What I Learned Leading 3000+ Developers: Facebook Developer Circles Story

In 2018, while working full-time as a developer at VituMob, I took on a volunteer role that would fundamentally change how I think about scale, systems, and leadership: Lead of Facebook Developer Circles Nairobi.

What started as a small group of developers meeting to learn and share grew into one of Africa's largest tech communities - 3000+ members strong. But the real story isn't the number. It's what I learned about building systems that scale when you have zero budget, limited time, and ambitious goals.

The Challenge: Building Community at Scale

Developer Circles was Facebook's global initiative to empower local Developer Communities. As Lead, my job was to:

→Organize regular meetups, workshops, and training sessions with Facebook's support
→Curate engaging programs like Happy Hour (coding challenges) and Bar Camp sessions (show and tells)
→Foster meaningful connections among developers
→Champion diversity and inclusion, especially women in tech
→Create opportunities for skill development through workshops on React, Node, AMI (Advanced Machine Intelligence from Facebook AI Research), and more
→Coordinate with global Facebook teams and local partners

Facebook provided budget support for each event, which allowed us to secure venues, provide meals, and bring in quality trainers. But the challenge was volunteer work done alongside my full-time job at VituMob. I couldn't personally respond to 3,000+ people. I needed systems.

Community by the Numbers:

Scale

→ 3000+ total members
→ 50+ events organized
→ 30+ workshops delivered
→ 1,000+ active participants

Impact

→ Women in tech representation increased
→ Skills development across React, Node, AR
→ Partnerships with local tech companies
→ Career opportunities created for members

Lesson 1: You Can't Scale Manually

At 50 members, I could personally know everyone. At 500, that became impossible. At 3000+? Forget it.

This forced me to think systematically. Instead of answering the same questions individually, I focused on building a self-sustaining, community-led flow:

→ Community growth was organic and social by design. New members joined through word of mouth, events, and referrals, then onboarded themselves by joining the Facebook Developer Circles Nairobi Facebook Group, where all relevant information, updates, and resources lived. This approach reduced friction, encouraged self-initiative, and fostered strong peer-driven learning.
→ Curated engaging programs like Happy Hour (coding challenges where developers competed and learned) and Bar Camp sessions (show-and-tell format where members shared projects and learnings)
→ Built team structures with clear roles and responsibilities
→ Created event templates that could be replicated
→ Organized communication channels by topic and interest areas
→ Leveraged Facebook's support and budget to consistently deliver quality events

Programs That Built Engagement

Part of systematic thinking was creating repeatable programs that kept the community engaged:

Happy Hour

Weekly coding challenges where developers competed, learned new skills, and shared solutions. These kept engagement high between major events.

Bar Camp Sessions

Show-and-tell format where community members presented their projects, shared learnings, and got feedback. This created a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous learning.

Technical Workshops

Deep-dive sessions on React, Node, AMI (Advanced Machine Intelligence from Facebook AI Research), and other cutting-edge technologies. Facebook's event budget allowed us to bring in expert trainers and provide quality learning experiences.

"The best community leaders aren't the ones who do everything themselves - they're the ones who build systems so everyone can contribute."

Lesson 2: Diversity Isn't Just a Buzzword

One of my core priorities was championing women in tech. Not because it was required, but because I saw firsthand how much talent was being overlooked.

Here's what actually worked:

Active Recruitment

We didn't wait for women to find us. We partnered with women-focused tech groups, universities, and bootcamps to actively invite them.

Safe Spaces First

Before bringing women into larger events, we created smaller, women-focused sessions where they could build confidence and connections.

Visible Representation

We featured women speakers, highlighted women's projects, and made sure leadership roles included women. Representation matters.

Mentorship Programs

We connected experienced women developers with those starting out, creating pathways for growth and support.

The result? Our community became known as one of the most inclusive Developer Circles in Africa, and women members consistently told us they felt valued and supported.

Lesson 3: Measurement Drives Improvement

How do you know if a community is successful? You measure it.

I tracked:

→ Event attendance: Which topics drew the biggest crowds?
→ Engagement rates: Who was actively participating vs. lurking?
→ Member retention: Were people staying engaged over time?
→ Diversity metrics: Were we achieving our inclusion goals?
→ Skill development: Were members actually learning and growing?
→ Career outcomes: Did community membership lead to opportunities?

This data informed everything - which events to repeat, which topics to focus on, which partnerships to prioritize. No guessing, just measurement.

Lesson 4: Coordination is the Hidden Skill

Running Developer Circles wasn't just about organizing events. It was about coordinating across multiple stakeholders:

→Facebook's global team: Reporting metrics, following guidelines, accessing resources
→Local partners: Venues, sponsors, co-organizers, speakers
→Community volunteers: Delegating tasks, managing expectations
→Members: Communication, feedback, conflict resolution

This is where I learned that coordination is a skill - and one that's incredibly valuable. At Meta, this skill became essential. As an Executive Partner today, it's my core competency.

Key Coordination Principles:

→ Clear ownership - everyone knows their role
→ Documented processes - no tribal knowledge
→ Regular check-ins - catch issues early
→ Transparent communication - no surprises
→ Feedback loops - continuous improvement

Lesson 5: Community Work IS Real Experience

Here's what people miss: community leadership is operations work.

Managing 3000+ members taught me:

→Systematic thinking: How to build processes that scale
→Data-driven decisions: Measure, analyze, improve
→Stakeholder management: Balance competing priorities
→Project management: Deliver events on time and on budget
→Team coordination: Get volunteers aligned and productive

When I interviewed at Meta, this experience mattered. When I work with executives today, these skills are essential. Don't discount community work - it's where some of the hardest operational challenges exist.

The Meta Connection

The Meta Connection: How Community Work Opened Doors

In December 2019, I saw a role at Facebook for Developer Operations. Reading the job description felt surreal - it was exactly what I'd been doing: supporting developers, managing technical escalations, coordinating across teams, and building systems at scale.

My background as a developer at VituMob plus leading Developer Circles Nairobi with direct interaction with Facebook's technologies? Perfect alignment. I reached out to my Facebook Global Community Manager for a referral, and they were more than happy to vouch for me - they'd seen the work firsthand.

The Lesson: Excellence in volunteer work isn't just service - it's career investment. When the right opportunity appears and you've already proven yourself, referrals become pathways.

By 2020, I joined Meta's Dublin team. Suddenly, I went from managing 3000+ developers to supporting developers building on platforms used by billions. Same skills, exponentially bigger scale.

"Community leadership taught me to think systematically. Meta taught me to execute at scale. Together, they made me the operator I am today."

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

I want to be clear about something important. Developer Circles in Africa did not start with me, and I did not build Developer Circles Nairobi from scratch. In Nairobi specifically, I stepped into leadership after the incredible Anthony Nandaa, whose passion for Developer Communities laid the foundation that made everything that followed possible.

Anthony had an extraordinary heart for empowering developers and a clear vision for what a thriving tech community in Nairobi could look like. I was honored to build on the work he started and carry that vision forward.

I also had the privilege of co-leading alongside Elsis Sitati and an exceptional team of support members who were the backbone of every event, workshop, and initiative we launched. Community leadership is never a solo act. It is a team sport, and I was fortunate to work with people who showed up consistently for the community.

Leadership and Regional Support

The success of Developer Circles Nairobi did not happen in isolation. Across Africa, the community was shaped by leaders who laid the groundwork long before many local chapters came into existence.

Proud Dzambukira kicked off Developer Circles across Africa, shaping the early community model and setting a continental vision that many of us later built upon. His work created the framework that allowed local chapters to thrive.

Behind the scenes, we also had strong support from Facebook HQ. Our Global Community Lead Manager, Jennifer Fong, provided strategic direction, resources, and guidance that empowered Developer Circles globally. Jennifer's leadership made it possible for local leads like us to focus on building thriving communities while having access to Facebook's technologies, training materials, and global network. Her investment in community builders didn't just support our programs - it opened doors we didn't even know existed. Our Africa Manager, Chimdi Aneke, offered regional leadership and helped us navigate the realities of building Developer Communities across the continent.

This support was not theoretical. Facebook backed the community with event budgets, access to technologies, and training materials, allowing local leads to focus on what mattered most: building meaningful, sustainable communities.

Leadership Lesson: The strongest communities succeed through layered support. Continental vision (Proud), local leadership (Anthony, Elsis, and our team), regional guidance (Chimdi), and strategic enablement from HQ (Jennifer and the Facebook team) created a distributed leadership model that allowed Developer Circles to scale globally.

Additional honorable mentions from Menlo Park include Angeline Capati, Matt Terrell, Emeka Afigbo, Konstantinos Papamiltiadis - KP and Ime Archibong, whose advocacy for developer ecosystems across Africa and emerging markets played a pivotal role in shaping the community. Special recognition also goes to Zane Holt from Meta Berlin, whose collaboration helped strengthen global connections across Developer Circles.

The Opportunity That Changed Everything: Menlo Park & F8

Leading Developer Circles did more than teach me operations. It opened doors I never imagined. In 2018 and 2019, Facebook invited me to Menlo Park, California, Meta’s headquarters, for the annual F8 Developer Conference.

This was not just a conference. It was a defining experience that reshaped my understanding of scale, leadership, and what was possible.

Menlo Park & F8 Conference: A Journey to Remember

Interview with Marne Levine, Chief Business Officer

📍 Menlo Park, California

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Highlights from Menlo Park:

→Met with Facebook's Developer Relations team to discuss global community strategies and share insights from our Nairobi chapter
→Interviewed with Marne Levine, then Facebook's Chief Business Officer - a conversation that shaped how I think about business operations at scale
→Met Sheryl Sandberg in person - Facebook's COO and one of the most influential leaders in tech. Getting to shake her hand and hear her speak about leadership was surreal.
→Connected with Developer Circle leads from around the world- learning from communities in Brazil, India, Nigeria, Indonesia, and beyond
→Attended F8 from the front row, watching Mark Zuckerberg deliver keynotes about the future of social technology - not knowing that two years later, he would become my employer at Meta

Sitting in that front row at F8, watching Mark Zuckerberg talk about connecting the world, I couldn't have imagined that in 2020, I'd be working directly for Meta, supporting the very platforms he was unveiling.

But that's the power of community work done excellently - it doesn't just teach you skills, it opens doors you didn't know existed.

"Excellence in volunteer work isn't just good karma - it's career investment. Do it well, and opportunities you can't imagine will find you."

What I'd Tell Someone Starting a Community Today

1. Start Small, Think Systems

Don't try to scale on day one. Build the systems when you're small, so they're ready when you grow.

2. Measure Everything

If you're not tracking it, you can't improve it. Start with basic metrics and build from there.

3. Build a Team

You can't do it alone. Identify your core team early and delegate real responsibility.

4. Inclusion Takes Effort

Diversity doesn't happen by accident. Be intentional, measure it, and hold yourself accountable.

5. Document Your Learnings

What works? What doesn't? Write it down. Future you (and your team) will thank you.

Final Thoughts

Leading Facebook Developer Circles Nairobi from 0 to 3000+ members wasn't just about building a community. It was about learning to operate at scale, build systems that work without you, coordinate across diverse stakeholders, and measure what matters.

These aren't "soft skills." They're the hardest skills to master - and the ones that unlock every opportunity that followed.

To everyone building communities, leading volunteer teams, or managing side projects while working full-time: What you're doing matters. The skills you're building are real, valuable, and transferable. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Need Operational Excellence for Your Organization?

Whether you're scaling a community, building operations systems, or coordinating complex projects, I bring proven experience from managing 3000+ developers to supporting billions of users at Meta.

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