DAO Concept and Basic Terms

A simple introduction for all program participants — no technical background required.

1. Why DAO?

Many online communities today gather in Facebook groups, Discord servers, or Telegram channels. These spaces can organize discussions or small group decisions through informal polls and chat.

However, when a community wants to go further — such as launching projects, managing budgets, or making shared decisions transparently — those tools fall short.

That's where a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) becomes useful.

A DAO is a community with shared goals, where members propose, vote, and execute actions transparently and fairly, with help from blockchain-based tools.

In this program, we use a platform called XDAO to help each community function as a DAO. It ensures fairness (no hidden admin control), accountability (actions are recorded), and shared ownership (everyone has a voice).

2. What is GT?

GT stands for Governance Token — it represents your voting power in the DAO. 1 GT = 1 vote.

Everyone starts equal: each member receives 1 GT when they join. From there, influence follows contribution. Rather than policing low activity by removing people, DEP grows the say of those doing the work — active members can receive +1 GT after each phase, based on their participation and contribution to the DAO's deliverables. The members carrying the work gain a proportionally greater voice in shaping the DAO, and trusted active members may be invited to bring in one or two new members who strengthen the DAO's capacity. (Removal is reserved for the cases set out in the participation commitments — see Consent.)

GT changes are made by minting or burning tokens through a DAO vote:

• Add member = mint 1 GT → to the new member's wallet
• Reward active contribution = mint +1 GT → to an active member after a phase
• Remove member = burn GT → from that member's wallet

3. What is a Proposal, and what is Quorum?

A Proposal is how DAO members make decisions together.

Want to start a project? Request funding? Share a story? You submit a proposal, and other members vote Yes or No.

For a proposal to pass, it must meet the required quorum.

Quorum means the minimum percentage of total votes required for the decision to be valid.

• Example: if quorum is 60%, and your DAO has 10 members, then at least 6 members must vote Yes.
• If a proposal gets less than 60% participation or support, it fails — even if no one voted No.

Quorum helps prevent silent decisions. Everyone has a voice — and is expected to use it.

Note: the quorum level can be adjusted through a DAO-wide vote.

4. Other words you’ll hear in DEP 3

A quick reference — each term has a fuller explanation on its own page.

How the work is organised

• Lane — a stream of work, held by a pair. (Owned Lanes Model)
• Pair — the two people who co-own a lane. (Owned Lanes Model)
• Floating contributor — a member who helps across lanes they don't own. (Member Roles)
• DAO Lead — a member who connects and aligns the DAO from the inside. (Member Roles)
• DAO Facilitators — the two people from Kambria who facilitate a DAO from the outside. (Member Roles)

Planning and proposals

• Master Plan — a DAO's plan for the cohort: mission, goals, lanes, budget, and pay-per-task scheme. (Master Plan Template)
• Lane Proposal — a pair's plan for their lane. (Lane Proposal Template)
• Launch Kit — the starter pack a lane receives at kickoff. (Tools & Onboarding)

Recognition and payment — two separate things

• Pay-per-task — you are paid for the tasks you do, per your DAO's scheme, in USDT. (DAO Funding Guide)
• KAT — symbolic, non-tradable recognition that records your contribution history; separate from payment. (KAT in DEP 3)
• Treasury — a DAO's shared funds, managed through XDAO.
• USDT — the stablecoin used to pay contributors.
• Wallet (MetaMask) — where you receive payments and connect to XDAO. (Tools & Onboarding)

Rhythm and tools

• Weekly check-in — your DAO's weekly working meeting.
• All-DAOs Sync — the regular cross-DAO gathering (the Kickoff is the first one).
• Workbook — your DAO's live trackers, gathered in one place. (Tools & Onboarding)