Nikunj Hatkar receives the Yoast Care fund for his contribution to the WordPress community

Meet Nikunj Hatkar, a valued member of the WordPress Core Team! Kishan Jasani nominated him for the Yoast Care fund because of his commitment and valuable contributions. Let’s learn more about this WordPress enthusiast.

Nominator Kishan Jasani: “Nikunj is a dedicated WordPress contributor who actively participates in multiple Make WordPress teams, including Core, Documentation, Test, and Training. He contributes regularly, demonstrating both technical skills and a community spirit. In addition to his contributions, he also serves as the organizer of the Navsari WordPress Meetup, helping grow and support the local WordPress community.”

Let’s get to know Nikunj Hatkar

Those are some lovely words by Kishan. Let’s get to know Nikunj a bit better and ask him some questions about his work and passion for WordPress:

Hi Nikunj! What do you do in the WordPress space?

I work as a freelance WordPress developer at the UpdraftPlus company, focusing on building custom plugins, themes, and solutions that make WordPress more powerful and user-friendly. Alongside client work, I also contribute to the WordPress community by reporting issues, suggesting enhancements, and helping others in support forums. I enjoy solving problems that improve workflows for both developers and end-users. Over time, I’ve shifted from just building projects to also sharing knowledge, mentoring beginners, and organizing local meetups to help strengthen the community around me.

How did you first discover WordPress, and why did you start contributing?

I actually started my career as a PHP/CodeIgniter developer. Later, the company I was working with needed someone with strong PHP skills to handle custom WordPress work. That’s when I first learnt the basics of WordPress. What started as just another framework to learn gradually turned into my main focus. Over the last 6+ years, I’ve been working almost entirely with WordPress, building custom themes, plugins, and solving complex challenges. I began contributing because I saw how much I was benefiting from the platform and community. Giving back, whether through reporting bugs, suggesting enhancements, or helping others, felt like a natural way to support the ecosystem that has shaped my career.

What do you think made you stand out for this nomination?

I think the balance between my technical contributions and my efforts to support the community. I’ve spent the last 6+ years deeply involved in WordPress, not only building custom solutions for clients but also sharing knowledge, reporting improvements, and contributing ideas to core. Beyond code, I’ve been active in helping new developers, answering questions, and even organizing local meetups to bring people together. I believe this combination made my nomination meaningful.

What excites you most about WordPress?

Its balance between being beginner-friendly and endlessly extensible. A blogger, a small business owner, or even a large enterprise can all use the same platform, each in their own way.

What’s one WordPress-related goal you have for this year?

I’ve been contributing to WordPress Core for quite some time, but recently I’ve become more actively involved with the Plugins component. Over the past month, I’ve started focusing on solving issues and proposing improvements there. My goal for this year is to continue contributing consistently in this area and hopefully grow into the role of a Plugin component maintainer. It’s important to me not just to write code but also to help review, guide, and support other contributors so that together we can improve the overall plugin ecosystem in WordPress.

What advice would you give to someone just starting with WordPress?

Please start contributing to WordPress as early as you can. Even small contributions can teach you a lot and help you grow. Also, make sure to attend WordPress meetups and WordCamps. You’ll gain knowledge, meet supportive people, and feel part of the community.

Where can people connect with you? Online, at WordCamps, or other meetups?

You can connect with me on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, GitHub, WordPress, and at the Surat/Navsari WordPress Meetups. I’m passionate about connecting with others and actively participating in meetups and WordCamps. Feel free to reach out to me there!

Thank you for this interview, Nikunj, and for all your contributions to the WordPress community! Do you know someone like Nikunj Hatkar who also deserves to be in the spotlight? Go to our Yoast Care page and nominate them right away.