diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3c56a8629..64a76c6ef 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -57,24 +57,24 @@ yarn start
 
 The app can be configured with the following environment variables.
 
-| Environment Variable    | Default                | Description                                                                                                                                     |
-| ----------------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `AUTH_REQUIRED`         | `false`                | Set to `true` to require authentication for creating new polls and accessing admin pages                                                        |
-| `ALLOWED_EMAILS`        | `""`                   | Comma separated list of email addresses that are allowed to register and login. Wildcard characters are supported. Example: `*@yourcompany.com` |
-| `DISABLE_LANDING_PAGE` | `false`                | Whether or not to disable the landing page                                                                                                      |
-| `NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL`  | `http://localhost:3000` | The base url where this instance is accessible, including the scheme (eg. `http://` or `https://`), the domain name, and optionally a port.     |
-| `SECRET_PASSWORD`       | `""`                   | A random 32-character secret key used to encrypt user sessions                                                                                  |
-| `SMTP_HOST`             | `localhost`            | The host address of your SMTP server                                                                                                            |
-| `SMTP_PORT`             | 25 or 465              | The port of your SMTP server                                                                                                                    |
-| `SMTP_SECURE`           | false                  | Set to "true" if SSL is enabled for your SMTP connection                                                                                        |
-| `SMTP_USER`             | `""`                   | The username (if auth is enabled on your SMTP server)                                                                                           |
-| `SMTP_PWD`              | `""`                   | The password (if auth is enabled on your SMTP server)                                                                                           |
+| Environment Variable   | Default               | Description                                                                                                                                     |
+| ---------------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `AUTH_REQUIRED`        | false                 | Set to `true` to require authentication for creating new polls and accessing admin pages                                                        |
+| `ALLOWED_EMAILS`       |                       | Comma separated list of email addresses that are allowed to register and login. Wildcard characters are supported. Example: `*@yourcompany.com` |
+| `DISABLE_LANDING_PAGE` | false                 | Whether or not to disable the landing page                                                                                                      |
+| `NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL` | http://localhost:3000 | The base url where this instance is accessible, including the scheme (eg. `http://` or `https://`), the domain name, and optionally a port.     |
+| `SECRET_PASSWORD`      |                       | A random 32-character secret key used to encrypt user sessions                                                                                  |
+| `SMTP_HOST`            | localhost             | The host address of your SMTP server                                                                                                            |
+| `SMTP_PORT`            | 25 or 465             | The port of your SMTP server                                                                                                                    |
+| `SMTP_SECURE`          | false                 | Set to "true" if SSL is enabled for your SMTP connection                                                                                        |
+| `SMTP_USER`            |                       | The username (if auth is enabled on your SMTP server)                                                                                           |
+| `SMTP_PWD`             |                       | The password (if auth is enabled on your SMTP server)                                                                                           |
 
 ## Contributors
 
-If you would like to contribute to the development of the project please reach out first before spending significant time on it.
+Please read our [contributing guide](CONTRIBUTING.md) to learn about how to contribute to this project.
 
-### Translators 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 🇪🇸
+### Translators 🌐
 
 You can help translate Rallly to another language by following our [guide for translators](https://github.com/lukevella/rallly/wiki/Guide-for-translators).