A glimpse behind the scenes at Drupal e.V.

Anyone looking at the club from the outside may not have noticed all that many changes over the past few months. In fact, however, an incredible amount has been happening behind the scenes. Much of it is not particularly spectacular – but it is precisely this work that lays the foundations for us, as a club, to operate more efficiently, reliably and sustainably in the future.

Our primary focus was therefore not on new projects, but on the club’s own operational capacity.

Tidy up first, then get creative

Over many years, services, contracts, tools and working methods have accumulated. Some were useful, whilst others had long since fallen into disuse or had become unnecessarily complicated.

That is why we began by taking stock of the situation. We reviewed existing contracts, cancelled redundant services, retained useful tools or replaced them with more suitable solutions, and sought to streamline our workflows as a whole.

At the same time, we compiled and organised a list of recurring tasks. These include, amongst others:

• Membership administration
• Membership fees
• Finances
• Events
• Communication
• Organisational work within the association

Our aim is to organise the association’s work in such a way that we can better support the community in the long term. Whilst processes, tools and structures were being modernised behind the scenes, activities for the community naturally continued as usual.

Clear procedures rather than manual lists

A key step was the introduction of a new membership management system. This has made many lists that were previously maintained manually redundant and has made processes such as membership applications, resignations and membership fee management significantly simpler and more transparent. This saves time and ensures that we can focus more on the actual work of the association.

Strengthening cooperation

At the same time, we have further developed existing discussion forums and introduced new initiatives. The monthly club call remains our main forum for discussion for anyone interested.

We have also revived the marketing call. During these calls, we regularly discuss topics such as communication, the website, social media and the association’s public image, and coordinate joint activities.

In addition, we hold hands-on sessions as and when required. Rather than spending time on lengthy consultations, we work together on specific tasks and make direct progress on issues.

The first visible changes

Once the organisational foundations had been laid, we were able to focus more closely on the areas that are also visible to the outside world. These include, amongst other things:

• the technical and content-related relaunch of the association’s website in collaboration with other European Drupal associations,
• a new visual identity for Drupal e.V.,
• the gradual roll-out of the new design across the website and social media,
• the planning of a regular German-language newsletter that brings together news from the association and the community.

Working together to make events happen

Of course, the events that form the heart of our community have not been neglected over the past few months either.

Drupal e.V. is supporting the preparations for DrupalCamp Frankfurt 2026 and is already involved in the initial planning for DrupalCamp Munich 2027.

At the same time, organisational responsibility for the Splash Awards 2026 has been transferred from Drupal Business to Drupal e.V. This means that responsibility for organising and developing the awards will lie with the association in future.

Events remain a central part of our association’s activities. They bring people together, promote the exchange of knowledge and showcase the strength of the German-speaking Drupal community.

So, what now?

We are far from finished. Many of the changes are deliberately low-key. However, they lay the foundations for us to work more efficiently in future, implement new ideas more quickly and give more people the opportunity to get involved.

Drupal e.V. thrives on the commitment of its community. That is why we would like to thank everyone who is already helping out, contributing ideas or regularly taking part in our calls. Together, we are shaping the future of Drupal in the German-speaking world – step by step.