Because of the nature of open-source technology, WordPress’ progress and sustainability are fully reliant on the involvement of its community. Listen, collaboration is key. That means developers, designers, and users have to get involved for the WordPress ecosystem to grow and evolve.
That’s why WebDevStudios devotes every last Friday of the month to Five for the Future—an initiative designed to encourage WordPress companies to donate 5% of their time to contributing to WordPress. As a matter of fact, tomorrow, August 30th, is Five for the Future Friday at our WordPress agency.
The Power of Contribution: Understanding Five for the Future
Launched in 2014, the Five for the Future initiative isn’t about maintaining the status quo. It’s about ensuring the platform’s sustainability, security, and continuous innovation. It takes a community to do that.
Five for the Future (5FTF) was born from a simple yet profound idea: ask WordPress companies and individuals to dedicate just 5% of their resources to WordPress. By doing so, we can create a balanced ratio of contributors to users. This “golden ratio” helps keep WordPress thriving and evolving. The success of WordPress hinges on the active participation of its community, and 5FTF serves as a catalyst to bolster this engagement.
Since its inception, 5FTF has seen a growing number of contributors, from web hosts and consultancies to individual developers and designers. The initiative’s primary goal is to increase the number of community members actively involved in WordPress development, making the platform more robust and resilient.
5FTF Enhances WordPress for Everyone
Participation in 5FTF has a ripple effect. Contributors work on various aspects of the platform, from developing new features to fixing bugs, enhancing security, and improving performance. This collective effort ensures that WordPress remains a cutting-edge, competitive platform in the rapidly changing web landscape.
By fostering innovation and encouraging a diverse group of contributors, 5FTF helps WordPress evolve to meet the needs of its vast and varied user base. The benefits are far-reaching: users enjoy a more secure, feature-rich experience; developers gain access to a constantly improving codebase; and companies that offer WordPress services can rely on a stronger, more resilient platform.
Building a Collaborative Community
One of the most significant advantages of 5FTF is the sense of community it fosters. Who doesn’t enjoy connecting with like-minded folks?
Five for the Future brings together developers, designers, content managers, users, and more, creating a collaborative environment where knowledge is shared and innovation is accelerated. This collaboration strengthens the bonds between stakeholders in the WordPress ecosystem and encourages exchanging ideas and best practices.
For organizations like WebDevStudios, participating in 5FTF provides a break from the day-to-day client work, allowing team members to focus on projects they are passionate about. This not only benefits WordPress but also enhances creativity and professional growth within the team.
Contributing Your Skills and Resources to Five for the Future
Participation in 5FTF is open to everyone, regardless of their skill set or the size of their organization. Wherever you are on your WordPress journey, there are numerous ways to contribute. Here are some areas where you can get involved:
- Core and Plugin Development: Help improve the WordPress codebase, fix bugs, and develop new features.
- Documentation and Support: Contribute to the WordPress documentation or assist users in the support forums.
- Translation: Make WordPress accessible to a global audience by translating the platform into different languages.
- Training and Education: Share your knowledge by creating tutorials, putting together a WordCamp talk, or mentoring new contributors.
- Event Organization: Get involved in organizing or volunteering at WordCamps, meetups, and other WordPress events.
Joining the 5FTF Movement
To start contributing, visit the official Five for the Future website, where you can sign up and learn more about how to dedicate your resources to WordPress. Whether you’re an individual looking to give back or an organization aiming to make a lasting impact, your contributions are invaluable to the continued success and growth of WordPress.
WebDevStudios’ Commitment to 5FTF
At WebDevStudios, we understand the importance of giving back to the WordPress community. In fact, we love it!
That’s why we dedicate every last Friday of the month to Five for the Future. Our team members contribute in various ways, from plugin development and support to preparing for WordCamp talks and more. This commitment not only helps WordPress thrive but also enriches our team’s skills and fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration.
Take a look at how we contributed last month, and be sure to follow us and the hashtag #5FTF on X (formerly Twitter) to see what we’re up to tomorrow.
From Our Internal Slack Channel
I’m getting my new machine setup for development, and then I’m bumping
Tested Up to Valueson my plugins. –Sal Ferrarello, Principal EngineerI’m attempting some personal plugin support/troubleshooting, possibly helping Brad with a new plugin Idea that he has that has me jazzed (It includes RSS feed customization), and then probably more really old core ticket browsing/refreshing. –Michael Beckwith, Backend Engineer
I’m planning to invest some of the time looking into WP 6.6 features, and hopefully also invest some time on a project I started a couple of months ago (a security scanner pipeline that uses the open Wordfence API). –Rami Abraham, Lead Engineer
MediaCorps needed me to put in some time this and last week. –Jen Miller, Director of Accounts
From X (Formerly Twitter)
#5FTF @webdevstudios again and it’s a #WordPress + spreadsheets day. Wrangling spreadsheets for #WCAsia 2025, working on my slides for my #BlockTheme talk tomorrow for #WordPressIloilo and continue working on #WDSBT. Also my table is transitioning to a #RetroNeon aesthetics. pic.twitter.com/QBalodRjmi
— JC Palmes #WCAsia2025 (@jpalmes) July 26, 2024
It is #5FTF thanks to @webdevstudios and today I’m exploring overrides in Synced Patterns which has just been introduced in #WordPress 6.6
— Jennifer Farhat (@jenniFarhat) July 26, 2024
Joined the @gatherpress team today in a roadmapping call as part of #5FTF with @webdevstudios pic.twitter.com/dpZLoAR4BL
— Laura Byrne (@NewYorkerLaura) July 26, 2024
Today on #5FTF at @webdevstudios , I had the chance to catch up with WP 6.6, Block Bindings, and Pattern Overrides. Thanks, WDS, for the time to stay on top of the game! pic.twitter.com/19bKca5kqK
— Alfredo Navas (@3LPU4S) July 26, 2024
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