Engineering Culture
Our work is guided by:
Ethics and Fairness
Section titled “Ethics and Fairness”Every technical decision must consider its ethical impact, especially in advocacy and DEI contexts. Accessibility, privacy, and representation are always considered first. We commit to using and building opensource, GDPR-compliant and non-exploitative tools wherever possible.
Collaboration
Section titled “Collaboration”Engineering doesn’t operate in a silo and we co-design with other departments. We always listen first because we must understand real needs before writing code or developing solutions.
Sustainability
Section titled “Sustainability”We favor solutions that are maintainable by future volunteers and staff with comprehensive documentation. We design systems with our growth in mind—avoiding bandaid solutions. We prioritize knowledge-sharing to reduce bus factor and avoid institutional tech debt.
Transparency
Section titled “Transparency”Engineering work, roadmaps, and decisions should be open by default. We foster trust across the org by documenting decisions and explaining trade-offs.
Humility & Learning
Section titled “Humility & Learning”We value curiosity and a beginner’s mindset. Mentorship is core to how we grow. We learn from community-led tech, grassroots organizing, and critical tech studies. We treat every mistake as a learning opportunity, not a failure.
Bias Toward Action
Section titled “Bias Toward Action”We always prototype, test, and iterate quickly. Done is better than perfect, but only if done is ethical, safe, and documented.
Respect
Section titled “Respect”We respect each team’s expertise and mission—Engineering is in service of our broader goals. We respect contributors’ time, backgrounds, and bandwidth. No overengineering, no gatekeeping.