CIP-1694 Governance Skills Development

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

ODIN

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

Newman Lanier

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

5

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Create opportunities for community members to study, present, and practice exemplary governance and collaboration patterns. The group practices Sociocracy and shares widely educational materials.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No Dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

We will use the Creative Commons license - Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

We are committed to open-source principles. This license grants users the freedom to use, modify and distribute the project freely, provided that the modified works use the same license.

To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[METADATA] Horizons

Education

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

This provides practical governance skills development for the CIP-1694 era.

We build this study group in a unique, decentralized, participatory way. Individual community members will be empowered to select, research, and present a pattern of their choosing at a weekly, 60 minute meeting. Each presenter will be awarded 300 ADA as a token of appreciation for the effort. Likewise, the meeting facilitator will be compensated. See the budget for more details on compensation.

The video of presentations and associated documents and information will be collected on our website. These recordings and public repository of the presentation files are some of the valuable deliverables for this proposal.

Project Catalyst funds will create opportunities for community members to research state of the art governance and collaboration patterns and techniques, create learning artifacts in the form of accessible presentations for the group that can be widely shared and distributed… and truly learn and share a passion for governance and collaboration.

For example, this collection of 79 Sociocratic patterns is already being investigated by a small Circle of the ODIN (Open Decentralized Innovation Network).

The goal is to train people in the practices of community governance. Skilled workers in this area will be invaluable in the Voltaire era.

Besides Presenters, funds will also be available for:

• The facilitator of the meetings where the presentation happens.
• The project administrator for organizing the meetings and disbursing the funds.
• The catalyst administrator for Project Catalyst reporting.
• Social Media Manager for organizing a small funded campaign to promote the project.
• see the Budget for more details

The core of this group is already established as an Education sub-circle of Open Decentralized Innovation Network (ODIN).

This project will engage the Cardano community and any organization hoping to become more effective and robust. Our target will be the Project Catalyst communities, such as the Townhalls, Funded projects (past and present). Also Intersect MBO and sister innovation fund, SingularityNet DeepFunding are target markets. Funding is budgeted for special event presentations at these community meetings to ensure effective outreach and awareness.

Rationale:

This solution is a specific and concrete way for community members to engage with the governance and collaboration principles.

It’s open to any member of the wider Cardano community to select a ‘pattern’, study it, do the presentation at a weekly meeting, and receive funding. This way we can engage anyone willing to study and learn. This lowers barriers to education. Effectively we are incentivized to learn and share what we learn. And, we do it in a way that reinforces the Cardano principles and provides lasting impact.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

The core impact areas are:

Empowering Decentralized Governance and Decision-Making

This proposal addresses one of the most pressing needs in the Cardano ecosystem: preparing the community for effective participation in decentralized governance models such as CIP-1694 and the upcoming Voltaire era. By offering a structured environment where community members can research, present, and discuss governance patterns and collaborative strategies, the project is not only educating participants but is also equipping the broader community with essential skills and knowledge that are fundamental for the ecosystem’s evolution.

Creating a Knowledge Repository for Long-Term Use

The project's outputs—including recorded presentations, curated links and documentation —will be made freely accessible under a Creative Commons license. This open-source approach - plus a marketing and outreach campaign - ensures that the resources developed are not just for the immediate study group members but are available to the entire community indefinitely. Anyone interested in governance can use these materials to learn and contribute meaningfully to Cardano’s development, long after the project’s initial funding and operation period have ended.

Fostering a Culture of Participation and Inclusivity

The project incentivizes wide community engagement by providing honoraria for research and presentations, lowering the barriers to participation and encouraging a diverse range of voices. This inclusivity aligns with Cardano’s ethos of decentralization and helps to foster a participatory culture. As more community members become familiar with governance and collaboration models, they will be better prepared to take on leadership roles and contribute to discussions on critical governance issues, thereby enriching the quality of decision-making within the ecosystem.

The key metrics and measurements are:

Participant Engagement:

• Number of attendees at study group sessions.
• Number of active presenters and contributors.

Community Feedback:

• Post-session surveys to collect participant insights and measure learning outcomes.
• Feedback on governance practices adopted within other projects.

Social Media Engagement:

• Metrics from social media campaigns (likes, shares, comments, and reach).
• Growth in community awareness through follower increases and online interactions.

Content Reach and Usage:

• Number of views/downloads of recorded presentations and learning materials.
• Use of governance patterns by other Cardano projects (tracked via feedback forms or partnerships).

Long-Term Indicators:

• Continued adoption of governance practices aligned with CIP-1694 and Voltaire.
• New collaborations initiated based on study group interactions.

Risk Mitigation Strategies

Risk:

The benefits and impact are limited to a small group of participants and do not reach the broader Cardano community.

Mitigation:

We will create web pages and blog posts hosted on GitHub and YouTube to ensure lasting, easily accessible resources. Additionally, our budget includes an awareness campaign (paid promotions, automated social media campaigns and special Inter-community presentations) to drive participation and engagement. This will help expand the reach of the project, ensuring that its impact extends beyond the immediate participants and becomes a lasting asset to the ecosystem.

Risk:

The quality of presentations may be lower than expected.

Mitigation:

We increased the reward for research and presentation efforts, encouraging deeper engagement and better quality output. By offering meaningful incentives, we attract motivated contributors and raise the standard of the presentations, ensuring that the learning materials are of high value to the community.

Risk:

Team motivation and cohesion could decrease over time.

Mitigation:

Our team is part of the well-established ODIN initiative, with a strong history of collaboration. To maintain focus and sustain quality, we reduced the project timeline to 4 months. This ensures the team can stay motivated, committed, and aligned throughout the project without burnout or diminished productivity.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

This is an initiative of the Open Decentralized Innovation Network (ODIN). The study group has existed September of 2023 and has held over 50 meetings with the express purpose of studying methods for governance and collaboration .  

We made this proposal with simplicity in mind. We are a capable group of veteran Project Catalyst members with many completed proposals. We are confident we can coordinate and complete the project.

Here is the playlist of presentations of the group so far:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDjMzr9agkac7IPQv32QZ17CM_pRvCPnd&si=QqU-DWPSbSq-Acq6

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1: Setup

• Description: 
• Set up the project. Finalize and confirm the roles, budget, timelines
• Outputs: 
• A project charter document. The administration team is confirmed. Project documentation is ready. Communication channels are established and published. Social media campaign is established
• A project kickoff call with the Administration team that presents the project, presenter workflow, a video of which is published on a bespoke study group video channel. There is a project repo for documentation and reference. Social Media and outreach campaigns are documented. 
• Acceptance Criteria: 
• A project document with:
• Commitment from team members
• Agreed communication channels
• Social media campaign details
• Links to repo with documentation
• Recording of the project kickoff meeting where the project charter is accepted.

Milestone 2: Launch and presentations (First 16 presentations)

• Description: 
• Officially launch the program. Begin promotional activities to engage the Catalyst funded proposer community and begin weekly meetings.
• Conduct mid project review of all stakeholders (team members, audience at meetings, etc.)
• Outputs: 
• First presentations conducted on a Zoom call
• Promotional campaign on social media conducted
• On-boarding of new presenters 
• Payments 
• Project review data report
• Acceptance Criteria: 
• Video and documentation of the first presentations available on website
• Social media posts are documented
• New presenters have profiles on website
• Payment transactions are documented
• Project review data report is available in repo

Milestone 3: Ongoing S3 presentations (last 16 presentations)

• Description: 
• Conduct weekly meetings with community presenters.  
• Execute the Social Media campaign.  
• Disburse funds to the first 16 presenters.  
• Outputs: 
• meeting recordings, 
• social media posts, 
• Roster of presenters, 
• documentation of presentations on website
• Acceptance Criteria: 
• 32 completed presentations. 
• All outputs documented.

Final Milestone 4: Project Closeout

• Description: 
• Conduct Project Closeout and final project evaluation 
• Outputs: 
• final meeting recordings with documentation, 
• social media posts, 
• roster of presenters, 
• Project Closeout report
• Acceptance Criteria: 
• All 32 presentations are documented
• The project Closeout report is completed.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Pattern Presenter: 

Anyone in the community who is willing to study and present one pattern, principle or concept of Collaboration and Governance. There will be a limit of 10 presentation for any one person.  

Open invitation to wider community. Presenters so far include:

Juan, Nicodemus, Randall, Harsha, Newman, Nori, Jeremy, and Roberto

Meeting Facilitator:

Facilitates weekly meetings where presentations are conducted. 

ODIN members: Newman Lanier, Nori Nishigaya, Randall Harmon

Project Administrator: 

Conducts the operational business of the project - communicating with the presenters, preparing the documentation, and doing the treasury disbursements, and all other tasks to keep project running smoothly.

Newman Lanier

Catalyst Administrator: 

Conducts the Catalyst milestone reporting.

Nori Nishigaya

All team members can conduct multiple roles.  

--Bios--

Nori is the Founder of the Salmon Nation Decentralised Alliance (SANADA), co-founder of Bridge Builders, and a founding member of Andamio. He organizes meetups and events as a Cardano Ambassador and is a serially funded proposer. Nori brings over 30 years of experience in software development, agile methodologies, leadership in managing teams, and founding and running technology startups. His passion is discovering and sharing governance and organizational best practices for radically decentralized and self-managed communities through experimentation and hands-on practice.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nishigaya/ 

Newman is a professional with a diverse background spanning various roles. Having worked as a Project Facilitator at Cardano's Project Catalyst, Newman contributed since Fund7. As an Educational Technology Specialist at Duke University, Newman designed, developed, and implemented online courses using Blackboard and Moodle Learning Management Systems. His skill set includes project management, team leadership, and meticulous project planning, positioning Newman as a versatile professional ready to drive innovation and streamline organizational processes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/newman5/

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

There are five paid roles for the project.  

• Pattern Presenter
• Meeting Facilitator
• Project Administrator
• Catalyst Administrator
• Social Media campaign builder

In order to keep the project attractive to funding, we compensate with honoraria or “Paid below the customary rate”. We feel that people want to commit to this project, but can’t completely volunteer the time and resources.  

Additionally, we are requesting funding for the following resources:

• Zoom Pro Accounts: To elevated zoom accounts for multiple team members, ensuring seamless facilitation of sessions and events.
• OpenAI ChatGPT-4: To support content creation, streamline reporting, and enhance communication efforts.
• Social Media Automation Tool (Buffer): To optimize and reduce the cost of managing social media campaigns.
• Paid Promotion Budget and Presentation Rewards: To incentivize inter-community presentations at events like Intersect and Cardano town halls, fostering broader collaboration across the ecosystem.

See this budget for more details and role descriptions - ODIN Study Group Budget

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

In preparation for CIP-1694 governance actions, this is a direct, effective way to incentivize the Cardano community to study and to engage with the governance and collaboration principles and concepts. These patterns are a documented way to improve organizational effectiveness and outcomes. If our projects, working groups, MBOs and collaborators use these patterns, they will be better.  

The value is increased because the project will encourage community members to study and publicly share the patterns. This is an open and decentralized project. It abides the open source ethos - every community member is encouraged to participate. 

The administrative role's cost are less than half of the total budget. Honorarium, monetary 'tokens of appreciation', to compensate in order to keep costs low and encourage community participation.