Collaborative Governance (“CoGov”) Campaign

As part of the ongoing GoodDollar Governance Re-Vision, I’d like to announce that we will soon be launching CoGov: a collaborative governance redesign. CoGov will be led by the Governance Steering Committee (GSC) and will be open to all members of the GoodDollar community to participate.

What is CoGov?

CoGov is a 9-week structured governance hackathon that will engage the community in a participatory and iterative re-design of GoodDollar’s governance system. It will run from November 24, 2025 to February 6, 2026, inclusive of a two-week break during the end-of-year holidays. See below for the full schedule.

Why CoGov?

CoGov will provide an opportunity for all members of the community to work with the newly-formed GSC and members of GoodLabs to influence the evolution of a GoodDollar governance system that is clear, fair, and effective. The purpose of CoGov is threefold:

  • Collaboratively make key governance design decisions with mission-aligned participants
  • Re-engage the wider community and onboard external partners into GoodDollar governance
  • Start a feedback loop between governance <> GoodDollar community <> GoodLabs to help define and drive future priorities

CoGov Overview

The CoGov campaign will be composed of the following 3 stages:

1. Mission & Vision

  • Objective: Define the purpose, mission, and vision of GoodDollar’s governance system — the philosophical and directional “north star” that anchors all future design decisions
  • Priorities:
    • Clarify why governance exists in the GoodDollar ecosystem
    • Define the relationship between all major stakeholders
    • Develop principles and values that guide how governance should operate
  • Desired outcome: GoodDollar governance North Star document

2. Framework & Architecture

  • Objective: Design the structure of governance, defining who does what, how decisions are made, and where accountability resides
  • Priorities:
    • Establish a clear separation of roles between the GoodDAO and GoodLabs
    • Define the key actors and map decision flows
    • Design accountability and transparency frameworks
    • Develop a model that balances inclusivity with efficiency
  • Desired outcome: GoodDollar governance architecture 2.0

3. Tooling & Mechanisms

  • Objective: Define the initial technical and implementation layer of governance
  • Priorities:
    • Select platforms and tools that fit our needs
    • Define voting mechanisms, including the future of the GOOD token
    • Discuss participation incentives and map funding flows
    • Plan governance onboarding and communication infrastructure
  • Desired outcome: GoodDollar governance MVP stack

Each CoGov stage will last 3 weeks, address the relevant priority area, and end with a forum post outlining the update to governance design. Each stage will progress as follows:

  • Week 1 (Context Setting): GSC publishes a governance forum post that details proposals and guided discussion questions regarding the priority area, giving the community an opportunity to gain context and provide async feedback
  • Week 2 (Community Call): Open call with GSC, GoodLabs, and community members for focused discussion and workshop
  • Week 3 (Retrospective): GSC publishes a post to the forum summarizing the priority area’s updated design specifications and an implementation plan
Priority Area Dates Community Call Link*
Weeks 1-3:
Mission & Vision
Nov 24 - Dec 12 GoodDollar Governance Community call: Mission & Vision · Luma
Weeks 4-6:
Framework & Architecture
Dec 15 - Jan 16
(including 2-week
holiday Dec 20 - Jan 4)
GoodDollar Governance Community call: Framework & Architecture · Luma
Weeks 7-9:
Infrastructure & Mechanisms
Jan 19 - Feb 6 GoodDollar Governance Community call: Tooling & Mechanisms · Luma
*Exact dates and time for the CoGov community calls will be announced shortly

We will also be hosting a GoodDollar governance meet-up during Devconnect for all interested community members who will be down in Buenos Aires. You can find the event link here, with further details forthcoming.

Please let us know if you have any questions for now. Thanks!

3 Likes

This is a great way forward, making it inclusive for the community to participate in the Governance revision!

This will a welcome idea and marks a step forward toward collaborative effort centered on the COGOV and the community at large.
Welldone.

1 Like

Hello!

Thanks for the response about the CoGov process led by @sam_mccarthy – it’s great to know that governance is already being redesigned to tackle the issues around participation and power concentration!

I watched the previous session (thanks for the link in Sam’s update post) and I’m excited to contribute ideas for the upcoming co-gov meetings. I’d like to start a discussion on how to “normalize decentralization as a daily habit” and move toward “one person one vote” (using verified identity), so that power is truly equitable and doesn’t depend on stake size.

True decentralization isn’t just a technical feature—it’s achieved by normalizing participation, educating the community, and integrating governance into daily life, creating a truly participatory society. For the first time in history, thanks to blockchain and verification technologies, we can build systems where every individual can responsibly and directly exercise their vote without intermediaries, sybil risks, or disproportionate influence from large holders. GoodDollar, with its universal UBI and existing anonymous identity verification, is uniquely positioned to lead this evolution.

Main Ideas to Discuss in CoGov

  1. “One Person One Vote tied to identity verification” Use the existing anonymous facial verification (for UBI claims) to give “exactly 1 vote per verified person” on key proposals.

  2. Eliminates dominance by historical whales.

  3. Fully aligned with universal UBI: if everyone claims equally, everyone should vote equally.

  4. Preserves pure decentralization without centralizing power in stewards.

Normalizing it as a social norm

  1. In-app integration: When claiming daily UBI, a simple popup: “You have 1 pending vote! Yes or No?” (with a one-sentence summary).

  2. Light incentives: Extra G$ in monthly UBI for voting streaks, badges, and leaderboards (“Top Decentralized Citizens”).

  3. “Learn & Earn” education: Modules on why one person one vote strengthens decentralization.

  4. Events: Monthly “Decentralization Days” with live votes and community celebration.

Practical next steps

  1. Pilot: Test one person one vote on a simple upcoming proposal.

  2. Quorum based on % of verified users.

  3. Voluntary delegation for minor decisions (always revocable).