In this lightning talk titled "Non-tech Contributions to The Tech Community" presented by Elisha Tan at the Red Dot Ruby Conference 2015, the speaker addresses the common misconception among programmers that they must have a high level of technical skills to contribute to the open source community. Elisha shares insights from her own journey, beginning with her background in psychology and her initial lack of technical skills, which changed when she sought to find a tech co-founder for her startup. Through this experience, she discovered the supportive nature of the Ruby and Rails community and felt compelled to give back.

Elisha provides various ways for individuals, regardless of their coding abilities, to contribute effectively to the tech community:

• Organizing Events: She emphasizes the need for volunteers to help organize conferences and smaller meetups, which serve as vital platforms for knowledge sharing.
• Assisting at Events: Individuals can help design collateral (like T-shirts and stickers), emcee events, or even volunteer as photographers. Elisha highlights the contributions of volunteers like Darlene and Tenman in designing the conference materials.
• Sharing Knowledge: People can contribute by teaching or sharing what they know through organizations like Rails Girls or Rails Bridge. Elisha encourages everyone to share their learning experiences from conferences through blogs or discussions.
• Promoting Others’ Knowledge: An idea presented is to interview experienced programmers to share their insights or film presentations at meetups, as demonstrated by Michael, who records various tech events for broader community access.
• Small Acts of Kindness: Elisha stresses that even minor gestures such as being friendly, welcoming newcomers, or helping with logistics (e.g., cleaning up after events) contribute to fostering a positive community environment.

In conclusion, the main takeaway from Elisha's talk is that contributions to the tech community extend far beyond coding and technical work. It involves creating inclusive spaces for learning, sharing knowledge, and supporting one another. Elisha encourages everyone to recognize their potential to contribute meaningfully, regardless of their technical background, promoting a more diverse and vibrant tech community.