DTF Review and New Budget Request

TLDR:

  • Please post here if you’re interested in one of the three open DTF spots (Swappi, Addison, and I are stepping down)
  • I suggest additional 100k GHST funding for the DTF
  • I suggest the DPM role be considered and funded by the DAO (instead of the DTF). This should include new detailed expectations for the role’s standard work
  • Please provide thoughts on what you think the DTF should fund and how the DTF can be better moving forward. My detailed thoughts are below

I established the DTF in 11/2021 to provide a nimble outlet for DAO funds and efficiently fund and support community-created projects. Per our Aavegotchi DAO Standard Operating Procedures (Aavegotchi DAO Standard Operating Procedure.docx - Google Docs), the committee is due for a review of its members. The DTF will also need additional funds if the DAO would like to keep the DTF running. Currently there are more pending request than funds available to fund with the DTF’s initial budget of 50,000 GHST.

Regarding DTF committee membership, I will be stepping down from my role in leading the DTF and as a multisig signer. Swappi will also be retiring from the position as will Addison which creates at least three open spots for the DTF multisig. Deuceharts and Mori will continue in the role and I hope BowtiedNerd will stay as well, although he is still considering it. Committee membership is unpaid and generally involves review of 2-4 funding applications weekly with respective multisig transactions. If you are interested in being a member, please state your interest in this thread so you can be included in an upcoming DTF multisig election. I recommend a 1-year commitment for the role.

Regarding funding, I recommend 100k GHST with some additional clarifications from the DAO on funding limits for the DTF. For example, there are three current applications requesting 15,000+ GHST. Our general guiding principle has been to defer applications requesting >10k GHST to the broader DAO. I would like input from the community on that number before moving forward. Additionally, we should discuss the goals of DTF funds and the projects we would like to see funded. There are numerous community members currently on “payroll” for recurring contributions such as Nofuturistic, Hardkor, ZombieShepherd, and Hefe in his DPM role, all of which is funded by the DTF. Payroll alone is currently at 800 GHST/week (20,800 GHST/year). My recommendation is for the DPM role to be considered by the DAO for funding separate from the DTF but for recurring contribution payments to stay within the DTF purview.

It is important to take care of our community members and appropriately value them. I have found the DAO incredibly unappreciative given the time commitment I personally invested in this project. It’s especially painful to receive constant negative community feedback while serving in a volunteer role that’s actively trying to value other community members. I believe it’s imperative for our DAO to identify and value meaningful contributors which I hope the DTF will help facilitate.

I’ve prepared the following SWOT as parting thoughts for the DTF:

Strengths:

  • The DTF members have been wonderful to work with and generally efficient with multisig confirmations
  • Current funding application process is relatively streamlined with Notion + Parcel.money

Weaknesses:

  • Lack of tooling. The DTF has not transitioned to Dework or Wonderverse
  • Lack of general guidance and goals regarding types of projects to fund
  • Lack of transparency to the DAO with projects funded or individuals actively receiving funds
  • Lack of outreach leading to disparity in applicant type

Opportunities

  • Set funding standards for community contributors and guilds seeking funding support
    • Currently there is risk for disparities in funding and lack of transparency
  • More efficient capital use which may help fund the DTF budget itself
  • Improved use of Gotchiverse DAO assets vs GHST alone
  • Improved general DAO infrastructure may be able to absorb the duties of the DTF and provide the necessary accountability and framework for its success

Threats

  • Circular funding among friends or special interests. There are currently 4 GMI members on payroll currently. The community is very large with other contributors who may not be aware of funding due to lack of outreach or penetration of current content.
  • A lack of standardization in funding project type may lead to overexpense and disparity in funds allotted. This applies to arcade-type games and guilds requesting funding support (Gotchi FArmy and Orden being the most recent applicants)
  • Inadequate compensation for the time required to accomplish and account for the complexity of the role and mitigate the weaknesses and threats mentioned above
  • Burnout of contributors

Thanks for the long read and feedback.

DW

8 Likes

It might be a good idea to set aside some funds for the DTF members doing this job reviewing/approving bounties. I am interested in this role if there is some compensation for the effort (it doesn’t have to be much).

Honestly, there should be some back pay for the signers in the DTF (maybe based on how many transactions they signed). A lot of time was volunteered by you all and it’s not right asking people to do this work for the DAO for nothing.

11 Likes

I second this wholeheartedly. I believe the DAO should fund the DTF members with a stipend for their service if we expect the DTF to continue to operate with efficiency and efficacy moving forward.

5 Likes

I third this. Nimble has a cost and reliability eventually becomes imposition if there is no compensation.

1 Like

I appreciate the time you put together in this write-up and the SWOT analysis should be really helpful for future guidance. More importantly, thank you for the work yourself and others have put forth in standardizing operations, reviewing/funding projects, and furthering the development of the DAO in tangible ways.

I am interested in a 1-year committee position and believe that through the individual work & collaboration of the committee we can continue to review proposals, deliberate line item expenses for specific projects, and appropriately allocate funds for the various DAO needs in the areas of gaming, media, tooling, guild development, and whatever else makes sense that falls within the committee’s scope.

Where I think I could bring value:
Due to my experience in guild operations at VGG I can understand from a high-level what some of the needs are for a vital component of the Aavegotchi ecosystem with guilds in mind, and have a good general understanding of the protocol. I believe this component of my ‘resume’ would bring tangible value as guild support grows in importance with deeper gameplay on the horizon.

Additional to that I have been a protocol member for a little over 2 years now, have sat on a funding committee before irl (albeit a smaller scaled one for student government involvement back in college), and appreciate the nuances of budgetary management that are rooted in scarcity and trade-offs.

If sworn in, it would be a continuous goal of mine to always represent DAO values through demonstrating transparency, professionalism, being effective in my position, reviewing operations to find opportunities to build on the foundation you & others have done a great job at creating, and most importantly ensuring the efficacy of funding appropriations. This community has an incredible amount of talent and with that comes a great amount of opportunity as well as a need for due diligence given the size & diversity of our treasury.

Whichever way a vote ends I want to thank you for your service, even if it hasn’t been formally stated enough. I can already see some of the immediate benefits from having venues like GMI funded, as well as other initiatives that have been put in place.

1 Like

Personally I am not interested in a position within the DTF. I think the proposed 100k funding sounds reasonable. Regarding the allocation of the DPM role I lack insights into the consequences so I can´t voice an oppinion.

Furthermore your personal experiences and SWOT analyses show to me once more that we urgently need a transparent organizational structure and adequate tools for our DAO. Having leadership roles for over 20 years within a semi volunteer organization (some get paid for their work, others aren´t) I strongly recommend we need ultra transperancy over who spends how many hours doing what for the organization. The lack of appreciation often stems from the lack of knowledge about how much energy and time someone puts into their efforts for the organization. This seems to be especially true regarding organizations with synonymous members where invested money is at stake.

4 Likes

I do hereby raise my hand as being interested in a DTF committee membership.
Having nearly 20 years of project management experience, I can help to evaluate grant applications.
You can find further information about myself within the DAO Entity Signaling Thread (My application for a role as a director is withdrawn).
Thank you for considering me.

1 Like

This sounds more like what you are talking about.

There must be more ideas out there? This is a chance for someone with a vision to speak up, and even if their thing doesn’t happen, it always changes the wat the thing that does happen, goes down.

This is a great moment for people to come together to elevate our governance.

1 Like