Read Before You Contribute

Let’s Be Honest

Civic Tech DC runs entirely on volunteer energy, and it is important to be upfront about what that means before you dive in.

We will never pretend this isn’t real work. Helping run an event, maintaining a GitHub repo, and leading a project through our incubator are things organizations pay people to do. You’d be doing them because you care about civic impact and community.

As such, Civic Tech DC is structured so that most contributions are small and flexible. This can be a few hours a week, picking up tasks when you have capacity, stepping back when you don’t. We try hard not to rely on any one person, and we mean it when we say hats come off easily. Some roles ask for more, like the stewards and project leads who carry ongoing responsibility and benefit most from consistent, longer-term engagement. We’ll always be clear about what a role actually involves before you take it on.

What you get back

We can’t pay you, but we can be honest about what participating in CTDC does offer:

• Real portfolio work The projects here are open source, publicly documented, and built for actual community partners. That’s work you can show off and talk about in an interview.

• A DC civic network CTDC sits at an unusual intersection of tech, government, and nonprofit DC. Network and meet new folks!

• Skill building in context Whether you’re a developer wanting real-world project experience, a designer wanting community feedback, or a project manager wanting to practice facilitation, this is a low-stakes place to try things.

Your Sustainability

If you’re burning out, say so. If life gets busy and you need to step back, just let someone know so we can cover the work. There is no judgment here, only gratitude for whatever you gave.

If this sounds like a good fit, the best next step is just showing up. Come to a Project Night, introduce yourself in Slack, or pick up a small task and see how it feels.