Why should I contribute to a DAO?
When I think of technology my mind goes to inventions like iPhones, software, and AI. Of course, that’s not always the case.
Roughly defined, technology is any techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services, or in the accomplishment of objectives.
This means that what classifies as technology is not always what we think. Technological innovations include things like clothing, shelter, and even fire.
Ways of organizing people, such as corporations, also fall under the umbrella of technology. DAOs, or Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, are a new way to organize people from all over the world that are taking the internet by storm.
A DAO, in simple terms, is a collection of individuals with a shared bank account pursuing a common goal. That goal can be anything from buying a copy of the US Constitution to building decentralized crypto funds.
Many DAOs encourage involvement no matter one’s background. This open nature means that those with a desire to get involved have a clear path to contribution. While monetary upside surely factors in to the equation, there are numerous additional benefits to joining a DAO
Expand your network
There’s little debate about how powerful having a great network can be. When it comes to career progression and access to opportunities, having a vast network can make all the difference.
Those with access to widespread networks have an easier path to capital, industry knowledge, and mentorship. Ivy League universities are a prime example of how powerful networking truly is. These schools clearly provide top-notch education, but it’s naive to think that’s all they have to offer. On Ivy League campuses, smart and talented folks from all over the world interact daily in effort to learn, grow, and build together.
When smart, passionate people get together and collaborate, true innovative magic happens. Ideas build off one another, get refined over evening drinks, and actionable plans begin to materialize.
DAOs facilitate the same type of interaction, but in a distributed way. While Ivy League campuses provide a physical space for people to mingle and ideas to grow, members of DAOs largely interact digitally and are tied together through a common goal. Sharing a goal acts as a North Star for DAO members and lends itself to inclusive, civil conversation.
The relationships you foster within a DAO could extend beyond that DAO. As mentioned, DAOs have an open-door policy and some even encourage involvement across DAOs.
Who knows? Maybe it’ll lead to you starting your very own DAO.
Flex new muscles & sharpen skills
In a traditional corporate setting, one’s job is often related to prior job experience. The clear reason for this is companies need to make money. They need people who’re experienced in a given field and can provide value in the shortest time frame possible.
The easiest way for the company to know if someone has what it takes is to check their work history and see if their qualifications meet that standard. For example, someone with an engineering background is less likely to be considered for a copy-writing role than someone who’s made a career of copy-writing.
This is no different then Henry Ford’s assembly line model. People are treated as cogs in a machine instead of a co-creators.
I like to imagine the future of work as fluid and dynamic.
For those of us in the corporate world any model that differs even slightly might be met with hesitation.
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations are quite different. DAOs, especially in early days, have what can be considered an open-door policy with respect to who contributes to the project.
Anyone from anywhere, with any background, can contribute to a DAO.
DAOs are more focused on the value that one adds than what their LinkedIn says. Everyone has a voice and the best ideas ideally rise to the top. This makes innovation and collaboration accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
DAOs are increasingly becoming where Web3 innovation happens.
That said, there’s no shortage of opportunities to get involved. Because of the emphasis on value-add, DAOs are a great place to hone new skills.
DAOs often make what they need from contributors publicly available. Anyone who’s interested in doing the work can browse boards and contribute where they see fit. Let’s take someone who wants to improve their writing in the Web3 space. This person can browse DAO contribution boards for writing opportunities, raise their hand and jump right in. Opportunities are not reserved for content creation - The same goes for anyone who wants to flex new muscles in design, product, community-building, and much more.
All you have to do is jump right in.
Build the future
There is no shortage of problems in the world.
Many people have lost faith in the long-standing institutions to solve these problems. People all over the world feel let down by governments, large-scale corporations, and other organizations. They yearn for a way to take back an inkling of control. DAOs provide this very mechanism to facilitate the re-capturing of our autonomy.
DAOs are proving to be an innovative way to start a company, build a nonprofit, and conduct collective problem solving.
We are just at the tip of the iceberg for all the use cases for DAOs.
The beauty is that any problem perceived in the world can and will have a DAO organized around solving it. From climate change to mental-health, education to banking - DAOs the future mechanism of change. We all know the future is uncertain, but, as Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
So if you have any inkling to be at the forefront of innovation, DAOs are a good place to start.
Parting thoughts
There are myriad reasons to contribute to a DAO and we’ve outlined three of them above.
One final reason to contribute to a DAO is that it’s risk-free. You can join a DAO for a day, or a year, and contribute as much or as little as you like.
When you’ve had enough, you can simply back away and move on to whatever’s next for you. The frictionless moving between experiences is baked into the ethos of Web3.
It’s this agility and fluidity that makes DAOs so special. To stay at the cutting edge of a world that is moving fast, you need to move with it.
It used to be the standard to get a job for 40 years, get a pension and a golden watch.
Now, people will work at a job for 3-5 years before calling it quits.
DAOs allow people to contribute a single thought if that’s all they want.
There’s a big world out there worth exploring and we shouldn’t be tied down to one thing forever (unless of course we want to be).
DAOs are becoming a bigger and bigger part of our lives. While they aren’t without their challenges, there are tons of incredibly intelligent people working in and on DAOs to ensure their success, and the success of their respective initiatives. Knowing you have an open invite to help write history, what’s stopping you?
Dive in.
