Thank you for starting this thread! Below I have shared a few points of feedback that are top of mind. One of the things I have enjoyed the most about OP governance is the openness to feedback and iteration. I feel the foundation has done a fantastic job of consistently making improvements based on feedback from the community. Below are some of my thoughts on this season, happy to clarify any points or answer any questions.
Accountability For Grant Recipients
The biggest point that needs to be addressed (which I think we all agree) is accountability for grant recipients. The presentation on the performance of the governance fund was a sobering wake up call that is critical to have an accountability component for projects that have received grants. Possible solutions could include putting a cap on grant amounts and not granting all of the funds up front. We could require a monthly reporting function in order to unlock additional funds. There are many ways this could be implemented and I’m looking forward to seeing ideas and new processes in the next season.
Committees
Committees seemed like a really great way to decrease delegate workload. However, I don’t believe they have worked well or as intended in practice. Essentially, when a vote does not pass, people are upset and have a group to point their negative feelings towards. I have personally not enjoyed being on a committee. Our committee has many years of experience in the space, from many different backgrounds, and we have faced quite a bit of criticism regarding our recommendations when they are meant to be helpful, and delegates are free to vote as they wish. I have personally voted against other committee recommendations and we have seen votes go against committee recommendations. I’ve found that committees have not decreased my workload and being on a committee has been an unpleasant experience (although I have loved working with my team!!!). Committees are not something I believe should be carried into the next season.
Overall Engagement and Vibe
Delegate engagement seems fairly low overall. It’s been pointed out that it’s difficult to get delegate approval for proposals. It seems like there are only 10-15 delegates that are consistently active on the forum and discord. A possible solution for this could be delegate compensation (see below) to incentive delegates to engage on a more consistent basis.
There has been an increase in negative comments and personal attacks recently in the forums and discord. This is an unfortunate reality of the space overall. I believe there should be a zero tolerance policy when it comes to personal attacks. Possible solutions could include having a moderator/community lead role to enforce community guidelines. Ultimately, it is up to us as the OP community to define what is acceptable and what is not. Having a culture that is respectful and welcoming is essential to growth and development, and that starts with how we treat each other.
Delegate Compensation
There is currently a fairly hefty workload on delegates that includes reading proposals, providing feedback, voting and providing reasoning, providing approval for proposals, and general community communication and engagement, just to name a few. What we have at the moment is essentially a group of volunteers that are not being compensated for their time, which is probably part of the reason why delegate engagement is low. I would like to see delegate compensation with a retroactive component in the next season.