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---
title: "Getting Started with the DRF Contributor Ladder"
author: "@anajsana"
date: "2025-09-23"
category: "early-ic"
tags: ["contribution"]
image: "/images/blog/devrel-foundation-governance.png"
---

The mission of the DevRel Foundation (DRF) is to elevate the professional practice of developer relations and increase awareness of it as a driver of business value. Whether you’re just discovering DRF or already active in the community,
here’s a contributor path that can help you grow. This path aims to give people space to start small, build confidence, and eventually step into leadership if they choose.

# The Contributor Ladder at DRF
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@j12y j12y Sep 23, 2025 •
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I wonder if this info overall might better be incorporated into the join page instead of as a blog post.

https://dev-rel.org/join

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@anajsana anajsana Oct 30, 2025

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I'd say to have a blog post first and later decide whether and how to display this info in the join page (?)


Like many open source communities, DRF has a natural progression of involvement.

**Lurkers → Participants → Contributors → Project and/or Working Group Leads → Steering Committee**
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@j12y j12y Sep 23, 2025

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Our transition proposal has more specific guidance on this leadership journey including the linux foundation training courses. I think more substance could be added here (or on the join page).

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@anajsana anajsana Oct 30, 2025 •
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Usually, LF training courses are developed by instructors who are part of the community. Each LF project works a bit differently, but in projects like OpenChain or TODO, for instance, these instructors are typically particpants of a working group first (https://lists.openchainproject.org/g/education), whose role includes developing educational materials in collaboration with the LF Training team.

Other projects rely on their ambassadors to serve as instructors who develop these course materials, sometimes with funding involved, though I think that model might be harder for us to replicate.

PS: If we go with option 1, those folks interested in becoming instructors of a training course would technically be working group participants first. I could make this clearer in the blog post by highlighting it as an example use case.

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@j12y j12y Oct 31, 2025 •
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Sorry, I wasn't clear, I was referring to the steering committee google drive document "Working Groups Transition Proposal".

I listed existing LF courses as valuable:

  • leading high performance working group meetings
  • beginner's guide to open source software development
  • ethics for open source development
  • remote work at scale
  • inclusive open source community orientation


Each step is valuable, and people contribute at the level that best fits their time, skills, and goals.

## Step 1: Getting Started

At the beginning, contribution often means **listening and learning**. You might join a working group Discord channel, read through GitHub issues, or sit in on a working group call. Even something as simple as leaving a reaction or a short comment helps show support and engagement.

## Step 2: Becoming a Contributor

Contributions can be big or small. You might fix a typo, share a link in a discussion, or help clarify the requirements for an open issue. Reviewing a pull request or writing a short document are also great ways to add value.
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@j12y j12y Sep 23, 2025

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The sense I get is that more specific examples can be helpful. The mission and role of devrel can be very abstract, so likewise the ways to contribute to the foundation may be ambiguous.

These are specific examples of things that I think will be helpful to have as resources and we have as open tasks:

  • Define the term "Community Manager"
  • Gather details on at least three tools that can be used to draft and review blog posts
  • Write a tutorial explaining how to gather time on page and sessions from GA4 to create a blog metrics report


You don’t need to be technical to contribute. Non-technical contributions, such as feedback, ideas, or community support, are just as important.

For inspiration, check out the [CONTRIBUTING.md in the Tools Catalog](https://github.com/DevRel-Foundation/tools-catalog/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#types-of-contributions).

## Step 3: Becoming a Working Group Leader
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@j12y j12y Sep 23, 2025

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I don't think we should use the label "Working Group Leader" here. Maybe just the phrase "Lead a Project". A working group is an administrative task that needs to exist to facilitate the work, but the work outputs is the important thing. The term "Project" here can be ambiguous, I generally mean it as the textbook dictionary definition -- drive a body of work forward to completion of a particular goal.

The thing of value is answering challenging questions and documenting those answers for those who come later. That's what the projects are about... we should be driving toward solutions, not only providing a water cooler for discussion.

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@anajsana anajsana Oct 30, 2025

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If we are making changes (e.g, project leader) or adding new terms (DRF project vs DRF working group vs DRF program), I think we should update the glossary too for consistency: https://github.com/DevRel-Foundation/governance/tree/main/glossary

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@anajsana anajsana Oct 30, 2025

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Making the changes you suggested to the current blog LGTM though!


As you contribute more, you may want to take on a working group-level role. This could mean coordinating calls, guiding projects, and ensuring contributors feel supported and welcome.

It could also involve writing tutorials, drafting knowledge base articles, or defining key DevRel concepts with the community.

## Step 4: Submitting Your Nomination for the Steering Committee (SC)

The SC is responsible for setting DRF’s strategic direction and ensuring alignment across working groups. This role requires a broader perspective, collaboration across working groups, and a focus on sustaining the foundation’s mission for the long term.
If you’ve grown into working group leadership and want to expand your impact, you can submit a nomination when elections open every year. Nominations are announced to the community, giving anyone who has been actively contributing a chance to step forward.

## Additional Community Support

If you’re curious about getting involved, you can book a [1:1 call with one of our current Steering Committee members](https://calendar.app.google/2XvRuX6EbJjih6HD7) to talk through opportunities.
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@j12y j12y Sep 23, 2025 •
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This offer was for folks who were previously managing working groups, not the general internet and any open source contributors so shouldn't be part of a blog post.