Over the past few months, I've had conversations with Megan Sanicki and Joe Saylor at the Drupal Association. From them, I’ve learned that the Drupal Community is expansive, diverse, authentic, transparent, creative, ever-growing, and needs you.

Don't know who Megan and Joe are? Then keep reading, because this post is for you.

I'm new to the Drupal Community and I'm not a developer. I work in Marketing Services for the Medical Systems Group of the Olympus Corporation of the Americas. We just joined Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer in the Drupal world when we launched our new US medical site on Drupal.

(If you are utilizing open-source for the first time, engagement in the community of open-source users is probably something new to you. Open-source is different than proprietary. The approach and mind-set is focused on innovation to solve problems as opposed to innovation to drive revenue.)

Prior to joining Olympus, I spent ten years in non-profit management, which is why I am so disappointed in myself for not getting engaged with the Drupal community two years ago when I championed and got approval to select Drupal over proprietary solutions being considered.

After the decision to use Drupal was made, we began the vendor selection process. We sent RFP's to vendors we primarily, but not exclusively, identified through their support of Drupal events, using the logic if they were investing and engaged, then they would be worth considering.

Once we received proposals and created a short list, we began meeting with vendors. In each meeting I asked how their company and employees supported the Drupal Community and what modules, if any did they contribute or maintain?

Having done this, why didn't I get involved? I was focused on getting our site launched and didn’t think I had time to get involved… until last summer, when I saw a post from a person who was excited about presenting at NYC Camp.

Two days later I showed up with a colleague.

Walking in the door, I didn't feel like a part of the community. I wasn't sure where I fit in since I wasn't a developer, designer, or vendor.I wasn't sure what to expect at the NYC Camp.

Here is what I wrote to colleagues after attending the Camp:

"Not once during the day, did I have anything but positive interactions despite the fact that opinions weren't always the same. I never got a sense of feeling inferior for lack of experience or an inability to code. We had really engaging and valuable sessions.

On Monday, the experience came together for me during several discussions both in the sessions and on the side.

Drupal is about community. The community builds, maintains, advocates, cautions, and develops the platform."

At the camp, I noticed the sessions were all being recorded, volunteers were taking pictures, and they weren't using Olympus cameras. For me, this triggered the idea of giving back to the community in a way that made sense for us.

After some internal conversations, I reached out to Joe Saylor, Membership and MarComm Manager for the Drupal Association. We decided a conversation would be good and he invited Megan Sanicki, Associate Director to join us.

I asked them how Olympus could give back.

The easy one was join the Drupal Association. They told me that we could join at the membership fee that is right for our company. After nearly six months, I'm proud to say Olympus is a corporate member! I also joined personally.

Since our consumer group sells cameras and audio recording equipment, I asked Joe and Megan if they would be interested in some new equipment. This would not only be good for our business, but it would demonstrate our support of the community, while extending the reach of Camps and DrupalCons to those unable to attend in person. While the Association doesn't have current resources to utilize the offer, it stands until they do.

Ask yourself, what do you produce or offer that might help the Association?

If you are an enterprise company, you probably have some form of corporate social responsibility program. The Drupal Association is a 501(c)(3) not for profit, so if you have a matching program your donation could be matched by your employer. We have a volunteer program where you can volunteer for an organization and a donation will be made to that organization based on the hours you volunteer.

The Association is working hard to understand the different types of members within the community, so the very act of spending an hour talking to Joe and Megan can help them better understand member's needs, concerns, and challenges.

Additionally, offering to speak about your experience with Drupal at an event to either another member group or to a peer who is attending an event to learn more is of tremendous value to the
Community.

The more vibrant and engaged the Community, the more it will grow. Greater adoption of Drupal means more work for vendors and opportunities for developers, but the Community needs your help.

Supporting the Association is how we can coordinate and manage this growth while sharing success stories, engaging with one another, and driving the positive momentum that has been achieved to date.

So if you aren't a member, join today.

If you're company is not a member, start the conversation to make them one.

If you provide a product or service, ask yourself how it could benefit the Association or the Community.

Then, reach out to Joe and talk to him about your experience.

And finally, don't forget to join your local Drupal Group, attend a local Camp, and get approval to go to DrupalCon!

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About Ross Nunamaker

Following 15 years of marketing, communications, and management experience in the government, education, and non-profit sectors, Ross entered the private sector responsible for web engagement strategy and analytics for the Medical Systems Group at Olympus of the Americas.

Olympus recently launched a new website on the Drupal web CMS platform for the Medical Systems Group in the US and is working to roll out sites for additional countries in the Americas.

www.medical.olympusamerica.com

http://rossnunamaker.drupalgardens.com/

@rossnunamaker