Why WordPress Events Matter: Community, Connection, Giving Back

Cathy Mitchell has used WordPress since 2007. What started as a side project during maternity leave grew into a business—WPBarista—by 2008. More recently, having moved through different life stages and looked for meaningful ways to spend her time, Cathy stepped into volunteering for WordCamp Canada. She went from helping on the organizing team to being named lead organizer for the 2026 event.

Her story highlights why WordPress events and the wider community are important: they offer connection, practical opportunities to contribute, and a chance to give back in ways that are personally fulfilling and socially valuable.

The surprising openness of WordPress

Cathy and others commonly describe the WordPress community as unusually open and welcoming. Unlike many corporate or institutional environments, newcomers can take on meaningful responsibilities quickly. There’s little bureaucratic gatekeeping: if you show up and volunteer, you’re likely to be asked to help and then supported as you learn. That culture—where the default is to say “yes” and to help people succeed—lets volunteers contribute in ways they might not be allowed to in other contexts.

That accessibility is powerful. It allows people with varied skills and life circumstances to participate: developers and designers, business owners, hobbyists, parents, retirees. People can “dip in and dip out” of the community as their schedules allow, and still feel useful and included.

Why people volunteer: newcomers and businesses

Different people have different reasons for contributing. For newcomers, volunteering can be a way to learn, meet people, and find purpose. Non-technical roles—running hospitality, coordinating schedules, managing communication—are just as valuable as coding. Volunteering offers practice, social connection, and tangible ways to belong.

For businesses, the motivations can mix altruism and practical advantage. Supporting WordPress events strengthens the ecosystem every business relies on, and being visible in the community can help with hiring and recruiting candidates who are already invested in the platform. Sponsorship and volunteering also build relationships and credibility—benefits that can be harder to measure than immediate sales but valuable over time.

Challenges for sponsorship and changing economics

Recent years have brought a shift. When WordPress was growing relentlessly, sponsoring and supporting events felt like a natural extension of business growth. Now, with economic uncertainty, increased competition, and new pressures (including AI and changing market dynamics), organizations are more cautious with budgets. Sponsors ask for clearer returns on investment and more measurable outcomes.

Cathy sees this as a leveling rather than a collapse: industries rarely grow forever without pause. Still, it changes how event organizers must approach sponsorship—focusing on clear value, stronger partnerships, and demonstrating how supporting the community benefits sponsors long-term.

Volunteering, loneliness, and wellbeing

Both Cathy and the host connected volunteering to wellbeing. Public health conversations have increasingly named loneliness as a serious problem; serving and participating in community projects is one practical antidote. Volunteering provides companionship, shared goals, and a sense of meaning. It can reduce isolation, teach skills, and produce the happiness that comes from helping others without expectation.

Technology makes this conversation more urgent. While tech enables global connection, it also fosters solitary habits: endless streaming, social feeds, and solo entertainment can replace in-person experiences. WordPress events give people a reason to gather face-to-face: to learn together, cheer together, and collaborate on shared goals.

The future: engaging young people and open source

A recurring concern is how to bring the next generation into open source. Cathy emphasizes initiatives like Campus Connect and program credits that let students contribute to WordPress as part of their studies. Bringing universities and young people into events and community teams is essential—not just for WordPress as a project, but for the broader health of open source.

Open source remains, in Cathy’s view, a vital foundation for the future—especially as AI and other technologies develop. Keeping software and communities open helps innovation, learning, and access. Attracting young contributors, offering them real roles, and showing them the welcoming culture are practical steps organizers can take now.

Why this matters to you

If you’ve ever wondered whether a WordCamp or a local meetup is worth attending, Cathy’s experience suggests a few reasons to try it:

• You can learn in a friendly, practical environment. People answer questions, mentor newcomers, and share knowledge.
• Volunteering gives structure, social connection, and a way to practice useful skills.
• Businesses benefit indirectly—stronger ecosystems make hiring easier and improve long-term health.
• Events are a counterbalance to isolation: they reconnect people in meaningful, face-to-face ways.

Cathy’s path—from early WordPress adopter to business owner to volunteer leader—shows how events and community can become important parts of life at different stages. For organizers, the task now is to adapt to tighter sponsorship landscapes, keep events welcoming, and invest in the next generation of contributors.

If you want to learn more or get involved, Cathy can be found through WPBarista and the WordCamp Canada site at canada.wordcamp.org. Whether you’re a newcomer looking to learn, a business weighing sponsorship, or someone seeking purpose and connection, WordPress events offer an unusually open place to start.