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Participate in Gnosis DAO Governance

Gnosis is committed to an open and collaborative approach to governance. We welcome proposals from all members of our community, regardless of GNO token ownership. This inclusive policy allows anyone to contribute ideas and suggestions to the Gnosis Governance Forum. To vote on these proposals and help steer the direction of the ecosystem, holding GNO tokens is required. The amount of GNO you possess directly correlates to your voting power, ensuring that governance influence is distributed proportionally among stakeholders. Engage with us in shaping the strategic path of Gnosis.

GnosisDAO is a dynamic entity, continually evolving to meet the needs of our community. This guide is designed to help you understand and engage with our current governance framework. While the steps are presented here in order of the governance process with three phases, you are welcome to participate directly in a proposal at any phase.

Need Assistance? If you have any questions or require assistance, we encourage you to reach out to us, connect with our vibrant community on Discord or post your inquiries in the support category on our Forum.

Joining Gnosis Forum​

The GnosisDAO governance process is primarily conducted using the GnosisDAO category on the Gnosis Forum. The Gnosis Forum uses self-hosted, open source software. Anyone can join by visiting https://forum.gnosis.io/ and clicking Sign Up in the upper right corner. Now you can participate in any proposal discussion as well as start your own.

If you want to learn more about how to use the forum software, check out the Discourse New User Guide. - Discourse New User Guide

Governance Process Overview:​

  1. Creating a Gnosis Improvement Proposal (GIP): A Step-by-Step Guide for proposal creation and drafting your GIP with essential components
  2. Proposal Specification: After posting, the community can discuss and provide feedback on your proposal in the forum
  3. Approval Process & Evaluation Criteria: Understanding the various stages your proposal must pass through before reaching the final vote
  4. Snapshot Voting: The proposal progresses to the snapshot phase, where a formal vote weighted by GNO holdings takes place. For a snapshot vote to pass, it must achieve a majority of 'YES' votes and meet a quorum of 75,000 GNO votes
  5. Proposal Execution: If the proposal receives enough votes to pass, the attached DAO transactions can be triggered by anyone and will be executed
  6. Follow-up: Teams must provide regular updates on the progress and impact of the proposal, especially when funds are transferred
  7. Community Engagement: Discover effective strategies for raising awareness and garnering support for your proposal within the community

Overall, the governance process of the Gnosis DAO is designed to be transparent, open to new contributors, and decentralized.

Governance Process:​

Phase 1: Proposal Creation​

Initiate Discussion: Begin the development of your Gnosis Improvement Proposal (GIP) by crafting a detailed post in the Governance > GIP category on the Gnosis Forum. This initial step lays the groundwork for community collaboration and insight.

How to Create a Phase 1 Proposal:

  1. Navigate to the GnosisDAO category on the forum
  2. Click the + New Topic button on the upper right
  3. Format the title of the post as a question
  4. Ensure GnosisDAO appears in the category field
  5. In the tags dropdown, type or select phase-1
  6. Write a detailed question and post your proposal

Engage and Elevate: The ensuing dialogue is your opportunity to gauge community response and gather constructive feedback. This interactive phase is vital for assessing the viability of your proposal and refining it based on collective insights. With an open-ended duration, you have the flexibility to thoroughly develop your proposal in alignment with community expectations.

Criteria for Advancement: Progressing from Phase 1 to Phase 2 is contingent on community engagement. A proposal that does not resonate or spark sufficient interest among community members may struggle to proceed. Active participation and encouragement of community feedback are crucial for moving your proposal forward.

Phase 2: Temperature Check for Your GIP​

Initiating the Poll: After collecting initial feedback and refining your Gnosis Improvement Proposal (GIP), it's time to formalize your proposal. Create a detailed GIP and open a forum poll to conduct a temperature check.

Duration and Voting: The poll must remain open for a minimum of 5 days, allowing the community ample time to cast their votes either in favor of or against the proposal.

Setting Up Your Proposal:​

  1. Create a New Topic: Navigate to the Governance > GIP category on the Gnosis Forum
  2. Click the + New Topic button
  3. Add the GIPs subcategory: Select GnosisDAO as the main category, then add GIPs as the subcategory
  4. Use the Auto-populated Template: After adding the GIPs subcategory, your draft post will automatically be populated with the GIP template

Detailed Proposal Requirements:

  • Executive Summary: Provide a concise overview of your proposal
  • Specification: Detail the technical or operational aspects
  • Milestones: For proposals requesting funding over $50k or extending beyond 6 months, clearly defined milestones are necessary

Forum Poll Setup:

  • Include a forum poll with a minimum 5-day duration
  • Must include the option "Make no changes"
  • Format poll outcomes by entering each item with * and a space on a new line
  • Set the poll's end date for at least 5 days after posting (enter date in YYYY-MM-DD format)
  • Add the phase-2 tag to your proposal

Note: A GIP number will be assigned by a GnosisDAO Admin forum moderator.

Progressing Your Proposal: To move from Phase 2 to Phase 3, achieving a relative majority of 'in favor' votes is recommended. If the relative majority indicates "Make no changes," the proposal will not pass to Phase 3.

Phase 3: Final Vote​

Final Voting Process: Phase 3 is the decisive stage where the proposal seeks to secure a quorum with a majority in favor.

Updating Your Proposal:

  1. Edit the GIP post from Phase 2 to reflect the forum poll result that received a relative majority
  2. Remove the phase-2 tag and add the phase-3 tag
  3. Make any additional refinements suggested through forum discussion

Snapshot Poll Requirements: A GnosisDAO Snapshot poll must be established featuring:

  • The complete proposal text and a link back to the original GIP post on the Gnosis Forum
  • Voting options including 'For', 'Against', and 'Abstain'
  • Duration: The voting period is set for 7 days to ensure all stakeholders have enough time to participate

Creating a GnosisDAO Snapshot Poll:

  1. Navigate to the GnosisDAO space on Snapshot: https://snapshot.org/#/gnosis.eth
  2. Connect your wallet (or your delegated wallet)
  3. Click "New Proposal"
  4. Copy the GIP title into the Question field
  5. Copy the GIP text into the "What is your proposal?" field
  6. Add a link to the GIP forum post at the top of the proposal text
  7. Enter the refined poll outcomes in the Choices field and include "Make no changes"
  8. Set start date to current date and time
  9. Set end date to 7 days later at 12:00

Linking and Updating: After creating the Snapshot poll, update the original GIP post to include a link to the Snapshot.

Voting Requirements: To vote in a GnosisDAO Snapshot poll, you must hold a minimum of 1 GNO at the proposal's specified block number. Your vote will be weighted proportionally according to the amount of GNO held in your wallet.

Passing Requirements: For a proposal to pass in this final phase, it must garner a relative majority of votes 'For' and meet a quorum of 75,000 GNO votes. If the majority of GNO used in signaling indicates 'Against' or 'Abstain', the proposal is considered closed and not accepted.

How to Delegate Your GNO​

If you prefer to delegate your voting power:

  1. Navigate to https://snapshot.box/#/s:gnosis.eth/delegates
  2. Select a trusted delegate from the list of Delegates
  3. Click on the three dots (...) to the far right of your selected delegate
  4. Select 'Delegate' and connect your wallet to delegate your GNO

This structured approach ensures that every proposal is thoroughly vetted by the community, providing a clear path for participation and decision-making. Your active involvement brings us closer to a consensus that reflects the best interests of the entire Gnosis ecosystem.

Executing a Successful GIP​

Upon approval of a Gnosis Improvement Proposal (GIP), the implementation phase begins. This includes the transfer of funds, the formation of partnerships, and any modifications to the DAO as outlined in the proposal.

Payments should follow a predefined plan or align with milestone completions. For ongoing projects, funds are typically dispersed in a streaming fashion.

This structured approach ensures that all aspects of the GIP are executed efficiently, with a clear and accountable disbursement strategy that supports the long-term success and sustainability of the DAO.

Accountability​

Once a proposal is approved and executed, transparency should be our priority. Regular updates on the progress and impact of the Gnosis Improvement Proposal (GIP), especially those involving the transfer of funds, are essential. These updates keep our community informed and engaged, ensuring that every decision made under Gnosis governance is executed with full accountability.

The parties involved in the GIP should provide updates and accountability of how the funds are used.

Community Awareness Strategies​

Awareness and active community engagement are crucial for the success of any Gnosis Improvement Proposal (GIP). It's important to not only promote your proposals but also to transparently share both the benefits and potential risks with the community.

  • The DAO offers the following outreach possibilities GnosisDAO Newsletter: A neutral overview of the proposal will be given in our newsletter
  • Tweets: The GnosisDAO Twitter account will tweet that a new GIP is open for discussion and voting.
  • Community Calls with Q&A: Participate in calls to discuss your proposal in detail and answer questions from the community. Reach out to us to schedule the call. Please do this in a timely manner to secure you a spot.

Additionally, we encourage you to foster active discussions on the Forum and support your communications with targeted tweets. This ongoing dialogue helps convey your message more effectively and gather valuable feedback. Below, we've listed a few engaging posts for GIP that demonstrate how community awareness can be enhanced.

Furthermore, you should carefully consider the timing of your Snapshot vote going live. From past experience, we've observed that months like August and December are not ideal for publishing Snapshots.

By following this structured approach and engaging actively with the community, you significantly enhance the chances of your proposal’s success within the Gnosis ecosystem.

Additional Resources

**For any questions on GnosisDAO, please feel free to reach out to a GnosisDAO Admin forum moderator or the Gnosis Discord Server.