"We should do an article about our Capital Team," Luca Marzo said during the kick-off meeting for this issue. "Should be pretty easy to write as it will be very short," one of the authors present responded. He was right, and that was exactly the point: at the moment we don't have a Capital Team, but we need one. And if money is totally your thing, we need you to be in it.

Let's start with a bit of history. Joomla has had a Capital Team (or committee, names change sometimes) for years, with active members who engaged with (potential) sponsors to guarantee a continuous stream of income for the Joomla Project. Great times! 

And then the Joomla project adopted a new structure and somehow the Capital Team shrunk, shrunk even more, and is now on the verge of being completely abandoned. Did the pandemic help? You guessed it: not really. Our travel expenses may have been significantly lower, but no traveling also means: no catching up with past, current and possible future sponsors.

Opportunity knocks!

As you've probably read here already, Joomla is doing pretty well at the moment. Imagine what we could achieve if we would be able to reinstate our income stream! We could move away from our "minding the shop" budgeting, regain financial stability, run marketing campaigns, initiate interesting programs and provide teams with all the resources they need. To name just a few things.

Would a new Capital Team have to reinvent the wheel?

Nope. We have a great set of predefined sponsorship packages and standardized agreements ready. Of course that doesn't mean you're not allowed to propose changes in the packages or sponsorship opportunities. But for now, you just need to blow the dust off, read thoroughly, ask the sponsor to sign on the dotted line and we're good to go. Previous Capital Team members have done an excellent job with that and are probably more than willing to get you on your way or even work together with you. 

Would I fit in this new Capital Team?

It depends. What we could really use now is a Team Leader, and people who have experience with making sponsor deals. So if you were, let's say, a sponsor contact for the JoomlaDay(s) in your country, you would be perfect for this team. 

If you don't have experience but do have good communication skills, you might be just as perfect.

If you have a bit of both, combined with leadership skills and insights, you might be the perfect Team Leader to put this forward and get it back on track.

What are you waiting for?

Where do I sign up?

Reach out to Harald Leithner, the Operations Department Coordinator. Find him on the Volunteers Portal or in Mattermost.