TL;DR
In Season 16, MMM will continue to focus on providing support for the Grants Protocol launch, the Grants Program Success and Community Engagement. To do so, we are requesting a budget of $471,949.
Our top priorities for this season include:
- Finalize overall Gitcoin, protocol, Passport and Grants Program branding strategies
- Launch (or make significant headway in launching) a new gitcoin.co website
- Developing and socializing communications around GR16, the sunsetting of the centralized grants platform (cGrants) and our transition to the protocol
- Developing and releasing an Impact Report to highlight the success of the Gitcoin Grants Program
- Develop and test an engagement strategy that targets three core community audiences (which were identified and researched in S15)
Amount
MMMâs S16 budget is $471,949 (+13% vs S15 budget of $417,543). After accounting for remaining budget & reserves, MMM is requesting $686,239 for Season 16 from the treasury.
There are several reasons for a 13% increase in our budget. Listed below are initiatives that we are newly taking on in an effort to prepare ourselves for a successful launch of our Grants Protocol:
- Absorption of the grassroots initiative
- Building and launching a new Gitcoin.co website [a new initiative]
- Development of more robust strategies around partnerships, influencer marketing and PR & Comms
- Integration of Schelling Point event from a brand & creative standpoint
- Visual refresh of the Gitcoin brand, Grants Program and Grants Protocol
- Increased efforts to market Passport
- UNICEF round promotion
Milestone Report
All in all, MMM performed well in terms of tracking to S15 OKRs. There were many changing priorities over the course of the season which resulted in a lot of . This likely had to do with a change in leadership at MMM and a lack of context on what the DAO needed at the time of budgeting. There were also several that mostly had to do with metrics that were mostly out of MMMâs control. This is a great learning for the team to set OKRs directly related to outputs within our control.
Success
Incomplete but will hit goal
Incomplete, will not hit goal
Canceled
Initiative/Dept | Objectives Past Season | Key Result |
---|---|---|
Protocols | Discover & refine product-market fit for Gitcoinâs protocols (with premier partners). We will both shape and communicate our products & protocols. We will shape it by doing customer & competitor research (to help identify unmet needs) and persona development (to better define the target audience). We will communicate it with content and collateral, market education, and coordinated & effective product launches. |
Protocol sales materials created and being used by sales team * The grants protocols werenât mature enough to push for adoption this season |
Protocol product marketing pages integrated into website * The copy and wireframes are complete, but we are still aligning on strategic messaging and creative |
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Brand/positioning strategy finalized for protocols | ||
Complete key website migration changes of Gitcoin.co including homepage and grants page banners to MMMâs control and revised top and sub navigation (aligned with Protocol launches) | ||
1000 new passports created from content marketing traffic (blogs, Twitter, etc.) * We are still waiting for issues to resolve with Ceramic to verify if this was accomplished or not |
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5 autonomous partner integrations from SDK traffic * The grants protocols werenât mature enough to push for adoption this season |
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Publish 3 new branded walkthrough demos * The grants protocols werenât mature enough |
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Finalize names, logos and typography for the grants product suite and each individual product | ||
10,000 cumulative views on Grants Protocol blog posts * There wasnât enough alignment on the product vision and roadmap to develop a robust content marketing plan. We remedied this by running several strategy syncs with GPC, putting us in a good position to accomplish this goal in S16 |
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Grow awareness of the protocol through co-marketing efforts and case study creation with Optimism and Fantom | ||
5,000 total visitors on Grants Protocol website page * We did not launch the page, and this is ultimately tied to the lack of alignment on the product vision and roadmap to develop a robust content marketing plan |
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Programs | Grow awareness, comprehension, and participation for Grants Rounds. Awareness, comprehension & participation will grow successively round over round for all target groups: matching partners, grantees & individual funders |
10% increased in unique (non-sybil) contributions (15,000) * This goal is not congruent to what MMM has control over and weâll be setting measurable targets in the future of pieces we have more control over (such as engagement metrics). Many people get stopped at the checkout cart due to a variety of different UX issues. A more accurate measure for MMM might be the number of users we drove to the cart. Beyond that point, we donât have much influence/control. |
10% increase of grants receiving $5,000+ in funding * This goal is not congruent to what MMM has control over and weâll be setting measurable targets in the future of pieces we have more control over (such as engagement metrics) |
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80% grant saturation for ecosystem and cause rounds | ||
Comprehensive grants program marketing strategy by end of season * Paused on grants program strategy but doubled-down on audience research and content analytics to create a more robust program marketing strategy for a program re-launch in S17 |
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Deliver Grants Round marketing internal runbook | ||
Implement SEO audit recommendations into back-end of Gitcoin.co website | ||
Develop marketing templates & toolkit for ecosystem partners | ||
Community engagement | Grow Gitcoin community, deepen engagement & improve brand affinity. We will have a unified strategy for community engagement across the DAO & our community will be empowered to champion our vision, mission & activities organically |
Develop community engagement strategy to align and coordinate grassroots efforts of PGF, DAO Ops and MMM (including identifying audiences and outlining/aligning on DAO-wide objectives) |
Develop and execute Twitter channel strategy * Rather than developing a Twitter channel strategy, we did an audit of Twitter and allocated resources to audience segmentation and research to inform experiments in S16 that will contribute to a robust channel strategy in S17 |
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With increased Twitter content outputs, maintain engagement rate of 2.5% (includes likes and RTs) | ||
Increase number of Twitter followers by 10% (12,000 followers) | ||
MMM OS | Refine our OS for a thriving MMM Workstream & DAO. We will have a world-class marketing team who is working in thriving partnerships across the DAO and in the broader web3 community. |
End of season OS health measurement scores of at least 80% * Removed from our list of priorities. |
100% of contributors have their roles and responsibilities documented and accessible to other contributors | ||
Publish a roadmap for MMMâs activities over the next 6 months in collaboration with all other Workstreams | ||
All core MMM contributors experience a peer performance review (exact contributors TBC) |
Other S15 Wins!
- We double-downed on creating clearer lines of communication between GPC & MMM to support a re-alignment of priorities.
- MMM knocked GR15 out of the park by establishing a solid partnership with PGF
- We identified our target audience segments of our community and started user persona work alongside GPC & PGF
- We conducted donor audience research and supported with grantee audience research
- The vast majority of our roles and responsibilities are fully documented for everyone in the Workstream
- Transitioned our email CRM to Hubspot
- Migrated to a new, highly functional Gitcoin.co/blog
- Launched the new Passport marketing page
- Completed S15 retros and gained lots of insights and learnings for different aspects of MMM including our OS, Programs, Protocols, Brand & Creative, Content & Social media, and Analytics & Development
- Set up process and procedures for a well-oiled Content Pipeline
- Published 23 blog posts with over 20,000 views and countingâŚ
- Continued to run the weekly Gitcoin Digest (most recently released issue #39)
- Created over a dozen pieces of governance including a reimbursement policy, a new Weekly Sync format and a clear process for understanding contributor tiers
S16 Goals
The outcomes below lack metrics compared to last season. The reason for this is:
- Protocols - over the next 3 months, the Grants Protocol and Passport are still in early stages of development and are not driving toward any particular metrics. As such, MMM will abstain from setting any unnecessary metrics-driven goals.
- Program - since we will be running a small Grants Round with minimal promotional effort, we will mostly be focused on executing according to requests from the PGF team while monitoring existing benchmarks on Twitter and through email.
- Research-backed content - this season, our content team is going to be wholly focused on experimenting with different channels and types of content, playing with headlines, formats, etc. in order to better understand our audiences and their needs come S17. Our main focus this season is on running experiments, measuring and running more experiments. With our learnings, we will be prepared come S17 to create high impact, desirable content for our audiences.
Generally, MMM is focused on Protocols delivery even/over Program delivery. That said, we always strive to deliver 100% on all fronts.
Objective Name & EI | Objectives | Outcome Description | Likely Initiatives/Projects |
---|---|---|---|
What is it? | What will be done? | What impact will it have? | What might the work look like? |
Objective: Develop research-based positioning and go to market strategy for Gitcoin protocols EI1: Protocol Adoption |
Refine product-market fit for Gitcoinâs protocols. Iterate on product branding to support a clear protocol narrative and to create compelling visual identity. Create marketing collateral, market education, and coordinated & effective product launches. Specifically focus on leveling up our marketing support for Passport. |
We will understand our audiencesâ needs and are effectively communicating how our protocols solve specific needs for each of our identified users. We will have set the foundations for a strong beta launch in S17 (at ETH Denver). |
* Continue protocol audience/persona research * Continue competitor analysis * Continue PMF definition * Launch Protocols website(s) * Develop influencer relations strategy (PR focused, not paid growth) * Create robust product marketing plan for Passport * Start a creative refresh for Passport and other Protocols * Initiate at least 3 co-marketing initiatives with Passport integration partners * Publish at least 2 Passport case studies * Lead and create Passport Product Marketing Fit Pyramid definition for both Developers and Passport Holders * Develop customer journey map and proposed funnel metrics for round operators and project owners (protocol) |
Objective: Shape and communicate evolution of Gitcoin Grants Programs EI2: Grants Program Success |
Grow awareness and comprehension of the transition of Gitcoin Grants to the protocol. Create awareness & drive participation for a successful Alpha round (âGR16â). |
Our grantees, partners and general audience will understand our transition to protocols and what it means for their role in the Gitcoin Grants ecosystem. We will have an aligned and compelling plan and brand for Gitcoin Grants. |
* Develop a communications plan to socialize our transition and mitigate risk * Provide minimal promotional support for the alpha round in January * Provide promotional support for the UNICEF round in December * Release 1st version of a âGrants Program Impact Reportâ * Begin development of a Grantee and Partner testimonial repository * Continue program audience/persona research * Support the development of an overall program & partnerships strategy * Create a program brand strategy & aligned visual identity * Develop customer journey map and proposed funnel metrics for grantees and donors |
Objective: Identify and deepen Gitcoin community engagement (distinct from stakeholder engagement and acquisition) EI1 and 2: Protocol Adoption & Grants Program Success |
Grow the Gitcoin community, deepen engagement, & improve brand affinity. | We will have refined our understanding of our core community and have successfully grown this community and engaged in (and enabled the emergence of) meaningful connections with them and between them both virtually and IRL. | * Detailed report on the outcomes of the execution of our Season 16 community engagement strategy, which will include a recounting of all the activities + links to recordings of sessions held, surveys of community members and 1:1 interviews, and other findings. * Revised Season 17 community engagement strategy informed by the reportâs findings * Create and begin to execute content roadmap leading up to Protocols Launch * Finalize overall Gitcoin branding strategy, and begin implementing the relevant changes * Brand & creative designs for Schelling Point main event * Maintain an average engagement rate of 2.5% per post on Twitter * A series of content experiments to determine our most impactful content leading up to S17 |
MMM organization & contributor success EI4: DAO Organization |
Refine our OS for a thriving MMM Workstream & DAO. | We will have a world-class marketing team of thriving individuals who are working in coordinated partnerships across the DAO and the broader web3 community, resulting in industry-recognized communications and marketing efforts | * Run an S16 peer performance review * Collect monthly OS feedback * Streamline âproject managementâ process |
Budget Breakdown
A note on the breakdown below:
MMM is mostly composed of part-time freelancers working across a number of different projects. In many instances, individualsâ work touches all aspects of the DAO and we did our best to reflect that in our budget.
Budget Category | Description | Amount GTC | Amount USD |
---|---|---|---|
Protocol | - Strategic Lead (Laura - FT) - Operations Lead (CoachJ - FT) - Content manager (Mathilda - FT) - Product marketing specialist - Grants Protocol (Julia - PT) - Product marketing specialist - Passport (Scott M3 - PT) - UX/UI (IO - PT) - Technical Lead (Gerrit - PT) - Art Director (Laura Helen - PT) - Designer (Jvck - PT) - Social media manager (Jess - PT) |
TBC | $159,023 |
Programs | - Strategic Lead (Laura - FT) - Operations Lead (CoachJ - FT) - Content manager (Mathilda - FT) - Growth marketer (Jonas - FT) - Art Director (Laura Helen - PT) - Brand Strategist (Alexa - PT) - Impact Reporter - Stories (Armando - PT) - Impact Reporter - Data (Umar - PT) - Designer (Biux - PT) - Social media manager (Jess - PT) |
TBC | $92,925 |
Community engagement | - Strategic Lead (Laura - FT) - Operations Lead (CoachJ - FT) - Community engagement and content strategist (Gary - FT) - Brand Strategist (Alexa - PT) - Content manager (Mathilda - FT) - Art Director (Laura Helen - PT) - Social media manager (Jess - PT) - Designer (Harry - PT) - Gitcoin Digest Lead (Alex - PT) - Merch store strategic lead and coordinator (TBD) |
TBC | $159,810 |
MMM OS | - Operations Lead (CoachJ - FT) - Project management (June Chin - PT) - General Ops Support (McKennedy - PT) - Accountant (Jonas - FT) |
TBC | $60,191 |
MMM S15 Budget | 33.69% Protocols 19.69% Programs 33.86% Community 12.75% MMM OS |
TBC | $471,949 |
60 day reserves | TBC | $314,633 | |
S15 reserves+budget remaining (est) | TBC | $95,000 | |
Request from Treasury (est) | TBC | $686,239 |
Note:
A denomination in dollar amount will be prioritized in budget proposals over GTC - if the spot price assumed at the time of posting ($2.40 on Nov.7, 2022) this document on the forum changes between then and when the budget gets proposed on-chain, the GTC amount will be readjusted to reflect the USD amount above. GTC amounts are rounded values.