Feng, Zixuan, authorKimura, Katie, authorTrinkenreich, Bianca, authorSteinmacher, Igor, authorGerosa, Marco, authorSarma, Anita, authorACM, publisher2025-12-222025-12-222025-09-09Zixuan Feng, Katie Kimura, Bianca Trinkenreich, Igor Steinmacher, Marco Gerosa, and Anita Sarma. 2025. Addressing OSS Community Managers' Challenges in Contributor Retention. ACM Trans. Softw. Eng. Methodol. Just Accepted (September 2025). https://doi.org/10.1145/3769012https://hdl.handle.net/10217/242553Open-source software (OSS) community managers face significant challenges in retaining contributors, as they must monitor activity and engagement while navigating complex dynamics of collaboration. Current tools designed for managing contributor retention (e.g., dashboards) fall short by providing retrospective rather than predictive insights to identify potential disengagement early. Without understanding how to anticipate and prevent disengagement, new solutions risk burdening community managers rather than supporting retention management. Following the Design Science Research paradigm, we employed a mixed-methods approach for problem identification and solution design to address contributor retention. To identify the challenges hindering retention management in OSS, we conducted semi-structured interviews, a multi-vocal literature review, and community surveys. Then through an iterative build-evaluate cycle, we developed and refined strategies for diagnosing retention risks and informing engagement efforts. We operationalized these strategies into a web-based prototype, incorporating feedback from 100+ OSS practitioners, and conducted an in situ evaluation across two OSS communities. Our study offers (1) empirical insights into the challenges of contributor retention management in OSS, (2) actionable strategies that support OSS community managers’ retention efforts, and (3) a practical framework for future research in developing or validating theories about OSS sustainability.born digitalarticleseng©Feng, Zixuan, et al. ACM 2025. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in ACM Trans. Softw. Eng. Methodol., 2025, https://doi.org/10.1145/3769012.open source softwarecontributor retentioncommunity managementsocio-technical systemsTexthttps://doi.org/10.1145/3769012