feat(edits): edits to the sustainability post

Author: lwasser

_posts/2024-09-17-pyopensci-sustainability-plan-2024.md

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 ---
 layout: single
 title: "A Blueprint for the Future: pyOpenSci's Sustainability Model"
-excerpt: "excerpt here."
+excerpt: "pyOpenSci is exploring models to become more sustainable which means bringing in funding beyond just grants. Learn more about what we are exploring here."
 author: "Leah Wasser"
 permalink: /blog/pyopensci-funding-sustainability.html
 header:
-  overlay_image: images/headers/pyos-two-years.png
+  overlay_image: images/headers/pyopensci-sustainability.png
   overlay_filter: rgba(20, 13, 36, 0.3)
 categories:
   - blog-post
@@ -19,21 +19,22 @@ last_modified: 2024-09-17
 
 ## Introduction
 
-Funding is critical to the success of any nonprofit organization. In this blog post, I'll outline pyOpenSci's plan to become sustainable. As I discuss it here, sustainability means that we have a diverse funding "portfolio" that includes grants and internally generated funding sources that support organization maintenance and growth.
+Funding is critical to the success of any nonprofit organization. In this blog post, I’ll outline pyOpenSci’s plan to become sustainable. For us, sustainability means having a diverse funding “portfolio” that includes both grants and internally generated revenue sources to support our growth and core activities.
 
 ## How funding has propelled pyOpenSci forward
 
-pyOpenSci's real growth and impact began when we received impactful funding from the [Sloan Foundation](https://sloan.org/). I founded pyOpenSci in 2018, but I could only work
-on it sporadically due to my full-time job. Sloan funding, combined with moving pyOpenSci to a fiscal sponsor, allowed me to commit to full-time work on pyOpenSci in September 2022.[This is when real growth and community impact](what-pyopensci-accomplished-with-two-years-of-funding.html) began!
+pyOpenSci's real growth and impact began when I received funding from the [Sloan Foundation](https://sloan.org/) which enabled me to dedicate full-time effort to the organization in September 2022. Prior to this, pyOpenSci was mostly a side project for me that I cared deeply about. This full-time commitment, paired with support from a fiscal sponsor, [had profound impact on pyOpenSci's growth and success](what-pyopensci-accomplished-with-two-years-of-funding.html).
+
 
 <figure>
-    <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/pyopensci-general/pyopensci-timeline2019-2024.png"><img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/pyopensci-general/pyopensci-timeline2019-2024.png" alt="alt here."></a>
-    <figcaption>timeline.
+    <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/pyopensci-general/pyopensci-timeline2019-2024.png"><img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/pyopensci-general/pyopensci-timeline2019-2024.png" alt="An image titled pyOpenSci timeline. showing key milestones from 2018 to 2024. The timeline is marked with flower icons and a small rocket to represent significant events. Key points include: 2018: Community Meetings Begin, 2019: Software Peer Review Launch,2021-2022: Sloan Funding, Fall 2022: Packaging Guide Rewrite Begins,January 2023: Peer Review Relaunched,Fall 2023: CZI funds pyOpenSci,Spring 2024: pyOpenSci launches training and tutorials. The timeline progresses diagonally from the bottom left to the top right, with a rocket heading toward a bright light in the top right corner."></a>
+    <figcaption>I founded pyOpenSci in 2018. It was mostly a side effort at the time driven forward by small community meetings and a pilot of a scientific Python peer review process.
 </figcaption>
 </figure>
 
+For example, our scientific Python [software peer review program](https://www.pyopensci.org/software-peer-review/) significantly expanded after we reopened it in early 2023, following improvements to our governance and documentation. Today, we average 10-14 packages in our review queue at any given time and have 18 volunteer editors and dozens of reviewers who are driving peer review forward.
 
-During this time, I overhauled the peer review program and I worked with our (then small) editorial team to flesh out the [software peer review guide](https://www.pyopensci.org/software-peer-review/) to better support the community owning and running the process. The impact full-time work on governance and documentation is evident in the plot below. You can see how our peer review program immediately grew after we re-opened it with shiny new documentation under the inspirational reigns of David Nicholson as editor-in-chief in January 2023.
+You can see this profound impact in the plot below.
 
 
 <figure>
@@ -49,22 +50,22 @@ During this time, I overhauled the peer review program and I worked with our (th
 
 Today, the results of this momentum are clear. pyOpenSci has over **250 contributors** and runs a vibrant global Python software peer review process led by [**18 volunteer editors**](https://www.pyopensci.org/about-peer-review/index.html#meet-our-editorial-board), 74 reviewers, and 78 open source maintainers who live around the world.
 
-### Beginner friendly open source sprints
+### Funding supports beginner-friendly open source sprints
 
-Over 51 people have participated in our beginner-friendly sprints in the past two years, submitting 39 issues and 88 pull requests to pyOpenSci. Many of these pull requests and issues are first-time contributions from folks who were both excited about and nervous about contributing to an open source repository.
+Funding has also allowed us to run events. In the past year, over 51 people have participated in our beginner-friendly sprints, submitting 39 issues and 88 pull requests to pyOpenSci. Many of these pull requests and issues are first-time contributions from folks who were both excited about and nervous about contributing to an open source repository.
 
 Contribution to pyOpenSci overall has also sky-rocketed in the past 2 years.
 
 <figure>
-    <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/open-source/pyopensci-contributions-by-quarter.png"><img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/open-source/pyopensci-contributions-by-quarter.png" alt="XXX"></a>
-    <figcaption>XXX.
+    <a href="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/open-source/pyopensci-contributions-by-quarter.png"><img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/open-source/pyopensci-contributions-by-quarter.png" alt="Bar chart titled 'Staff vs. Volunteer Contributor by Quarter.' The chart shows counts of contributions made by staff and volunteers from 2018 Q4 through 2024 Q3. Contributions are stacked, with purple representing staff and green representing volunteers. The chart reveals a significant growth in contributions over time, particularly from 2022 onward, with a notable increase in both staff and volunteer contributions in 2023 and 2024. The pyOpenSci logo is in the bottom-right corner."></a>
+    <figcaption>A bar plot showing staff vs volunteer contributions on GitHub over time. Funding has allowed us to support more volunteer activity over the past 2 years.
 </figcaption>
 </figure>
 
 
 ### Our Python packaging guide is making a splash
 
-We've also developed a community-vetted scientific Python packaging guide, including beginning-to-end Python packaging tutorials using Hatch. This guidebook was developed through a truly collaborative effort, where we built consensus around critical packaging decisions that come with numerous opinions around what is "best." In just under a year, our packaging guide's use has doubled, with over 18,000 unique page views in 2024.
+One of our most impactful activities has been the development of our community-vetted Python packaging guide which includes beginning-to-end Python packaging tutorials using Hatch. This guidebook was developed through a truly collaborative effort, where we built consensus around critical packaging decisions that come with numerous opinions around what is "best." In just under a year, our packaging guide's use has doubled, with over 18,000 unique page views in 2024.
 
 {% include pyos-blockquote.html quote="@leahawasser @pyOpenSci clicking through and eventually found myself looking at 'what is a Python package' and involuntarily performed a standing ovation. bookmarked it as an example of great docs for an incredibly complex subject with many meanings in many different contexts" author="Mastodon Toot" class="highlight" %}
 
@@ -77,8 +78,6 @@ Our work has not only made packaging more accessible to more people but also fos
 Diversifying our funding sources is essential to pyOpenSci's success. We've been fortunate enough to receive two grants.
 This runway has given us ~three years to grow and demonstrate impact. As of September 2024, we are ~two years into that runway. We now need funding to become sustainable.
 
-<!-- <Add pie chart of where the money is going %staff, % software/hardware and software, ??travel > our overhead which covers insurance, hr and is about 45% - 10-15% is a direct cost that goes to our fiscal sponsor, another 30% covers staff benefits, insurance, etc.   -->
-
 Grant-based funding is tricky as it rarely supports project operations or "maintenance." Our long-term plan is to combine grant funding with paid training and events to support pyOpenSci's operations.
 
 In the short term, we need funding to develop this paid training model and continue developing the governance that allows our free programs, such as software peer review and maintenance of open education lessons, to continue.
@@ -87,7 +86,7 @@ More on that below.
 
 ## Building sustainability: pyOpenSci's training program
 
-pyOpenSci is building a paid training event program that supports sustainability. This training will be delivered predominately online, but we also will continue to hold in-person events such as the [packaging workshop that we taught at SciPy 2024](http://localhost:4000/blog/pyos-scipy-2024-recap.html#pyopenscis-first-scipy-tutorial-was-a-huge-success-create-your-first-python-package).
+pyOpenSci is building a paid training event program that supports sustainability. This training will be delivered predominately online, but we also will continue to hold in-person events such as the [packaging workshop that we taught at SciPy 2024](/blog/pyos-scipy-2024-recap.html#pyopenscis-first-scipy-tutorial-was-a-huge-success-create-your-first-python-package).
 
 While we will charge for our training, we will be creative to ensure that our events are as inclusive as our community.
 
@@ -99,7 +98,6 @@ We will also continue to offer free, community-vetted open education resources.
 
 Our [Python packaging guide](https://www.pyopensci.org/python-package-guide/), with almost 80 contributors as I write this, is one successful example of community-vetted open education resources that we have created. It now has thousands of users, hitting nearly 20,000 unique page views so far this year (2024).
 
-
 ## With growth comes a need for governance.
 
 While this growth brings in new contributors and community members, we must create space by creating processes, governance, and documentation around our programs. Doing this well requires require time and resources.
@@ -112,7 +110,7 @@ Reflecting on these accomplishments, I am committed to ensuring that pyOpenSci's
 
 ### How pyOpenSci allocated funds to support efficient growth
 
-I like to think of pyOpenSc as a scrappy, efficient organization. Scrappy means we are deeply committed to managing our resources as efficiently as possible. We have a core staff of 2 that optimizes our time and online infrastructure to reduce costs and maximize impact.
+I like to think of pyOpenSc as a scrappy, efficient organization. Scrappy means we are deeply committed to managing our resources as efficiently as possible. We have a small core paid team that optimizes our time and online infrastructure to reduce costs and maximize impact.
 
 We minimize overhead costs by:
 
@@ -122,7 +120,7 @@ We minimize overhead costs by:
 
 Looking to the future, we will only grow our core team as it aligns with our core budget. This strategic approach enables pyOpenSci to maintain the quality and reach of pyOpenSci programs while building a sustainable future.
 
-## What's next for pyOpenSci
+### Other non profits have done this well
 
 I am inspired by other organizations that have found their sustainability balance. Organizations such as NumFocus and the Python Software Foundation use events such as:
 
@@ -132,6 +130,8 @@ I am inspired by other organizations that have found their sustainability balanc
 
 as core elements of their sustainability models. Community-driven events allow these organizations to build community while funding their core mission, vision, and values.
 
+I am also looking to the membership model that the Carpentries has successfully employed to build core sustainability for their team.
+
 pyOpenSci will experiment to find the balance between freedom, openness, and sustainability in our training program. I'm confident that we will succeed.
 
 ## What's next for pyOpenSci - The Road Ahead