How can I add a footer like this site (WP101.com) to my theme?

Hi David, I'm familiar with the Monochrome theme, and this site currently uses another StudioPress theme that is no longer available for purchase. You're right... in order to create a footer area like the one you see below, you'll need to edit your theme. And that does require coding expertise — specifically, experience with the Genesis theme framework, which all StudioPress themes utilize. There are three parts to the project:

1. First, you'll need to add some code to the functions.php file in your theme which will tell WordPress to create a new widget area.
2. Next, you'll need to add some CSS to the style.css file in your theme to add the formatting of any widgets you add to this area: the layout, positioning, heading, text, link color, background color, etc.
3. Finally, you'll be ready to add some widgets to your new widget area, which will show up in the Widgets panel.

This can be quite tricky, if you're not a coder. But, you can hire a WordPress developer to edit your theme, and they should be able to complete these changes in just an hour or two. You can click here to chat with a WordPress expert in just a few minutes, with no obligation to hire them. If you don't want to hire a coder, you might consider purchasing a membership to Sridhar Katakam's excellent website that's filled with code snippets and tutorials just for Genesis sites. In fact, he's created a tutorial on precisely what you're looking for... “How to Create a Flexible Footer Widget Area in Monochrome Pro.” You'll need to purchase a membership to his site in order to access the tutorial. Still, it may be less expensive to buy a 1-month membership to Sridhar's tutorial site than hiring a WordPress developer. Alternatively, you can find a different theme that includes a footer area that looks more like you envision. Or, consider a theme like Astra or Blocksy, which enable you to create just about any type of footer you want. I hope this helps point you in the right direction!