The GitLab Foundation Handbook is our single source of truth for all organizational knowledge. It ensures information is accessible, transparent, and easy to navigate, especially in our all-remote environment. Inspired by GitLab Inc.’s handbook, we have tailored it to fit our unique needs while upholding our values.
Why the Handbook Matters:
✅ Centralizes critical organizational information, making it easy to find and reference.
✅ Streamlines onboarding and ensures team members can work efficiently.
✅ Reinforces transparency by sharing relevant information externally.
✅ Ensures consistency across processes and decisions.
We believe in Iteration—our Handbook is a living document that evolves with us. The GitLab Foundation maintains the Handbook in Notion, making it fully searchable and open to feedback. We encourage comments, questions, and suggestions from team members.
How to Provide Feedback in Notion:
🔹 Log into Notion using a valid email (anonymous comments are not supported).
🔹 Click the comment bubble to the left of any content block.
🔹 Type your comment and click the blue arrow to submit it.
🔹 DRIs (Directly Responsible Individuals) manage inquiries.
Note: Only logged-in users can leave comments. Those without a Notion account will see a read-only version.
Our Handbook is public, so anyone on the web is able to read and interact with it and view other comments posted by the public (note that the public’s view is different from our view using Notion). You should know:
Public Handbook
📌 By default, all subpages are published unless restricted.
📌 Subpages can be hidden from public view when necessary.
📌 Navigation appears as a breadcrumb menu for all viewers.
📌 A search function at the top right allows for easy content discovery.
🔹 Click View public site (blue header at the top of the Notion page) → Copy the link to share the page.
We regularly review and update content to maintain accuracy, ensuring it remains current and relevant. Each section is assigned a Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) to uphold accountability and oversight. We also encourage feedback from team members and external users, fostering continuous improvement and clarity.
🌐**Our Foundation:** President & CEO
🎯Grantmaking: Chief Programs and Partnerships Officer
📊Impact Measurement and Learning: Director of Impact Measurement and Analytics
⚙️Operations: Director of Operations
🫱🏻🫲🏾Partnerships: Chief Programs and Partnerships Officer
💰Finance: CFO
The President & CEO, Director of Operations, and Operations Coordinator have full editing capabilities across all sections.
While everything should be accessible in the Handbook, not everything will be publicly available. Our default stance is YES—we assume relevant information belongs in the Handbook unless an apparent reason prevents it.
This step-by-step guide helps determine where information should be stored. If the content is meant for external audiences, such as funders, partners, or the public, it belongs in the Public Handbook. If it is primarily for team members but not for public access, it should go in the Internal Documents Section. Operational policies, workflows, and team processes remain public unless they contain sensitive or confidential details.
Does this information contain confidential or sensitive details?
Examples: Personally identifiable information (PII), financial data, private communications, security protocols, and internal strategy not meant for public release.
Is this information relevant and valuable for our team’s work, alignment, or decision-making?
Examples: Policies, workflows, team processes, strategic guidance.
Is this information finalized and approved for sharing?
Examples: Internal updates, working documents, unpublished strategies, or grantee data.
Is this meant for internal team use only?
For Public Handbook: Does this require legal, privacy, or reputational review?
Examples: Policies affecting external stakeholders, governance updates.