Mentorship and outreach programs are often considered as side projects. Although they are a nice way to spend time and have some fun, one may say they rarely add new long-term contributors to your company project or a community. Is it true? Is it even the main goal? Or is it about team bonding and growing new maintainers and community leaders?

Let’s talk about organizing mentorship programs so that they help to grow your current community and contributors. How to involve a contributor into wider community efforts? How to help them grow and take on new roles? Let’s talk about various program types: from wide outreach programs like GSoC or Hacktoberfest, newcomer assistance, focused maintainer mentoring programs, and to individual leadership training like shadow officers.