DRAFT - RFP: Reboot the Gitcoin Community for the 3.3 Era

đź“ś Proposals
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RFP: Reboot the Gitcoin Community for the 3.3 Era

Issued by: Gitcoin DAO (sponsor: Kevin Owocki, ED)
Date issued: May 2026
Proposals due: Rolling, first review June 1, 2026
Engagement window: June 2026 – Q1 2027 (phased; see milestones)
Budget envelope: Open — propose your number. Bias toward lean, milestone-gated engagements over a single large retainer.
Submit to: kevin@gitcoin.co and/or post a response on gov.gitcoin.co

1. Context

Gitcoin is entering its 3.3 era: a bold new direction, same mission as always. The DAO controls ~$20M in treasury + matching pool; ~12M GTC is held by the DAO and needs to be re-delegated back to a real, engaged community of delegates.

We are looking for one or more vendors / collectives / individuals to run a phased community reboot. You may bid on one, two, or all three. We expect to award multiple contracts.

2. Project A — Delegation: Recruit 10–30 GTC Delegates

Problem

We need to rebuild a credible, decentralized delegate base capable of carrying ~2.5M GTC of voting power across 10–30 individuals — i.e. a target average of ~100K–250K GTC per delegate, with a long tail. Proposal threshold is 150K GTC; quorum is 2.5M GTC (GovernorBravo 0x9d4c63565d5618310271bf3f3c01b2954c1d1639).

Scope of work

  • Build a delegate candidate pipeline. Source from: existing Gitcoin community, allied DAOs (Optimism, Arbitrum, ENS, Protocol Guild, Octant), Ethereum public-goods orgs, AI-livelihood-aligned operators, regen / impact orgs, returning Gitcoin alumni.
  • Vet candidates against a public rubric (proposed by you, approved by Kevin + Mathilda). Rubric should cover: mission alignment, governance track record, time commitment, conflicts, geographic and ideological diversity.
  • Produce delegate profiles (Tally + gov.gitcoin.co posts) for each candidate.
  • Run delegate onboarding: GTC mechanics, treasury landscape, Gitcoin 3.3 mission, current open proposals, expectations on cadence.
  • Coordinate the actual delegation events — match candidate delegates with GTC holders (Foundation, Kevin, ecosystem holders) willing to delegate and get the txns executed.

Deliverables

  • Public delegate rubric and selection process.
  • 10–30 onboarded, publicly-profiled delegates with active GTC delegated to them.
  • Live delegate roster on gov.gitcoin.co with bios, conflicts, and contact.
  • Delegate orientation handbook (one-pager + 30-min recorded onboarding).
  • Quarterly delegate health check (participation rate, voting history, churn).

Success metrics

  • Quorum is in good shape: ≥ 2.5M GTC actively delegated to non-Foundation, non-multisig addresses within 90 days of contract start.
  • Diversity: No single delegate holds > 20% of active delegated supply.
  • Participation: ≥ 70% of active delegates vote on at least 80% of proposals in their first 6 months.

What we’ll provide

  • Introductions to Foundation, Kyle Weiss, Owocki, existing top delegates.
  • Socials foramplification
  • Coordination with Mathilda on contract / Governor parameter side.
  • A pool of GTC the Foundation and Kevin are willing to delegate (subject to separate approval).

3. Workstream B — Education: Re-onboard the Community to Gitcoin 3.3

Problem

The community that knew Gitcoin as “the QF rounds people” needs to be re-onboarded to Gitcoin 3.3. Net-new audiences — AI-economy operators, livelihood-focused funders, post-Web3 builders — need a first door in.

Scope of work

  • A 6-8week educational series across at least three formats:
    1. Twitter / X Spaces — weekly or biweekly, ~45–60 min. Mix of: Kevin + co-host explainers, debates with critics, deep-dives with builders working on 3.3 mechanisms.
    2. AMAs — monthly, async-friendly format on gov.gitcoin.co or another platform, with a written summary published within 48h.
    3. One additional format of your choice — podcast, YouTube longform, in-person at events, IRL salons (RegenHub-style), workshops, university chapters. Pick what you can execute exceptionally.
  • Produce a “Gitcoin 3.3 in 10 minutes” canonical explainer (video + written) that all educational content can refer back to.
  • Build and maintain an FAQ on gov.gitcoin.co that absorbs questions surfaced in Spaces/AMAs.
  • Identify and seed 3–5 third-party explainers (writers, podcasters, video creators) to cover 3.3 in their own voice.

Deliverables

  • A published calendar of educational events for the engagement window.
  • ≥ 20 Twitter Spaces and ≥ 6 AMAs over the 6-month engagement.
  • Canonical 10-min explainer (video + written).
  • Maintained FAQ (≥ 50 entries by end of engagement).
  • 3–5 third-party content placements.

Success metrics

  • Reach: Cumulative attended-live audience across Spaces ≥ 15K; cumulative replays ≥ 100K.
  • Conversion to action: ≥ 100 new gov.gitcoin.co accounts, ≥ 100 new GTC delegations (any size) attributable to educational programming.
  • Frame propagation: Independent third-party content referencing Gitcoin 3.3 in their own voice — target ≥ 25 pieces by end of engagement (qualitative review).
  • Inbound interest: ≥ 10 inbound asks per month from operators / funders / advisors who cite educational content as their entry point.

What we’ll provide

  • Kevin’s time on Spaces, AMAs, and select longform appearances (cap: ~3 hrs/week public-facing).
  • Talent intros (researchers, Allo.capital alumni, Gitcoin 3.3 contributors, advisors).
  • Brand assets via Ash (in-flight).
  • gov.gitcoin.co + Gitcoin social channels.

4. Workstream C — Campaign: Launch Gitcoin 3.3 (Targeted: ~Q4 2026 / Q1 2027)

Problem

When Gitcoin 3.3 is ready to deploy (target unveil window: June 2026 teaser → full launch later in 2026 / early 2027), we will need a coordinated launch campaign that converts the audience built in Workstreams A + B into participation: delegates voting on the budget that funds 3.3, builders entering the arena, funders backing matching pools, and beneficiaries showing up to the mechanisms.

Scope of work

We are not procuring execution of the campaign today. We are procuring the campaign plan, with an option to execute pending mutual agreement closer to launch.

Deliverable: a written campaign plan covering:

  • Audience map. Who we’re targeting (delegates, builders, funders, beneficiaries, press, allied DAOs), and the specific call-to-action for each.
  • Narrative architecture. How to tell the story over a ~6-week launch window. Hero artifacts (videos, essays, demos, dashboards).
  • Channel plan. X, Farcaster, podcast appearances, conference presence (Devcon / Q1), partner co-marketing, paid (if any — justify), press strategy.
  • Mechanism activation. How the campaign drives toward at least one measurable on-chain event (a vote, a round, a delegation drive, a treasury commitment).
  • Risk plan. Failure modes (low turnout, hostile takes, technical delay, AI-livelihood backlash) and pre-built responses.
  • Budget and team. What you’d need to execute. Pricing for the plan should be separate from pricing for execution.
  • Success metrics. Your proposed KPIs tied to the Dec-2027 goal hierarchy in §2.

Deliverables

  • Written campaign plan (2–5 pages) delivered no later than 90 days before target launch date.
  • One review session with Kevin, Mathilda, Julia, Ash, and ≥ 2 advisors.
  • Optional: bid to execute the campaign you designed.

Success metrics (for the plan itself)

  • Kevin and the working group can read the plan, agree it is executable, and either fund execution or hand it to another vendor without losing critical context.
  • Plan explicitly addresses the three Dec-2027 KPIs.

5. Who we want to hear from

Strong fits — bid even if partial:

  • Community-organizing operators with DAO governance experience (OpenCivics, Karpatkey-style delegate ops, RnDAO, BanklessDAO alumni, Other Internet, etc.).
  • Editorial / media collectives with crypto-native distribution and a track record of moving narrative (not just impressions).
  • Individual operators with deep Ethereum public-goods relationships willing to anchor one workstream and partner on others.
  • Cross-movement organizers from outside crypto (AI safety, livelihood / labor, post-growth, regen) who can credibly bridge audiences — especially for Workstream B’s net-new audience and Workstream C’s narrative.

Not fits: pure paid-media agencies, “growth hacking” shops, generic web3 marketing firms, anyone whose primary offer is follower count.

6. How to apply

Send a proposal (max 3 pages) covering:

  1. Which workstream(s) you’re bidding on.
  2. Team and relevant track record (links > prose).
  3. Approach: how you’d actually do the work, including what you’d do in the first 30 days.
  4. Budget and milestone structure. Prefer milestone-gated payments.
  5. Conflicts of interest (current GTC holdings, governance roles, competing engagements).
  6. References (2–3 prior clients / collaborators we can ask).

Submit to: kevin@gitcoin.co + a public response on gov.gitcoin.co (we want the bids to be partly visible to the community we’re rebuilding).

Review process: Rolling. First batch reviewed June 1, 2026 by Kevin + Mathilda + ≥ 1 advisor. Shortlisted vendors get a call. Decisions announced on gov.gitcoin.co.

8. Open questions we’d love your proposal to address

  • How do you avoid creating a delegate base that’s just our existing inner circle wearing new hats?
  • How do you re-engage former Gitcoin community members who left during the 2023–2025 wind-down without litigating the past?
  • How does educational content recruit non-crypto-native AI-livelihood operators without alienating the crypto-native delegate base?
  • What’s your honest read on the MVP budget that produces real signal vs. theater?

This RFP is a living document. It will be updated as the working groups (education: Julia; funding/recruitment: Mathilda; marketing: Ash) refine scope. Latest version always at gov.gitcoin.co.

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Being re-engaged - Where do Coders fit in the 3.3 Era?
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SEEDGov - Response to RFP: Delegate Recruitment & Onboarding (Project A)

We’re submitting a proposal to @owocki RFP for the Gitcoin 3.3 era reboot and, as part of the process, we’re sharing a short public summary here for community visibility.

Who we are

With +4 years of experience across the governance ecosystem, SEEDGov has built a strong track record guiding delegate communities across a diverse range of protocols, also leveraging SEEDLatam’s regional footprint as one of the largest Web3 communities.

Through a deep understanding of governance analytics, behavioural dynamics, and incentive design, we’ve developed the expertise needed to cultivate an active, professional, and highly engaged delegate base. We’ve been delegates in +12 protocols (including Gitcoin) and have had the chance to manage operations and programs as well as facilitate governance on several occasions while partnering with the best in order to achieve the expected outcomes.

What we’re proposing

We’re bidding on Project A: recruit and onboard 10–30 new GTC delegates, with the goal of building a genuinely diverse, independent, and active governance cohort that can sustain itself beyond the program window.

The high-level structure we’re proposing has three phases across nine months:

Q1

  • Gitcoin 3.3 deep familiarization, self-onboarding, and governance activity baseline;

  • Exploratory rubric and selection process design, iterated to final version;

  • Delegate Orientation Handbook and onboarding video production;

  • Delegate campaign design and rollout - strategic outreach, and formal launch;

  • Executing delegation transactions and conducting onboarding session/s;

  • Early delegate activity monitoring and retrospective on the selection process; and

  • Delegate offboarding outline, including redelegation strategy for churn or voluntary exits.

Q2

  • Monitoring delegate activity;

  • Ensuring sustained participation against targets;

  • Proactive delegate health interventions (engagement before churn); and

  • Offboarding Framework: act upon the delegate offboarding if required and seek a replacement.

Q3

  • Operations maintenance;

  • Design a Reputation-Based Experiment;

  • Comprehensive Delegate Dashboard with insightful data (e.g. time-to-vote distribution, Nakamoto, ideological clusters, vote alignment, regions, domain preferences, DAO overlaps, etc).

The design principles behind the structure

We believe that the difference between a delegate program that works and one that produces theater is accountability infrastructure. Participation rates matter, but they don’t tell you whether delegates are thinking independently or mirroring each other. The alignment matrix and clustering analysis we’re building into Q3 are designed to surface that, not to penalize correlated voting, but to make it visible so the community can evaluate whether diversity of thought is actually present.

Gitcoin is attempting something genuinely hard: rebuilding governance legitimacy at a moment of organizational transition, with a community that has reasons to be skeptical, around a mission that is expanding in scope. A delegate program that produces 30 profiles, but no real participation, doesn’t solve that problem. What we’re trying to build is a diverse cohort that votes, reasons publicly, disagrees with each other, and keeps showing up, and a measurement layer that lets the community verify that claim rather than take it on faith.

— SEEDGov (Fehz, Tino, Marian, Ivey)

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Hi everyone,

Sharing a brief public summary of Anode’s response to the Gitcoin 3.3 community reboot RFP.

We submitted the full proposal by email and are primarily bidding on Workstream A — Delegation, with a lightweight governance education layer that can support Workstream B if useful.

Our view is that Gitcoin 3.3 does not only need more delegates. It needs a governance community that understands the mission, can explain it clearly, and is willing to show up publicly.

For that reason, our proposal focuses on a 90-day governance reactivation sprint with four main goals:

  1. Define a clear delegate profile and public selection rubric.

  2. Map and approach potential delegates from Gitcoin alumni, Ethereum public goods, DAO governance, grants, regen/impact, AI/livelihood-adjacent communities, and allied ecosystems.

  3. Support candidate onboarding through practical governance education, orientation materials, and public delegate profiles.

  4. Help activate delegation while keeping the process visible through public updates, a delegate roster, and a final 90-day reflection.

Anode was formed by former StableLab governance operators, carrying forward experience across delegation, governance education, grants, proposal evaluation, and ecosystem strategy.

Our edge is not generic community management. It is governance-specific community rebuilding.

We believe delegation should be treated as part of Gitcoin’s broader community reboot. The goal is not just to create delegate profiles, but to help Gitcoin find people who understand the 3.3 mission and are ready to participate responsibly.

Happy to answer questions or clarify the scope.

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Response to RFP: Delegate Recruitment & Onboarding (Workstream A), with a bid on Workstream C

Sharing a short public summary of my proposal for the 3.3 reboot. Full version sent to Kevin by email.

I’m Tanisha Katara, founder of Katara Consulting Group. I’ve spent the last four years building governance and cryptoeconomic systems for 11+ protocols, including Polygon, Avail, Filecoin Foundation, and Mina.

The part of my approach I’d point you to first is the delegate sourcing, because it’s where I differ from how this is usually done.

Most delegate recruitment is outside-in. You already know who someone is, their DAO, their reputation, their timeline, and you pull them into the system. The problem is that it can only reach people who are already visible, so you end up rebuilding the “same inner circle in new hats”.

I recommend going the other way, inside-out. I start from on-chain identity and behavior and work outward. Using entity and domain clustering using ENS and Arkham, I map who is genuinely active and aligned in an ecosystem, build heat maps of where real participation is actually happening, and pull out candidates who aren’t in anyone’s governance rolodex yet.

I’ve done this on several engagements. To be clear about what this is and isn’t: it profiles on-chain entities and public footprints, not anyone’s private identity, and every candidate comes in by choice through outreach.

I already have published methodology for this (concentration, distribution, time-to-vote, alignment clustering), so the community can actually see whether delegates are thinking independently or just echoing each other, rather than taking it on faith.

On re-engaging people who left, I did this at Filecoin. It came down to reaching out before they came back on their own, asking how to fix the problem instead of arguing about who was right, and moderating firmly enough that people felt safe disagreeing in public again.

Deliverables for Workstream A:

  • Public selection rubric and sourcing methodology
  • 10–30 onboarded, publicly-profiled delegates with GTC actively delegated
  • Live delegate roster on Gitcoin’s governance page (bios, conflicts, contact)
  • Orientation handbook and recorded onboarding
  • Ongoing delegate health analytics and a live dashboard

I’m also bidding on Workstream C, the launch campaign plan. The deliverable there is the written plan the RFP asks for: audience map, narrative, channels, risk plan, and a campaign that drives toward a real on-chain event rather than just impressions.

My angle: it should culminate in the first 3.3 budget vote, with the delegates recruited in Workstream A casting it. That ties the two workstreams into one loop. Priced separately from execution, as the RFP requests.

It’s all milestone-gated, and I’m not bidding on B, though I’m glad to partner with whoever takes it.

Happy to take questions here.

— Tanisha Katara

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1. Workstream A – Delegation: Recruit 10–30 GTC Delegates

We want to help Gitcoin rebuild a resilient, decentralized, and mission-aligned delegate ecosystem capable of sustaining governance participation, proposal throughput, and long-term quorum health.

Our proposal focuses on designing and delivering a comprehensive Delegate Program Framework that Gitcoin can use as a long-term governance asset. Rather than treating delegate recruitment as a one-time campaign, we aim to create a repeatable and scalable system for delegate selection, onboarding, evaluation, education, and governance participation.

While our primary objective is to design the framework and provide implementation recommendations, our team is also willing to support the operational execution of the program in a future phase if the ecosystem believes that would create additional value.

2. Team & Relevant Experience

Eureka is a team composed of governance and operations professionals with extensive experience supporting, designing, and scaling decentralized governance systems across multiple DAOs. Our expertise sits at the intersection of governance operations, delegate coordination, incentive design, and ecosystem growth, with a strong focus on turning governance from a procedural requirement into a strategic lever for protocol sustainability and adoption.

Beyond governance operations, our team also brings significant academic and educational experience. One of our core team members is a university professor, providing us with expertise in curriculum design, educational methodology, and knowledge transfer. This allows us to build delegate education and onboarding systems that make complex governance concepts understandable, actionable, and accessible to participants with diverse backgrounds.

Our objective is not to replicate existing governance programs, but to apply lessons learned from multiple ecosystems to create a framework specifically tailored to Gitcoin’s mission, culture, and governance needs. Our approach to governance is pragmatic and systems-oriented: improving signal over noise, aligning incentives, reducing operational friction, and ensuring governance structures actively support protocol growth rather than slow it down.

We have experience working across multiple DAOs, including: Scroll DAO, Reserve DAO, Arbitrum DAO, Push Protocol, and Summer.fi.

3. Approach

Phase 1

The first step is understanding the type of governance ecosystem Gitcoin wants to cultivate. During the initial weeks of the engagement we will work closely with the Foundation, Kyle Weiss, Kevin Owocki, existing delegates, ecosystem contributors, and governance participants to identify delegate expectations, governance priorities and long-term ecosystem objectives.

Once alignment has been established, we will begin building a pipeline of prospective delegates. Our sourcing strategy will leverage both existing Gitcoin relationships and adjacent governance ecosystems where experienced contributors already exist. This includes delegates and operators from DAOs in which we have strong networks, public goods organizations, impact-focused communities, and former Gitcoin contributors who may be interested in re-engaging. The goal is not to maximize the number of candidates but rather to identify individuals who have demonstrated a capacity for thoughtful governance participation, constructive community engagement, and long-term commitment.

Each prospective delegate will be assessed against a standardized rubric that evaluates mission alignment, governance experience, demonstrated participation, time commitment, conflicts of interest, and contribution potential. Particular attention will be paid to diversity across geography, professional background, governance philosophy, and ecosystem representation. A healthy governance system requires a plurality of viewpoints, and we believe delegate recruitment should intentionally reflect that principle. This process will culminate in a public delegate rubric and selection framework that creates transparency around how delegates are evaluated and why they are receiving voting power.

Phase 2

After identifying strong candidates, we will focus on ensuring they are equipped to succeed. Many governance programs fail because delegation occurs before adequate onboarding. Delegates are given voting power but lack sufficient context regarding the protocol, treasury, strategic priorities, and governance expectations. To address this, we will develop a lightweight but comprehensive onboarding process that provides delegates with the information necessary to become effective participants from the outset. This will include an orientation handbook, a recorded onboarding session, and direct support during their first governance cycles.

Our academic and educational experience allows us to design a structured onboarding and learning framework that helps delegates understand:

  • Gitcoin’s mission and purpose

  • Governance processes

  • Treasury and resource allocation principles

  • Delegate responsibilities

  • Long-term ecosystem objectives

The goal is not simply to create active delegates, but informed delegates who understand why Gitcoin exists, the challenges it seeks to solve, and the values it aims to protect.

Phase 3

Strong governance emerges from engaged communities rather than isolated voters. We recommend creating mechanisms that encourage delegates to interact regularly, exchange perspectives, discuss governance challenges, and develop a shared understanding of Gitcoin’s mission and future direction. The objective is to help delegates evolve from a collection of individual voters into a cohesive group of ecosystem stewards working toward the long-term sustainability of Gitcoin governance.

To support this objective, we will conduct quarterly delegate health checks that provide visibility into the overall health and effectiveness of the delegate ecosystem. These reviews will assess key metrics, including proposal participation rates, voting history, responsiveness, delegation retention, and delegate churn. The findings will be summarized in a public report highlighting participation trends, identifying delegates who may require additional support or engagement, and surfacing any emerging risks related to voter concentration or inactivity. By establishing a regular feedback and accountability process, Gitcoin can make more informed delegation decisions while ensuring that governance remains active, representative, and resilient over time.

4. Budget & Milestones

Total Budget Request: $5,000 USD

$2500 at the beginning of the engagement, and $2500 after all deliverables have been shared.

Eureka commits to provide the following deliverables at the end of our engagement:

  • Public delegate rubric and selection process.

  • Initial cohort of delegate candidates identified and progressing through onboarding.

  • Delegate orientation handbook.

  • 10–30 onboarded, publicly profiled delegates with active GTC delegated to them.

  • Live delegate roster on gov.gitcoin.co including bios, conflicts of interest disclosures, and contact information.

  • Recorded delegate onboarding session.

  • Initial quarterly delegate health check framework established, including participation rate, voting history, and churn reporting.

5. Conflicts of Interest

We currently participate in governance across several DAOs and may hold governance tokens or governance-related positions in other ecosystems. We commit to full transparency regarding any material conflicts of interest and public disclosure where appropriate. Similarly, our involvement in Ethereum Greece creates no material conflict of interest.

6. References

References contacts, links to previous work, and additional supporting materials can be provided upon request.