TD Cafe #012 - Johanna Bates & Jess Snyder

Jan 8, 2026

Jess Snyder, Director of Web Systems at WETA with 20+ years building websites; Johanna Bates, co-founder of DevCollaborative focused on accessible nonprofit sites. They chat about nonprofit tech community building, the origins and role of the Nonprofit Summit, trade-offs between Drupal and WordPress, accessibility and editor guardrails, and how nonprofit technologists stretch tools on tight budgets.

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ANECDOTE

How The NTEN Listserv Sparked A Nonprofit Drupal Community

Johanna started the NTEN Drupal listserv in 2004 to escape isolation as a self-taught nonprofit developer.
That listserv evolved into a monthly Nonprofit Drupal call and later helped seed in-person summits and presentations at NTC and DrupalCon.

ANECDOTE

A First Presentation Led To Longterm Community Leadership

Jess joined Johanna's listserv in 2013 as a lone in-house Drupalist at WETA and presented at Drupal Day for her first talk.
That presentation led to continued involvement and eventual co-moderation of the nonprofit calls and summit organizing.

INSIGHT

Why Drupal 7 Suited Nonprofit Site Builders

Nonprofit Drupalists often fall into the 'ambitious site builder' category and stretch existing tools due to limited budgets and staff.
That made Drupal 7 ideal because self-taught builders could assemble complex sites from modules without deep OOP knowledge.

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Join Johanna and Jess as they dive deep into their experiences and insights working with Drupal in the nonprofit sector. Learn about their early careers, the evolution of Drupal's development, the significance of community in nonprofit tech, and the origins and importance of the Nonprofit Summit at DrupalCon. Discover how their community initiatives foster collaboration and support among nonprofit technologists, and get a glimpse into the upcoming summit details. Perfect for anyone interested in Drupal, open-source technology, and nonprofit organizational challenges.

For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/cafe012

Johanna Bates

Johanna Bates (they/them, hanpersand on drupal.org) is co-founder and co-principal of DevCollaborative, a company that builds accessible and sustainable Drupal and WordPress sites exclusively for nonprofit organizations.

Johanna began their formal tech career at WGBH in Boston in 2000 as a front-end developer. They have been building Drupal sites since 2004, and have been co-moderating NTEN's Nonprofit Drupal Community and its monthly chats for over a decade.

Johanna was involved in early Nonprofit Summits at NYCcamp starting back in 20-teens 2015, and helped bring the Nonprofit Summit to DrupalCon North America in 2017.

Jess Snyder

Jess Snyder (jesss on drupal.org and Drupal Slack) is Director of Web Systems for WETA, the flagship public media station for Washington, DC, and has over 20 years of experience in website development.

Jess is an organizer for NTEN's Drupal Community of Practice as well as Drupal GovCon. She also co-chaired the triumphant return of the Nonprofit Summit to DrupalCon Portland 2024 and its sequel at DrupalCon Atlanta 2025.

When not Drupaling, Jess sits on the Board of Directors for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Topics

Meet the Speakers: Johanna and Jess
Johanna's Journey in Nonprofit Tech
Jess's Path in Public Broadcasting
The Importance of Community in Nonprofit Tech
Organizing Nonprofit Summits
Challenges and Changes in Drupal
The Value of Open Source for Nonprofits
Comparing Drupal and WordPress
Concerns About JavaScript in Content Editing
Importance of Accessibility in Content Management
Guardrails for Content Editors
The Nonprofit Summit: Origins and Evolution
Summit Format and Community Building
Sponsorship and Event Details
Getting Involved in the Nonprofit Drupal Community
Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Guests

Johanna Bates - hanpersand Jess Snyder - jesss