Frequently Asked Questions

Ruby for Good is a nonprofit that builds and maintains software for social good. Our events bring Ruby programmers and other good-hearted people together to help nonprofits, learn from each other, and build community. We work on the software year round, but gathering in person is also a chance to make friends, swap stories, and have fun together.

Ruby for Good is a code retreat: a chance to step away from your usual routine, build software for social good, and spend time with a welcoming community. There's no competition or all-night coding sprint. We work at a sustainable pace, learn from each other, and make time for getting to know people and having fun.

Our focus is sustainability and community. The software that we work on at our events will be continued and maintained year round. In fact, one of the projects we'll be working on this year was started in 2015 and is now helping over 3 million children and over 500k period product recipients each year. This is all real software making a real difference in the world.

All experience levels are welcome! We have participants ranging from beginners to those with decades of experience. The event focuses on both learning and building great things. Groups are collaborative and you'll have opportunities to work closely with others and contribute code.

We need developers, designers, product managers, and anyone interested in doing good. We welcome programmers of all languages, especially those interested in learning Ruby. Frontend experts (JavaScript and CSS) are particularly welcome!

We've tried to pick a wide range of projects this year and depending on registration numbers we may include a few more.

Indicate your interest during registration. Team leads are matched with projects before the event and work with organization representatives to set up requirements, milestones, and initial setup.

The event runs February 1-3, 2027. You must arrive by 10am on Monday, February 1 for kickoff, team selection, and environment setup. You can arrive as early as 9am, and we're in the beautiful city of Ghent with amazing things to see.

We'll be having either at the venue or nearby.

Yes! We are looking for sponsors to help cover the costs of the event. Please reach out to us at info@rubyforgood.org for more information. We would love to be able to provide food, swag and other goodies for the attendees.

The event takes place in Ghent, Belgium. Location details are coming soon.

Yes! There's a reason people keep coming back and call themselves 'gooders.' We're a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive community, and you don't need to know anyone before you arrive. Whether it's your first event or you're a returning gooder, there's room for you to learn, contribute, and make new friends.

Absolutely. Building community is a big part of why we get together. There will be time to chat, get to know your teammates, and relax away from the keyboard. We're planning evening activities like board games and karaoke, with more details to come. Join in with what sounds fun and take downtime when you need it.

Tickets are free but we require registration to attend. Registration is coming soon!

We'll share accommodation recommendations once the venue is announced. Location details are coming soon.

Venue details are coming soon. Check back for more information about the location.

Take a look at these blog posts from previous attendees to get a sense of what is in store.
https://chelseatroy.com/2019/04/02/behind-the-scenes-ruby-by-the-bay-civic-hack/
https://blog.homesnap.com/homesnap-terrastories-ruby-hack-thon
https://blog.mapbox.com/ruby-for-good-2018-61dd45a7fdb7