Amplify Cardano: Community-Led Marketing by Rare Network

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Amplify Cardano: Community-Led Marketing by Rare Network

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

50000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

9

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Cardano lacks coordinated marketing, funding, and SOPs, limiting community-led campaigns. A new strategy is needed to boost visibility, support creators, and align efforts across the ecosystem.

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

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

No

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

No dependencies

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

No

License and Additional Information

NA

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Events

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.

We’re targeting Cardano ecosystem contributors—individuals, teams, and organizations—who have the skills to execute impactful marketing but lack funding. Campaigns will reach global audiences via social media, PR, video, events, and influencer outreach. This matters to Cardano because it boosts visibility, adoption, and competitiveness against better-funded blockchains, strengthening Cardano’s brand and global presence.

Provide a list of key activities of your project?

Launch proposal portal for campaign applications

Review and approve proposals

Distribute funds ($1K–$10K per campaign)

Develop SOPs and brand guidelines

Provide project management and consultation

Promote campaigns via Rare Network’s channels

Collect KPIs and media documentation

Deliver quarterly reports

Facilitate knowledge transfer for future rounds

What are your success metrics?

With a $50K budget, we aim to launch 4–6 community-led campaigns generating 2.5M–4M+ impressions. We expect 50K–80K unique website visitors, 8K–12K conversions, and 200K–500K influencer impressions. Additional metrics include 10+ PR mentions, 800K–1.2M video views, 300–500 event/webinar signups, 2%–4.5% CTR, and measurable growth in social followers, partnerships, and regional activations. Post-campaign surveys and engagement data will assess impact.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Rare Network will administer a marketing campaign fund allowing community members to launch meaningful marketing campaigns. The key components include:

· Specialized Proposal System: Ensuring equitable access to funding.

· Diverse Budget Allocation: Providing funds between $1,000 and $10,000 USD for a wide range of campaign scopes and budgets.

· Efficient Administration: Ensuring fair distribution and transparent management.

· Brand Integrity: Developing SOPs and brand guidelines to maintain alignment with Cardano’s values.

· Transparent Reporting: Documenting successes, challenges, and impact.

Campaign Categories & Eligibility

Funding is open to individuals, organizations, and collaborations within the Cardano community. Marketing campaigns may include:

· Product Launches

· General Cardano Ecosystem Promotion

· Content Creation

· Social Media Campaigns

· PR

· Omnichannel Marketing Strategies

Funding Process

1. Submit Proposal: Applications through an online portal.

2. Review & Approval: Evaluation by Rare Network and shared with GMC/MWG for feedback.

3. Fund Distribution: Dynamic allocation based on marketing campaign type and budgetary needs.

4. Close-Out Report: Recipients must provide reports, KPIs, and media documentation.

Selection Criteria

· Regional Diversity: Supporting marketing campaigns across different regions.

· Marketing Experience: Ensuring high-quality execution.

· Impact: Driving innovation and engagement.

· Resource Optimization: Ensuring effective use of funds.

Administrative Costs & Timeline

· A 20% administration fee will cover planning, proposal management, project management, and reporting to compensate Rare Network for their efforts.

Strategic Alignment with Cardano’s Product Roadmap

· Ecosystem Growth: Increasing exposure and driving global adoption.

· Developer Engagement: Fostering marketing campaigns that not only target consumers, but also builders.

· Collaboration: Aligning with the Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC), other Intersect committees, and Cardano’s founding entities.

· Brand Strengthening: Showcasing Cardano’s innovation through impactful marketing campaigns.

· Community Feedback Loop: Using marketing campaigns to refine strategies and improve ecosystem development.

Conclusion

Rare Network, a trusted partner within the Cardano ecosystem, has a proven track record of successfully managing community-driven initiatives. With endorsement from Intersect, GMC, Cardano Foundation, Emurgo, and IOG, this proposal ensures a sustainable, well-organized, and impactful community-led marketing campaign fund program.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

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

A community-led marketing fund allows for startups and marketers to showcase their innovations and engage with a broader audience through various mediums. The fund allows for fund/project distribution through a decentralized workforce, harnessing the power of community collaboration and utilizing the diverse skillsets of the Cardano ecosystem.

• Create a specialized proposal system to allow

ecosystem projects and community members to launch Cardano marketing campaigns

• Ensure there is available funding for a wide range of

marketing budgets to promote diverse types of

campaigns throughout the global ecosystem

• Administer the process efficiently and fairly

• Develop standard operating procedures and

guidelines to uphold Cardano brand integrity,

proper project management, and fair use of spend

• Transparent reporting of successes, lessons learned,

and metrics regarding the overall community-led

funding program

Rare Network will administer a Community-Led Marketing Fund of $500,000 USD providing accessibility for the Cardano ecosystem to budgets from $1,000 to $30,000 USD, available for marketing campaign launches occurring July 1st, 2025 through March 31st , 2026.

This will benefit project teams who will bring decentralized exposure to the Cardano ecosystem who may have the skills to execute, but not the proper funding to produce. Properly administered community-led marketing has been proven worthy of spend, time and time again, if the project management to follow is executed properly. With Rare Network's expertise and trust built throughout the Cardano community, we can ensure that funds are utilized fairly and that marketing campaigns are carried out in a feasible and satisfying impactful fashion.

The demonstrated value will be:

• Increased Brand Exposure Worldwide

• Scale via a Decentralized Workforce

• Showcase a wide variety of projects through diverse marketing campaign categories throughout regions globally

• Onboard more users and builders to the Cardano ecosystem

• Catch up to speed and compete with larger, equal, and smaller market cap blockchains who somehow have more spend and robust marketing strategies in place currently compared to Cardano (even some L2s spend more than Cardano who is a leading L1).

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & 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?

elevant Experience:

• Founded the largest Cardano community meetup on earth, Rare Evo, hosting over 2,200 attendees in 2024 with 4k attendees expected in 2025.

• Launched 5 figure marketing campaigns for Cardano startup businesses in need of consulting and marketing services.

• Successfully managed a very similar events fund program already for the Cardano ecosystem, distributing 100s of thousands of dollars across multiple global teams to host 15 in-person and another 12 virtual events for Fund 12 Project Catalyst working groups. Throughout the program, we acted as the high level project management and consultancy firm to ensure successful execution and fair use of funds. Additionally, we produced the Fund 12 Launch in Barcelona that had a 6 figure budget and over 100 attendees who showed up in person.

• Active Cardano community leads/builders since 2018, who originated as SPOs and have since grown into the largest events/marketing KOL of the ecosystem.

• Managed millions of dollars in USD worth of events production budgets responsibly over the past 5 years.

• Hosted 10 Rare Social side events worldwide since 2022 at renowned conferences such as the Cardano Summit (official afterparty), Token 2049, Paris Blockchain Week, Consensus, and more, often in partnership with Emurgo, Input Output, Cardano Foundation, Project Catalyst, Intersect, and Cardano startup teams.

• Built a Cardano NFT ticketing platform, claim portal, and customer management system to allow customers to mint our events tickets with $ADA as NFTs on the Cardano blockchain.

• Formed a massive multichain community inside and outside of Cardano to better allow for cross-pollination amongst blockchain communities, in turn naturally onboarding new users to Cardano as we continue to grow.

• An instrumental organization to the founding of Intersect's Marketing & Growth Committee, as well as carrying out the responsibilities of preparing a charter, budget, and overall strategy to gain ecosystem support. Not only are we key to planning the work, but we also believe we are paramount in carrying out certain aspects of the work (i.e. administering the Cardano Community-Led Marketing Fund).

• Responsibly managed and executed on projects raising over 1M $ADA from Project Catalyst with all Proof of Achievements approved, closing projects in a timely and transparent manner

Visual Evidence of Experience:

Rare Evo 2024 Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/6njeYWovxGE?si=C1N21XCognC1OXBl

Rare Socials: A 2024 Montage: https://youtu.be/X_ZWhDXwSrM?si=JTmU-MS5jp6cuE7k

Fund 12 Launch Event Produced by Rare Network: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Jsi_Iy_3HA4tft1qQUTRdRWMhVDqdCq/view?usp=sharing

Looking back at Rare Evo 2024, sponsored by Input | Output: https://youtu.be/cy-iY70mPX0?si=gFN5VyHKekEKo4hY

Rare Cardano NFT Ticketing: https://youtu.be/72xuvn-zTYw?si=wmA425lPmvdk0Or9

GM Cardano GMC Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/live/Yk3-fW5PzuE?si=npF9dcoBGaN7RMDa&t=18816

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Project Plan

Milestone Outputs

Deliverables include a comprehensive project plan detailing the strategy for Rare Network’s community-led marketing campaign initiative. It will outline goals, campaign categories, funding tiers, proposal workflows, SOPs, governance, and stakeholder roles. Supporting materials may include visual timelines, budget breakdowns, and alignment with Cardano’s ecosystem growth objectives.

Acceptance Criteria

The milestone is accepted when the project plan clearly defines the campaign framework, operational flow, and collaboration strategy. It must be reviewed and approved by key stakeholders and align with Cardano’s values and marketing goals.

Evidence of Completion

Completion is verified by uploading the finalized project plan and visuals to a shared Google Drive folder accessible to stakeholders for review and implementation.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

25000

Progress

20 %

Milestone Title

Opening the Application Portal

Milestone Outputs

Deliverables include the launch of a public-facing application portal for community members to submit marketing campaign proposals. The portal will feature submission guidelines, funding tiers, eligibility criteria, and a user-friendly interface. Supporting materials include FAQs, SOPs, backend tracking, and review workflows.

Acceptance Criteria

The milestone is accepted when the portal is live, functional, and accessible to the public. It must allow users to submit proposals, view funding options, and understand the review process. All content must align with Cardano’s values and Rare Network’s strategy.

Evidence of Completion

Completion is verified by providing access to the live portal and uploading documentation (screenshots, SOPs, backend setup) to a structured Google Drive folder for stakeholder review.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

20000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Impact Report & Highlight Video

Milestone Outputs

Deliverables include a comprehensive impact report summarizing all funded marketing campaigns, including reach, engagement, conversions, and community feedback. A professionally edited highlight video will showcase campaign moments, testimonials, and ecosystem impact. Both assets will reflect the initiative’s success and alignment with Cardano’s growth goals.

Acceptance Criteria

The milestone is accepted when the report provides clear metrics and insights, and the video effectively captures campaign highlights and community engagement. Both must be approved by stakeholders and align with Cardano’s branding.

Evidence of Completion

Completion is verified by uploading the final report and video to a shared Google Drive folder accessible to stakeholders for review, sharing, and archival.

Delivery Month

2

Cost

5000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

The proposed allocation for the $50,000 Community-Led Marketing Fund includes: 1 campaign at $10,000, 3 campaigns at $5,000 (totaling $15,000), and 5 campaigns at $3,000 (totaling $15,000). In addition, a 20% service fee—amounting to $10,000—will be allocated to Rare Network for project management, proposal review, fund distribution, reporting, and overall administration of the program. This ensures campaigns are executed efficiently, transparently, and in alignment with Cardano’s brand and ecosystem goals.

1 campaigns at $10,000 = $10,000

3 campaigns at $5,000 = $15,000

5 campaigns at $3,000 = $15,000

20% Service Fee by Rare Network on total budget to project manage events.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

Value for Money Statement

The $50,000 investment into Rare Network’s Community-Led Marketing Campaign Fund represents a high-impact, cost-efficient strategy to amplify the visibility of Cardano and its startup ecosystem. With a maximum campaign grant of $10,000 and a minimum of $1,000, this fund enables 10 strategically selected marketing campaigns to be executed globally, targeting both general Cardano awareness and specific project promotion.

Each campaign is expected to deliver measurable outcomes—ranging from impressions, conversions, and social engagement to regional activations and new partnerships—at a fraction of the cost typically seen in traditional marketing. With an estimated reach of 2.5M–4M+ impressions and 8K–12K conversions, the cost per conversion remains highly competitive at $4–$6.25.

Additionally, the 20% ($10,000) allocated to Rare Network for administration ensures expert project management, transparent reporting, and brand-aligned execution—maximizing the effectiveness of every dollar spent. This structure not only supports grassroots innovation but also builds a scalable model for future funding rounds, making it a sustainable and strategic investment in Cardano’s global growth.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes