GIP-101: Should karpatkey and StableLab Establish a Delegate Program v0 for the GnosisDAO?

Executive Summary

This proposal aims to prevent the GnosisDAO from encountering challenges related to reaching a quorum on its proposals, preventing the hindrance of effective decision-making and governance processes. This program is designed to improve quorum participation, increase community engagement and strengthen the governance processes of the GnosisDAO, leading to more effective and inclusive decision-making.

This proposal suggests electing ten delegates through a transparent and democratic election process to increase the DAO's ability to reach a quorum and enhance the community's participation in decision-making.

Each selected delegate will receive 5,000 GNO from the DAO Treasury, empowering them to represent the community's interests and contribute actively to the governance of the GnosisDAO. This delegation will last six months. This proposal distributes temporary voting power only.

Specification

This program will delegate 5,000 GNO from the GnosisDAO treasury to 10 candidates selected through a Snapshot voting process.

Eligibility Criteria

Each applicant must meet the following criteria to be eligible to become a delegate in this program:

• Active Community Membership. Nominees must be active members of the GnosisDAO Community. To meet this criteria, they will share a link to their forum account or Discord, demonstrating activity for at least six months.
  • If they do not meet this criteria, an active member not already participating in this program may sponsor them. Active members may only sponsor one applicant.
• History of Governance Experience. Nominees must have governance experience as demonstrated by a history of participation in the GnosisDAO governance process or another active DAO. To meet these criteria, they will share a link to their relevant Snapshot or Tally profile showing a history of governance involvement.
• Post a Delegate Initiative. Nominees will post a delegate initiative on the GnosisDAO forum that outlines the details of their experience in DAO Governance and their approach to contributing to GnosisDAO Governance.

These criteria are designed to ensure that the selected delegates are experienced and committed members of the GnosisDAO community, capable of effectively representing the community's interests and contributing to the DAO's governance.

Delegate Selection Process

Submission

Delegates will nominate themselves by posting interest in the official "Nomination Thread". The nomination thread will be posted upon passing this proposal. Please provide the instructions, date, and template for application submission.

In addition to meeting the Eligibility Criteria, delegates will be expected to explain (at a minimum) the following in their application:

• Introduction: Introduce themselves or the organization. The goal is one brief paragraph.
• Proposed Delegate Initiative: State their reason for wanting to be a GnosisDAO delegate or become further involved in the GnosisDAO.
• Areas of expertise: Explain any expertise relevant to their involvement in the GnosisDAO.

Voting and Selection

All qualified and complete submissions received during the submission phase will be placed on a ballot. The ballot will be moved to Snapshot, and voting will be conducted using the weighted voting strategy.

Voters are encouraged to select nominations that promote diversity and representation based on their expertise, commitment to the DAO's principles and dedication to advancing the GnosisDAO's mission.

The top ten nominations receiving the most votes will be selected to receive a 5,000 GNO delegation for this six-month trial program.

Timeline

A nomination thread will be opened on the forum, and applications will be accepted for three weeks. At the end of three weeks, eligible applications will be assembled and move to a weighted Snapshot vote to determine the selected delegates.

| Phase | Duration | | ----------- | -------- | | Phase 1: Application | 3 weeks | | Phase 2: Voting | 1 week | | Phase 3: Active Delegation Program | 6 Months |

Although the duration timeline is specified in this proposal, the official dates will be established once this proposal is passed and posted in the Nomination Thread with instructions for applying.

Program Duration

This delegate trial program will run for six months, after which the community will review it for renewal or deprecation.

Delegation Allocation

Each of the ten delegates selected will receive 5k GNO independently. The distribution is designed to provide equal incentives for participation.

The total amount being allocated (50k GNO) was chosen because it represents a significant amount of quorum while not meaningfully diluting current stakeholders while still providing a boosting governance involvement.

karpatkey will assist the GnosisDAO in creating ten separate SAFEs, configuring them to the same policy as employed in the treasury management SAFEs. This set-up will ensure the DAO retains custody of the GNO and the signer for the delegation actions.

Accountability Mechanisms

To ensure accountability for this program and the delegates receiving active delegations, two sets of performance indicators will be established:

1. Delegate KPI's

Delegates will be required to maintain minimum standards of participation. These standards are:

• Maintaining a voting record of at least 70%.
• Maintaining a voting reasoning communication record of 100%.

2. Program KPI's

This KPI ensures that program facilitators remain actively involved and promote the success of delegates:

• Greater than 50% of the nominated and selected delegates meet their Delegate KPIs.

Note: If a delegate is below these indicators at the conclusion of the trial period, this delegate will be ineligible to participate in the next Delegate Program cycle. Elected delegates are entering this program with the expectation of voting on all proposals and promptly communicating their rationale for voting on the forum.

Rationale

Achieving a quorum on proposals is not just a procedural requirement but a crucial factor for the smooth functioning and effectiveness of the GnosisDAO. Quorum ensures that decisions reflect the community's consensus and that proposals receive adequate scrutiny and deliberation before implementation. However, the DAO needs help to reach quorum levels, leading to delays in decision-making and potentially impacting the progress of important initiatives vital for the DAO's growth and success.

By selecting up to 10 delegates through an election process, we aim to bolster quorum participation and increase community engagement in governance activities. Delegates entrusted with representing the community's interests will actively participate in discussions, vote on proposals, and advocate for initiatives that align with the DAO's objectives. Their involvement will enhance the diversity of perspectives considered in decision-making and foster a more inclusive governance process.

Budget

The total budget for this six-month trial period is $20,000, paid in xDAI. The budget will pay StableLab to function as the "Program Facilitator". This budget pays for the work involved in assisting with this program design and providing oversight of delegates, including ensuring delegates remain active in meeting their participation KPIs.

Stablelabs will also provide a retrospective analysis of this program's efficacy to aid the DAO's decision to continue beyond an initial six-month trial period.

Payment Schedule

| Payment | Amount | | ------------ | -------------------------- | | Month 1 | One payment of 10,000 xDAI | | Month 3 | One payment of 10,000 xDAI | | Total | 20,000 xDAI |

These two payments will be made during the months of the active delegation phase following a successful selection of delegates.

Evaluation

This program will be evaluated by successfully completing the KPIs established in this proposal. A DAO vote will be required to continue it beyond the initial six-month trial period.

Team/ Organization

karpatkey and StableLab are jointly presenting this proposal. StableLab will serve the role of "Program Facilitator", providing oversight and upkeep, while karpatkey will provide support in setting up the SAFEs.

• karpatkey will support the technical implementation of the Gnosis Delegate Program by initiating the required SAFEs to achieve multiple delegations. karpatkey will also assist in receiving the payment requests from StableLab. As an already established and compensated service provider, karpatkey will provide these services under existing agreements.

• StableLab ("Program Facilitator") will facilitate the governance frameworks and non-technical operations required to execute the Gnosis Delegate Program so that all elected delegates maintain their KPIs. This measure ensures that the Delegate Program operates effectively and in the community's best interests. StableLab has experience establishing, running, and actively participating in delegate programs across DAOs such as Aave, Uniswap, 1inch, Balancer, Safe, etc.

Points of Contact

• karpatkey: @coltron.eth & @netrim
• StableLab: @Kene_StableLab