Back Together Again - Lessons from Reviving a Community Post-COVID

Learn practical strategies for reviving and rebuilding open source communities through this conference talk that examines the real-world revival of the Drupal India community after the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover how to transform dormant meetups and scattered connections into a thriving, sustainable community structure through intentional, small-scale actions that build meaningful momentum. Explore the challenges that emerged during the pandemic shutdown, including what was already fragile in community structures before COVID hit, and understand how to restart local meetups while creating engaging rituals that people genuinely anticipate. Gain insights into implementing lightweight organizational structures such as cross-city collaborations, shared documentation systems, and open community calls that foster connection without overwhelming volunteers. Examine specific experiments designed to re-energize existing community members while attracting new contributors, and understand why in-person Drupal events remain valuable and how to make them relevant again in a post-pandemic world. Master essential lessons in pacing community growth, building inclusive culture, and establishing co-ownership models that prevent organizer burnout while enabling sustainable expansion across multiple cities and contributor roles.