TLDR
I propose that every grants program that we run where we invest more than $25k into it, should have a public retrospective posted after the round on gov.gitcoin.co.
Why
As Gitcoin evolves towards creating more value, towards product market fit, and towards more adoption, it will be important that we learn from each experiment we do along the way.
Each grants round that we run has gone through a phase of being conceived, designed, executed, and retrospected. As we retrospect these programs, we should share the learnings publicly on gov.gitcoin.co
Over time, the learnings from these rounds will be what helps us find the local maxima + global maxima of value creation possible for our products + programs.
Avoiding pitfalls.
Of course, we should avoid any pitfalls of sharing our retrospectives publicly.
- Let’s not embarass any funders or specific projects.
- Let’s not share any private details or dox anyone…
- Other things to avoid? Pls comment below.
It’s happening!
This is already happening in and around GG19… Some examples
- FAB DAO Grant is Great: Results & Discussion of the Quadratic Fu… — mashbean
- Round Manager Training Cohort key takeaways and next steps! - #3 by Sov
- Lessons from GreenPill Network's Hypercerts Impact Funding Experiment
- Gitcoin Citizens Round #1: Results
- GG19 Web3 Community and Education Round Review: Reflections
- GG19 OSS Round Review: Reflections
- Case studies | Gitcoin Blog
Before the current era, a lot of learning in public happened on Vitalik’s blog here.
Gitcoin has run 19 rounds over the course of 5 years. We’ve been inconsistent about posting our learnings publicly. I’m hopeful that we can become more consistent by intentionally building this into our culture.
Building a learning culture
Over time, this will build a learning culture in and around Gitcoin. Strong learning cultures typically exhibit the following attributes:
- Continuous Learning and Development: Organizations prioritize ongoing education and skill enhancement, often providing opportunities for formal and informal learning.
- Openness to Feedback and Innovation: There is a willingness to receive and act upon feedback, and an openness to trying new ideas and approaches.
- Collaborative Environment: DAO members are encouraged to share knowledge and learn from one another, fostering a sense of teamwork and shared growth.
- Leadership Support: Leaders actively support and participate in learning initiatives, setting an example and providing necessary resources.
- Recognition of Learning Achievements: Accomplishments in learning and development are acknowledged and celebrated, reinforcing the value placed on continuous growth.
Not just Gitcoin.
It was suggested to me by Jonas from the Optimism RPGF team that all web3 public goods funding experiments start doing this. And that together, we’d build a stronger regen web3 movement by doing so.
How do we index the learnings?
I’m thinking about about creating an https://ecosystem.gitcoin.co/ style wiki or an LLM that tracks all of the different case studies and learnings, such that they are easily findable by anyone in the ecosystem