Add interacting w/ new contribs guide

content/maintainers/_index.md

@@ -8,4 +8,5 @@ This is a draft document.
 
 The scientific Python ecosystem welcomes your expertise and enthusiasm!
 
+- [Interacting With New Contributors]({{< relref "/maintainers/interacting-with-new-contributors" >}})
 - [Project Meetings Guide]({{< relref "/maintainers/meeting_types" >}})

content/maintainers/interacting-with-new-contributors.md

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+---
+title: "How to interact with new community
+members"
+---
+
+{{< notice warning >}}
+This is a draft document.
+{{< /notice >}}
+
+As a maintainer, you will be the first point of
+contact for new community members. It is important
+to embody a positive and helpful force for the
+health of your community.
+
+### Be welcoming
+
+Always behave in a manner that is polite, patient, and understanding.
+Many contributors are acting on their own time so
+try to create an environment that is energizing,
+not draining. Don't forget that on public forums,
+potential new contributors will be monitoring
+the community dynamic before getting involved!
+
+Use language to show that you are excited and
+grateful about their contributions to the project.
+Avoid saying things that could be construed as
+meaning otherwise or being too short.
+
+Many first-time contributors are intimidated and
+nervous about making mistakes, so keep in mind for
+both you and them that mistakes are natural and
+part of the learning process. Assure and empower
+them with your help and mentorship so that they
+feel supported and comfortable contributing to the
+project.
+
+### Provide resources, not solutions
+
+While some level of shepherding is needed, be
+careful not to micro-manage contributors, as it
+hinders the learning process and can be
+frustrating for both parties. First offer guidance
+before using more hands-on approaches, for example,
+try talking a contributor through the changes
+they need to make instead of typing the solution
+for them.
+
+For tasks that may be too advanced or daunting for
+a first-time contributor, such as comprehensive
+testing, benchmarking, or doc-building, offer to
+handle that part or to lend your support while
+they try it themselves.
+
+Avoid excessive nitpicking as requesting constant
+small changes can be discouraging to a new
+contributor. Instead, you can make a follow-up PR
+after the merge to fix these or use an opinionated
+formatter, such as
+[`black`](https://github.com/psf/black), to handle
+most style-related nitpicks.
+
+### Recognize contributions
+
+Remember that contributions are a good thing that
+should be celebrated and encouraged. Communicate
+your appreciation for the work your community
+members are doing and connect the impact their
+contributions have to your project's goals and how
+it will help many others.
+
+By providing a positive contributing experience,
+you can create a positive feedback loop where
+community members enjoy and want to continue their
+amazing contributions to your project!