From b811e389c9a97b986e79bd7311d90c26edc7bc3d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Akashdeep Dhar <akashdeep.dhar@gmail.com>
Date: Feb 19 2026 05:20:22 +0000
Subject: docs(council): Add contribution model guidance document and sidebar entry


Signed-off-by: Akashdeep Dhar <akashdeep.dhar@gmail.com>

---

diff --git a/council/modules/ROOT/nav.adoc b/council/modules/ROOT/nav.adoc
index e847e77..5a08135 100644
--- a/council/modules/ROOT/nav.adoc
+++ b/council/modules/ROOT/nav.adoc
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ include::ROOT:partial$attributes.adoc[]
 * Council Policies
 ** xref:policy/ai-contribution-policy.adoc[AI-Assisted Contributions Policy]
 ** xref:policy/community-publishing-platforms.adoc[Community Publishing Platforms]
+** xref:policy/contribution-model.adoc[Contribution Model]
 ** xref:policy/guiding-policy.adoc[Guiding Policy]
 ** xref:policy/policy-change-policy.adoc[Policy Change Policy]
 ** xref:policy/edition-promotion-policy.adoc[Edition Promotion Policy]
diff --git a/council/modules/ROOT/pages/policy/contribution-model.adoc b/council/modules/ROOT/pages/policy/contribution-model.adoc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..365e160
--- /dev/null
+++ b/council/modules/ROOT/pages/policy/contribution-model.adoc
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+include::ROOT:partial$attributes.adoc[]
+
+= Contribution Model
+Akashdeep Dhar; Fedora Council; Fedora community
+v1.0, 2026-02-19
+:description: An elucidation of the Fedora Project's volunteer-driven contribution model, outlining the core principles and practical advice for effective engagement in the community.
+
+The Fedora Project is a community of people: contributors, end users, and
+everyone in between. There is a strong culture of volunteer-driven work as
+well as a diverse mix of people who are paid to work upstream in Fedora. The
+collective of interactions, workflows, approaches, and processes in the
+community serves its volunteer-oriented open source ecosystem. Having an
+understanding of this foundational model can help anyone looking to seek
+assistance, request features, report issues, or generally interact with the
+contributors of the Fedora Project.
+
+== Community Responsibility
+
+The Fedora Project is a vibrant community of people from varied cultural
+backgrounds and different walks of life, working together to achieve a shared
+goal — to promote and support the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
+ecosystem and its philosophy by building the Fedora Linux distribution and its
+variants. This is best represented through the Four Foundations of the Fedora
+Project: *Freedom*, *Friends*, *Features,* and *First*. While Red Hat primarily
+sponsors the project and includes paid contributors from Red Hat and other
+companies/organisations (both for and non-profit) that have an interest in
+Fedora Project, a significant portion of the work is driven primarily by
+volunteers or individuals on their own merits – working on their contribution
+area of choice as and when they can do so.
+
+This includes software packaging, quality assurance, infrastructure
+maintenance, design creation, documentation writing, community moderation,
+etc. This distinction is not a minor detail – it is the foundational reality
+of how we work on a day-to-day basis. We operate on a model of “Best Effort,”
+meaning that contributions are made by the community members when they have
+the time, capacity, and interest to do so. Unlike a standard commercial service
+model, where a transaction guarantees a specific output or timeline, community
+members engage with their area of contribution not because they have to or
+need to, but because they want to – and this is encouraged by Fedora Project
+leadership.
+
+== Volunteer Reality
+
+Our model of contribution differs significantly from that of the industry,
+where a “client-provider” relationship ensures specific deliverables and
+certain accountability in return for a transaction.
+
+We operate on a *“peer-to-peer contribution model”* in the Fedora Project.
+
+* *We are volunteers.* A significant part of contributors’ work on their areas
+  of Fedora Project in their free time, after their day jobs and personal
+  responsibilities have been met.
+
+* *We work on what we use, enjoy, and believe in.* Packagers maintain software
+  they are involved in, and hence have a vested interest in churning out
+  quality outcomes.
+
+* *Our capacity is fluid.* A contributor’s availability can increase or
+  decrease due to life events, employment changes, or even, in worst case
+  scenarios, work burnouts.
+
+* *Our work is self-assigned.* Progress often happens when a contributor
+  voluntarily steps up to do it, as there is no central authority that assigns
+  tasks to volunteers.
+
+* *Assume volunteership while engaging.* While many contributors to the Fedora
+  Project are sponsored, offer them agency over actions and empathy over
+  progress while engaging.
+
+== Managing Expectations
+
+Because of the blend of volunteering community and corporate-driven
+contributions, interactions in Fedora Project may differ significantly from
+what you experience within a commercial organization.
+
+Understanding these differences can help reduce potential frictions from
+certain disagreements and make your time contributing to the Fedora Project
+more productive and rewarding.
+
+=== Requesting updates
+
+A common source of friction arises when users request a task, e.g., a new
+package or a refreshed update, as soon as possible. There is no “department”
+dedicated to fulfilling these requests. If a package does not exist, it is
+likely because no volunteer has stepped up to maintain it yet. If a package is
+outdated, the maintainer may be occupied or no longer using that software. In
+such cases, requests are welcome as “suggestions” and not “assignments”, and
+hence, they may remain unfulfilled if no community members have the time or
+interest to take ownership of them.
+
+=== Support/accountability
+
+When things break sometimes, or requests go unmet, it can feel like there is a
+lack of support in a certain community area. However, in our contribution
+model, accountability is paramount to the health of the said community area
+and not to a customer contract. We are accountable for following and meeting
+Fedora Project’s technical and community guidelines. But on the other hand, we
+are not accountable for following and meeting individual deadlines or specific
+feature requests, though we always strive to help achieve them wherever and
+whenever possible.
+
+== Progressing Forward
+
+The most effective means to see a change in the Fedora Project is to
+participate in the process. This not only allows for the change to actually
+take place, but also in a sustainable manner.
+
+Here are some ways in which one can effectively work with the community.
+
+* *Step up to the cause.* If something needs to be done (with respect to
+  package updates, documentation mistakes, website changes, etc.), try doing
+  it. Open a pull request, provide feedback on a change proposal, or add your
+  voice to the feedback loop.
+
+* *Collaborate instead of demanding.* Present your requests as notifications
+  for visibility rather than demands for work. The most effective manner to
+  ensure a positive outcome delivered swiftly and polished is to actively
+  offer your assistance in the process.
+
+* *Be kind and considerate.* Remember that the person on the other end is most
+  likely a volunteer using their spare time to help you, so being patient
+  helps. Always remember to be empathetic to their position and be
+  appreciative of what progress they make for you.
+
+* *Prefer stewardship over control.* Leadership is about enabling others to
+  succeed, so encourage shared ownership and welcome different perspectives,
+  while preferring progress over polish and understanding that voluntary
+  participation is finite in nature.
+
+* *Switch hats with accountability.* Starting or stopping with leading
+  endeavours should always be followed up with a mindset shift, including
+  intrusion avoidance, tone control, proactive guidance, and exhaustive
+  documentation while engaging with contributors.

