Community Goals, Objectives, Strategy, and Measures Goals for 2026

AsyncAPI Community Building Goals and Objectives for 2026

It's time to discuss the goals for building and maintaining the AsyncAPI community in 2026. Our focus for 2026 will be intentional; we will prioritize one core goal — increasing the number of maintainers. Alongside this, we will reassess our community's structure and programs to ensure alignment, sustainability, and impact. The Community Manager will play an important role in ensuring that our goals are addressed and that each program or initiative has a dedicated person responsible.

To also ensure structure in our community goals, we will be using the Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Measures (GOSM) framework to track our progress throughout the year.

Goal

Increase the number of active maintainers and support current maintainers in their efforts.

Objectives

O1: Increase the number of maintainers from 70 to [number we come up with here] by the end of 2026.
O2: Archive all the inactive repositories by Q2 2026.
O3: Improve the effectiveness of working groups by establishing two new active groups by the end of Q3 2026.
O4: Improve and document the AsyncAPI budget process.

Strategies

S1: Repository Audit & Consolidation (Targets O1, O2): Conduct a clear audit of all 49 repositories to identify active maintainers, consolidate inactive repos, and identify critical ones. Move inactive maintainers to an Emeritus role.
S2: Improve the Maintainer Process (Targets O1): Update the maintainer and TSC process, requirements and onboarding. Mandate that each critical repository has at least 2-3 active maintainers to prevent bus factor and burnout. Educate maintainers on the Maintainership Initiative.
S3: Working Group Cleanup (Targets O3): Clean up inactive working groups and channels. Improve guidelines for new groups, including a requirement for multiple active chairs, completion of the Linux Foundation training course, and quarterly reports on the AsyncAPI blog.
S4: Enhance the Maintainership Program (Targets O1): The AsyncAPI Maintainership Program is our core brand and umbrella for all our mentorship programs. The only change is the funding approach through programs such as GSoC and LFX Mentorship. To further improve how the contributions of the Maintainership Program toward the community goal, we need to establish a dedicated Maintainership Working Group to improve all aspects of the program.
S5: The AsyncAPI Bounty Program (Targets O1): Change the Bounty Program to operate on a monthly basis with a more effective financial schedule.
S6: Organize the AsyncAPI Conference 2026 (Targets O1): Improve venue selection, establish a meet-ups section, and continue working on the API Standards Booth. Additionally, refine the conference prospectus for sponsors by reviewing what we offer, and start collecting our own attendee registrations for our contacts. We should also offer access to this information to conference sponsors.
S7: Manage the Ambassador Program (Targets O1): Continue monthly Ambassador meetings and identify additional Ambassadors to support the program.
S8: Launch the Fellowship Program (Targets O1): Lay the groundwork for the new program by creating documentation on its purpose and eligibility. Research and discuss criteria for selecting projects and create a communication plan. But to start work, it'll heavily rely on the execution of S1.
S9: Enhance Sponsor Relationships and Outreach (Targets O1): Develop a clear value proposition for sponsors that goes beyond altruism. This includes identifying companies that depend on AsyncAPI, building and nurturing relationships with them at events and through ongoing communication, and defining clear sponsorship tiers that offer tangible benefits.
S10: Establish a Budget Schedule (Targets O4): Switch to a more stable budget schedule, setting aside TSC-approved budget voting at least forty-five days before the start of the budgetary period, ideally by November 15 for the annual budget, and May 15 for semi-annual approval. Details would be outlined in the BUDGET_PROCESS.md doc.

Measures:

M1: Number of active maintainers.
M2: Number of inactive repositories.
M3: Number of active working groups.
M4: Number of quarterly reports published on the blog.
M5: Number of participants in GSoC and LFX Mentorship.
M6: Budget utilization for the Bounty Program.
M7: Conference attendance and sponsor revenue.
M8: Number of active Ambassadors.
M9: Number of sponsors
M10: Total amount of annual sponsorship revenue.

Summary

2026 is a year of focus, consolidation, and strengthening the foundation. We’re dedicated to ensuring AsyncAPI continues to scale sustainably while empowering the people behind it. These efforts will coordinate under the Community Working Group umbrella, with execution led by Community Builders Ace (Maintainership Program), Ash (Bounty Program), Łukasz (Fellowship Program), Hugo (Sponsorships and Outreach), Fran (Repository Audit and Maintenance Processes), Governance Board (AsyncAPI Budget), and Thulie (AsyncAPI Conference and Ambassador Program), and supported by the wider AsyncAPI community.

Additionally, this is an open call for new Community Builders to lead some initiatives and strategies listed above for those who want to take ownership, drive impact, and help shape the next chapter of the AsyncAPI community.