🧭 ONWARD: A Framework for Maintaining Maintainers

From lurker to leader — that’s the story of how I grew through open source. What began as small pull requests eventually evolved into becoming a maintainer for nonprofit projects, getting funded for my OSS work, and even speaking publicly about the journey. 🌱

Through it all, I noticed one gap: while we often talk about how to contribute to open source, we don’t talk enough about how to maintain maintainers themselves. That’s why I created ONWARD — a simple, memorable framework for maintainers to grow healthy, inclusive, and sustainable communities, no matter if your project has 3 or 3,000 contributors.

🅾️ O is for Open

Be transparent, accessible, and ready to share power.

• Document your decisions and governance models.
• Create clear paths for feedback and discussion.
• Plan for succession and share finances openly.

🇳 N is for Nudges

Shift from doing to empowering.

• Nudge contributors toward leadership.
• Assign growth-oriented tasks and celebrate progress.
• Ask for feedback and model positive intent.

🔥 W is for Warmth

Build a culture that welcomes everyone.

• Publish community health files.
• Take complaints seriously and remove bad actors.
• Celebrate all types of contributions — technical or not.

⚙️ A is for Automation

Let bots handle the boring stuff.

• Use GitHub Actions for linting, testing, and deployments.
• Automate reminders, labels, and PR reviews.
• Reduce toil so you can focus on people, not process.

🌟 R is for Recognition

Make gratitude the default.

• Add maintainers to org profiles or project badges.
• Offer testimonials or LinkedIn recommendations.
• Provide swag, shoutouts, or even funding when possible.

💪🏽 D is for Dedication

Lead with heart and sustainability in mind.

• Be responsive and accountable.
• Know your limits and communicate them.
• Plan for transitions so the work lives beyond you.

✨ Final Thoughts

Great maintainers create other great maintainers. The ONWARD framework is my way of helping open source communities sustain not just code, but the people who make it possible.

➡️ Read the original piece on GitHub’s ReadME Project.