TYPO3 Association Members to Vote on New Governance Structure
Proposed bylaw amendments introduce Units and a Unit Cooperation Panel to organize volunteer work on TYPO3 CMS, giving the product its own governance alongside the Board and the Business Control Committee. Online voting runs 21–29 October 2026, and the changes need a two-thirds majority.
For more than two decades, the TYPO3 community has grown into a global network of people developing an open source CMS used by businesses, public authorities, and other organizations. The TYPO3 Association Board believes this community deserves a governance foundation that matches its size and maturity.
The Board therefore proposes amending the Association's bylaws to introduce a unit structure and related governance documents. The goal is to give contributors clear roles and fair processes.
- Review the proposed bylaw changes (PDF version) — These documents are in German. As a Swiss organization, the German bylaws are the legally binding versions for the TYPO3 Association. A non-authoritative English version will be provided soon.
- An extraordinary General Assembly of the TYPO3 Association will take place on 29 October 2026, 13:00–14:00 CET.
- FAQ sessions are offered by the Board during the weeks until the extraordinary general assembly. Find a time to ask your questions.
What the Amendments Change
Introducing Units and the Unit Cooperation Panel
The amendments introduce two new bodies: Units and the Unit Cooperation Panel. Under the proposed Rules for TYPO3 Units, Units are self-managed groups of contributors, each led by an elected Unit Coordinator and responsible for one area of the project, such as features, knowledge, or community. The Unit Cooperation Panel brings together representatives from every Unit and the TYPO3 Association Board to coordinate priorities and act as product owner for the TYPO3 Product Roadmap.
Together with the existing bodies, they create a three-way division of responsibilities:
- Units and the Unit Cooperation Panel are responsible for the TYPO3 product and its related services and infrastructure. They organize volunteer work, with the aim of scaling up operations.
- The TYPO3 Association Board represents the Association externally, manages its finances, and oversees the general framework.
- The Business Control Committee (BCC) audits the finances and ensures compliance with the rules.
This separation of duties also helps the Association meet regulatory requirements.
Implementing Petitions From the Previous General Assembly
The amendments also implement petitions that members adopted at this year’s ordinary General Assembly on 22 April 2026 (protocol, PDF):
- Member admittance: The Board decides on admitting new members and informs the General Assembly about admissions and rejections (Petition 1).
- Cleanup: Outdated, duplicated, and inconsistent wording is removed from the bylaws (Petition 2).
- Voting rounds limit: Board elections get a defined runoff procedure with a maximum of three voting rounds (Petition 3).
- Limited re-elections: Board and BCC members are now limited for two re-elections (Petition 4)
- Publication of Reports and Records: The Board must now publish decisions and protocols, as well as half-yearly reports (Petition 5)
Why the Board Proposes the Change
Structures and processes are often seen as limits on freedom. In the Board's view, they do the opposite. Contributors who know their role, tasks, rights, and responsibilities can act with confidence, without working in gray areas or worrying about overstepping boundaries.
Transparent processes for decisions, recognition, and conflict resolution also build trust, which helps attract and keep contributors. Documented, fair procedures — for praise as well as complaints — reduce the risk that decisions are made by whoever speaks loudest or stays longest.
Our Project Has Outgrown Informal Coordination
TYPO3 has active contributors on every continent and people who take responsibility for strategic areas of the project. It also has the TYPO3 Company as its commercial entity and the TYPO3 Association as its legal backbone. Informal coordination that worked for a small group of developers no longer fits this scale.
The Board sees formal governance as the mark of an organization that values its contributors and plans for the long term.
Rooted in the Association’s Strategy
The unit concept addresses problems identified during the TYPO3 Association's strategy process. Two documents describe them:
- The TYPO3 CMS Product Strategy covers them in its introduction on product development governance and in Goal 5 — Establish Governance.
- The TYPO3 Association Strategy covers them especially in sections 5.2 — Improving Governance and 5.4 — Strengthening the Innovation Process and Product Ownership.
How to Vote
All TYPO3 Association members were sent an invitation on 15 October 2026. Online voting opens on 21 October 2026 and closes on 29 October 2026 at 11:59 CET. The amendments need a two-thirds majority to pass.
The extraordinary General Assembly takes place online on 29 October 2026, 13:00–14:00 CET. To participate remotely, register by 28 October 2026, 23:59 CET.
Find the agenda, timeline, and registration form on the extraordinary General Assembly 2026 page.
