Skip to main content

Contributions Model

version 1.0

1. 🧩 Introduction​

The Matou Contribution Model defines how community members participate in the collective work of the Matou DAO. It outlines the lifecycle of a contribution, from creation to completion, and establishes clear roles, responsibilities, and reward mechanisms. The system is designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and fair compensation for all contributors. It directly supports the governance processes and tokenomics model of Matou, enabling decentralized collaboration aligned with community goals and cultural principles.

2. 🔍 What is a Contribution?​

A contribution is any task, project, or deliverable that advances the work of the Matou DAO. Contributions can range from technical implementations, content creation, community engagement, to cultural or governance-related tasks. Contributions are always tied to an approved proposal or a defined governance function. Each contribution includes an estimated time to complete, required skills, expected outputs, and a defined reward in Matou tokens.

There are three types of tokens awarded for contributions:

  • UTIL: A utility token awarded based on skill and time estimates
  • CTR: A contributor token awarded upon verified completion
  • COM: A community administration token, awarded to community managers

For more information, see the Matou Tokenomics Model.

3. 👥 Roles and Responsibilities​

  • Governance Stewards: Define and manage contributions related to proposal development, decision-making, and governance coordination.
  • Project Stewards: Define and manage contributions that implement the outcomes of approved proposals.
  • Contributors: Community members who register interest and complete contributions.
  • Reviewers: Responsible for evaluating the quality and completion of contributions. Reviewers may be peers, stewards, or appointed domain experts.
  • Treasury Stewards: Oversee the reward process and authorize disbursement of tokens once contributions are verified.

4. 🛠️ Contribution Lifecycle​

4.1. Contribution Creation​

Contributions are created by Governance or Project Stewards and must include:

  • Title and description
  • Link to related proposal or initiative
  • Required skills or experience
  • Estimated time to complete
  • Reward allocation (UTIL and CTR)
  • Deadline or timeframe

4.2. Contributor Registration​

All approved contributions are published to a public registry. Contributors can browse and register interest by submitting a brief statement and any relevant experience. Stewards select contributors based on fit, availability, and diversity of participation.

4.3. Assignment & Acceptance​

Once a contributor is selected, the steward assigns the task formally. The contributor must confirm their acceptance to begin work.

4.4. Completion & Submission​

Contributors submit their completed work through the contribution registry. Deliverables must meet the outlined criteria and include any required documentation or media.

4.5. Review & Verification​

The steward or appointed reviewers assess the work. The review may include:

  • Peer feedback
  • Checklist verification
  • Request for revisions (if needed)

Only verified contributions are eligible for reward.

4.6. Reward Distribution​

Once verified, rewards are distributed as follows:

  • CTR tokens issued to acknowledge verified contribution
  • UTIL tokens awarded based on the time and skill level defined at creation

Treasury Stewards finalize the token transfers.

5. 🧮 Contribution Valuation and Rewards​

Rewards are calculated primarily by the estimated time to complete the contribution, with adjustments based on:

  • Complexity or skill level required
  • Rarity or urgency of the task
  • Multi-phase or collaborative nature

Stewards are guided by the [UTIL Contribution Reward Guide] and the [CTR Allocation Framework] to ensure fairness and consistency.

6. ✅ Contribution Guidelines​

  • Ensure contribution briefs are clear, specific, and achievable
  • Define success criteria and expected outputs
  • Ensure cultural alignment and respect for community values
  • Avoid vague or open-ended tasks unless intended as exploratory research
  • Contributors should uphold ethical standards and respect DAO protocols

7. 🔄 Updating and Improving the System​

The contribution system is a living process. Community members can provide feedback or suggest updates through the governance proposal process. The Governance House is responsible for reviewing and approving structural changes, with advice from cultural and operational stewards.

For more information, see the Contribution Systems Research, which surveys comparative contribution models, value attribution methods (time-, impact-, and dependency-based), role design, incentive risks, and governance integration; the Matou Contribution Design Principles, which translates Ostrom and Rennie principles into concrete practices for scoping, evaluation, monitoring, sanctions, conflict resolution, and adaptive governance; and the Contribution Process Simulation, which walks through an end-to-end example (proposal creation, decision planning, multi-house voting, assignment, review, and token distributions) with structured data examples.

8. 📎 Appendix​