A summary and comparison of the five final @steemalliance foundation structure proposals
This is my summary and comparison of the final five @steemalliance foundation structure proposals, as requested by @oracle-d in this post..
I had thought to further summarise what's below into a grid, but I've got to teach all day tomorrow, it's 10.30 already, so that ain't happening!
I've summarised/ rejigged the proposals so they fit under the same headings suggested by @oracle-d, those 7 headings being:
- Main Purpose/ Goals
- Primary Structure
- Leadership Structure
- Decision-Making
- Funding Allocation
- Community
- InvolvementTransparency
So while what's below is a bit long winded (thorough?) you can at least use that structure to scroll through and make comparisons.
On reflection I don't think a 5-way comparison across 7 dimensions grid would be that useful anyway, just too much qualitative information.
I also don't think it's possible to summarise these proposals down too much further without losing crucial details.
This is an attempt at an entirely descriptive, objective summary, my views are kept entirely out of it.
The brief by @oracle-d said keep it to 1200 words to avoid waffle, but the devils in the detail.
Links to the final five are here in a post by @steemalliance - the order below is the same as presented there.
Decentralised Steem Incubator
By @alexvan
Main Puprose and Goals
- To accelerate the development of new self-sustainable projects (whether business, NGOs or personal individual projects) on the Steem blockchain.
- The foundation will also provide knowledge and support at each stage of development (although what support is not outlined)
- A total of 13 board members, made up 12 members, 2 from each continent, with an additional member from Steem Inc.
- There are two other members of the foundation besides the 13 board members: an accountant and a lawyer, these will be salaried.
- The foundation should be based in a crypto friendly country with easy immigration policies and one that respects security of personal data.
- Whether its profit or non-profit is not clearly stated, but board members are not to paid a salary, rather they will receive a percentage share of the profits generated by successful projects.
- It’s not explicitly stated, but there appears to be a revolving-flat leadership structure, with all 13 board members having equal decision-making power.
- Foundation members will hold their posts for two years and can only be re-elected once.
- All members have equal decision-making power.
- Where projects are concerned, a project owner presents a time-staged business plan with well-defined steps as to how it will reach self-sustainability. The which foundation then analyses this plan it can either release all the funds requested immediately or sufficient funds to get to stage one and then release further funds once that stage is reached.
- Budget can't be set till the foundation is started and a clear written statement is made by Steem Inc
- Projects will be funded through 80% delegation and 20% handing over of liquid funds.
- After the first projects are self-sustainable, they will contribute a % of the profit, with whom other projects are started and members are paid.
- Budget can't be set till the foundation is started and a clear written statement is made by Steem Inc.
- Through voting for members of the foundation on a bi-annual basis.
- The elections shall be announced at least 2 months before the start of the voting period and last for at least 14 days.
- Vests (owned or delegated) shall be taken as votes. Voters can vote on all candidates, without any limitations, in the end vests are counted.
- A report of the foundation shall be presented every two weeks where Steemians can ask questions
- Members of the foundation will not be anonymous. They will require a passport to register with the foundation (but won’t have to disclose their identity publicly
DeCentraSteem
Proposed by @impactn
Main purpose and goals
The purpose of the foundation is to strengthen communities, combining economic incentives with “normal” community management.
Strong communities are characterised by...
- a large number of engaged community members
- noticeable outcomes for members
- good visibility of community action
- a culture of innovation and curiosity.
- resilience
Examples of the type of initiatives the foundation will encourage:
- campaigns like the 10k minnow project from @steemvc
- contests, like those of @surfermarly, focussing on marketing (strategies)
- development of software tools, like Stratos from @shredz7, strengthening communities on Steem
- pilot projects on incentive mechanisms and token economics within communities
- onboarding projects like @steemonboarding
- social media campaigns on Twitter or within specific communities outside of Steem village
- No finite list of actions is given, because the creativity of Steem community is assumed to be infinite.
- The foundation itself is a network of (legal) entities and no legal entity itself. A working circle could take any structural form from a for-profit in a tax haven or a non-profit US-foundation. Every working circle chooses the legal structure best suited for its own tasks.
- The foundation is open for profit-based funding and sponsorship as well as membership fees and donations (because any working circle can take any structure it chooses).
A network of self-organised and self-determined working circles within the Steem community, interacting with each other. There is no central decision or coordination body. The only central structures are 2-3 paid-for initial facilitators who will help to set up the foundation according to its purpose and rules.
Any group of at least five Steemians with at least 2000 SP may form a working circle. A newly formed working circle needs the approval of two other working circles
The following circles are proposed to start with
- strategic budget planning circle
- a “trustee” circle – wallet key holders and administration of funds
- a circle dealing with funding through sponsorship and sharing profits with businesses
- a circle for the development of rules for the foundation.
- I assume given the probable small numbers of members of working circles that decision making should usually be by consensus, but where voting is required…voting is based on head count.
- Members of the initial four working-circles will be voted on using the same methods used to determine the foundation’s structure (stake weight voting with a 25% VW reduction for >250KSP)
- When a group of steemians propose a new circle they have to outline a detailed budget plan as part of the process, so funds are allocated with the approval of a working circle and its budget plans (so to get funds, any working circle needs the approval of two other working circles, or any group of five steemians with at least 2KSP).
- The body responsible for distributing funds is the “trustees” working circle, but purely in an administrative (key holding) capacity.
- Legally, fund transfers are direct peer to peer transfers without the foundation holding the funds at any time, so there is no need for the foundation to be any kind of legal entity, since it doesn't join in any contracts or liabilities.
- Working circles which perform tasks generating profit, have to share at least 10% of this profit with the foundation.
- Community members can intervene in any of the working circles at any time.
- Any group of at least two steemians may ask for a correction to working circle.
- Asking to stop a working circle requires five steemians with at least 2K SP. I
- In case of disagreements, a mediation process is initiated, and if two rounds of mediation fail, all members of all active working circles will vote on whether to stop this working-circle or not. Voting is based on head-count.
- Every working-circle has to make a post on its work, output and/or impact and used resources at least every two weeks.
Propsal based on contributions of:
@traveller7761 / @impactn: - expert and consultant in decentralised management of stakeholder networks LinkedIn
@shredz7 - experienced developer on Steem: Stratos
@sorin.cristescu - Lead @ Blockchain Competence Center, European Commission.
@upheaver - venture capitalist and blockchain nerd
@ura-soul - Steem Witness. Creator of SteemOcean.com & Ureka.org - A community for Healing, Balancing & Evolving. Software & Multimedia Creator
Foundation Structure Proposal
proposed by @upheaver
Main Purpose and Goals
To create and grow a sustainable ecosystem around Steem blockchain and to make Steem the leading blockchain for decentralized apps and communities worldwide
There are 6 main functions of the Foundation
- Project Incubator
- Development Grants
- Direct Investment
- Bounties
- Training
- Events
- Consists of a Board of Directors to be comprised of 6 or more members. Leadership team members are selected at the absolute discretion of the Board of Directors via Board Resolutions.
Leadership
The leadership team of the foundation would be comprised of:
- C-level positions: CEO, CFO/COO, CTO/CIO
- Executive Directors executive positions for specific branches of the foundation (grant program, direct investment, events, etc.)
- Vice Presidents non executive positions for general direction oversight (growth, operations, product)
- Legal Counsel internal or external
Decision making
Corporate members have more voting weight that individual members, and more vote power the more they pay
- Individual members can elect up to 6 representatives to the board.
- Corporate members can additionally elect up to 3 members for each level of membership (3 for platinum, 3 for gold, 3 for silver).
- 1 membership = 1 vote.
- Positions are rotating, members can be elected to the board for 1 or 2 year terms.
- Consecutive terms are allowed, with no limit, subject to re-election.
- Board Resolutions require simple majority.
- In case of a tie, Chairman has the tiebreaking vote (counts as 2 votes).
- Board can vote to remove members who have been inactive for more than 3 months or have broken rules of conduct agreed by the Board of Directors.
To be based on individual and corporate memberships.
Corporate Membership
- Ranges from US$ 5,000 (employee size <100) to US$ 500,000 or more
- provide a range of benefits based on their level, including but not limited to: invitations to guest speak at events and member-only events, potential seat on the Board of Directors (subject to Member Election), prominent placement of organization’s brand on the Foundations properties, and much more.
- Allows individuals to support Steem blockchain and get access to member-only events and offers, as well as to participate in the Foundation's governance process through Member Elections and to submit proposals for Development Grants.
- There are two membership levels:
- Member- US$ 99 per year, Free for Students
- Hero US$ 2,999 per year, gives VIP member benefits
Community Involvement
- A board of Community Advisors is comprised of up to 7 members selected quarterly by broader Steem community via on-chain election. This position grants ability to raise issues and general suggestions to be discussed and considered at the Board of Directors meetings.
- This does not grant the observer seat to the board meetings themselves, but instead a guarantee to get an official response and position from the board on the raised issue within 45 days.
- Foundation should be based in a well respected and well established legal jurisdiction, which has a clear and concise history of non-profit litigation and rules, as well as low legal overhead for operating a foundation.
- At the very basic level, foundation should adhere to local financial reporting laws. In addition to that it should make public a yearly or quarterly report, which would offer transparency on foundation's spending and fund allocation as well as key decisions taken during that time to the general public.
The Merger
Proposed by @shadowspub
Aims/ Vision
- The ongoing goal is to not only be self-sustaining, but also grow the holdings of the Foundation in order to provide greater value, year over year, to the Steem Blockchain.
- The Foundation will champion the Steem ecosystem, focusing on its adoption, retention, public relations, and development.
- Values respect the diverse groups and individuals that make up the Steem ecosystem and include community, accountability, inclusiveness and leadership
- Encourage and offer support to projects that increase the value of the Steem token and enhance the user experience on the Steem Blockchain.
- Advance outreach programs to attract new users.
- Embrace Steem communities to work towards improving user retention.
- Support Open Source development to optimize and improve the functionality and scalability of the Steem blockchain.
- Empower investment, marketing, and promotional initiatives.
- Stimulate business adoption of Steem.
- Collaborate with influential businesses and communities to mainstream Steem.
Non-profit housed in the USA to allow for funding in the USA.
Leadership Structure
15 Voting Members making up the Board of Directors
Five Executive Members
- Chair
- Vice Chair
- Secretary
- Treasurer (Liaison)
- Legal (Liaison)
- Corporate Representative (Steemit Inc)
- Witness Representative (Technical)
There are FIVE Topical Sub-Boards/Committees
- Community Success
- Incubator and Delegations
- Product and Development
- Marketing
- Investor Relations
The board and body of the Foundation are to remain separate from any and all non-Foundation leadership and governance structures including but not limited to witnessing, major project ownership, community leadership or business ventures. No board member will introduce him or herself as a board member and witness or whatever other role(s) on the platform held.
Decision Making
- Yet to be decided. If victorious, the proposal team will form an interim board with some volunteers from WGs, large communities, dapps, and other submitted proposals. Their first order of business is to get a system of voting into place for board positions.
- All Foundation members should be selected for the nomination process solely based on their skills, competencies and proficiencies. All skills are to be verifiable and self-evident. Self-identification of skills is vital.
- Once up and running, all funding requests will be called for, accepted and processed in an open and public manner. Favoritism and nepotism will be investigated and addressed. Budgets and final figures are compiled by the Executive Board and approved by the Board of Directors
- Startup funding is anticipated to come from Steemit Inc.
- Once funding is set up, the goal is to ensure that all the activities supported with funding provide benefits back to the foundation. The foundation will focus on seeking out grants, delegations, equity deals and possibly low interest loans as part of the initial funding to ensure the project is well-funded and sustainable. Additionally, the DAO can be requested for funds and individuals or outside corporations can contribute.
- Project funding is central to the purpose of the organization and how it's structured. The Foundation is designed to allow the community to request funding from Topical Sub-Boards for quality projects that will help mainstream Steem.
- Board members and volunteers are expected to operate pro-bono without receiving financial compensation in the official capacity. That does not mean that expenses accrued for the purposes of service should not be reimbursed.
- The general public has the right to run a campaign to serve on any of the Topical Sub-Boards, and to present requests for funding to the board.
- To be facilitated at regular intervals through scheduled public forums.
- Major, public General Meetings, hosted via teleconferencing or at a physical location of the Foundation's choice (with a teleconference option), will be held on a semi-annual basis. No longer than 6 months will pass between meetings.
- Communication is built into the role of Secretary
- Reports
- Recognition and project overviews
- Community input
- Relevant metrics
- Membership (voting in)
- Resignations
- Other announcements
- Alterations to Board structure where necessary (ie. adding seats)
The Hive - People Survive by Supporting Each Other
proposed by @TheHive
Aims
To promote projects which are Steem related and will improve Steem’s standing in various ways including
- Bringing a larger user base to the platform that become regular users. Hopefully, with good content. Plus retaining them.
- Promoting projects on the platform to become self sufficient.
- Supporting annual meet-ups in various locations.
- The Development of new Dapps for the chain.
- Bringing new investors to the platform.
In the long term there is a stated preference for focusing on projects which aim to integrate Steem into people’s daily lives, and to provide stable employment for people.
Primary structure
- One main account growing 12 others, that each gain the ability to support 10 or more accounts.
- The 12 ‘secondary accounts’ will focus on different project areas such as (Curating efforts/ Development teams/ Good willprojects/ Steem News/ and the author’s own project!)
- Each of the 12 account supports another 12 focused accounts.
- In total there is the ability to support 144 different projects.
- Who is elected to each role and the function they play within the account will have to be decided upon according to the function of the account.
- Which projects committee accounts are directed toward has still to be decided. The account managers will become paid positions in which managers would need to perform to a certain standard in the occupation of position.
- Funded by a delegation from Steem Inc. Not a contribution or investment.
- Initial funding is through a core account with at least 3 Million steem delegated from steem inc which will be used to vote 12 main ‘committee accounts once a day
- Each account supported will post with a 50/50 reward split with the liquid Steem will going towards financing the expansion of industries which will utilise the Steem currency
- Each of the main committee accounts will in turn vote on various projects they are aligned with.
- The delegation from Steem Inc is returned over time.
- Keeping a position in one of these accounts will be a community decision and open to application to other’s periodically. (time to be agreed).
- A fixed term should be put forward for this first committee member for each account. As the position develops into a paid role, An opportunity is there to advertise the positions or remain as run by elected members from the community.
Any of these projects supported should be open to analysis by the committee of the elected parties and the core account key holders.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully the above summaries are accurate enough. If they're not, get in touch and I'll modify.
Going to bed now, night!