Maintainer, mentor, manager: why I fund contributors before programs do
A reflective note for contributors and mentees on three hats in open source -- maintainer, mentor, and manager -- learned in that order, with sponsorship as an optional bridge when someone is ready and the program is not. It sketches a soft maturity ladder from Foundations through Hire-ready, and when personal funding keeps a track record growing between cycles. It includes a sponsorship path after a GSoC rejection so the work does not pause for a calendar, and another where a consistent public track record leads through sponsorship to an internship and a permanent role. Organization stipends can become GitHub Sponsors support when orgs pass them through. The numbers are a funnel: hundreds of contributors, dozens of mentees and sponsored people, and a rare hire.
