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Five for the Future is WordPress’s invitation to individuals and organizations to contribute sustained time or resources to the project. Its “five percent” is an aspirational target—not a required quota. The practical commitment is to do consistent work that supports Make WordPress teams and current project priorities.
What Five for the Future asks participants to do
Launched in 2014, Five for the Future frames contributions as an investment in WordPress’s long-term health. The project’s 2022 explanation says it exists “to collaboratively invest in the health of the WordPress project, ensuring its long-term sustainability and success.” WordPress’s 2022 post on pledges and contributions describes the program’s purpose and the work that supports it.
The central test is whether the work directly supports a Make WordPress team or project priority. This keeps a pledge connected to the shared platform rather than treating any WordPress-related business activity as a contribution.
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Why an organization might commit
WordPress’s program materials describe several potential opportunities for participating organizations: keeping informed about platform direction, developing or recruiting talent, connecting employees with the contributor community, and representing customer or client needs in project discussions. The program also presents contributions as support for open source and WordPress’s longevity, alongside an investment in the participant’s own success. These are stated opportunities, not guaranteed returns or measured outcomes for every organization. The Five for the Future program page outlines this rationale.
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For an organization that depends on WordPress, the stewardship logic is straightforward: contributing skills and time can help sustain the project on which its work relies. That does not establish a particular company’s motives or prove a financial return; those claims require evidence from the organization itself.
What kinds of work count?
Contribution is broader than writing code. Official examples include work in these areas:
- Core development, testing, design, and documentation
- Theme and plugin review, plus work on eligible themes, plugins, and blocks
- Community events, training, and support
- Translation and localization
- Other work with Make WordPress teams that supports project priorities
The program describes a limited exception for contributions to official or community-supported themes, plugins, and blocks. In practice, participants should choose work that clearly supports WordPress and its current priorities, rather than assume that all work on a WordPress-related product qualifies. WordPress’s contribution guidance lists ways to get involved.
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How to make the commitment concrete
- Find a suitable area. Match the team’s skills and available capacity to a Make WordPress team or an identified project priority.
- Choose work that can continue. Set a realistic cadence and contribution scope. The program emphasizes sustained contribution, so a clear, maintainable commitment is more useful than an overstated pledge.
- Make the contribution visible. Individuals can log in to WordPress.org, add contribution details to their profile, and check that the public profile reflects them accurately.
- Record an organization’s participation. Organizations can sponsor individuals or teams and submit an organization profile with contributor usernames and an administrator contact.
The program FAQ says organizations in any industry can participate if they are willing to support WordPress’s growth and development. The official Five for the Future FAQ covers participation and organization profiles.
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Formal pledge or casual contribution?
A formal pledge is most useful when an organization can make its contribution consistent and accountable. Casual contribution can be a lower-barrier way to participate, but it may be less reliable. WordPress’s guidance also recognizes the trade-off: a pledge can support skill development and sustainability, while requiring more time and potentially contributing to burnout.
| Approach | Consistency and accountability | Time commitment | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal pledge | More consistent and accountable | Greater; workload should be sustainable | Teams able to identify ongoing work and track it accurately |
| Casual contribution | Flexible, but potentially less reliable | Lower barrier | People exploring where and how they can contribute |
Neither route changes the core principle: the work should support the project. A formal pledge is not automatically better if the promised capacity cannot be maintained.
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What the published numbers do—and do not—show
A May 2024 update from the WordPress Contributor Working Group reported 7,926 hours pledged toward the initiative and noted a validity check of organization status. This is a historical program snapshot, not a current total. The May 2024 update provides the figure and its context.
The current program landing page also reports that Salesforce supports the Make/WordPress Slack instance at an estimated cost of around $8.8 million USD per year. The page does not state the estimate’s reference year, so it should not be treated as a figure for a particular calendar or fiscal year. The program page is the source for that estimate.
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These figures describe program activity and infrastructure support; they do not measure the business return of participation. The official materials explain the initiative and its stated opportunities, but do not establish any one organization’s contribution schedule, reasons, or results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does our company have to contribute exactly 5%?
No. WordPress describes the five-percent figure as an aspirational target, not a strict requirement. The commitment is to sustained work that supports the project.
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