what you do, why it matters to potential sponsors, and clear, realistic deliverables.
– Target a few likely partners—major hosts, related vendors—and ask direct questions: do you offer sponsorship? Would you help set one up?
– Communicate in business terms and, when appropriate, offer low-effort marketing tie-ins to make sponsorship easier to justify.
Practical relationship guidance
– Sponsoring individual contributors is often the most straightforward first step for companies: it’s a direct way to fund proven community members.
– Asking employees to dedicate work time to open source is a larger organizational shift that needs manager buy-in and documented processes.
– Prioritize contributors who mentor others; supporting people who onboard and train new contributors multiplies impact.
Consortiums and umbrella organizations
Initiatives like the WP Community Collective exist to centralize funds and distribute them. Roger endorses the idea but warns that larger consortiums can be slower and administratively heavier. His recommendation: individual organizations should begin now, iterate on their approach, and remain open to collaboration and pooled efforts later.
Preparing an internal pitch and executing
– Tie sponsorship proposals to company objectives so leadership sees relevance.
– Be patient and prepared: approvals can take months. Have procedures ready so you can act when funding is approved.
– Clarify administrative channels in advance: will payments go through GitHub Sponsors, corporate cards, or formal contracts? Address legal and PR needs upfront.
– Track and report outcomes quickly with tangible artifacts such as blog posts, release notes, or podcast mentions to demonstrate value.
Tone and intent
Roger stresses humility and respect for the community. He positions himself as a learner and advocate who wants Kinsta to contribute responsibly. Companies should avoid heavy-handed marketing, center the project’s needs, and treat sponsorship as long-term brand investment rather than immediate advertising.
Concluding points
Sponsored contributions can bridge the gap between volunteer-driven open source and the businesses that depend on it. The most effective approach is practical and intentional: frame contributions in ways that resonate with business decision-makers, start small, measure outcomes, and build relationships with contributors and other organizations while stewarding community-first values.
Contact
Roger is active on LinkedIn and welcomes questions and conversations there. For episode notes and links, visit wptavern.com and search for this episode.