As part of our work to set up the Contribution Efficiency System, we’re excited to share a synthesized version of the learnings that came from our efficiency mapping exercise of DAO grant programs.
As part of our Phase 1 validation outlined in our proposal, this efficiency mapping exercise represents our initial scoping of grant programs across the leading DAOs seeking to gather insights into the industry's best practices, key design elements, and opportunities for improvement. We used the learnings gathered from conversations with grant managers and recipients, canvassing public materials on grant programs, and to inform the design of the Contributor Efficiency System (CES). Ideally these learnings will provide a resource by which all future changes to OBRA can take inspiration.
In our approach to this exercise, we parsed grant programs - as they pertain to CES’s mandate - into their four component parts: Onboarding, Milestone-setting, Tracking, and Reporting. For each of these phases, we drew a handful of guiding questions to help focus our exploration in tangible outcomes (see below). We’ll look through the most tangible learnings from each of the four core phases in turn.
A critical phase in the grant lifecycle, onboarding determines how effectively new grantees are integrated into the program. We discovered that common challenges, such as bottlenecks in the operational process and long wait times often occur when multiple grants are processed simultaneously. The CES addresses this by using a standardized onboarding flow utilizing familiar tools like Notion and Telegram, which enhances efficiency and consistency across the onboarding experience.
Milestone setting is a critical juncture in the grant lifecycle, defining how clearly grantees understand their objectives and expectations. From our efficiency mapping excercise, the CES recognizes that inconsistent milestone structuring across various grantees can lead to misaligned expectations and deliverables which don’t serve the overaching grant programs strategic objectives. To address this, the CES has standardized the milestone-setting process, ensuring that each grant's objectives are well-defined, measurable, and aligned with the pre-defined strategic goals of OBRA.
