Expanding the R1 Ambassador Program for Enhanced Community Engagement
Recovery One Foundation, Contact: [Matthew Barrett, Erik, Viddy, Selvy, Francis, Matt L]
Date: 6/18/2024
Executive Summary
This funding proposal aims to transform the six-member R1 Ambassador Program into a cornerstone initiative of the Harmony blockchain through an innovative POS funding mechanism. The proposal requests a 20,000,000 $ONE delegation to fund program operations, generating $25,600 annually from staking rewards. This program expansion aligns with Harmony’s vision of promoting a vibrant, collaborative community, emphasizing transparency and accountability to ensure trust and reliability. By implementing this proposal, Harmony will benefit from increased community engagement, improved project marketing, and the successful launch and onboarding of new projects and users.
Introduction
Background: The Recovery One Foundation launched the R1 Ambassador Program in October 2023 as an expansion of community engagement. This program has led to significant initiatives within the ecosystem, such as the current iteration of the ONEShow with Erik (hosting some of Harmony’s largest X Spaces in history), liquid burn pools, creating media assets, hosting events, launching NFTs, developing Harmony-centric websites, and engaging the community. With a substantiated history of executing its objectives, including the successful burning of over $23 million in depegged assets, the Recovery One Foundation has demonstrated its commitment and effectiveness. We are looking to grow our grassroots R1 Ambassador team for Harmony and contribute in the areas of communication, marketing, community engagement, and protocol development.
Problem Statement: Harmony’s team is predominantly composed of development and engineering professionals, resulting in a shortage of communication, marketing, and business development expertise. This imbalance leads to inconsistent community engagement, ineffective project marketing, and difficulties in attracting and successfully launching new projects and onboarding users.
Significance: Expanding the R1 Ambassador Program will address Harmony’s shortage of communication, marketing, and business development expertise, thereby enhancing community engagement, improving project marketing, and the successful launch and onboarding of new projects and users.
Program Focus: Complete 4 major milestones each year. These milestones will be mutually agreed upon by the ambassador team and the Harmony core team.
Project Milestones
Q2 2023: Stage 1 Leadership (Completed)
- Milestone 1: Initiate the first cohort with veteran ambassadors as mentors. Expand the R1 Ambassador Program’s reach and effectiveness. Provide community engagement, community management, and project marketing.
- Milestone 2: Establish leadership paradigms and develop a framework for monitoring and achieving strategic objectives.
Q3-Q4 2024: Stage 2 Activation and Development
- Milestone 1: Launch R1 Validator
- Milestone 2: Launch depegged asset liquid pools to support the burn plan and bridge the gap left between Modulo and Recovery.Exchange during each round of burning.
- Milestone 3: Create a launchpad that uses depegged assets to launch MEME tokens and new project tokens on Harmony (Concept: Fun.Country).
- Milestone 4: Launch Ambassador Website that showcases effectiveness and milestone progress.
2025: Transition Phase
- Milestone 1: Refine protocols and DApps for the Harmony ecosystem. Create a strategy aligning with Harmony’s goals and proactively address integration challenges.
- Milestone 2: Launch Liquid Staking project.
- Milestone 3: Officially adopt the program under Harmony, extending it to each continent in sequential cohorts.
- Milestone 4: Establish a global Ambassador training program to standardize onboarding processes and ensure consistent community engagement practices across regions. Start the onboarding of the first cohort on one continent with the intention of expanding the cohort to every continent globally.
Team
This team is assembled with a well-rounded set of skills crucial for success. The members are all Harmony protocol evangelists with extensive experience in project management, community engagement, marketing, and blockchain development, providing a solid foundation for the program’s strategic growth and operational efficiency.
Program Management
Matthew Barrett, PMP: As the Program Manager, Matthew Barrett brings over 13 years of experience in managing large-scale solar and tech projects. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Matthew is skilled in project management processes, strategic planning, change management, and crisis management. He has a proven track record of delivering projects on time, within scope, and on budget, and he has successfully driven substantial revenue growth by leveraging advanced project management tools and techniques. Matt has run a POS validator on Harmony and is a steering committee member of the Recovery One Foundation. Matthew’s leadership and expertise ensure that the R1 Ambassador Program operates efficiently, meets strategic objectives, and drives successful project outcomes.
Communications, Marketing, and Business Development
Erik: Serving as the Program Lead, Erik has extensive experience in community management within the Harmony ecosystem. Erik is highly organized with excellent communication skills and is known for his consistency, determination, and tenacity. He is skilled in tracking and documenting the evolving Web3 ecosystem through various social media platforms, ensuring that the community stays informed and engaged. Erik excels at driving community engagement and has a proven ability to attract and retain participants, which is essential for the program’s success.
Viddy: Experienced in the areas of POS Validator, Graphics, and Community management, Viddy is a Harmony One PoS Validator, NFT enthusiast, Project Manager, and DAO Governor. He is an experienced speaker and educator for NFT newcomers and is passionate about blockchain knowledge and community engagement. Viddy successfully bridges the gap between technical aspects and community understanding, enhancing participation and support. His efforts are key in enhancing community understanding and support for the program through education and engagement.
Selvy: As part of the Marketing and Analytics team, Selvy has a background in cryptocurrency exchange administration and is frequently invited to speak on blockchain platforms. She is passionate about blockchain technology and education and excels at understanding and addressing user needs. Selvy is known for her effective communication on Harmony ONE’s user-friendly platform, focusing on speed, security, and decentralization. Her analytical skills and educational initiatives ensure that the program remains accessible and beneficial to both new and existing community members.
Matt L: With a background in project management, marketing, and business development, Matt brings extensive experience in planning and executing large-scale Turn Arounds (TARS) in the oil industry, managing projects with budgets up to $140 million. He is skilled in meeting deadlines and managing intense projects, applying precision and execution excellence. Matt’s passion for blockchain technology drives his commitment to applying the same level of precision and execution excellence to the R1 Ambassadors. His experience ensures the smooth operation and strategic growth of the program.
Development
Francis: As a Blockchain Developer and Smart Contracts specialist, Francis holds Master’s degrees in Blockchain and AI, and Software Engineering, with over 15 years of experience. He specializes in secure blockchain solutions and smart contract development. Francis co-founded Crypto_LandDAO, launched Legal Docs on the Harmony blockchain, and operated a Harmony validator node. His technical expertise ensures that the R1 Ambassador Program’s blockchain initiatives are secure, innovative, and effectively implemented.
Why a Validator?
Role of Validator Node: Launching a validator node serves as a strategic funding mechanism, showcasing accountability and effectiveness in funding utilization. This approach goes beyond mere logistics, setting a model for responsible and transparent budget management. It’s a win-win transaction: the validator supports the community, and the foundation supports the Ambassador Program with delegation to the validator.
Consistent Community Compensation: The validator node provides a sustainable and predictable funding source for the program, addressing concerns about past community efforts lacking compensation. This ensures ongoing support and resources for the program’s future expansion. With predictable staking rewards, the program can plan its annual agenda and strategy effectively.
Non-Competitive Structure: Operating with a 100% commission rate, the validator node ensures it does not compete with existing validators. This maintains harmony and support within the ecosystem, addressing concerns about competition among validators.
Liquidity Pool (LP) Burn Strategy (LPBurn.Country)
Establish liquid pools for depegged assets to support the burn plan and bridge the gap between Modulo and Recovery.Exchange. During periods when Modulo and Recovery.Exchange are not actively exchanging depegged assets due to higher exchange rates, LP pools will incentivize the burning of depegged assets, promoting community participation and maintaining transparency in operations, ensuring efficient asset burning and ecosystem stability. Any rewards from these pools will be allocated to further burning depegged assets.
For details: Liquid Staking Rewards
LaunchPad Strategy (Fun.Country)
Develop Fun.Country to launch MEME and new project tokens on the Harmony blockchain. Integrate depegged assets as a means of transaction at a discounted rate to incentivize participants in project launches and meme tokens to burn depegged assets.
For details: Launchpad Fun.country
Ambassador Website (Ambassador.Country)
Create a dedicated website to showcase the R1 Ambassador Program’s milestones, effectiveness, and community engagement. Implement milestone tracking, a community hub, and resource sections.
For details: R1 Ambassadors Program Website
Budget
We are requesting a 20,000,000 $ONE delegation (approx. $320,000 USD) to a validator run by R1. This POS validator will receive approximately 1,600,000 ONE tokens annually, allocated based on an 8% rewards rate with a 100% commission rate, providing an annual operating budget of $25,600 at current ONE token rates.
Innovative Funding Mechanics: Establish a new Web3 funding standard by allocating tokens to a blockchain validator, leveraging staking rewards for efficiency.
Funding Details: At a value of $0.016 per ONE token, the annual staking rewards emitted (1,600,000 ONE tokens) to fund the program total ($25,600).
Funding Utilization Summary:
The annual emissions will be approximately 1,600,000 ONE tokens, allocated as follows, based on an 8% rewards rate:
Operations & Validator Costs: 10% of the ONE tokens
Approximately 160,000 ONE tokens per year (Approx. $2,560 USD)
- Funding will support;
- Web hosting for projects.
- Subscriptions to software programs.
- Support services to ensure the validator node’s infrastructure remains reliable and high-performance.
- Note: In the event of an increase in the price of ONE tokens, any excess funds will be delegated to burn depegged assets.
Community Initiatives: 40% of the ONE tokens
Approximately 640,000 ONE tokens per year (Approx. $10,240 USD)
- R1 Ambassador projects: Funding will support the development and launch of key R1 Ambassador projects that will include a core component to burn depegged assets, such as:
- Launchpad
- Depegged Asset Burn Liquidity Pools
- Liquid Staking
- Ambassador Website
- Community Engagement: Organizing community engagement events, including workshops, webinars, and challenges to foster a vibrant community.
- Communication, Marketing & Business Development: Creating marketing content (blogs and tweets) and promoting marketing initiatives through Twitter posts, blog articles, and YouTube videos.
Program Management: 50% of the ONE tokens
Approximately 800,000 ONE tokens per year (Approx. $12,800 USD)
- Matthew Barrett: 120,000 ONE (15%)
- Erik: 96,000 ONE (12%)
- Viddy: 80,000 ONE (10%)
- Selvy: 80,000 ONE (10%)
- Matt L: 80,000 ONE (10%)
- Francis: 80,000 ONE (10%)
- Awards for High Milestones Achieved: 264,000 ONE (33%) The 264,000 ONE tokens allocated for awards will be evenly distributed among Erik, Viddy, Selvy, Matt L, and Francis upon achieving each of the four major milestones throughout the year. Each milestone hit will unlock 66,000 ONE tokens
By allocating resources strategically, we aim to ensure the program’s stability and growth, aligning with Harmony’s vision. These resources will be used to build projects that create sustainable profit centers within the Harmony ecosystem, ultimately achieving self-sufficiency. After all depegged assets are burned, resources will be allocated towards additional marketing, business development, and community engagement initiatives.
Program Benefits
- Increase Community Event Participation: Amplify engagement through targeted workshops, webinars, and challenges.
- Grow Harmony Network Transactions: Drive transactional activity on the Harmony network through ambassador-led initiatives.
- Growth in Active Community Members: Expand the community base by strategic digital outreach.
- Enhance Harmony’s Visibility: Position Harmony as a leading blockchain ecosystem through PR efforts and high-visibility partnerships.
- Promote a Robust, Collaborative Environment: Create platforms for ideation and development, such as hackathons and innovation bootstrapping initiatives.
- Facilitate Engaging Discussions on Harmony Talk Forum: Encourage ambassadors to participate and moderate discussions on Harmony Talk forums.
High-Level Program Evaluation Metrics
- Measure engagement levels and participation rates for all initiatives.
- Track transactional activity and use-case development for LP pools and the launchpad.
- Monitor digital outreach effectiveness and recruitment metrics.
- Assess PR impact and partnership outcomes.
- Evaluate ideation and development platform effectiveness.
- Track discussion engagement and user retention.
Risk Management
- Integration Risks: Mitigated through phased implementation and ongoing feedback from Harmony’s core teams.
- Community Engagement Risks: Addressed with adaptive engagement strategies responsive to community feedback and evolving market conditions.
- Feedback Consolidation: Systematic consolidation of feedback from Harmony’s core teams will be integrated into program adjustments.
Program Length and Renewal Process
We are seeking a minimum three-year commitment to ensure the program’s stability and to provide a clear path to independence. This commitment will prevent any abrupt discontinuation without proper justification. To maintain alignment with the program’s goals, an annual reassessment and renewal process will be implemented. This process will evaluate performance and the achievement of key milestones, including the progression through various program phases. This structure enables the program to adapt to the evolving needs of the ecosystem. To ensure transparency and accountability, all milestones and progress updates will be regularly shared with the community. While this commitment is designed to support long-term success, the foundation retains the flexibility to withdraw funding with 30 days’ written notice if the program no longer aligns with its strategic objectives.
Conclusion
With the proposed funding, the R1 Ambassador Program will drive Harmony’s growth, ensuring ecosystem stability, transparency, and community engagement without competing, but complementing Harmony’s goals.
Appendices
- Team Member LinkedIn Profiles
- Previous Work: Evidence of past successful initiatives.
- Q4 2023
- New R1 Ambassador Onboarded: Successfully recruited and integrated a new R1 Ambassador.
- Redesign R1 Ambassador: Completed the redesign of the R1 Ambassador.
- Media Assets Created: PNG and GIF files developed for promotional use.
- Presentations and Partnerships: Selvy presented Harmony One on the Indonesia Crypto Exchange, PINTU.
- Information Sharing Channels Established:
- Discord: Set up and utilized for community engagement and updates.
- X (formerly Twitter): Actively used for announcements and outreach.
- X Space by Tenacious_DeFi: Leveraged for hosting discussions and sharing insights.
- Initiatives and Solutions
- Aave Solution: Advanced the proposal and voting process within the Aave community.
- Phoenix Rising NFT: Launched and promoted the Phoenix Rising NFT.
- Educational Content: Created and shared a tutorial for recovering depeg assets.
- Community Engagement: Hosted regular online meetups to foster community involvement.
- Q1 2024
- Art Competitions:
- Conducted an art competition with a Harmony One theme.
- Held a Valentine-themed art competition centered around Harmony One.
- Phoenix Rising NFT Launch:
- Launched the Phoenix Rising NFT via Mutan.one.
- Registered the Phoenix Rising NFT with coherence.one.
- Website Development:
- Built and launched harmonynft.id to support and showcase the Harmony One NFT ecosystem.