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Development Volunteer Onboarding

Welcome to the CCSS Development Team! We're excited to have you contribute to building tools and resources that support the Carleton Computer Science community.

This guide will walk you through how to get started, what to expect, and how to stay connected.

🚀 Onboarding Steps​

✅ Step 1: Join the CCSS Internal Discord​

You should have received an invite link in your welcome email. Join the server and ping @mathyoumb with your GitHub username.

This is so we can:

  • Add you to the CCSS GitHub organization
  • Give you the development-volunteer role in Discord

💬 Why Discord?​

The CCSS internal Discord is where we:

  • Answer development questions
  • Post async updates
  • Share announcements
  • Schedule optional development sync calls

You can view all scheduled calls in the Discord event list.

📅 Step 2: Schedule Your Onboarding Call​

You can schedule on onboardin call by reaching out in Discord DMs with @mathyoumb or use this link to schedule a quick onboarding chat: 👉 Book a call

In this call, we'll:

  • Learn about your goals
  • Walk through the projects and tools we use
  • Match you with an issue aligned to your interests and CCSS priorities

💻 Step 3 (Bonus): Check Out the GitHub & Issues Board​

Take some time to explore:

You’ll find open issues, ongoing initiatives, and useful project documentation.

🧭 How This Is Going to Work​

📌 Picking Up Work​

  • New issues will be added to the GitHub board on a rolling basis by @mathyoumb.
  • When you're ready to work on something, you can:
    • Self-assign an issue, or
    • Book a call with Matthew for tailored suggestions

🤝 Support While You Work​

  • Ask questions anytime in #development in the internal Discord.
  • You can also schedule a 1:1 call with Matthew anytime** for support (with 24 hours' notice, pending availability).

🗒️ Progress Updates​

  • If you’ve been assigned an issue for over a week, please post a short async update in Discord to let us know:
    • What’s done
    • What’s in progress
    • Where you might be stuck

If @mathyoumb hasn't heard from you in over a week, they will reach out to check in, if you do not respond withing 48 hours, they will unassign you from the issue.

🧑‍💻 Optional Sync Calls​

  • Dev sync calls will be scheduled ad hoc in Discord.
  • Attendance is optional — not everyone needs to join, and timing may not work for all time zones.

📢 Staying Up to Date​

  • All updates regarding meetings and volunteer opportunities will be posted in Discord in the following channels:
    • #announcements
    • #development

Thanks again for volunteering your time and skills — we're excited to build with you!