[DAO:962b417] [RENEWAL] Facilitation Squad H1 2024

[dao]

by 0x5b5cc427c1d81db4f94de4d51d85ce122d63e244 (Fehz)

Should the following $94,000 grant in the Core Unit category be approved?

Abstract

This proposal seeks to extend the operations of the Decentraland DAO Facilitation Squad for an additional six months. The team has been successful in establishing a routine of operations and reporting, identifying key areas of engagement, onboarding new users, and promoting collaboration among the Decentraland community, DAO Core Units, DAO Committee, and Decentraland Foundation.

A breakdown of previously awarded grants and their cost are included below:

• Grant #1 - $75.000
• Grant #2 - $78.000
• Grant #3 - $98.500

Building on previous successes, our upcoming term will focus on enhancing in-world governance and broader community engagement.

Grant size

94,000 USD in DAI

Project duration

6 months

Beneficiary address

0x6d176c98551F53950beAAd0bc82C64C488F11c0F

Email address

federico.holzwarth@decentraland.org

Description

In the coming term we will continue our iterative development of key governance and community engagement pathways, which have been established during our previous terms of operation. These include: Community Engagement and Promotion, Onboarding and DAO Experience, Transparency and DAO-Foundation Synergy, and Collective Decision-Making and Policy Building.

Onboarding and Community Engagement

• Community Moderation
• Ongoing maintenance and structuring of Decentraland DAO Discord and Forum structures to ensure intuitive user experience and understanding of our governance pathways
• Hosting DAO Town Halls, In-World Meet Ups, Brick by Brick Builders Club Sessions, Twitter Spaces
• Showcasing and documenting the story of the Decentraland DAO by sharing and creating content that educates, engages and informs the users, builders, grantees and larger community.
• Showcasing the Decentraland DAO by actively participating, networking, advocating, and delivering presentations at web3, crypto, and AI conferences.
• Bi-weekly onboarding Sessions, documentation, and videos
• Assistance, guidance, and orientation
• Coordinate the design and building of In-World DAO Headquarters

Transparency: DAO-Foundation Synergy

• Coordination of engagements and collaborations between the DAO Community, Core Units, DAO Committee, and the Decentraland Foundation.
• Facilitation of three Request for Information (RFI) rounds, enhancing collaboration and reducing information asymmetry between the Decentraland DAO and Decentraland Foundation.
• Decentraland All Hands (revamped AMA format)
• Promote and improve the Facilitation Corner as a comprehensive hub for transparency, easy documentation access, team collaboration, and project management.
• Community Pulse Survey Reports

Collective Decision-Making & Policy Building

• Facilitation of Thematic Working Groups
• Support and advisory to professionalize policy building (proposals writing, assessments, implementation pathways, feasibility, collaterals).
• Create, promote, and facilitate more instances for synchronous debate (issue-specific open sessions)
• Reporting on DAO Operations and Governance issues

Roadmap and milestones

Responsibilities and activities span across four primary areas

1. Community Engagement - Full Description

• DAO Onboarding
• Discord Moderation
• Community Pulse
• “Brick-by-Brick Builders Club”
• DAO Headquarters

2. Governance Operations - Full Description

• Working Groups
• Dedicated Open Sessions
• Request for Information (RFI)
• Legislative Tracker
• Facilitation Corner
• Reporting (Weekly Briefs and Governance Reports)

3. Strategic Communications - Full Description

• Social Media
• Decentraland All Hands
• Town Halls

4. Stakeholder Coordination

• Coordinate communications and generative interactions between various stakeholders in the Decentraland Ecosystem, including DAO Community Members, Core Units, DAO Committee, and the Decentraland Foundation.

Strategic Communications & Engagement Deliverables

• 12 Community Town Halls
• 2 InWorldMeetUp
• 4 Twitter Spaces
• 3 All Hands
• 3 Request for Information Response Rounds
• On-going Working Group Facilitation
• 8 Brick by Brick Builders Club Meet Ups

Reporting Deliverables

• 24 Weekly DAO Digest (24x)
• 6 Monthly Governance Report (6x)
• 2 Community Pulse Polls
• Regular Updating of Legislative Tracker

Vote on this proposal on the Decentraland DAO

View this proposal on Snapshot

[Fehz]

Thanks to everyone who supported us during previous rounds!

Today we’re presenting a Grant Request to continue our operations for another 6-month period, and I’ll hopefully be fulfilling the role of Manager for this wonderful team, but for that, another valuable member of this community is stepping down from that position.

I want to give special thanks to @Matimio and express my deepest gratitude for his outstanding contributions, pioneering work and dedication to our community since ‘old times’, when there wasn’t a formed community at all. Your leadership has been truly commendable, and Decentraland DAO Governance System has become a case of study around the world.

I always like to say that facilitation it’s not an abstract concept, that it’s about materializing procedures and mechanisms to set expectations and increase long-term predictability for the community, and we all acknowledge that your forward-thinking approach to community-building within the decentralized metaverse is an outstanding example of this.

Your legacy within the Decentraland DAO is unparalleled, and we are immensely grateful for the foundation you have laid. We wish you continued success in your future endeavors, and your impact on our community will undoubtedly endure!

[ginoct]

I want to join @Fehz to give a big shoutout to @Matimio for everything he’s done since the start of our DAO. Remember when the GovSquad was just kicking off and @yemel brought us all together? Matimio was the go-to guy from day one when I had questions about how everything worked in our community and the world of metaverse decentralized governance.

He’s the one who helped shape up things that we might take for granted now – like the three-stage governance process and how our DAO working groups function. Those ideas might seem simple now, but they were a big deal to set up, and Matimio was right there making it all happen.

As he moves on to new adventures, we’re definitely going to feel the loss. He’s been a key part of our community, and it won’t be the same without him. All the best!

[Matimio]

Thank you @Fehz and @ginoct ! It has been an honor to serve the Decentraland DAO Community, and be a part of this DAO’s growth. Decentraland DAO was my first home in Web3, and we are all a part of something that is truly special here.

Thank you also @fractilians for turning the Facilitation squad into a team! You were the first new member of the Unit and have been diligently working above and beyond since! And of course @Fehz for stepping in, quickly orientating yourself and within short time taking over management of the team. And last but not least, thank you @kanwulf for stepping up and jumping right into the fire!

[MetaTrekkers]

Hi, Just as @yararasita and @Zino have mentioned grants are becoming more and more expensive salaries need to come down especially from core units. GSS has started a trend and everyone needs to be held to the same measure. Please reduce the budget for the sake of the DAO. It’s time that we put these high salaries to an end.

Also people like @kanwulf doesn’t do any moderation and just plays in DCL and doesn’t help with the toxicity in the discord. It’s quite funny actually. He gets paid a salary to tour around DCL and there is no moderation from him.

Please reduce the compensation by at least half just as the community has asked of GSS and GSS have asked of everyone else. We are in a bear market so please be considerate.

Thank you

[friskybumblebee]

The Facilitation Squad has proven and always brought tremendous value with the various lines of efforts they support through community engagement, governance operations, analysis, coordination and communication through social media platforms. This takes ALOT of time and energy to ensure everything is squared away and executed flawlessly. Easy Yes from me, and thank you Facilitation Squad for continuing to deliver value in this space

[DedHeadJ]

This team has done a fantastic job and has brought so much value to DCL DAO. @Matimio has been a thoughtful leader and I wish him well in his new endeavors.

Others have pointed out that salaries need to be reduced because we are in a bear market. Although we experienced a slight bear market bounce back in 2023 we have been in a bear market since early 2022 and yet @MetaTrekkers submitted a request for $120k in 9/22 of which $60,805 was dispersed. Again, in 4/23 @MetaTrekkers requested another grant for $186k of which $93,250 was paid out before that grant was also revoked. In either request I do not see any consideration for cost-cutting measures.
I would suggest careful thought when taking salary advise from someone who has asked for a lot of money during bear periods with little or nothing to show for it.

The Facilitation Squad’s last grant request promised the following deliverables:

Strategic Communications & Engagement Deliverables

• 12 Community Town Halls
• 10 In-world Meet Ups
• 10 Twitter Spaces
• 6 Foundation AMAs
• 3 Request for Information Response Rounds
• On-going Working Group Facilitation
• 4 Brick by Brick Builders Club Meet Ups

Reporting Deliverables

• 24 Weekly DAO Digest (24x): Automated update on key developments in the DAO
• 6 Monthly Governance Report (6x): Monthly overview of Governance Operations
• 3 Community Pulse Polls: Bi-monthly sentiment analysis polls
• Regular Updating of Legislative Tracker: Persistent database of governance activities and DAO facilitation squad operations

As evidenced through regular updates, this team has met or exceeded those deliverables and have also achieved many more which can be found here: Facilitation Corner (notion.site). They have added value to the DAO and have provided a strong foundation of which to grow on.

My vote it YES, and I look forward to more enhancement and innovation from this team.

[nearnshaw]

Hey, I’d just like to add a shoutout to both Fehz and Franctillians, who are a huge help! Beyond helping the DAO itself work more smoothly, they also carry out a key role in helping engage and nurturing the creator community. I can’t thank them enough for their work and would really like to see them continue with that

[Morph]

The facilitation squad is of great importance and the DAO would not function as well as it does without them - it should be considered a part of our critical DAO infrastructure & community communication.

Voting yes.

On finances - as I know frugality has been top of mind for a lot of people.

At 30 hours a week for 6 months we are looking at roughly ~720 hours for $33,000, and will require $100k every 6 months, indefinitely - this would come out to $46/hour or $92,000/per year (if comped at regular 40hr/weeks & 2000 hours) per employee.

Community managers in tech (in North America) average roughly ~60k, while the higher end tops out at around what we are paying ($50 an hour) - however I believe this squad can be considered contractors given that we do not provide health care or employee benefits, and we are hiring individuals, not a company - contracting work is often valued at 1.5-2x due to overhead and the ‘stability’ of ongoing employment.

This would show a relatively fair price for what is professional work, and I think that’s the most important thing here. The quality of this squad has been extremely high for what is an integral role that supports the community itself directly, and they have indeed facilitated almost all DAO activities/meetings/foundation updates beyond expectations - I do not have any critiques or suggestions on ways to improve - but I am sure the squad will continue to do so.

For those asking for reduced amounts, I think this is one of the few cases where a full time salary is justified, we aren’t financing someone else’s idea, we are building the DAO for the entire community with professionals at the helm, and it does indeed take many hours of their day every week. If any feel the work here is not enough to justify the salary, I would recommend suggestions for new verticals the team could assist with/grow, or ways to improve the workload and impact over a salary slash.

I do believe increasing hours to 40/week could be justified at these salaries, but we need real work/ideas to fit that additional time - something the squad seems to already take on as they improve & grow facilitation - I feel comfortable voting yes and letting this squad continue to define and grow their roles in impact, and I think for what we have seen so far, this is a fair amount to continue doing so.

[GoldiLox.dcl]

Kudos to the Facilitation Squad for their truly amazing work! I want to genuinely express my gratitude for their continuous dedication to delivering value to our community. Bravo, and a heartfelt thank you!

[serena]

hello,

I was honestly back and forth if i wanted to comment on here. Everyones experience is different but i believe its important for me to share this. Esp that i know for a fact there are others out there that feel the way i do. The amount of toxicity in Decentraland and Decentraland Discord has gone way overboard. I know i am not the only once who is feeling the way that i am right now. Maybe there afriad to say whats really on there mind, but we need to set better standards on this platform. Its become a unbearble place to be. I am sure for the ones getting funded often it doesnt really effect them.
Moderation - Although facilitation squad just recently passed for the code of ethics in September 4th 2023 which is a positive (should have been done sooner) doesn’t fix the mass distruction of the enviornment in the DAO, platform and the discord energetically and creatively. I can say, I have on countless times asked for help in Decentraland for the amount of harrassment, bullying, sexist remarks, threats & discrimination I have recieved in Decentraland by members, esp by being part of the DAO as a grantee, long time community member, and active creator. I have reached out to some facilitation squad member, matimo (never got a answers back) and also the GSS and shared my issues threw email and discord when my project was targeted after being harrassed months prior, i spoke out, seemed no one was actively listening. Alot of the answers… I am not really getting much solutions, besides :changes are coming, and the new code of ethics which is still not effective enough to fix current issues. ( i am sure most are focused on their own gains and grants to help) but I am dealing with some really serious and offensive issues that can legally effect this platform and actually does have consequences. Discrimination, racism, sexism, defemation, and alot of other issues from Decentraland community members by being in the DAO. It has cause harm towards me, and im pretty sure, towards others. That fact that $251,000 has been funded and to this current day in time, im still getting bullied in Decentraland, im starting to wonder what is happening ? How effective are some of these grants ?

It’s honestly making me want to reserch more about the laws of the DAO, because in a regular work place, this is just really unexceptable. This is a business at the end of the day, and it should be operated as one too. I will be going over this with those who are familiar with DAOs and metaverse laws. Cause this right here is not the foundation or the base thats going to make a platform flourish. Its not even close.
I’ve witnessed many of the bullying in the discord, get overlooked, and let trolls continue to bully others online, sometimes its even encouraged or very few to none steps in and take iinitiative to make stop the maddness. Its not up until now (Fehz) who has taken it upon hiself to make some changes. This should have been done years ago, but its done enough damage to the point, that makes me question all these squads and its actually effect on the platform. For someone whos been in Decentraland for 4 years, to start analyzing all this from afar … there is something really off. I am not one to sugercoat anything, and try to be as blunt and real as possible how come these issues are still happening ? what are we doing to make sure that is a great place to create and engage ? besides whats posted online, how about whats happening behind closed doors and the dynamics at play.

The problems continue to get overlooked, the positive comments in the discord, its almost like breezing over the problems. Im still serching for answers and solutions. The posts on social media, and all the content thats being created is just a coverup for alot of the deep issues of this platform. I have witnessed many people in the discord (maybe they dont want to get involved) which is understandable, but watch others get abused and bullied in front of others, and some not even say a word. Which honestly, amplies and makes it even worse.

I genuinely can’t support another $90,000 after $250,000 to a squad that doesnt really protect community members, theres absolutely no safety. Although making some slight changes, there needs to more rules in place. Im still getting bullied online and threatened, again . . no solutions. But Decentraland community members either continue to overlook it, Maybe theres some ignorance at play,
maybe they do not care, because its not there problem, or are either too afraid to speak. This is about to be everyones problem soon, if we dont fix this situation.

Im voting NO.
Moderation is being paid out, with no actual effect to keep a safe enviornment for others. If anything it has a negative ripple effect. One thats irreversable.

I will also be doing a deep analysis and investigation about this and more.

[MetaTrekkers]

@serena Thank you for bringing things to light and speaking on the truth about the bullying and harassment inside the Dao discord. There needs to be change, it isn’t safe for people anymore in this place if there isn’t strict moderation in place.

@Fehz We are calling on for @kanwulf to resign, he isn’t adequate and responsible to manage or moderate the discord, we need someone who has strict moderation and doesn’t allow for harassment and bullying inside the discord. I hope you take this as a serious issue.

[Fehz]

@serena @MetaTrekkers, thanks for your feedback, her you’ll find my response below:

It’s essential to note that moderation is just one facet of the broader 15-point Facilitation Squad roadmap, emphasizing our multifaceted commitment to community well-being.

With that said, and with moderation being one of the most important things within our broader scope of responsibilities, I am proud to say that in these past few months, we have accomplished more in terms of moderation than ever before.

That’s why I can also assure that we take things very seriously, and that’s why having the possibility of choosing to omit moderation from our responsibilities entirely, we decided and keep deciding to remain fully committed to cultivate an inclusive and secure environment for everyone.

To ensure long-term scalability and sustainability, we have developed and begun implementing a comprehensive Code of Ethics. This code not only incorporates inputs from Core Units and the Foundation but also reflects contributions from numerous community members who actively participated in the formulation process. For transparency, we’ve created an open mod log for review, demonstrating the consistent application of sanctions whenever issues arise.

Striking a balance in moderation can be challenging – on one hand, there are calls for heightened moderation during chaotic situations, but when we take action, concerns about dictatorship or fascism arise.

Recognizing that sometimes we fell short of meeting everyone’s expectations in this area, we initiated an internal restructuring process. To address the need for better coverage, I personally jumped into moderation and we brought on an additional moderator, enabling us to operate on a rotating shift basis for 16-18 hours a day, utilizing existing resources from our current grant.

We are very confident that this approach will lead to continued improvements in moderation, and we are putting forth this model as the most effective way forward. With the endorsement of the COE, we believe we have found the optimal approach.

I trust that I have addressed your inquiries and any other potential questions from the community concerning this topic.

Thank you again for your feedback!

PS: Lot of the incidents highlighted by community members as harassment occurred on Twitter, a social media platform beyond the jurisdiction of our DAO Squad. While we have no intention of taking action in external social media platforms, even if we did, implementing the monitoring of social media activities of community members and enforcing the rules there is logistically impossible.

[Tobik]

I think they do a good job, in fact, since Fehz took the lead, the DAO debate is way better than before. Frac and the rest of the team do also a good job. If the money can be spent and make sure we have a more calm community, I go for it.

[MetaTrekkers]

Fehz, @kanwulf has done nothing in terms of moderation, he has actually made the Dcl Dao discord worse by pretending not to see toxicity. He has not contributed to the discord besides just posting pics of him playing in Dcl. If it wasn’t for your support @Fehz this place would have been a disaster. We highly encourage to find someone else to replace @kanwulf and is more capable of managing the Dao discord or else this can be looked at misuse of funds.

You want us to pay the Dcl Dao discord moderator a salary of $12k to surf Dcl and not moderate toxicity, while grantees and community members are being harassed?

[DedHeadJ]

Yay @kanwulf thank you so much for actually being part of the community! Hey @MetaTrekkers not that I recall seeing you at any event other than your poorly managed events, I don’t imagine seeing you much in the future now that both of your grants have been revoked and DAO voter are now on to you.

[MetaTrekkers]

@DedHeadJ Just curious. What do you do in DCL? How have you contributed besides just talking all day? Just trying to understand how you help contribute to Dcl besides just constantly contributing toxicity…. And voting blindly without actually reading proposals in depth.

After all you are related to Tudamoon.

[DedHeadJ]

It would be tiresome to actually talk all day, but I do what I can to support creators and builders with acquiring wearables, names (ohh sorry about the name ENS name swipe) attending events, contributing to discussions, DAO events, etc. How do you contribute other than sucking DAO funds for your own gain? Also, pretty sure anyone who is somewhat active knows that I have zero association with anyone here including Tudamoon. That one was kind of funny though.

[MetaTrekkers]

@DedHeadJ So basically just talking all day, just as I assumed. Have a lovely talkative and unproductive day as usual Tudamoon sister. Happy chit chat day.

[serena]

hey Fehz,

appreciate your responce.
My situation is a bit different from the others, so i dont want to be tagged along with anyone. future reference.

I want to highlight, i do appreciate your efforts, like i said before, since you took it upon yourself its been a bit better. It still needs to be worked on. And it seems like the facilitation squad is the only squad that may be able to fix this or i put some proposals up.

“Lot of the incidents highlighted by community members as harassment occurred on Twitter, a social media platform beyond the jurisdiction of our DAO Squad. While we have no intention of taking action in external social media platforms , even if we did, implementing the monitoring of social media activities of community members and enforcing the rules there is logistically impossible.”

Every platform out there, occupation, career inforces rules even if its outside scope of the platform.

• Youtube
• IG
• Twitch
• X
  to name a new. If you making racist comments, or harming others, we have seen influencers, or public figures, lose monitization, freeze their accounts, ext. X for exsample, wants free speech but its to a degree if its harmful, its unexceptable.

Sounds extreme, but you should be able to enforce some rules, that creates a safe enviorment for everyone.
Look if it was a minor and they are targeted, or any type of incident, would this be okey ?

I had spoke to esteban about the reality of moderation / censorship.
We need to get stronger moderation, it’s honestly unacceptable the extremely light moderation that’s going on here - esteban
I know its a tough one to figure out but maybe this can be reserched and modified.

Some harder rules need to be set in place. For exsample, one should not be allowed to apply for funding if their behavior seems innappropriate online, effensive in nature, malicious or harmful.
Very easy, straight forward rules that would encourage others to at least behave in decency if they want to apply for grants.
(Even if its outside the scope, this also effects the platforms reputation, if you allow others so say and do whatever they want no matter the extremities which is dangerous)

I will do my own reserch about the Laws in the DAO, decentralization, and more to figure my personal situation, and also for the platform.

• Thanks.