[Saomai] Smart Contract System Ensures Transparency In Charity Activities Globally

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

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

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

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

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

Build a smart contract system so that influencers can demonstrate transparency when receiving and spending money donated by their community.

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

[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?

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

The project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Horizons

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

How We Perceive the Problem

The global charity sector faces significant challenges related to transparency, accountability, and fair fund distribution. These issues contribute to a growing distrust between donors and charitable organizations, often resulting in underfunded causes and donor skepticism. We have identified four primary problems:

1. Lack of Transparency: Donors frequently cannot track how their contributions are utilized, leading to uncertainty and distrust. Many charitable organizations fail to provide clear and verifiable details regarding fund allocation.
2. Uneven Fund Distribution: During crises, funds are often allocated inefficiently, resulting in critical areas not receiving timely assistance, despite urgent needs.
3. No Incentives for Active Participants: Volunteers involved in fundraising, aid delivery, or donation verification are rarely recognized or rewarded, which diminishes motivation to engage in these vital activities.
4. Legal Compliance Challenges: Charitable organizations must navigate complex local laws, and the lack of structured support can delay the timely delivery of aid.

These problems affect not only donors and beneficiaries but also hinder the overall effectiveness of charitable initiatives. In response, Saomai DAO proposes a decentralized, blockchain-based solution to tackle these challenges directly.

Evidence of the Problem

Several reports illustrate the deficiencies in the current charitable landscape:

• American Red Cross (ARC): Following Hurricane Harvey, the ARC raised millions to assist those in need but ultimately fell short of their commitments. NPR reported that during the Haiti earthquake relief efforts, the ARC raised $488 million, yet only 25% was directed to help victims. A staggering 75% (approximately $366 million) was allocated to internal expenses, far exceeding initial disclosures.
• Autism Speaks: This organization, which claims to support autistic children and their families, has been criticized for its funding allocation. According to the Autistic Advocacy Network (AAN), only 3% of funds raised were directed to “Family Services,” despite this being their primary mission. A mere 32% went to research, while a concerning 60% was consumed by fundraising and internal campaigns.
• Kids Wish Network: This charity raises millions for terminally ill children, yet it spends only three cents of every dollar on helping them. The majority of the remaining funds enrich the charity's directors and the for-profit companies they hire for fundraising.
• Fashion for Relief: An inquiry revealed that Naomi Campbell’s charity raised nearly £4.8 million over five years but allocated just 10% of the £4.6 million spent on charitable activities to partner charities. Excessive expenses, including hotel rooms and spa treatments, were inappropriately charged to the charity.

Sources:

• CavsConnect - Charities: A World of Corruption
• The Guardian - Naomi Campbell's Charity

Why We Approached It This Way

Blockchain technology offers a promising solution to the challenges plaguing the charity sector due to its inherent transparency, immutability, and decentralized nature. We chose to build Saomai on the Cardano blockchain because of its scalability, security, and sustainable ecosystem, which align with our project's needs.

Our approach harnesses smart contracts to automate and ensure transparency in fund distribution, while involving the community in decision-making through decentralized governance.

Here’s why our approach is effective:

• Smart Contracts for Transparency and Security: Donations are managed through smart contracts, releasing funds only when specific conditions, such as verification and proof of delivery, are met. This eliminates intermediaries and ensures full accountability.
• Decentralized Governance with SMAI Tokens: We issue SMAI governance tokens to empower the community to vote on fund allocation. This democratic approach decentralizes decision-making and rewards participants for their involvement, creating a self-sustaining system for charitable giving.
• Token-Based Incentives for Participation: Participants—donors, verifiers, and aid deliverers—earn rewards in SMAI tokens, encouraging broader engagement and ensuring that those who actively contribute to a project are fairly compensated.

Who Will Our Project Engage?

Saomai will engage four main groups:

1. Donors: Individuals and organizations wishing to contribute to charitable causes transparently. Saomai equips them with the tools to track their funds and ensure they are used effectively.
2. Charity Distributors: Volunteer groups or individuals delivering aid directly to beneficiaries, benefiting from transparency and token-based incentives for their efforts.
3. Proposal Makers: Individuals who identify and propose cases needing support, ensuring that the most pressing needs are included in the funding process.
4. Verifiers: Individuals who verify the legitimacy of charitable cases and monitor proper fund usage, playing a crucial role in maintaining accountability and transparency.

Demonstrating Our Impact

The impact of Saomai DAO will be measurable and verifiable through key performance indicators (KPIs):

• Transaction Transparency: All transactions will be publicly visible on the Cardano blockchain, allowing donors to track their contributions from initiation to usage.
• Proposal Success Rate: The number of approved and funded proposals will reflect the community’s effectiveness in identifying and addressing real-world charitable needs.
• Community Participation: We will monitor active SMAI token holders involved in governance votes, as well as the number of verifiers and charity distributors engaged in delivering and verifying aid.
• Timeliness of Fund Distribution: Success will be measured by the speed at which aid reaches beneficiaries, especially in crisis situations.
• Rewards Distribution: The number of SMAI tokens distributed as rewards will indicate engagement and incentivization, ensuring contributors are recognized for their efforts.

What is Unique About Our Solution?

Saomai DAO’s solution is unique for several reasons:

• Blockchain Transparency: Unlike traditional charities with opaque fund allocation, Saomai records every transaction publicly on the blockchain, allowing for independent audits and verification of fund usage.
• Decentralized Decision-Making: Saomai empowers the community to allocate funds directly. Through SMAI tokens, users can vote on proposals, determining which causes receive support.
• Incentivized Participation: Saomai rewards all participants in the charitable process, from those identifying needs to verifiers ensuring proper fund usage, with SMAI tokens for their contributions.
• Collateral System for Accountability: Charity distributors must provide collateral in SMAI tokens before receiving donations. This collateral is locked in smart contracts and released only after the community verifies that commitments have been fulfilled, ensuring accountability.
• Legal Compliance: Saomai incorporates fields such as “Pending Approval” or “Approved” for proposals requiring legal clearance, ensuring compliance with local regulations and adaptability to different legal environments.

Who Will Benefit, and Why Is This Important to Cardano?

Saomai benefits donors, charities, and those in need of aid, while holding significant importance for the Cardano ecosystem:

• Donors will gain increased transparency, knowing their contributions are used as intended.
• Charitable organizations and individuals can access funds without the burdensome overhead of traditional systems, enabling faster and more direct aid delivery.
• Beneficiaries, often marginalized or in crisis, will receive timely, effective, and verifiable aid.

For Cardano, Saomai presents an opportunity to showcase the real-world utility of blockchain technology in solving pressing global challenges. By building on Cardano, Saomai leverages the blockchain’s sustainability, security, and scalability, demonstrating how decentralized governance can transform not only financial systems but also humanitarian efforts.

Moreover, by utilizing DJED as the stablecoin for donations and SMAI as the governance token, Saomai generates utility and demand within the Cardano ecosystem, driving adoption and engagement with the platform.

Conclusion

Saomai is more than a charity platform; it serves as a model for how decentralized technologies can foster trust, accountability, and inclusivity in global charitable efforts. Through Cardano’s robust infrastructure, Saomai aims to lead the way in demonstrating how blockchain can be a powerful force for good.

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

Value to the Cardano Community

The Saomai project is designed to create significant value for the Cardano ecosystem by showcasing how blockchain technology can be applied to solve real-world challenges in the charity sector. Its impact on the Cardano community will be multifaceted:

1. Increased Adoption of Cardano Technology: By building Saomai on the Cardano blockchain, we are promoting the use of its infrastructure for charitable purposes. The platform uses Cardano’s DJED stablecoin for donations and SMAI tokens for decentralized governance, introducing new users to Cardano's financial ecosystem. As Saomai grows, it will encourage more people, including donors, verifiers, and charity workers, to engage with Cardano and experience the benefits of blockchain technology first-hand.
2. Demonstrating Real-World Utility: Saomai will be a tangible demonstration of how blockchain can enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in managing charitable funds. This real-world use case will build trust in Cardano's technology, showing that it’s not just for financial transactions, but also for social good. As more people witness the transparency and fairness in fund distribution through the platform, it will foster a positive perception of Cardano’s capabilities.
3. Engagement Through Decentralized Governance: By issuing SMAI governance tokens, Saomai creates an opportunity for the Cardano community to actively participate in decision-making. Token holders can vote on how funds are allocated, ensuring that charitable initiatives are driven by collective input. This will deepen community involvement and demonstrate how decentralized governance can be effectively applied to social causes, increasing the appeal of Cardano for similar projects.
4. Increased Liquidity and Demand for Cardano-Based Assets: Saomai will drive demand for Cardano-based assets, particularly DJED and SMAI tokens. By using DJED as the stablecoin for all donations, Saomai will increase liquidity and visibility for the Cardano ecosystem’s native financial tools. Additionally, as the governance and rewards system develops, SMAI tokens will become more widely used, further integrating Saomai within the larger Cardano token economy.
5. Social Good as a Driver for Cardano Adoption: Charitable projects that foster real-world impact have the power to inspire broader adoption of technology. By aligning Cardano with a platform like Saomai, which promotes transparency, fairness, and community participation, the blockchain gains visibility among humanitarian and non-profit sectors, expanding its reach beyond tech-savvy communities to include donors, volunteers, and non-profits worldwide.

Measuring Impact

We will measure the impact of Saomai on both the Cardano community and the broader charitable landscape through the following metrics:

1. Number of Active Users and SMAI Token Holders: Growth in the number of active participants, including donors, verifiers, and charity workers, will serve as a key indicator of Saomai’s impact. We will track the number of wallets holding SMAI tokens, as well as the number of users actively engaging in governance votes and proposal submissions.
2. Transaction Volume on the Platform: Monitoring the total volume of donations processed through Saomai will give us quantitative insight into how much financial activity is occurring within the Cardano ecosystem as a result of our platform. This will also reflect how effective Saomai is in attracting funds for charitable purposes.
3. Successful Proposals and Fund Distribution: The number of charitable proposals submitted, approved, and fully funded will demonstrate the effectiveness of Saomai’s decentralized decision-making process. We will also track how quickly and efficiently funds are distributed and used, providing a measure of Saomai’s operational success.
4. Community Engagement in Governance: We will track participation in governance activities, such as the number of votes cast in funding decisions and the involvement of the community in validating charitable activities. High levels of engagement will show that the Cardano community is actively involved in Saomai's mission and growth.
5. Verification and Proof of Impact: Each charitable action, from fund distribution to aid delivery, will be verified by community members through Saomai’s verification process. The number of successfully verified actions will indicate the platform’s success in ensuring transparency and accountability.
6. SMAI Token Circulation and Rewards Distribution: The circulation of SMAI tokens, as well as the volume of rewards distributed to verifiers and charity workers, will provide insight into the health of the platform’s reward system. By tracking how many users are earning and redeeming SMAI tokens, we can assess how well our incentivization model is working.

Sharing Outputs and Opportunities

Saomai will ensure that the results and opportunities generated by our project are shared widely within and beyond the Cardano community. We plan to engage with our stakeholders and the broader public through the following channels:

1. Public Dashboard for Transparency: All transactions, governance decisions, and proposals on Saomai will be publicly visible on the blockchain. We will create a user-friendly dashboard where anyone can monitor the platform’s performance, including donation flows, governance voting outcomes, and fund allocations.
2. Regular Community Updates: We will share progress updates with the Cardano community through blog posts, newsletters, and social media. These updates will highlight key milestones, success stories, and upcoming opportunities for community involvement.
3. Collaborations and Partnerships: Saomai will actively seek partnerships with other projects and organizations in the Cardano ecosystem. By collaborating with wallet providers, decentralized exchanges, and other blockchain-based platforms, we will integrate deeper into the Cardano community and foster shared growth.
4. Reporting on Charitable Impact: We will publish regular reports that detail the real-world impact of the funds raised and distributed through Saomai. These reports will include case studies of successfully funded charitable initiatives, as well as data on how funds were used, verified, and distributed.
5. Educational Content and Workshops: To encourage broader participation, we will develop educational content to help new users understand how to engage with Saomai and the Cardano blockchain. This may include video tutorials, webinars, and workshops to guide users through everything from creating wallets to voting on proposals.
6. Open-Source Code and Contributions: As a decentralized platform, Saomai will be open-source, allowing developers and contributors from the Cardano community to participate in improving and expanding the platform. We will encourage community contributions to ensure Saomai evolves with the needs of its users.

Conclusion

• Saomai is more than just a platform for charitable giving; it’s a transformative tool that leverages the power of the Cardano blockchain to bring transparency, accountability, and community-driven governance to the charity sector. By engaging a broad range of participants—from donors to verifiers—and offering them tangible incentives through the SMAI token, Saomai creates a self-sustaining ecosystem that benefits both the Cardano community and those in need of charitable aid.
• As Saomai grows, it will serve as a powerful use case for how blockchain can be used for social good, driving further adoption of Cardano’s technology and expanding its role in creating positive, global change. Through measurable impact and open community engagement, Saomai will bring lasting value to the Cardano ecosystem and beyond.

[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?

Our team is uniquely positioned to deliver Saomai DAO, backed by years of experience in both software development and charitable activities. We have developed numerous critical systems for banks across Vietnam and Southeast Asia, ensuring that we possess the expertise needed to handle high-stakes, secure, and reliable financial operations. These skills translate seamlessly into the blockchain space, where we’ve already demonstrated our capabilities by building various applications within the Cardano ecosystem.

Proven Track Record in Blockchain and Cardano Development

• bWork: A smart contract based HR platform built on Cardano
• cReport: Catalyst analyzer & KPIs
• PaaS: Classified Smart Contracts for Distinct Use Case dApps

Expertise in Charity and Social Media Engagement

Our team is also composed of active members of charitable organizations in Vietnam. We have firsthand experience with the challenges that charity efforts face, particularly in terms of transparency and fund mismanagement. This understanding has shaped our approach to developing Saomai to address these pain points, ensuring that donors can trust where their contributions are going.

In addition, we are connected with YouTubers, TikTokers, and Facebook influencers, which will allow us to promote Saomai effectively across social media platforms. Our connections make it easy for us to reach a wide audience, ensuring strong community engagement and adoption of the application.

Steps to Ensure Trust and Accountability

1. Smart Contract Fund Management: All donations will be managed through smart contracts, ensuring transparency. Funds will only be released once the community verifies that the intended charitable actions have been carried out.
2. Blockchain Transparency: Every transaction will be publicly recorded on the Cardano blockchain, and our system will offer real-time tracking of donation flows, accessible to all stakeholders.
3. Decentralized Governance: Through SMAI token governance, the community will have direct input on fund allocation and key decisions, further ensuring accountability.
4. Strong Ties to the Charity Community: Our longstanding involvement in charity activities provides us with insights into common issues like misallocation of resources, allowing us to design Saomai in a way that avoids these problems.

By combining our extensive technical expertise, deep understanding of charity challenges, and our strong social media presence, we are confident that we are the best team to deliver Saomai DAO with the highest levels of trust, accountability, and transparency.

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

Smart Contract Architecture Design and Development

• Objective: Design and implement the core smart contracts that will govern the Saomai DAO platform, including contracts for donation management, fund release, and staking mechanisms.
• Duration: 200 hours
• Tasks:
• Define the structure of smart contracts for donation collection, disbursement, and verification.
• Develop the donation escrow smart contract to lock funds until the specified criteria are met.
• Implement staking and collateral contracts to ensure that users (influencers, donors, charity managers) commit funds before receiving donations.
• Develop a voting contract to allow SMAI token holders to vote on fund allocation proposals.
• A: Milestone Outputs:
• Complete code for donation escrow, staking, and voting smart contracts.
• Unit tests covering all critical functionalities.
• Documentation of smart contract architecture and functionality.
• B: Acceptance Criteria:
• Smart contracts successfully deployed on Cardano testnet.
• Contracts pass all unit and integration tests.
• Clear and detailed documentation available for review.
• C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:
• GitHub repository with smart contract code and documentation.
• Testnet deployment report, including transaction IDs and test cases results.
• Video demonstration of the working contracts on testnet.

DAO Tokenomics Design and Implementation

• Objective: Design the tokenomics model for SMAI, the governance and utility token of Saomai DAO, and implement smart contracts for token minting, staking, and reward distribution.
• Duration: 150 hours
• Tasks:
• Design a sustainable tokenomics model that incentivizes participation in DAO governance and charity verification processes.
• Define SMAI token utility, supply distribution, staking rewards, and inflation rate.
• Develop smart contracts for minting and staking SMAI tokens.
• Design reward structures for charity contributors, influencers, and DAO participants.
• A: Milestone Outputs:
• Tokenomics whitepaper, including supply allocation, staking rewards, and inflation models.
• Smart contract code for minting and staking SMAI tokens.
• Detailed token distribution plan (for influencers, donors, and validators).
• B: Acceptance Criteria:
• Tokenomics model reviewed and approved by stakeholders.
• Smart contracts deployed to Cardano testnet and successfully tested.
• Token staking and reward distribution mechanics verified in a testnet environment.
• C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:
• Tokenomics whitepaper published.
• GitHub repository with token-related smart contracts.
• Testnet deployment report showing token minting and staking functionalities.

Listing SMAI on Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs)

• Objective: List SMAI tokens on key Cardano DEXs to enable liquidity and trading, ensuring that the token becomes accessible to the broader community.
• Duration: 100 hours
• Tasks:
• Prepare necessary documentation and applications for listing SMAI on DEXs such as Minswap, VyFi, and SundaeSwap.
• Engage with liquidity providers to ensure sufficient liquidity for SMAI trading.
• Set up liquidity pools and automated market maker (AMM) contracts to manage token trading on DEXs.
• A: Milestone Outputs:
• SMAI token listed on at least two DEXs.
• Liquidity pools established and functional on Minswap, VyFi, and SundaeSwap.
• B: Acceptance Criteria:
• SMAI successfully tradable on two DEXs with verified trading pairs and liquidity pools.
• Liquidity targets for each DEX met (e.g., minimum ADA-SMAI liquidity of 100k ADA on each platform).
• C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:
• Transaction IDs showing the creation of liquidity pools.
• DEX URLs showing SMAI token availability and tradability.
• Reports on liquidity pool metrics.

Community Engagement and Final Testing on Mainnet

• Objective: Conduct final testing and security audits of the smart contracts, followed by deployment on the Cardano mainnet. Ensure strong community engagement to drive participation and adoption of the platform.
• Duration: 150 hours
• Tasks:
• Perform extensive security audits of all smart contracts to identify and resolve vulnerabilities.
• Deploy the final smart contracts on Cardano mainnet.
• Engage the community to participate in governance and token staking.
• A: Milestone Outputs:
• Audited and secure smart contracts deployed on Cardano mainnet.
• Community awareness campaigns and engagement strategies implemented.
• User onboarding materials and tutorials developed.
• B: Acceptance Criteria:
• No critical issues identified in the security audit.
• All smart contracts live and fully functional on Cardano mainnet.
• A minimum of 500 users engaged in the platform in the first month.
• C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:
• Security audit reports published.
• Transaction IDs showing smart contract deployments on mainnet.
• Analytics reports on community engagement and token staking.

Project Close-Out and Final Report

• Objective: Complete project close-out activities, including final reporting, video walkthrough, and impact assessment.
• Duration: 50 hours
• Tasks:
• Create a final project report detailing the outcomes, achievements, and lessons learned.
• Produce a video walkthrough demonstrating the Saomai platform in action.
• Assess the project's impact on the Cardano community and outline future roadmap plans.
• A: Milestone Outputs:
• Final project report and impact assessment.
• Video demonstration of the live Saomai platform.
• B: Acceptance Criteria:
• Report submitted with all key metrics and outcomes.
• Video walkthrough successfully uploaded and shared with the Cardano community.
• C: Evidence of Milestone Completion:
• Final report published and accessible to stakeholders.
• Video shared on relevant platforms (YouTube, Catalyst, etc.).

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

Our team consists of a diverse group of experienced professionals who bring expertise from blockchain development, charity work, frontend/backend development, and social media content creation. Each member is committed to the success of the Saomai app and its goal of bringing transparency to charitable donations through blockchain technology.

Mr. Julia Vega (Leader)

• Role: Project Lead, Charity Operations
• Experience: Julia has been involved in Catalyst since Fund 10 and has 5 years of experience in charity activities, organizing over 100 charity trips and assisting more than 10,000 people in need. Julia's experience in the charitable sector ensures that the Saomai app will meet the real-world needs of donors and recipients alike.
• Social Link: Facebook Profile

Ms. Huyen Tran

• Role: Application Testing and User Experience Validation
• Experience: Huyen has been part of Catalyst since Fund 7 and has extensive experience with blockchain-based projects. She will lead the testing of Saomai’s key features to ensure functionality and usability for the end-users.
• Social Link: Facebook Profile

PaaS Development Team (Smart Contract Developers)

• The PaaS development team specializes in smart contract development, proficient in languages like Plutus and Aiken. They have successfully delivered Catalyst-funded projects such as bWorks.app, cReport, and PaaS.
• For PeerLearn, this team will develop the custom smart contracts that enable secure peer-to-peer interactions and payments between learners and educators on the platform.
• Telegram: PaaS

Mr. Luong Anh Tuan

• Role: System Architect, AI/ML Specialist
• Experience: With a Bachelor of Science in IT from FPT University in Ha Noi, Tuan specializes in AI/ML and blockchain technology. He will oversee the information system architecture of Saomai, ensuring scalability, security, and integration with AI-driven tools.

Mr. Le Hong Phuong

• Role: UI/UX Designer, Frontend Developer
• Experience: An expert in user interface and user experience design, Phuong will be responsible for designing the Saomai app to be intuitive, accessible, and user-friendly, ensuring a seamless experience for both donors and charity organizers.

Mr. Vu Quoc Tuan

• Role: Social Media Content Creator and Strategist
• Experience: Tuan is a social media content creator who has successfully developed and supported multiple TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook channels. He will handle the media outreach and communication strategies for Saomai, ensuring the app’s visibility and engagement across digital platforms.

We have built the Saomai app together and will launch it in October. You can follow and experience the app at https://saomai.network/app/download

Additional Recruitment

We plan to recruit additional developers and marketing specialists to support the expansion of the app post-MVP stage. These individuals will bring expertise in:

• Backend Development for scaling the platform.
• Marketing and Outreach to promote Saomai to a global audience.
• Community Managers to foster engagement and trust within the user community.

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

Milestone 1: Smart Contract Architecture Design and Development

Total Cost: 12,000 ADA (~13.33% of total budget)

• Backend Development: 7,000 ADA
• Frontend Development: 2,000 ADA
• Testing and QA: 1,500 ADA
• Project Management and Documentation: 1,500 ADA

Milestone 2: DAO Tokenomics Design and Implementation

Total Cost: 22,000 ADA (~24.44% of total budget)

• Tokenomics Design and Whitepaper Development: 5,000 ADA
• Smart Contract Development (Minting & Staking): 8,000 ADA
• Testing and QA: 5,000 ADA
• Project Management and Reporting: 4,000 ADA

Milestone 3: Listing SMAI on Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs)

Total Cost: 21,000 ADA (~23.33% of total budget)

• DEX Application & Documentation: 6,000 ADA
• Liquidity Provision and AMM Setup: 8,000 ADA
• Testing and QA: 4,000 ADA
• Community Engagement and Marketing: 3,000 ADA

Final Milestone: Project Close-Out and Final Report

Total Cost: 25,000 ADA (~27.78% of total budget)

• Security Audits and Smart Contract Deployment: 12,000 ADA
• Final Testing on Mainnet: 5,000 ADA
• Community Engagement & Marketing: 4,000 ADA
• Final Report and Video Production: 4,000 ADA

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Total Project Budget: 90,000 ADA

We have two proposals for the comprehensive development of this application, aimed at serving users as soon as possible. Please vote YES for us. Search for 'Saomai' on the Voting App, and you will find these two proposals:

[Saomai] Smart Contract System Ensures Transparency In Charity Activities Globally

[Saomai] Global Charitable Network: Blockchain-Based, Fully Transparent, and Community-Led

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

The proposed budget for the Saomai MVP represents excellent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem due to its careful cost structuring and efficient allocation of resources. Our budget is aligned with industry standards for software development in Southeast Asia, where developer costs are significantly lower than in many Western countries, allowing us to accomplish more with fewer resources.

Cost Efficiency & Proportionality

• Developer Costs: The backend and frontend development costs have been benchmarked against average freelance and full-time developer rates in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, which typically range from $20-40/hour. This ensures that we are receiving high-quality work at a fraction of the cost compared to other regions.
• Milestone Allocation: By allocating no more than 15% of the total budget to Milestone 1 (infrastructure setup), we are maximizing the cost-efficiency of our initial development work. The majority of the budget is focused on key milestones that will directly contribute to a working MVP, with the final milestone accounting for more than 25%, ensuring robust testing, community validation, and project completion.
• Lean Infrastructure: We have prioritized lean development, utilizing cost-effective cloud hosting solutions, open-source technologies, and efficient frameworks (e.g., React for frontend) to keep costs low while maintaining flexibility and scalability.

Cardano Ecosystem Value

This project introduces a globally relevant, blockchain-powered solution that tackles transparency and trust in charity donations—an issue of growing importance. By demonstrating successful use cases for smart contracts, community-based governance, and decentralized identity (DID), the Saomai MVP will attract attention to Cardano’s capabilities, positioning it as a leader in the blockchain-for-good space. This could lead to increased adoption of Cardano technologies across social impact sectors, adding value to the ecosystem.

Our project’s cost-to-impact ratio ensures that every ADA spent contributes to a meaningful, real-world application with the potential to scale, adding continuous value for both the Cardano network and its global user base.