Giving Back: WordPress Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2024

Doing Some Good On WordPress Black Friday/Cyber Monday

This post is a bit personal for me. With this year’s WordPress Black Friday just around the corner, I wanted to share my thoughts—specifically about doing some good. I’m talking about Give Back WordPress Black Friday / Cyber Monday 2024.

I recently had a conversation with Andrew Palmer, who was kind enough to give me the inside scoop on his WordPress London meetup presentation. I love being in on secrets—it makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and I feel like James Bond. But more importantly, it made me realize something: Andrew was onto something big, and it sparked something in me.

We had a long talk. Andrew’s a great guy—super knowledgeable, totally down-to-earth. Afterward, I found out he and Dave Grey started FundWP, an initiative aimed at raising funds for the WordPress Foundation.

The FundWP Mission:

At FundWP, our mission is simple yet profound:

• How do we secure consistent funding for WordPress?
• How do we keep building on this amazing open-source platform without compromising its principles?

We want to bridge this gap by creating a system where financial contributions flow directly into WordPress, supporting its ongoing development, security, and innovation.

Source: FundWP.com

Take, Take, Take (Yep, I’m Guilty Too)

We all benefit from WordPress—whether we use it to build for clients, ourselves, or to grow a plugin or theme business. But very few of us give back.

I get it—many of us don’t have extra money lying around. But after talking with Andrew, I realized something: what if we built a small donation into the cost of a WordPress project? A tiny percentage of sales. If we all did it, that little hill of beans could turn into a mountain.

Now, don’t get me wrong—plenty of people are doing amazing work for the WP Foundation. Some contribute their time, expertise, or both. But for those of us who don’t have the time or technical skills to help, a small financial contribution can still make a big difference.

Imagine if bloggers, product owners, agencies—whoever—started contributing to the Foundation. If we were all on the same page, the Foundation’s reach would grow exponentially.

That means more opportunities for people to attend WordCamps, more funding to operate them, and—well, you get it—just more. Imagine the Foundation generating millions each year. Now picture that money being invested in promoting WordPress as the go-to open-source solution.

Personally? I love this idea. It’s got real legs.

LayerWP’s Give Back WordPress Black Friday / Cyber Monday 2024

So, here’s the deal: this year, I’m doing something different. I’m broke—like, looking at my bank statement thinking, “What the heck, dude? What did you expect?” But hey, that’s life.

Just because I’m broke, doesn’t mean I can’t help, or make a difference. Sometimes an idea shared, creates a movement, and that’s a rich reward in itself. Still doesn’t pay the electricity bill, whatevs.

So, what can I do to help? Here’s my plan:

1. 12 Sponsor Slots on the Black Friday page, each for $600. For every slot sold, I’ll donate $100 to the WP Foundation.
   And trust me, nothing would make me happier than showing you a series of screenshots—or better yet, a video—of me donating that money!
2. *Affiliate Listings on LayerWP: I’m using affiliate links this year, but with a twist. I’ll donate 10% of all affiliate revenue from sales generated through my Give Back Black Friday page.

*Now, some affiliate programs have withdrawal thresholds and limits, but I’ll post regular updates on those donations.

Submissions For Give Back WP Black Friday

I thought a lot about this, especially after chatting with Andrew and Dave. Submissions are open to everyone! The only thing I ask is that you include a screenshot of your donation to the WP Foundation when you submit.

Whether it’s $10 or $100, every donation goes straight to the WP Foundation—no middleman. I’ll link directly to the donation page. Just take a screenshot of your donation, attach it to the form, and you’re done. Donate whatever you can; I’m not asking for huge sums, and I know everyone’s dealing with tight budgets.

My Goals

Let’s talk goals. I’m aiming to raise $2,000. It might seem like small potatoes compared to what big companies contribute, but if I can hit this target, then anyone can do it over the course of the year.

I’ll keep posting updates on the total amount raised as more sponsors and submissions roll in. I’m just trying to be different and do some good.

Ben, You’re Greedy! (Yeh You Git!)

Q: “Ben, you’re only donating $100 out of $600 for sponsor slots?”

A: If that’s your take, more power to you. But let’s do the math—that’s $1,200 going directly to the WP Foundation.

The rest covers my bills (yes, I do have a life) and my time. Plus, I reinvest in ads on Twitter and Facebook to help promote all the businesses that participate.

Are You On Board?

If you’re in, check out my submission page for all the details. > (coming soon)
For sponsorships, go here > (coming soon)

You can reach out to me on X via a DM if you’d like any details! Me on X here.

Until next time, take care and stay classy. Feel free to leave a comment or something, you don’t have to. But like, if you want to?

Fill your boots 👇