Before diving in — a quick reminder that the purpose of OIP-3 is to define goals, not the full set of processes to achieve them.
These goals are meant to guide direction and coordination for the Collective in 2025. The mechanisms and tools to realize them will emerge iteratively — with your input.
Thanks to everyone who’s contributed feedback and questions on OIP-3 — especially around the “how” of executing these goals.
We’ve seen a number of great points raised across the forum and wanted to offer a collective response to address the recurring themes around processes, incentives, and decentralization. Here’s where we’re at today, and how we envision the path forward:
Step-by-Step: From Goals to Action
Before diving into specific mechanisms, it’s helpful to clarify the phased approach the Collective is taking:
- Goal Alignment First:
The immediate priority is getting consensus around the SQUAD Goals via vote — this gives the Collective a shared direction and a framework to prioritize around.
- Grant Program Setup:
Once goals are approved, we’ll formalize the Collective Grant Program. This will outline eligibility, review, and funding guidelines for contributors and squads.
- Proposal-Based Execution:
Community members, including existing or new squads, can then submit proposals (with or without funding asks) aligned with a SQUAD Goal. These can include growth initiatives, governance tooling, technical bounties, and more.
This structure is designed to give autonomy and flexibility — and it reflects our view that the Collective isn’t a company with a rigid roadmap, but rather a community-led movement supported by modular tools and structures.
Boosting DV Adoption: How Will We Get There?
The “10% of protocol stake” goal is intentionally ambitious — and not something that any one group (including the Association) is expected to hit alone. Rather, it signals a North Star: that DVT becomes default infrastructure for Ethereum staking.
That said, here’s how we see this goal coming to life:
- Delegates and community contributors can propose and lead integrations or outreach efforts — tapping into protocol partnerships, research initiatives, or ecosystem campaigns.
- We’re already seeing traction with Lido, EtherFi, and others — and the Grant Program will create a path for growth working groups or service providers to build on this momentum.
- We also love the idea of formal delegate referral incentives — especially when aligned with meaningful integrations. We welcome a concrete proposal here!
Evaluating Impact of Grants & Projects
Great callout. The Association will help bootstrap the grant infrastructure, but long-term evaluation and accountability should be decentralized.
Optimizing Decentralized Governance & Delegate Participation
One of the most consistent pieces of feedback we’ve received is: “How do we ensure participation is meaningful, not just performative?”
We’re aligned on this. While this goal doesn’t prescribe the exact mechanics, we’re looking at:
- Adopting reputation or performance-based delegate frameworks, like those seen in Arbitrum’s DIP (Delegate Incentive Program).
- Incentivizing deep contributions — not just votes, but thoughtful feedback, proposals, research, and community engagement.
- Supporting tooling or analytics that make it easier to identify and support “active” delegates.
Ultimately, we’d love to see the community take the lead in designing this — and the Association can help coordinate early experimentation.
Contingency Planning
One final note: we’ve heard questions about “what happens if we don’t hit these goals?”
The short answer: that’s okay. These aren’t rigid KPIs with consequences attached — they’re intended to set a direction, not establish mandates. We’ll report transparently on progress, course-correct where needed, and iterate together.
In short: the Collective is designed to scale through coordination, not command.
We’re excited to see where the community takes these goals — and we hope this clears up some of the “how” behind the “what.”