Services DAO on Solana providing professional user feedback, QA, marketing, and community management services to other Solana protocols. Originally a sub-DAO of Grape Protocol. Self-describes as a "Network State" of Web3 power users. One of the early DAOs to adopt MetaDAO's futarchy governance outside of MetaDAO itself.
## Current State
- **Token**: DEAN. Total supply capped at 100M (30M additional minted, then mint authority burned). Economic model: charge clients in USDC, use collected USDC to purchase DEAN tokens.
- **Governance**: Uses MetaDAO's futarchy for governance decisions. "Enhancing The Dean's List DAO Economic Model" was put through futarchy decision markets.
- **Scope evolution**: Beyond just feedback services — now involves broader Solana ecosystem coordination, trading community activities, AI agent token exploration.
## Significance for KB
Dean's List is interesting not as a standalone company but as an adoption data point. It demonstrates that futarchy governance can be adopted by organizations outside of MetaDAO's direct ecosystem — a services DAO using market-based governance for operational decisions. If more existing DAOs migrate from Snapshot/token voting to futarchy, that validates the governance evolution thesis.
## Relationship to KB
- [[DAO governance degenerates into political capture because proposal processes select for coalition-building skill over operational competence and the resulting bureaucracy creates structural speed disadvantages against focused competitors]] — Dean's List moved from token voting to futarchy to escape this
- [[optimal governance requires mixing mechanisms because different decisions have different manipulation risk profiles]] — Dean's List may use futarchy selectively for high-stakes decisions
---
Relevant Entities:
- [[metadao]] — governance platform
Topics:
- [[internet finance and decision markets]]
## Timeline
- **2024-12-19** — [[deans-list-implement-3-week-vesting]] passed: 3-week linear vesting for DAO payments to reduce sell pressure from 80% immediate liquidation to 33% weekly rate, projected 15%-25% valuation increase
summary: "Proposal to redesign DeansListDAO website with $3,500 budget to improve user engagement and clarify mission"
tracked_by: rio
created: 2026-03-11
---
# IslandDAO: Fund Dean's List DAO Website Redesign
## Summary
Proposal to allocate $3,500 (2,800 USDC + 700 DEAN) to redesign the DeansListDAO website, addressing poor communication of the DAO's mission and creating clearer onboarding paths for potential members. The redesign was already live at launch, making this a retroactive funding proposal.
- **Payment Structure:** 80% ($2,800) immediate, 20% ($700) vested monthly over one year
- **Recipient:** Dean's List Nigeria Network State Multi-Sig
## Significance
This proposal demonstrates futarchy governance applied to operational spending decisions with quantified impact projections. The DAO projected 50% increase in website engagement translating to 30-50% growth in contract opportunities, with valuation growth from $450K to $468K-$543K within 12 months. The retroactive funding structure (redesign already live) created an unusual dynamic where the market evaluated completed work rather than proposed work.
## Relationship to KB
- [[deans-list]] - treasury allocation decision
- [[futardio]] - governance platform
- [[futarchy-markets-can-price-cultural-spending-proposals-by-treating-community-cohesion-and-brand-equity-as-token-price-inputs]] - example of operational spending governance
- Description: Proposal to redesign the DeansListDAO website with a total budget of $3,500.
- Categories: {'category': 'Dao'}
- Discussion: https://discord.gg/7kmA63QyEg
## Summary
### 🎯 Key Points
The proposal seeks to redesign the DeansListDAO website with a budget of $3,500 to enhance user engagement, clarify the DAO's mission, and create a more intuitive platform for potential members and clients.
### 📊 Impact Analysis
#### 👥 Stakeholder Impact
Improved website functionality and clarity will benefit potential members and clients by facilitating better understanding and engagement with the DAO.
#### 📈 Upside Potential
The redesign is projected to increase website engagement by 50%, potentially leading to a 30%-50% growth in inbound contract opportunities and an increase in annual revenue.
#### 📉 Risk Factors
Failure to approve the proposal may result in continued poor communication of the DAO's mission, limiting growth and visibility in the competitive landscape.
## Content
## Summary
Proposal to redesign the DeansListDAO website with a total budget of $3,500, aimed at improving user engagement, clarifying the DAO's mission, and creating a more intuitive platform for potential members and clients.
_The current redesign is already live at https://deanslist.services/, so at the defeat of this proposal, further discussion will be brought via DAO discussion._
_Upon approval there is no need for further discussion as such as already happen beforehand._
## Rationale
The old website failed to effectively:
- Communicate the core purpose of DeansListDAO
- Provide a clear onboarding path for potential members
- Showcase the DAO's services and achievements
- Integrate regional network states (Nigeria and Brazil)
The current website addresses these critical pain points by:
- Creating an intuitive and responsive design
- Highlighting the DAO's unique value proposition
- Streamlining the user journey from first contact to engagement
## Implementation Details
### Budget Breakdown
- Total Budget: $3,500 (2,800.00 USDC + 700.00 DEAN)
- Allocation:
1. Dean’s List Nigeria Network State Multi-Sig (100%)
*36t37e9YsvSav4qoHwiLR53apSqpxnPYvenrJ4uxQeFE*
### Vesting Schedule
- 80% ($2,800) paid upon proposal execution via a [Realms](https://app.realms.today/realms) transfer instruction.
- 20% ($700) paid every every month through a grant instruction via [Realms](https://app.realms.today/realms) to the multi-sig above mentioned over a year.
- Enhanced visual representation of community achievements
- Unified platform for regional network states
- Clear communication of services and value proposition
## Assumptions
- 50% increase in website engagement
- 30% reduction in onboarding friction
- Improved clarity of DAO's mission and services
- Increased visibility of regional network states
- Better conversion of visitors to active community members
## Valuation Growth Impact
### Current Metrics
- **Treasury**: $115,000 (in various assets)
- **Revenue Model**: Dean’s List DAO earns revenue by completing contracts in the Solana ecosystem, retaining a 5% tax on the revenue generated by its members.
### Growth Scenarios Post-Redesign
1. **Increased Visibility Leading to More Contracts**
- A 50% increase in website engagement is expected to translate into greater visibility, leading to 30%-50% growth in inbound contract opportunities.
- Improved clarity of the DAO's mission and services will attract new clients and larger contracts.
- Growth in contracts due to improved visibility: +30%-50% (additional $45,000-$75,000 annually)
- DAO Tax (5% of total revenue): $2,250-$3,750 in additional annual revenue for the treasury.
3. **Improved Contract Margins**
- A 30% reduction in onboarding friction for potential clients will streamline negotiations, enabling members to focus on higher-value contracts.
- Enhanced branding and professionalism may justify a 10% average increase in contract size:
- Example: If the current average contract size is $50,000, a 10% increase adds $5,000 per contract. For 10 contracts annually, this adds $50,000 in total revenue, of which 5% ($2,500) contributes to the DAO treasury.
4. **Valuation Growth from Treasury Expansion**
- Current treasury: $115,000
- Projected treasury growth (from tax on contracts): +$4,750 to $6,250
- Total treasury after one year: $119,750 to $121,250
- Valuation growth (assuming proportional correlation to treasury size):
- Increased visibility of regional network states (Nigeria and Brazil) will position the DAO as a global leader in the Solana ecosystem, attracting high-value contracts and partnerships.
- This visibility could lead to speculative token interest, increasing valuation by an additional 10%-15%.
Dean’s List DAO’s valuation could grow from $450,000 to $468,000-$543,375 within 12 months due to increased contract volume, higher margins, and stronger brand positioning.
## TWAP Calculation
Current MCAP will be -5% of the MCAP at the time of the proposal to account for volatility between the time of the written proposal and the time of on-chain creation.
- For the proposal to pass: Current MCAP + 3% = $475,000.00 + $14,250.00 = $489,250.00
- For the proposal to fail: MCAP must be less than $475,000.00 USDC
