Abstract
This proposal requests $178,138 USD paid in ARB for the Onboarding Working Group to run V2 of Arbitrum DAO’s Onboarding Program for 6 months.
Earlier this year, the Onboarding Working Group ran a three-month Pilot Program (V1) to bring new participants into the DAO. Based on feedback from delegates and ecosystem participants, we’ve applied key lessons learned to create V2—a more robust and refined iteration of the program.
V2 will function like a Governance Bootcamp and the Onboarding Working Group will act akin to a recruitment agency, sourcing and training a select group of new DAO contributors.
The Onboarding Working Group is comprised of the following individuals: @Manugotsuka from @SEEDGov, @ocandocrypto from @web3citizenxyz, @san from Reserve Protocol, and @RikaGoldberg from @404DAO. Our advisors are @krst and @Sinkas from L2Beat.
Motivation and Rationale
Arbitrum DAO needs to onboard high-quality and diverse (see note 1) governance participants to thrive in the future. Currently, fragmented information, siloed resources, and private communication channels create a culture of exclusivity, making it challenging for newcomers to navigate the governance process and contribute meaningfully.
In V1, we pioneered a solution by running a Pilot Program where we hosted weekly onboarding calls and grouped participants into one of five Fellowship tracks based on their interests and skills. Ultimately, each Fellowship was expected to collaborate and work on a Proposal to publish on the forum.
Based on the lessons learned in V1 (details are here), we have developed V2, a more robust and meritocratic Onboarding Program. V2 focuses on selecting high-quality participants, training them, and assessing their skills— ultimately matching top performers with Arbitrum Protocols that need a Governance Fellow. (see note 2)
Note 1: In an effort to increase diversity within Arbitrum, we are committed to ensuring that at least 25% of program participants are female/non-binary. This ratio is aligned with the representation in the Pilot Program (V1). We will also focus on inclusivity, creating opportunities for LGBTQ+ and applicants from underrepresented regions, including developing countries, throughout the application and interview process.
Note 2: V2 does not guarantee program participants with long-term placement in the DAO.
Key Terms
Governance Analyst — An individual who is selected into V2 based on their application and interview.
Governance Fellow — A Governance Analyst who successfully graduates from the program and is subsequently matched with a Protocol to assist with Governance work.
Specifications
The Onboarding Program consists of the following components:
- An Application and Interview Process.
- A Curated Curriculum and Workshops.
- Exercises to assess comprehension of workshop materials.
- A Rubric to evaluate and grade exercises.
- Completion NFTs/Forum Badge for Governance Analysts and Fellows
- An updated DAO Contributors List
These components are described in detail below.
Applications and Interview Process
To assess candidates for experience and cultural fit, V2 will include a one-month rolling application period followed by a month of interviews, after which twenty applicants will be selected to join the program.
We will be seeking applicants with specific characteristics, including a positive mindset, an ability to work well with others, an aptitude to engage in healthy debate, and an eagerness to learn. Furthermore, applicants should have a high-level of familiarity with Ethereum and L2s.
Workshops
Over the course of 6 weeks, the selected cohort of 20 Governance Analysts will participate in weekly workshops that cover critical concepts (see Curriculum section) of Arbitrum DAO’s governance process.
The workshops will be primarily facilitated by Manugotsuka (Manu), a Governance Contributor at @SeedGov, who is most notably involved in managing Arbitrum’s Delegate Incentive Program. Members of the SEEDGov team will also support Manu as needed.
Curriculum
The following governance content will be covered in the workshops:
Arbitrum Protocol Basics
Arbitrum DAO Governance Basics
- The Amended Constitution of the Arbitrum DAO
- How to Delegate your Voting Power
- Proposal Lifecycle (RFC, Snapshot, Tally)
- Constitutional vs. Non Constitutional Proposals
An Introduction to the Arbitrum Foundation
Arbitrum DAO: Important Proposals
- Improving Predictability in Arbitrum DAO’s Operations
- COI & Self Voting Policies
- Incentives Detox Proposal
- Code of Conduct
- Mission, Vision, Purpose
Arbitrum DAO: Important Initiatives
- Delegate Incentive Program
- Working Groups, Committees, Councils and Service Providers
- Security Council
- Key Delegates
- Multisig Support Services (Entropy)
- Establishing a DAO Events Budget for 2025
- Stylus Sprint
- Grant Programs (Foundation, Questbook, GrantsDAO)
Arbitrum Tech Deep Dive
- How to create a Dapps on Arbitrum
- Orbit Chains Technical Introduction
- A gentle introduction: Stylus
- Quickstart: Arbitrum bridge
Arbitrum DAO Tools and Resources
- Karma Delegate Dashboard
- Arbitrum Hub
- Arbitrum DAO Twitter
- Arbitrum DAO Updates
- Governance Forum
- Arbitrum DAO Calendar
- Foundation Calls:
- Snapshot
- Tally
Note: Recordings will be shared on X to maximize the educational content’s distribution and reach.
A week-over-week schedule is presented in the below table:
Week | Workshop Title | In-Scope Content |
---|---|---|
1 | Welcome to Arbitrum DAO | Arbitrum Protocol Basics & |
Arbitrum Governance Basics | ||
2 | The Arbitrum Foundation | Foundation vs. DAO |
3 | Arbitrum DAO: Deep Dive Part I | Important Proposals |
4 | Arbitrum DAO: Deep Dive Part 2 | Important Initiatives |
5 | Arbitrum Tech Deep Dive | |
6 | Arbitrum DAO: Tools and Resources | Tools and Resources |
7 | Work on Exercises | Office Hours |
8 | Work on Exercises | Office Hours |
Exercises
At the conclusion of the 6 weeks of workshops, participants will have two weeks to work on practical exercises to apply the knowledge they gained.
These exercises, along with the grading rubric, will be designed by Sandra Carillo (a V1 Pilot Program Fellow, Project Manager at Reserve Protocol, and Developer).
The top 10 submissions will be eligible to be matched with an Arbitrum Protocol where they will acquire real-world governance experience as Governance Fellows (more details in the ‘Governance Fellows’ section).
Those not selected for matching will be invited to participate in the next cohort on a “fast-track,” bypassing the application and interview process. This creates a positive feedback loop, providing multiple opportunities for individuals to be matched with a Protocol and contribute to Arbitrum governance.
The next section provides Sample Exercises.
Sample Exercises
These exercises will give Governance Analysts visibility on Social Media and in the Governance Forum, while providing hands-on experience with fundamental governance activities such as commenting on forum posts, writing proposals, and participating in DAO-wide calls.
In order to graduate from the program and be eligible for matching with a Protocol, Governance Trainees will need to complete all five mandatory exercises. Bonus points will be awarded for completing the optional exercises.
Mandatory:
- Draft a mock proposal for Arbitrum DAO and submit it for feedback on the Governance Forum – This encourages participants to actively engage with the governance process, understand proposal creation, and contribute thoughtful feedback. This is an exercise that can be made in groups of 3 or 4 people.
- Comment on at least three different Governance Forum proposals, providing thoughtful feedback or questions – This ensures participants are involved in governance discussions and contributing to decision-making.
- Write a blog post explaining how to participate in governance for Arbitrum DAO and share it on X or Farcaster– This promotes deeper understanding of the DAO structure and helps educate the broader community.
- Attend an Open Discussion of Proposal(s) call and write a thread about your experience on X or Farcaster – Participation in live discussions helps foster community engagement and ensures participants are informed about ongoing governance. As the Open Discussion of Proposal(s) happens every 2 weeks, the participants will have the opportunity to attend to at least 1 call.
- Share on the governance forum how you would vote on a proposal that’s currently in active voting, explaining your rationale and feedback – This promotes critical thinking and encourages participants to articulate their rationale on voting process.
Bonus points:
-
Write a tweet or a cast about the Arbitrum DAO Onboarding Program on X or Farcaster: Share your thoughts or highlights from the onboarding experience, spreading the word about how others can get involved.
-
Share your insights after each workshop in an X or Farcaster thread: Reflect on key takeaways and learnings from the workshops, helping others benefit from your knowledge and fostering community discussion.
-
Write a thread summarizing recent governance proposals and share it on X or Farcaster: Provide a clear, concise overview of the latest proposals to keep the community informed and encourage broader participation.
-
Write a tweet thread explaining how ARB token holders can participate in governance and share it on X or Farcaster: Educate the broader community by breaking down how ARB holders can engage in governance, making the process more accessible and encouraging more involvement.
Note: These exercises will be refined before V2 starts.
Rubric
The rubric that we will use to grade Exercise submissions is provided in the below table. We drew inspiration from the Rubric created by SeedGov for the Delegate Incentive Program.
Maximum points per exercise: 25 points
Maximum points for completing 5 mandatory exercises: 125 points
Maximum points for completing 5 mandatory exercises and 2 bonus exercises: 175 points
Governance Analysts and Fellows
The highest-scoring Governance Analysts (up to 10 individuals), based on rubric evaluations, will graduate to become Governance Fellows and will be matched with a protocol to assist with governance work.
Each Fellow will be paid a monthly stipend of $1,500 USD in ARB. The Onboarding Working Groups will support Fellows during these two-months to ensure maximum alignment and success.
Ocandocrypto (Angela), a Contributor at Web3Citizen and an Arbitrum DAO Delegate, will manage the relationships between Protocols, Governance Fellows, and the Onboarding Program.
If your protocol is interested in working with a Governance Fellow, please indicate that in your comment on this forum post or reach out directly to Angela @ocandocrypto on Telegram.
KYC
Governance Fellows will need to KYC with the Foundation in order to receive the stipend. We will work with the Foundation on this process.
MSS
We plan to use the MSS services for payment.
Timeline
We have intentionally allocated ample time, 2 weeks, for delegates to respond and provide feedback on the forum. We will incorporate the feedback and make necessary revisions before posting to Snapshot.
Expected Timeline:
- RFC Discussion: November 18 - Dec 2
- Snapshot: Dec 5 - Dec 12
- Tally: January 6 - January 27
We are planning to start the Program on January 6, 2025 and end on August 25, 2025.
Budget
We are proposing a budget of $178,138 USD paid in ARB over 6 months. Any unused ARB will be returned to the DAO.
A detailed budget breakdown can be found here: Arbitrum Onboarding WG Budget V1
Appendix
- Introducing the Arbitrum Onboarding Working Group Experiment
- Introducing Arbitrum Fellowships
- Milestone 1 Status Update
- Milestone 2 Status Update
- Onboarding Pilot Final Report (Milestone 3) and Lessons Learned
Acknowledgements
Big thank you to the following individuals who helped shape this proposal over many months of brainstorming, feedback, and iteration:
Alice Corsini from Karpatkey, Ana-Maria Yanakieva from Arbitrum Ventures Initiative, Bhaumik Patel from Atrium Academy, Cole Schendl from 404 DAO, Cliff and Raam from Arbitrum Foundation, David Paperno from The Mount Vernon School, Erin Koen from Uniswap Foundation, Eugene Leventhal from Scroll Foundation, Frisson from Tally, Joe McKenzie from R3gen Finance, Katerina Bohle-Carbonell from Together-Crew, Krzys and Sinkas from L2Beat, Liz Yang from Azuki, Nestor Bonilla, Sov from Gitcoin, and Tnorm from Gauntlet.