Onboarding template

This is a fillable welcome sheet. Someone on the core team, usually the point of contact, copies it, fills in the specifics for the person joining, and sends it to them privately on or before their first day. It is meant to be read alongside the Onboarding playbook: the playbook explains how the core team works in general, and this sheet pins down the details for one person.

It lives here, blank, for the same reason the rest of these docs do. Anyone can see exactly what a new member is told and what we commit to setting up for them. The filled-in copy is private, because it contains personal details and individual logistics. Nothing here covers compensation or contract terms; those are handled separately through a private channel.

How to use it. Copy the section below. Replace each italic prompt with the real detail. Delete anything that does not apply, and add anything specific to the person or role that is missing. Keep it short and human; this is a welcome, not a form.

This sheet does not need to live in any repository once filled. It is a message to one person.

Welcome to the Nano Collective core team

A line or two of genuine welcome. Who we are glad to have, and a sentence on why this person specifically. Set the tone you would want on your own first day.

The basics

• Your name: preferred name
• Your role: e.g. engineer across collective projects
• Start date: date
• Your point of contact: name, and the best way to reach them (Discord handle, email). This is the person to bring anything to, big or small.

Who you are working with

The core team is listed on the public contributors page  (the people with a Core Team badge), which is the canonical, up to date source. A quick orientation to who does what, so you know who to bring things to:

• Will Lamerton (Engineering, Direction). Founder. Overall direction and where the collective is heading, alongside engineering. The first stop for anything about scope or priorities.

• Matthew Spence (Engineering). Engineering across the collective’s projects.

• Ben Parry (Community, Advocacy). The community and the public case for open, local AI: writing, outreach, and the people side of the collective.

Tailor this to the person joining if their work brings them closer to some of the team than others. The focus tags mirror the contributors page ; keep them in step if either changes.

What you will be working on

The initial scope. Which projects or areas to focus on first, and anything explicitly out of scope for now so it is clear where to start. This will shift as you settle in; it is a starting point, not a fixed brief.

How we will work together

• Your working hours overlap: the agreed window of hours where live back and forth is reliable, given the timezone difference. A call or live messaging both work, whatever you are comfortable with.
• Main channels: which Discord channels to be in from day one, and the GitHub organisation.
• Standing one to one: who it is with and roughly when, e.g. a short weekly check-in with your point of contact. A call or a written thread, whichever suits.
• Team rhythm: when the regular core team sync you are part of happens, and how to join it.

Your access

What has been set up for you. Anything still pending is noted so you know it is coming, not forgotten.

• GitHub: invite to the @Nano-Collective  org, with the repositories in scope. Status:
• Discord: server invite and core team role. Status:
• Email: @nanocollective.org address, if your role uses one. Status:
• Credentials: any shared credentials are granted in narrow scopes as a piece of work needs them, rather than all at once. Nothing to do here up front.
• Anything else: any other tool or space your role needs.

Your first week

The Onboarding playbook has the full picture. The short version for your first week:

1. Read the collective. Start with the docs linked from the playbook: the Introduction, Brand Guidelines, Governance, and the Economics Charter.
2. Meet the team. When and how the first get-to-know-you happens.
3. Get set up. Clone the projects in scope and get a local build and the tests running, following each repo’s CONTRIBUTING.md.
4. Ship one small thing. A specific first task if you have one in mind, or a pointer to where to find a good first issue.

Nobody expects output in week one. It is for finding your feet.

Key links

• Onboarding playbook: how the core team works
• Core Team overview
• Governance and Economics Charter
• Brand Guidelines
• Contributors : who is on the core team
• GitHub organisation  and Discord 

Questions

Anything at all, ask your point of contact first. No question is too small, and asking early is always welcome. Add your point of contact’s name and handle here so it is the last thing they read.