Appendix: Community Outreach Templates

Recommended templates for engaging with open source communities. These templates are designed to be respectful of community norms, transparent about government involvement, and focused on genuine collaboration rather than demands.

Warning All outreach must be coordinated through the programme's Open Source Engagement team. Uncoordinated contact from multiple government agencies can overwhelm maintainers and damage relationships.

Engagement Principles

Do

  • Be transparent about who you are
  • Offer concrete contributions (funding, engineering time, testing)
  • Respect existing governance structures
  • Start by listening and learning
  • Acknowledge the work maintainers already do
  • Accept "no" gracefully
  • Follow the project's contribution guidelines
  • Engage through official channels

Don't

  • Make demands or set ultimatums
  • Imply government authority over the project
  • Promise things you cannot deliver
  • Bypass maintainers by going to employers
  • Flood channels with multiple messages
  • Expect immediate responses
  • Use jargon or bureaucratic language
  • Ask for special treatment or priority

Template 1: Initial Introduction to Mailing List

Use this template for first contact with a project's mailing list or forum. The goal is to introduce yourself, express interest, and ask how to get involved appropriately.

Subject: Government interest in [PROJECT] - seeking guidance on engagement

Hello [PROJECT] community, I'm [Name], working with [Agency/Department] in [Country]. I'm reaching out to introduce myself and seek guidance on how our team might contribute to [PROJECT]. Context: Several governments (UK, EU member states, Canada, Australia) are evaluating open source infrastructure for government cloud services. [PROJECT] is being considered as a key component for [specific use case, e.g., "object storage", "container orchestration"]. Why we're interested: - [PROJECT] aligns with our requirements for [specific technical requirement] - The open governance model allows us to contribute rather than just consume - We want to support sustainable open source infrastructure What we'd like to understand: 1. What's the best way for government teams to get involved? 2. Are there specific areas where contributions would be most valuable? 3. Are there existing government users we could learn from? 4. What's the preferred way to discuss potential feature requests? We're not here to make demands or expect special treatment. We want to be good community members and contribute back. Any guidance on how to do that well would be appreciated. I've read the contribution guidelines at [link] and will follow the project's processes. Thank you for the work you do maintaining [PROJECT]. Best regards, [Name] [Title, Agency] [Email]

Notes

  • Keep it concise - maintainers are busy
  • Be specific about why you're interested in their project specifically
  • Ask questions rather than making statements
  • Show you've done homework (read contribution guidelines)

Template 2: Offering Engineering Contribution

Use this template when you have specific engineering resources to offer. Be concrete about what you can provide and ask how it would be most useful.

Subject: Offering engineering contribution to [PROJECT] - [specific area]

Hello, Following up on [previous introduction / or: I'm new here, brief intro]. Our team has engineering capacity we'd like to contribute to [PROJECT]. Before we start, I wanted to check what would be most useful. What we can offer: - [X] engineers with experience in [relevant skills] - Availability: [timeframe, e.g., "~20 hours/week for 6 months"] - We can work on: [bugs, documentation, testing, specific features] Areas we're interested in: Based on our use case ([brief description]), we're particularly interested in: - [Area 1, e.g., "improving HA failover"] - [Area 2, e.g., "documentation for enterprise deployment"] - [Area 3, e.g., "test coverage for X module"] Questions: 1. Do any of these areas align with project priorities? 2. Are there other areas where help is more urgently needed? 3. What's the onboarding process for new contributors? 4. Who should we coordinate with? We understand that contributions need to meet project standards and go through normal review processes. We're not asking for shortcuts. Happy to discuss further or jump on a call if that's easier. Thanks, [Name]

Notes

  • Be specific about capacity - vague offers are hard to act on
  • Show flexibility - ask what's needed, don't insist on your priorities
  • Make clear you'll follow normal processes
  • Offer a call but don't require it

Template 3: Discussing Potential Funding

Use this template when exploring funding options. Be transparent about constraints and genuinely open to the project's preferred mechanisms.

Subject: Exploring funding support for [PROJECT]

Hello, I'm [Name] from [Agency]. We're exploring how we might provide financial support for [PROJECT] development. Background: [PROJECT] is becoming critical infrastructure for government services in [country/region]. We believe it's important to support the sustainability of projects we depend on, rather than just consuming free work. What we're considering: - Direct funding for specific development work - Sponsoring maintainer time - Funding security audits or testing infrastructure - Supporting documentation or accessibility improvements Our constraints: - Government procurement rules mean we need [invoices / specific entity to contract with / etc.] - We need to show how funds are used for audit purposes - Timeline: [when budget is available] Questions: 1. Does [PROJECT] have a foundation, fiscal sponsor, or preferred funding mechanism? 2. Are there specific development priorities that would benefit from funding? 3. Who should we talk to about this? 4. Are there existing government funders whose approach we could learn from? We want to do this in a way that works for the project, not impose our bureaucratic requirements. Open to suggestions on structure. Thanks for considering this. [Name] [Agency]

Notes

  • Be upfront about government constraints - projects appreciate honesty
  • Ask about their preferred mechanisms first
  • Don't attach strings to funding that change project governance
  • Consider working through existing foundations (Linux Foundation, Apache, etc.)

Template 4: Feature Request / Enhancement Discussion

Use this template when you have a feature need. Frame it as a discussion, not a demand, and offer to contribute to the solution.

Subject: Discussion: [Feature description] for [use case]

Hello, I'd like to discuss a potential enhancement for [PROJECT]. Before filing an issue, I wanted to check if this has been considered and get community input. Use case: We're deploying [PROJECT] for [specific government use case]. We've encountered a need for [capability]. Current situation: - What we're trying to do: [description] - Current workaround: [how we're handling it now, or "none"] - Why the workaround is insufficient: [explanation] Proposed enhancement: [Description of what you're imagining - but keep it high-level] Questions for the community: 1. Has this been discussed before? (I searched but may have missed it) 2. Does this conflict with project design principles? 3. Would this be useful to others, or is it too specific to our use case? 4. If it makes sense, where would this fit in the codebase? Our contribution: If this is something the project would accept, we can: - [Write the code / fund development / provide testing / etc.] - Work with a maintainer to ensure it meets project standards - Maintain it going forward if needed Happy to discuss or provide more detail. Thanks, [Name]

Notes

  • Frame as discussion, not demand
  • Show you've searched for existing discussions
  • Offer to contribute, not just request
  • Accept that the answer might be "no" or "not now"

Template 5: Reporting Security Concerns

Use this template when you've identified a potential security issue. Follow the project's security disclosure policy - never post vulnerabilities publicly.

Subject: Security concern - following responsible disclosure

Hello [PROJECT] Security Team, I'm [Name] from [Agency]'s security team. We've identified a potential security concern in [PROJECT] that I'd like to report following your responsible disclosure policy at [link to SECURITY.md]. Summary: [Brief, non-exploitable description] Details: I can provide full technical details through your preferred secure channel. Please let me know: - Preferred communication method (encrypted email, security portal, etc.) - PGP key if applicable - Expected response timeline Our commitment: - We will not disclose this publicly until you've had time to address it - We're happy to coordinate on disclosure timeline - We can provide testing assistance if useful Please confirm receipt of this message. Thanks, [Name] [Secure contact details]

Notes

  • Never post security issues publicly
  • Always check for SECURITY.md or security policy first
  • Use encrypted channels when available
  • Be patient - security issues take time to fix properly
  • Coordinate disclosure timeline with maintainers

Template 6: Multi-Government Initiative Announcement

Use this template when announcing the broader sovereign cloud initiative to a project community. This is for later-stage engagement after initial relationships are established.

Subject: Multi-government sovereign cloud initiative - [PROJECT] involvement

Hello [PROJECT] community, I'm writing to share news about a collaborative government initiative that involves [PROJECT], and to discuss how we can work together effectively. What's happening: Governments in the UK, EU, Canada, and Australia are collaborating on sovereign cloud infrastructure built on open source software. [PROJECT] has been selected as a key component for [specific role]. What this means for [PROJECT]: - Significant increase in government deployments - Potential for funded development of features needed for government use - Dedicated engineering contributions from government teams - Long-term commitment to the project's sustainability What this does NOT mean: - We are not forking the project - We are not asking for special governance rights - We are not expecting the project to change direction for us - Government use cases will go through normal contribution processes How we want to engage: 1. Contribute engineers to work on project priorities (not just our needs) 2. Fund development through the project's preferred mechanisms 3. Provide testing at scale across diverse government environments 4. Support documentation and security audits 5. Participate in governance as regular community members Next steps: We'd like to: - Introduce our technical team to maintainers - Understand current project priorities and how we can help - Discuss any concerns the community has about government involvement - Establish ongoing communication channels We're committed to being good open source citizens. We benefit from your work and want to contribute back, not just consume. Happy to answer questions or discuss further. [Name] [Title] Sovereign Cloud Initiative - Open Source Engagement [Contact]

Notes

  • Only send this after initial relationship building
  • Be explicit about what you're NOT asking for
  • Expect questions and skepticism - that's healthy
  • Follow up on commitments made in this message

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake Why it's problematic Better approach
"We need this feature by [date]" Maintainers don't work for you "We'd like to contribute this feature. What's the process?"
"This is critical national infrastructure" Sounds like pressure/threat "We're using this for important services and want to support it"
Contacting maintainers' employers Goes around community governance Engage through official project channels
"We represent X million users" Sounds like demanding priority "We're deploying widely and want to contribute back"
Expecting immediate responses Maintainers are often volunteers Wait at least a week before following up politely
Bureaucratic language Creates distance, hard to understand Write like a human being
Multiple agencies contacting separately Overwhelms maintainers Coordinate through single point of contact
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