The DAO Field Guide

The DAO Field Guide

brought to you by common and contributors across different communities that choose to use common to coordinate and conduct governance

Part 2: The DAO Field Guide

Brought to you by Common & Friends Part one of this guide covers the general strategies and concepts relating to what a DAO is, how to launch a DAO, and how to grow that DAO. Part two focuses on showing real world examples of what DAOs are actively doing to achieve their goals. Part two also includes an ever-growing database of unique DAO initiatives, results of those initiatives, and key learnings gained from running those initiatives.

This section showcases how DAOs implement the theories covered in part one to grow and achieve their goals. It explores what happens after a DAO is launched including some of the most common initiatives that DAOs implement, the experiments that worked, the ones that didn’t, and the community-led moments that defined entire ecosystems. Whether you're deep in the trenches of building or simply exploring how DAOs operate beyond the docs, this part of the guide is designed to offer real world insight into what actual DAOs are doing both successfully & not.

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Why Part 2 Matters Launching a DAO is just the beginning. The majority of the DAO lifecycle is spent growing the community and collectively working towards a shared vision. The inimitable nature of individual online communities coupled with their specific visions results in no two paths to achieving those visions being the same.

The second edition of Common’s DAO Declassified Survival Guide, The DAO Field Guide, was created in collaboration with communities on Common to provide real world examples of how DAOs and web3 communities alike coordinate to achieve different goals and collaboratively solve problems.

You’ll find examples of how communities Broke the status quo to more effectively work towards their mission Overcame bad actors within their community to effectively reward members that believe in the visio Acquired a golf course The first section of The DAO Field Guide goes over some of the most common initiatives that DAOs have implemented across all niches, sizes, and blockchain ecosystems. Initiatives covered in the first section covers the typical reasoning behind implementing the initiative, the desired results, and a real world example of a DAO implementing it.

The second section of this guide is an ever-growing repository of case studies curated by DAO contributors within the Common ecosystem. Each case study tells a story of how a community worked together to solve a problem or achieve a shared goal through creative coordination in a way that is only made possible through effective utilisation of web3 technologies.

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Overview of Each Section in The DAO field Guide Section 1: The DAO Initiative Toolbox Preceding the section containing individual case studies, this section covers some of the most common initiatives that many DAOs have had success with in the past. Think of this section as a DAO initiative tool box where each initiative can be used as a tool for the DAO to achieve its goals or solve problems. From grants DAOs to protocol DAOs, these initiatives have proven to be strategically important to the success of all types of DAOs.

The initiatives covered in this section are grouped into the following categories Rewarding Contributor Enabling Community-led Growt Contributor Onboarding

These initiatives are not meant to be one-sizefits-all solutions, they're adaptable tools to help a DAO experiment with intention in a way that builds off what other DAOs have done in the past.

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Section 2: DAO Initiative Case Studies This section was created by various contributors within Common’s ecosystem that have documented their stories of how they collaborated with the community to overcome problems and achieve shared goals. Each case study covers what they tried, what they learned, and what others can learn from the experience.

From managing highly contentious decisions to enlisting bounty hunters for the purpose of catching bad actors, each story reflects the evolving landscape of web3 coordination.

These case studies don’t claim perfection. In fact, some of the most valuable lessons come from things that didn’t go according to plan. But each example shares something real: an experiment in coordination at scale.

New case studies will continue to be added to this section to serve as an ever-growing public good. As more communities find new ways to creatively create something together, this section will continue to grow.

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The DAO Field Guide

brought to you by common and contributors across different communities that choose to use common to coordinate and conduct governance

Section 1: The DAO Initiative Toolbox

A list of popular initiatives that all types of DAOs have used from different niches, sizes, and ecosystems to improve common workflows including contributor onboarding and rewards

These Initiatives Have Helped all types of DAOs across different niches, sizes, & Ecosystems.

Through cycles of experimentation and iteration, the maturing DAO ecosystem has seen certain initiatives rise in popularity and replicated successfully across all types of DAOs. Even though all DAOs are fundamentally different, they all share the same challenge of trying to get random people on the internet to work together to achieve shared goals.

Become a Better DAO Contributor

By Learning How Other DAOs Work Together

The process of selecting what initiative a DAO should implement should begin with identifying what problem the DAO needs to solve or what goal the DAO wants to achieve. Just picking a random initiative because other DAOs have had success with it in the past is akin to building a solution in search of a problem that may or may not exist. Understanding the problem or intended goal that and tailoring the initiative to the DAO’s specific resources, aspirations, and culture is essential for successful implementation.

The DAO initiatives in this section are meant to showcase the best practices that have emerged and serve as inspiration for DAOs once a goal or problem is identified.

Each of these initiatives serve one to three of these core functions within DAOs: rewarding contributors for meaningful contributions, enabling community-led growth, and streamlining or increasing contributor onboarding.

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DAO Initiative Toolbox Category: Rewarding Contributors The sense of fulfilment contributors receive when working towards a mission they believe in isn’t enough to facilitate sustainable & meaningful contributions. In order to fully unlock the unique collaboration opportunities that only DAOs possess, contributor reward mechanisms need to be put in place.

Request for Proposal (RFP) Programs What are RFP Programs?

The purpose of RFP programs is to solicit proposals for specific projects, tools, or solutions that align with current goals. These programs are designed to identify and fund teams or individuals capable of addressing particular challenges or building infrastructure that benefits the DAO’s ecosystem.

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Potential Use Cases Propose an app idea that utilises the DAO’s product. Accepted app proposals get funding from the DAO’s treasury.

Run an RFP program to facilitate product co-creation. Create proposal requests for specific product features that the community can build.

RFPs can be DAO job postings used to attract new talent and hire contributors. A DAO can solicit proposals on community moderation strategies or treasury management plans and fund the best proposer to execute their proposed strategy or plan.

The Basic Workflow of an RFP Program Externally request proposals for a specific task, project, or problem that needs to be solved.

Create a framework for proposers to submit their proposals.

Choose which proposal should be selected. This can either be chosen by soliciting DAO members to vote on which proposal should be accepted or via a small, DAO-appointed working group devoted to accepting & funding RFP proposals.

Fund or give the predetermined resources to the chosen proposal to execute the idea outlined in the proposal. For multi-step proposals or more complex ideas, it is typically better to perform milestone-based funding which should be outlined in the original RFP.

Example RFP Program: LayerZero One of the largest RFP programs implemented was LayerZero’s RFP program leading up to their token launch. Despite not being a DAO, the program facilitated effective collaboration between the ecosystem and core team to determine initial token distribution.

The program empowered the ecosystem’s developers to determine how the users of the product they built using LayerZero products were rewarded. Ecosystem developers were given access to a token gated area to propose to the core team how they would like to distribute their allocated LayerZero token.

The above image is the the official request for proposal from the LayerZero team calling on ecosystem developers to propose how they would reward their own users. Following the guidelines in the team’s RFP, ecosystem developers submitted proposals communicating how exactly they would like to reward their users (left image). The LayerZero team reviewed every submission and accepted 200+ proposals. This program successfully facilitated the co-creation of initial token distribution.

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Common Challenges associated with RFP Programs Even though RFP programs are generally considered a valuable initiative for web3 projects of all kinds, many projects have had difficulty finding ways to successfully implement this program.

Three common challenges are as follows.

Lack of Motivation

Accountability Funding and responsibility to execute on the project outlined in the Issues RFP is typically given upfront. This creates a lack of accountability

mechanisms that can lead to ideas getting completely funded but not implemented. A common solution is implementing milestone-based funding.

Participation An RFP is essentially a call to action directed at ecosystem Requirements stakeholders. It’s up to the contributors to propose ideas. If no

meaningful ideas get proposed then the project that the RFP is trying to action remains unaddressed.

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Bounty Programs Bounty programs are reward-based systems designed to incentivize community members, developers, and contributors to complete predefined tasks. These programs are widely used by DAOs to encourage participation and increase overall productivity.

The tasks that make up a bounty program can range from technical development to marketing, content creation, and community engagement. Bounties can serve as a useful tool to help guide community members on how they can meaningfully contribute.

RFP Programs vs. Bounty Programs

Typical Bounty Program Workflow

Bounty programs are typically

Specific tasks & associated

implemented to facilitate the

rewards are communicated to the

execution of preset tasks whereas

community in the form of a bounty

RFPs are mainly used to source ideas

A community member follows the

on how to approach more complex

instructions laid out in the bounty

issues.

& completes the tas After task completion, community

The key difference between the two

member submits proof of

programs is that most RFP programs

completio

reward the idea before execution and

Task completion is verified by the

bounty programs reward the task after

entity facilitating the progra

completion.

Community member is rewarded

Common Examples Find & fix an issue in a produc Product documentation improvement Minor user interface improvement Create a piece of marketing content that gets a certain amount of impressions

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Community NFT Projects A growing number of DAOs have released profile picture NFTs to their community as a way to help members enhance their alignment with the DAO and express their connection to the DAO through their online persona. If implemented effectively, incorporating NFTs into DAOs have proven to be a powerful tool to deepen engagement, reward contributors, and strengthen brand identity. By leveraging the inherent onchain traits of NFTs, DAOs can embed unique utility and access into these assets, turning them into meaningful, functional components of the DAO

Why DAOs Launch Community NFT Projects Recognition &

DAOs often gift NFTs to members who take specific actions. These

Rewards

NFTs serve as public badges, recognizing meaningful participation while also growing the holder’s reputation in the DAO.

Strategic Fundraising

NFTs can also be used to raise funds for the DAO’s treasury. NFT sales can be a creative way to bring in resources while offering value back to supporters.

NFTs can have unique utility within a community such as granting holders access to gated areas of the community or allow holders to be the first to hear about new opportunities.

Example of An NFT Project LinksDAO also has a community NFT project named LinksDAO Champions. These NFTs are used to strengthen community member alignment & enables holders to use the art for their online persona thus growing brand presence.

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DAO Initiative Toolbox Category: Enabling Communityled Growth

Community-led Branding Branding co-creation empowers decentralized communities to actively shape the narrative, visuals, and culture of a project. Alignment among all stakeholders in web3 is incredibly important, especially how the project presents itself.

Branding co-creation ensures that the brand accurately reflects community culture while taking advantage of the diversity of skillsets and perspectives that decentralized communities provide.

Here’s why it matters Authenticity: Community-driven branding feels genuine and relatable, fostering trust among users Engagement: When contributors help shape a project’s identity, they develop a sense of ownership, leading to long-term loyalty Cost Savings: User-generated content reduces the need for expensive advertising campaigns while amplifying organic reach Resilience: A brand rooted in community values is more likely to endure during market fluctuations Network Effects: Active participation creates a ripple effect, attracting more contributors and strengthening the ecosystem.

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The Industry Standard: Monad’s Branding Co-creation Monad set the standard for branding co-creation by actively involving its community in shaping its identity:

Community Creativity

Monad encouraged members to create memes, lore, and characters like Molandak and Moyaki, which became central to its branding.

Relatability

By embracing their web3 community’s meme culture and humor, Monad crafted an approachable brand that resonated with general Web3 audiences.

A

Strengthening

Co-creating with the community resulted in Monad’s branding

lignment

accurately representing the community while communicating how much the team values community.

Ambassador Programs Ambassador programs are initiatives designed to empower and engage community members to act as representatives, advocates, and contributors for a specific project or ecosystem. These programs often play a critical role in community building, education, and ecosystem growth while rewarding participants for their contributions.

Ambassador programs recruit passionate individuals who align with a project’s mission to promote its values, educate others, and drive community engagement. Ambassadors often serve as the bridge between the organization and its broader community, helping to onboard new members, organize events, create content, and provide feedback. Common ambassador program focuses are:

Product Onboarding

Community Growth

Product Collaboration

Hire ambassadors to help

Ambassadors can serve as a

Since Ambassadors

new users onboard to the

more scalable community

typically serve as the

product. This is

growth option as opposed to

bridge between the team

particularly useful for

only the team focusing on

& community, they can

newer products &

growth.

provide valuable product

projects.

feedback to the team.

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DAO Initiative Toolbox Category: Contributor Onboarding Onboarding in web3 communities is about creating positive feedback loops that organically move people from passive members to active contributors.

The first loop starts with validation: when a new member’s participation is acknowledged whether through a reply, emoji reaction, or shoutout, they're more likely to engage again. Over time, these microinteractions create a sense of belonging. The stronger that bond becomes, the more likely that person is to seek out more meaningful ways to support the DAO’s goals.

This leads into the second loop: the contributor flywheel A contributor identifies a way to help They take action They’re rewarded either financially or through recognition typically by increased access or responsibility.

When contributors feel seen and valued, they come back. These two cycles of belonging and contribution work together to drive DAO health, sustainability, and momentum. Strong onboarding, then, isn’t about funneling people in but more about building a culture that rewards participation and deepens alignment over time.

The initiatives in this section are some examples of how you or the community can encourage these positive feedback loops.

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Community Created Documentation A bounty system for documentation is a great way to turn community energy into meaningful action. Instead of relying solely on the core team, DAOs can invite contributors to write guides, tutorials, and FAQs and rewarding them for high-quality work. This not only eases the workload on core contributors but also ensures that the docs are written by users, for users. Over time, this builds a more accessible and community-owned knowledge base.

Participation Guide Creating a DAO participation guide is essential and an ideal opportunity to collaborate with your community. By inviting contributors to co-write sections on how to get involved, delegate, or vote you capture real experiences and lower the barrier to entry for newcomers. A bounty or open drafting process can reward contributors for clear, helpful input while reinforcing shared ownership. The result is a living guide that reflects the voice and values of the community itself.

DAO Structure Documentation Collaborating with the community on documenting the DAO’s structure not only gives contributors a great way to meaningfully participate but also increases transparency. By collaborating with active contributors, you ensure the documentation reflects how things actually work, not just how they were originally designed. Through bounties or async drafting sessions, contributors can help map responsibilities, decision flows, and key contacts. The outcome is a clear, accurate guide that improves onboarding, coordination, and transparency across the DAO.

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The DAO Field Guide

brought to you by common and contributors across different communities that choose to use common to coordinate and conduct governance

Section 2: Real World Case Studies

A Growing list of Case Studies of all types of DAOs across different niches/sizes showcasing real world examples of DAOs working together to achieve shared Goals

a Growing Repository of Real World Examples of How DAOs Are Coordinating & Achieving Their Goals

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What is LinksDAO? LinksDAO is the premier onchain golf club. Members unlock access to a global network of golf courses and retail partners. NFT-holding members contribute to the DAO and vote on a variety of communitydriven initiatives to reimagine the modern golf experience.

Their approach unites golfers worldwide, enabling them to participate in the governance and development of premier golf destinations.

The Founding Vision: Onchain Community Purchasing a Golf Course LinksDAO was inspired by ConstitutionDAO’s rapid, community-led movement. In a similar spirit, LinksDAO emerged from a bold idea: leverage web3 technology to unite individuals behind a shared, ambitious goal of purchasing a golf course. Mike Dudas, a key figure in the project, publicly announced the vision on Twitter, sparking immediate interest. A Discord community was formed the same day, and within two weeks, LinksDAO successfully launched its NFT membership mint raising $12 million.

The overwhelming interest from both the golf and web3 communities caught the attention of mainstream golf brands, leading to unexpected partnership opportunities. What began as a focused mission evolved into a broader membership offering, enhanced by a growing ecosystem of partners.

However, the rapid success also created a pivotal challenge: “Now what?”

Despite having the capital and community momentum, no one in the DAO had ever purchased a golf course let alone a community purchased golf course.

Building a Passionate & Engaged Community In the weeks following the NFT launch, the LinksDAO team invited members to collaboratively shape the vision through a shared Google Doc. The guiding question:

What’s the coolest thing that we can possibly do?

The emphasis on possible ensured the DAO balanced ambition with practicality.

Being a web3 project, it was also important to consider what unique value can be created that other legacy companies cannot replicate. In LinksDAO’s case, this unique value-add was the partnership opportunities that they were presented with as well as giving members a real say in large decisions through its NFT membership framework.

This collaborative visioning process helped define lofty, yet attainable goals, and crucially, established a “north star” for the community to rally behind. Having this north star is essential but the team quickly identified that community members also need a reason to show up on a weekly or even daily basis. This was done through facilitating recurring yet valuable community meetings and events as well as continuing to build out a robust partnerships network with mainstream golf brands.

This combination of rallying the community around a north star coupled with giving people a reason to consistently show up created one of the most highly engaged and passionate communities in web3.

Building a Foundation of Trust Creating a foundation of trust among community members is essential in ensuring the longterm success of any project in web3. To do this the team prioritized execution and transparency. By successfully building out the partnerships and events programming with community collaboration every step of the way, the team showed that they are building LinksDAO with a community-first mindset.

This early foundation of trust proved vital in later stages, particularly during complex or contentious decisions.

Implementing a Governance Framework Ahead of making any golf course decisions, the DAO recognized the complexities of community-led decision-making especially in purchasing an asset that no other DAO has attempted to purchase before. Along with the existing Discord community, LinksDAO built out a consolidated governance process where discussions, temperature check polling, and proposals all occurred transparently in the same place. This governance framework would ensure a smooth decision-making process when the time came to make a purchasing decision on their first golf course.

The Power of Community & Decentralized Governance in Action The Scottish course presented LinksDAO with a rare opportunity to purchase one of the only genuine links-style courses in the world. Even though this was a great opportunity for the DAO, the idea of purchasing this course was highly contentious. A faction of the community believed that purchasing this Scottish course would distract LinksDAO from its main goal of purchasing a US golf course.

The opportunity to buy the Spey Bay course earned significant attention from the community so it was put to a formal vote via the preestablished governance process. Given how the acquisition process of golf courses work, the DAO had to operate under an extremely tight timeframe in order to put a bid in if the DAO voted to do so. Most DAOs are lucky to have 1% of voters participate under normal circumstances.

Not getting enough voters to participate could have significantly hurt LinksDAO’s chances of capitalizing on this opportunity.

Despite this contentious decision being made in such a short timeframe, the proposal passed in favour of purchasing the golf course with an overwhelming 88% of voters voting in favour of purchasing the Scottish golf course.

This moment showcased the professionalism and maturity of the community. The culture of collaboration and trust built from day one made such a high-stakes vote not only possible but successful.

The exceptionally high participation helped ease any concerns about purchasing a non-U.S. course, as the outcome clearly reflected the will of the community. The core team also made significant promises that this wouldn’t distract them from the US course goal. The foundation of trust that was built up until this point enabled these promises to resonate with the community.

A Passionate Community Will Give You an Edge LinksDAO’s bid for Spey Bay was matched by another offer. However, the seller ultimately chose LinksDAO and the decision wasn’t made purely for financial reasons.The deciding factor for the seller was the strength and enthusiasm of the LinksDAO community. The DAO’s collective energy became a differentiator, proving that engaged communities can unlock opportunities that others can't.

Despite a significant decrease in the NFT market size over a two year period, LinksDAO maintained a 97.5% unique voter count and an extremely high minter retention rate of 37.2%.

Most DAOs experience significant voter drop off in the years following launch or token distribution event. This is especially the case for NFTs where large NFT DAOs experienced a voter drop off of up to 70%.

During the same timeframe, LinksDAO’s total number of votes grew by 22%.

Lessons Learned Pre-Emptively Understand What Matters To Your Community The LinksDAO community has since created a ranked list of course attributes that are most important to its members. This gives the DAO guidance on what to look for when evaluating future course opportunities while being completely transparent to the community with what they look for in a golf course.

The Importance of a North Star Setting a clear vision helped galvanize members and sustain engagement. While the specifics of the acquisition evolved, alignment on the broader mission kept members motivated.

High Community Engagement Mitigates Discontent While some members questioned whether acquiring a Scottish course aligned with the original mission, the democratic process ensured the decision reflected collective will rather than the choices of a few.

Continuously improve the Process Hundreds of courses were submitted for consideration, and over a hundred conversations were held with potential sellers.

Establishing a more streamlined process for future acquisitions is a key area for improvement.