Governance Onboarding Post
Author: @Jose_StableLab
Reviewers: @WinVerse, @jengajojo
Motivation
Some of the conversations within the Governance Working Group have been around streamlining governance processes, since we identified confusion among new community members at the time of going forward with proposals posted in the forum and the lack of a measurable way to sense the appetite for their proposal.
Rationale
We have determined that a good way to better clarify the current state of governance at Rari is to create an onboarding post that will be published in the “Start here” category of the Rari forum. As the ecosystem grows and governance processes evolve, we will continue to update the Governance onboarding post to clearly reflect the latest state of governance.
Specifications
We have gathered all governance documentation from Rari and summarized it in this 5-step workflow, with some pending topics as the new Rari Token migration crystallizes. Those will be updated once the new governance in Rari Chain finalizes.
Abstract
This post serves as a comprehensive guide to onboarding new users into the governance process of Rari DAO. It combines already approved governance frameworks in RRC-0 and RRC-1 plus the modifications under the scope of the Governance Working Group and the Governance Upgrade. The goal is to enable the Rari DAO to govern efficiently while enhancing community participation, making the governance process transparent and accessible to all users. Additional governance upgrades will be integrated as edits in this same post.
RRC process
Phase 1: RRC Idea (optional but recommended)
The first stage in the governance flow is the Proposal draft, which allows the community to engage in informal discussions about a proposal. During this phase, the proposal creator outlines their idea and gauges community sentiment through a forum post. An RRC Idea is submitted as a post in the forum. Multiple members can work together on an RRC Idea, but it should be submitted only once. The RRC Idea author can modify the proposal based on the community’s feedback.
Phase 2: RRC Draft
Once the author has gathered all necessary feedback, the author will draft the proposal based on the original RRC Idea, incorporating any feedback provided by the community that helps the idea better serve the Rari DAO. A number of features are necessary to signal intention to submit the Draft onchain. This is done by updating the RRC Idea’s title to include “[RRC - XX]” prior to the Draft’s title, adapting the text to the Draft template and keeping the RRC Draft in the forum for at least 7 days to collect all necessary feedback.
Draft template:
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Two or three sentences that summarize the proposal. |
| Motivation | A statement on why the Rari DAO community should implement the proposal. |
| Rationale | An explanation of how the proposal aligns with the Rari DAO community’s mission and guiding values. |
| Key Terms (optional) | Definitions of any terms within the proposal that are unique to the proposal, new to the Rari DAO community, and/or industry-specific. |
| Specifications | A detailed breakdown of the platforms and technologies that will be used. |
| Steps to Implement | The steps to implement the proposal, including associated costs, manpower, any legal documentation and risk assessment (if applicable) and other resources for each step where applicable. The steps must be described with sufficient specificity to leave as little room for the Board to exercise discretion in implementing the proposal. |
| Timeline | Relevant timing details, including but not limited to start date, milestones, and completion dates. |
| Overall Cost | The total cost to implement the proposal. |
If the RRC Draft directly conflicts with another approved RRC Proposal, this should be explicitly included in the Abstract, with a statement indicating that such proposal is amending a prior approved RRC Proposal. If a Draft directly conflicts with an RRC Proposal that is currently up for vote, the RRC Draft should not go for an onchain vote until a decision is made on the RRC Proposal to avoid approval of opposing requirements.
RRC Draft onchain submission signal checklist:
- Forum RRC Idea title is updated to “[RRC - XX]” to indicate the intention for on-chain submission.
- Format the RRC Draft according to the Draft Template.
- The RRC Draft is posted for at least seven days before moving to an onchain vote.
Phase 3: RRC Proposal
Once the proposal has been at least 7 days as an RRC in the forum and has gathered and addressed all necessary feedback, it can be submitted onchain. The RRC Draft’s title should be updated then to reflect the final RRC number, changing the “XX” from “RRC-XX” to the sequential number following the last RRC Proposal. From this point on, the RRC Proposal is referred to as “RRC-#: (Title)”, e.g., “RRC-0: Introducing the Rari Foundation and Fully On-chain Governance for Rari DAO”. The onchain proposal should contain a link to the original RRC Draft in the forum so users can always link back to the prior discussion.
TBD (Onchain submission token requirements). Each RRC Proposal will undergo a 5 day voting period on Tally, during which the Rari DAO members will be able to cast their votes. The voting options are “For” and “Against”. Voting “For” means the voter is in favor of implementing the RRC exactly as-is. Voting “Against” means the vote is against implementing the RRC exactly as-is — voters may vote “Against” to encourage the author to resubmit the RRC after making changes. Upon submission, a Snapshot is taken and all users holding $RARI in Rari Chain will be entitled to vote.
TBD (Minimum quorum). Once quorum has been met, an RRC Proposal may only pass with greater than 50% of votes cast “In favor”. An RRC Proposal which has not received greater than 50% of votes cast “In favor” will be rejected.
Onchain submission and voting process requirements checklist:
- Update the proposal title to reflect the final number in “RRC-#: (Title)”.
- Post the RRC Proposal to Rari’s Tally.
- Link the original RRF Draft in the onchain proposal.
Phase 4: Cooldown Period
An accepted RRC Proposal will commence a time-lock period of 2 days (“Cooldown Period”) following the end of the voting period. During this Cooldown Period, the Board (Directors of the Rari Foundation) will be able to reject the accepted RRC Proposal only if its implementation would, as reasonably determined by a majority of the Board acting in the best interests of the Rari Foundation:
-
Directly conflict with a proposal that is currently up for vote;
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Directly conflict with another proposal approved by the Rari DAO;
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Does not include the required proposal terms as detailed in Phase 2 above;
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Compromise the Board’s fiduciary duties as they are owed to the Rari Foundation;
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Be in violation of the Rari Foundation’s bylaws or articles, any statutory requirements of Cayman Islands laws or the laws or regulations of any other applicable jurisdiction.
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Cause harm (including reputational harm) to the Rari Foundation (as determined in the Board’s sole discretion).
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Cause the Rari Foundation to be in breach of any contracts, agreements or any other arrangements.
Furthermore, given that the Board serves merely as the administrator of the Rari DAO’s decisions, RRC Proposals that require the Board to exercise discretion by not including sufficient specificity, particularly with respect to the required steps to implement, will be subject to rejection by the Board. Proposals which require broad discretion in their implementation should include a grant to a community member or group responsible for exercising this discretion, not the Board.
For absolute clarity, the default pathway for Accepted RRCs will be to be implemented by the Rari Foundation. That is, the Board must defer to the decisions of the Rari DAO and may only exercise its rejection powers during the Cooldown Period for the reasons provided above. It is intended that this power is seldom (if ever) used, as it is the hope that the issues mentioned above will be resolved by the Rari DAO community in prior phases.
Phase 5: Implementation
If the RRC Proposal is not rejected by a majority of the Board during the Cooldown Period, its implementation will begin based on the steps outlined therein. The RRC Proposal implementation is administered by the Rari Foundation. Implementation may be immaterially altered to optimize for security, usability, to protect $RARI holders, and otherwise to respect the intent of the RRC. Any material deviations from an RRC proposal that would be necessary in order to effect the RRC, as initially approved, will be disclosed to the Rari DAO community and may be cause for rejecting the RRC as set forth above.
Conclusion
This post outlines a clear and structured process for onboarding users into the governance of Rari DAO, combining established frameworks and recent upgrades. The step-by-step guidance—from the initial RRC Idea stage, through community feedback, to final on-chain voting and implementation—ensures that governance is both transparent and accessible to all participants. By fostering community engagement, aligning proposals with Rari DAO’s mission, and providing safeguards for implementation, this governance process helps enhance participation while maintaining efficiency and accountability within the Rari DAO ecosystem.
Steps to implement and timeline
Implementation and posting of this onboarding post will not require a governance vote. We will keep it posted for seven days and account for any feedback coming from the community, once all feedback has been addressed we will initiate the necessary steps to post it in the “Start here” category.
Overall costs
This proposal does not incur in any additional costs for the DAO.