😌Developer Advocates

This is a working draft. Nothing here should be treated as final until formally approved. Formal OSC approval to follow.

Overview

The Developer Advocate Program is an initiative of the Open Source Office (OSO) and the Open Source Committee (OSC), designed to strengthen the bridge between the Cardano open-source ecosystem and its global developer community. Developer Advocates serve as educators, communicators, and community builders, ensuring that Core Cardano (Node) and other ecosystem projects are accessible, well-documented, and approachable for contributors of all levels.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the Developer Advocate Program are:

• Community Engagement – Actively engage with the Cardano developer community through forums, Discord, Stack Exchange, events, and social platforms.

• Education & Enablement – Provide workshops, tutorials, documentation, and mentorship to lower the barrier to entry for contributors.

• Advocacy & Outreach – Represent the ecosystem at local and global events, conferences, and working groups, promoting adoption and visibility.

• Feedback & Reporting – Act as the voice of the community, relaying actionable feedback to maintainers, OSO, and OSC to improve tools, documentation, and processes.

Structure & Support

Developer Advocates are funded through the Paid Open Source Model (POSM) and supported by the OSO*. Each Advocate will:

• Be contracted for 9 months, a part-time equivalent role, with compensation provided in ADA.

• Participate in OSO/OSC bi-weekly meetings and contribute to Dev-Ex and other working group initiatives.

• Report activity and impact to the OSO through structured feedback, progress updates, and impact logs.

*Support will include onboarding, mentoring, access to OSO community platforms, and assistance for participation in key developer events.

Success Metrics

Program impact will be measured by:

• Educational Reach – Number of tutorials, workshops, AMAs, and events hosted or supported.

• Onboarding Outcomes – New contributors successfully onboarded into Core Cardano and ecosystem projects.

• Community Feedback – Quality and volume of actionable feedback relayed to OSO/OSC.

• Ecosystem Growth – Contribution growth in associated repositories, developer-experience tooling, and adoption of Cardano technology.

Benefits to the Ecosystem

• For Projects: Increased visibility, improved onboarding materials, stronger adoption pathways.

• For Contributors: Easier access to resources, clearer entry points, mentorship, and recognition for contributions.

• For the Ecosystem: A global, diverse, and connected developer community that accelerates open-source collaboration and innovation.

Program Funding & Sustainability

Developer Advocates are funded via Intersect’s treasury allocation to POSM, with sustainability achieved through:

• Milestone-based funding tied to measurable community impact.

• Transparent reporting to the OSC and community.

• Regular program evaluations and budget alignment with ecosystem priorities.

Scope & Expectations

Developer Advocates are community-facing representatives who drive engagement, education, and feedback within the Cardano ecosystem. Each Advocate is expected to:

• Community Engagement: Host or participate in workshops, tutorials, webinars, and “office hours,” while maintaining active presence across developer channels (forums, Discord, Stack Exchange, events, etc.).

• Education & Onboarding: Provide clear onboarding pathways for new developers through documentation, mentorship, and practical resources.

• Advocacy & Outreach: Represent the ecosystem at local and global events, build partnerships with universities and external Web3 projects, and expand Cardano’s developer base.

• Feedback & Reporting: Collect and relay actionable community feedback to OSO, OSC, and maintainers to improve developer tools, documentation, and processes.

• Professional Standards:

  • Demonstrate verifiable prior contributions to Core Cardano or related projects (validated via GitHub or Bitergia dashboards).

  • Participate in bi-weekly OSO/OSC meetings and periodic 1:1 developer check-ins.

  • Contribute original content such as documentation, tutorials, or developer events.

  • Operate under milestone-based funding, with quarterly evaluations tied to impact, transparency, and ROI.

  • Abide by Intersect’s Open Source Governance Policy and Community Code of Conduct, including transparency in potential conflicts of interest.