When I started Virtual Coffee in April 2020, I never imagined we'd still be going strong today. What began as a way to connect during uncertain times has grown into a supportive community of people at all stages of the tech journey. Today, I'm excited to announce a significant step in our evolution: we're open-sourcing our Virtual Coffee Community Docs repository.

A Look Back at Our Journey

Early on at Virtual Coffee, we were figuring things out as we went along. As we grew, it became clear that we needed clear paths of communication for our contributors and comprehensive documentation to make everyone's experience smoother. Our private Contributors repo became the source of truth for this information—a place where we could brainstorm new ideas and provide our dedicated volunteers with special access to our evolving processes.

This approach served us well. It allowed us to experiment, make mistakes, and refine our methods in a safe space. As part of this, our volunteers became a part of shaping Virtual Coffee's structure and culture.

Why We're Opening Up Now

After years of nurturing our community and refining our processes, we've realized that the knowledge we've gained could be valuable beyond our immediate circle. Open-sourcing our Contributors repo aligns perfectly with our vision:

We will welcome and support developers at all stages to create a more empathetic tech community.

By sharing our playbook, we're not just supporting our immediate community—we're extending a hand to community builders everywhere. We're living our values of creating a positive, inclusive community and removing tech barriers on a broader scale.

What You'll Find in Our Repo

Our Contributors repo is a knowledge base of community-building insights. You'll find documentation on:

• How we organize Lunch & Learns
• The structure of our twice-weekly Coffees
• Our approach to Lightning Talks and Monthly Challenges
• The ins and outs of our Coffee Table Groups
• Detailed procedures for various community tasks

But more than just processes, you'll see the heart of Virtual Coffee. You'll see how we strive to put people first, how we cultivate intimacy and empathy, and how we create spaces for growth and learning at all levels.

An Invitation to Collaborate

Opening this repo is more than just sharing information—it's an invitation to collaborate. We hope that by sharing our methods, we can learn from others and continuously improve our approach to community building.

Whether you're a veteran community leader or just starting out, we welcome your insights, questions, and ideas-you can add them in the comments here or in our discussions. Together, we can create ripples that extend far beyond our individual communities.

Check out the Virtual Coffee Contributors Repository and let us know what you think! We welcome issues and discussions.

As we take this step, I'm filled with gratitude for every member of the Virtual Coffee community, especially our volunteers over the years. Your passion, kindness, and commitment have made this journey incredible.