tl;dr
We’re dedicated to empowering agencies to stand out, gain clients, and shape the future of open source technologies and communities. Through our collaboration with the Drupal Association, OSP helps communicate Drupal Certified Partner value, amplify their contributions, and provide them practical tools, enhancing their recognition and business opportunities.
OSP: Supporting Drupal Certified Partners
Open Strategy Partners has been working with the Drupal Association (DA) to support the Drupal Certified Partner (DCP) program—a key initiative that strengthens both the Drupal project and the incredible agencies committed to it. We had the honor of being mentioned (positively!) in the Drupal Association’s recent board meetings and in the DCP Summit during DrupalCon Barcelona 2024.
The value of being a Drupal Certified Partner
DCPs deserve recognition for their contributions to Drupal's open source ecosystem. This status is more than a badge; it's a demonstration of deep expertise and commitment.
Partners benefit from:
- Increased visibility on drupal.org and other Drupal platforms.
- Differentiation from competitors when bidding on work.
- Stronger client assurance due to proven contributions.
- Meaningful connections with the community and potential clients.
Beyond winning new deals, being certified means shaping Drupal's future—actively contributing to Drupal Core, modules, and themes—and benefiting from the knowledge you gain along the way. This expertise is also a real business advantage. Don't just take our word for it, some DCP agencies mentioned that they list their Drupal Certified Partner status in sales decks and marketing materials. They see value in the visibility it provides.
Partner insights: Contribution wins more business
At OSP, we partnered with the Drupal Association to interview DCPs, gathering insights into the benefits they experience and collecting testimonials that helped us understand the real value of the program in the market.
The Drupal Association requires partners to make a certain amount of contributions to Drupal annually. These contributions can be in the form of code, community involvement, and financial support.
We learned from partners that the contribution has a direct impact on winning clients and improving their teams. Here's how:
- Proof of expertise: Many clients understand how open source works and look for evidence of agencies' involvement in the ecosystem. They can look up your team on drupal.org or code repositories like GitHub. Drupal Certified Partners who maintain or contribute to relevant modules or themes use this as proof of their expertise, which resonates with potential clients.
- Open source contribution as in-house training and development: Making code contributions, especially to Drupal core, part of your workflows exposes your developers to enterprise-level code every day. Furthermore, making code contributions means interacting with world-class developers across the Drupal ecosystem, which helps less-experienced developers grow into senior roles. This fosters expertise and provides value to both the agency and the community.
OSP: Content and strategy for the Drupal Association
In our engagement with the DA, we have been contributing to the success of the Drupal Certified Partner program through a variety of activities, including:
- Gathering testimonials and social proof: By interviewing partners, we’ve collected testimonials that bolster the value of the Drupal Certified Partner program. These insights help communicate the tangible benefits to both current and prospective partners.
- Crafting content for open source vendors: We wrote a blog post for the Drupal Association on how to write RFPs that favor open source vendors, making it easier for organizations to choose Drupal experts. The post includes a free download: an RFP template for organizations that prefer open source technologies and vendors in their tenders and bidding processes.
- A huge thank you to DCP Vardot who contributed the original template, which OSP tweaked to be more generically applicable for all Drupal agencies.
- Collaborating to amplify partner value: We’re working with the Drupal Association to help partners express the value of the program in more detail and encourage them to take actions that promote the program themselves.
From the Drupal Association RFP post: “An effective Request for Proposals (RFP) … not only outlines the goals and expectations of your project but also defines the framework within which potential vendors must operate. It goes beyond simply finding the right vendor to build your website or deliver a content management system (CMS) tailored to your needs—it's an opportunity to establish a partnership, support open source software, and contribute to a vibrant community ecosystem.”
OSP was able to put together a fantastic Value Map that made obvious and clear the great benefits of the Drupal Certified Partner program and structure them in a way that we could clearly communicate them. The rigor they brought to the table in guiding us made all the difference.
Notable moments and impact
One moment that really stood out to us was when Tim Doyle, the CEO of the Drupal Association, told us how impactful our Value Mapping exercise was for the Drupal Certified Partner program. It was a true "aha" moment for him—our workshop and tool clarified the benefits and purpose of this program for both the Association and the partners.
We were also honored and grateful to be featured during DrupalCon in the Drupal Association's presentation, where they shared our ongoing work for the Drupal Certified Partner program. We hope these public mentions underscore the impact of our collaboration and highlight the importance of communicating value clearly.
Looking forward
We're excited to keep working with the Drupal Association and Drupal Certified Partners, helping to communicate the real value of being a part of this open source community and ecosystem and ensuring that all partners get the recognition they deserve.
Are you interested in learning more about our work with the Drupal Association, or how your agency can better express its unique value?
Image credits
Open Strategy Partners, Drupal Association