Today is the day!
I’m excited to open the mission statement submission process to the ApeCoin DAO community. For the full scope of the proposal and process please check out AIP-256. Please review all the information and let me know if you have any questions before you submit your mission statement.
Overview
A good mission statement should clearly define the purpose and goals of an organization, providing a sense of direction and helping to unify the members of the organization around a common set of objectives. Together we will finalize a mission statement that will serve as a northstar for the DAO.
AIP-256 empowers the DAO to vote on a final mission statement from 8 different community submitted and selected options. Check out yesterday’s ApeCoin Twitter Space for a deep-dive on the mission statement process:
The community submission process is the next step in creating consensus around a succinct mission statement for the ApeCoin DAO.
Motivation
With the talent, brainpower, and treasury available to our ecosystem, there is literally no limit to what ApeCoin DAO can accomplish if we can align around a common purpose. This common purpose, defined by our mission statement will:
- Streamline the AIP process by creating clarity for contributors around what the DAO is looking to accomplish
- Attract creators and developers in the space aligned with our mission
- Actively reinforce our founder’s vision to position APE as a token that, “will serve as a decentralized protocol layer for community-led initiatives that drive culture forward into the metaverse.”
- Clarify what exactly it is ApeCoin DAO exists to do
Key Terms
Mission Statement: A good mission statement should clearly define the purpose and goals of an organization, providing a sense of direction and helping to unify the members of the organization around a common set of objectives.
Vision Statement: Mission statements are rooted in the moment. Vision statements, on the other hand, look to the future. These statements focus on what the company aspires to be once it achieves its mission. The vision statement as presented on apecoin.com is:
“Culture has found new expression in web3 through art, gaming, entertainment, and events. The possibilities for blockchain’s impact on culture are so endless that they can’t possibly all be predicted yet. APE is a token made to support what’s next, controlled and built on by the community. It will serve as a decentralized protocol layer for community-led initiatives that drive culture forward into the metaverse.”
Guiding Values: The ApeCoin guiding values as presented in AIP-1 are:
- Boldness: We don’t shy away from the weird, the hard, or the new.
- Equality: One APE equals one APE.
- Transparency: Processes and decisions are shared openly with the community.
- Collective Responsibility: We leave everything better than we found it.
- Persistence: Success is an ouroboros, not a straight line.
Timeline
- July 6, 2023 - Workshop 1 - @apecoin Twitter Space - review process thus far, review survey info, call for mission statement submissions* from community to be submitted in a Discourse General Post
- July 13, 2023 - Workshop 2 - ApeCoin DAO Discord - review submissions and narrow down to top 8 options through a week of emoji voting. We’ll chose different reactions for each submission and as is typical in most Discord polls and those with the most reactions will win.
- July 15, 2023 - With emoji voting proving to be an impractical way to narrow down the 29 mission statement submissions, the community clearly expressed the need for a better path forward. After soliciting feedback from many authors and community members we’ve arrived at a solution that both mirrors the intent of the original submission instructions and respects the contributions of everyone who took the time to submit a mission statement.
- July 20, 2023 - All original authors will be given an additional week to submit a single mission statement along with an explanation of the thinking behind that statement. You’re welcome to submit exactly what you did before or revise as desired, but please include an explanation if you didn’t previously.
If you submitted multiple versions you’ll have to select the one you prefer, or craft a single new version. It was never the intention that authors would submit multiple variations of conceptually similar mission statements – this is a chance to refine your submission and put your best option forward for review by the DAO.
The Submission post on the forum has been re-opened so you can edit your original posts. Submissions will close at 11:59pm PST on July 27, 2023.
We’ll use the guidance from the original instructions around what makes a good mission statement to streamline the explanations:
A good mission statement should clearly define the purpose and goals of an organization, providing a sense of direction and helping to unify the members of the organization around a common set of objectives. Together we will finalize a mission statement that will serve as a northstar for the DAO.
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Please explain how your mission statement articulates the:
- Purpose of ApeCoin DAO
- Goals of ApeCoin DAO
- Sense of direction for ApeCoin DAO
- Common set of objectives for the ApeCoin DAO
- You’re also welcome to include a taxonomy of the mission statement as described in the original submission request.
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July 25, 2023 - Workshop for mission statement authors. Discord VC Meeting Room #1 at 10am PST. In the spirit of collaboration with the goal of surfacing the best possible mission statement submissions for the DAO, we’ll be hosting a workshop for any mission statement authors that want to collaborate on the process and fine tune their submissions together.
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July 27, 2023 - Updated submissions post closes on the Forum at 11:59pm PST.
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July 28, 2023 - Voting system opens to narrow submissions from 13 to 8 finalists. Process TBA.
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August 3, 2023 - Workshop 3 - @apecoin Twitter Space - announce 8 finalists and have them share their mission statement prior to sending to DAO-wide vote in which voters will select their preferred mission statement.
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August 3, 2023 - Socialize the mission statement finalists including native-speaker translations in Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, French – both written and on video where possible. To further increase accessibility we will include as many native speaker translations into as many languages as possible.
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August 10, 2023 - Send the Mission Statements finalists to DAO-wide vote for approval and finalize the ApeCoin DAO Mission Statement based on the results of said vote. As an approved part of this AIP, this vote will go up in a format similar to the final phase of the Special Council elections where voters will have the opportunity to vote for one option out of the 8 finalists or choose, “none of the above.”
*Mission statement submissions must represent the vision and guiding values of the Ape Foundation. As with everything else in the DAO, the mission statement will be subject to the AIP process and can be changed at any time after the first three months following initial approval by the DAO.
Recap of WG0 Mission Focus Group Workshops
This section is a recap of the work done with the community in the WG0 Mission Focus Group. It provides a lot of reference material and outlines the thinking
With the conclusion of the WG0 mission statement workshops we are one step nearer the beginning of an exciting evolution in ApeCoin DAO history.
What began in December as an AIP idea centered around the need for a northstar and organizational structure in the DAO has evolved into Working Group Zero and the Mission Focus Group workshops. Following many hours of discussion and 75 survey responses in 5 different languages, active stakeholders from all over the world have aligned around our core purpose, key aspirations, and focus areas.
Our final workshop resulted in a mission statement crafted by our community that provides clear direction on what specifically it is we’re here to do as a DAO*. It supports our vision of $APE serving as the decentralized protocol layer for community-led initiatives that drive culture forward into the metaverse. And it opens an ongoing conversation around what that culture represents as we empower our community to shape the future of the Greater Metaverse and everything it can become.
*But … we’re not done yet! Further discussions with community members have made it clear that there is still work to be done, which is a good thing. Actively talking and thinking about the mission statement is the best way to align around a clear path forward. Will update this doc as we decide next steps forward.
Wait, what’s the Greater Metaverse?
Greater Metaverse was used specifically to prompt this exact question. The concept is that there is no broadly accepted definition of what the metaverse is – if you ask five people, you’ll get five different answers. As a grants DAO empowering our community to shape the future of the Greater Metaverse, we’ll work together to codify this very definition of our perpetually connected lives.
Mission Statement Taxonomy
ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE – empowering our community to build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
- exists to distribute $APE
- We are a grants DAO, this is the heart of what we do
- Distribution of $APE decentralizes and strengthens our community
- empowering our community
- Providing grants to our community members to realize their dreams of any and all sizes
- Empowering our community creates a flywheel of engagement for ApeCoin DAO where grants, power engagement, interest, awareness, and further grants
- build and participate in the future
- Our grants will help our community build the future of the Greater Metaverse
- We highlighted participation here to make sure that anyone interested in this world feels welcome to take part in this new world in whatever capacity they feel comfortable, supporting our inclusivity guiding value
- Greater Metaverse
- With our focus on building the future, ApeCoin DAO can work together to define what the “Greater Metaverse” actually is
- Greater Metaverse can be used to encompass the “culture” piece of our vision statement
- today.
- This is a call to action
- You know that idea you have? The best time to put it into action was yesterday, the second best time is today!
- Carpe diem
The Process
After all the workshops and surveys we got to this point with the mission statement:
ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE with intention, in order to further decentralize and strengthen our ecosystem.
We will champion innovation, creativity, inclusivity, education, and positive social impact while we empower our community to build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
Following our next public discussion we realized that this was a mouthful, so we moved the key aspirations out of the mission statement and used them to update our Guiding Values:
ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE with intention, in order to further decentralize and strengthen our ecosystem.
We will empower our community to build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
Recognizing that the $APE distribution process is by its very nature intentional, and that by distributing $APE we are automatically decentralizing and strengthening our ecosystem, we were able to shorten and simplify the statement to:
ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE – empowering our community to build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
*But there are still a few outstanding questions around word choice (variances highlighted):
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ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE and empower our community to build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
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ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE – empowering our community to build and experience the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
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ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE – empowering our community to create and experience the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
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ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE – empowering our community to shape and enjoy the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
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ApeCoin DAO aims to empower our community by distributing ApeCoin and enabling them to actively shape and experience the future of the Greater Metaverse, starting today.
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ApeCoin DAO aims to empower our community by distributing ApeCoin and enabling them to actively build and experience the future of the Greater Metaverse, starting today.
The Questions
- “and empower” or “– empowering”
- Empower / ing: give (someone) the authority or power to do something, make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights
- Using – empowering eliminates saying the word “and” twice in the same sentence
- build or create or shape or actively shape or actively build
- Build: construct (something) by putting parts or material together
- Create: bring (something) into existence
- Shape: give a particular shape or form to
- Actively: in a deliberate and positive way
- participate or experience or enjoy
- Participate: take part in an action or endeavor
- Experience: encounter or undergo (an event or occurrence)
- Enjoy: take delight or pleasure in (an activity or occasion)
- today - do we need it?
- Pros - call to action as we discuss being active in, “the future of the Greater Metaverse”
- Cons - extra word, it’s already implied that we’re doing these things today
The Results
After polls in both the WG0 Discord and @ApeCoin Twitter, the community spoke and the mission statement was finalized.
“ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE – empowering our community to build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.”
A Definition of Culture
Culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a group or society. It encompasses everything from language, religion, and social habits to art, music, and literature. Culture is learned and passed down from one generation to the next, and it plays a crucial role in shaping our identities and sense of belonging. It also influences how we interpret and interact with the world around us, including how we communicate, solve problems, and make decisions.
Greater Metaverse
So as a starting point, moving culture into the Greater Metaverse of our perpetually connected lives should / could consist of, but isn’t limited to these components:
- Greater Metaverse Components:
- Shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors (Web3 Ethos)
- Have fun!
- Artifacts (NFTs)
- Art
- Music
- Literature
- Language
- Spirituality / Religion
- Social habits
- Events
- Online
- IRL
- Games
- Media
- Identity / Sense of Belonging
- How we communicate, solve problems, make decisions (DAO)
- Shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors (Web3 Ethos)
We’re excited to watch DAO members and grant recipients work together to define the culture of the Greater Metaverse as ApeCoin DAO enters its second year!
Supporting Information
Updating Guiding Values
To shorten the mission statement – we removed the key aspirations surfaced in the surveys:
- Innovation
- Creativity
- Inclusivity
- Social Impact
Initially we had considered updating the Guiding Values with these aspirations, but updating the Guiding Values would take a separate AIP so we aren’t pursuing changing them at this point. We’ll look for other places to emphasize the key aspirations in the DAO.
- Guiding Values:
- Boldness: We don’t shy away from the weird, the hard, or the new.
- Equality: One APE equals one APE.
- Transparency: Processes and decisions are shared openly with the community.
- Collective Responsibility: We leave everything better than we found it.
- Persistence: Success is an ouroboros, not a straight line.
Vision Statement
APE is a token made to support what’s next, controlled and built on by the community. It will serve as a decentralized protocol layer for community-led initiatives that drive culture forward into the metaverse.
Mission Statement Survey – Prominent Words
The most prominent words from the mission statement surveys include community, empowerment, transparency, decentralization, inclusivity, innovation, and impact. Other significant words are metaverse, web3, gaming, tokenomics, accountability, diversity, and education.
Mission Statement Core Components
- Distribute $APE
- We are a grants DAO, this is the heart of what we do
- Distribution of $APE is the best way to decentralize and strengthen our ecosystem
- Empower Community
- Providing grants to our community members to realize their dreams of any and all sizes
- Empowering our community creates a flywheel of engagement for ApeCoin DAO where grants
- Drive culture forward into the Greater Metaverse
- Used Greater Metaverse here for two reasons;
- ApeCoin DAO can work on a global definition of what the overall or “greater metaverse” actually is
- Greater Metaverse can be used to define the “culture” piece of our vision statement
- Used Greater Metaverse here for two reasons;
Key Aspirations
- Innovation
- Creativity
- Inclusivity
- Social Impact
Key Metrics
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Diversity
Key Focus Areas
- Metaverse
- Web3
- Gaming
- Tokenomics
- Education
Submission Template
Please submit a comment below with your mission statement submission in the following format.
Mission Statement
(Bold in English)Explanation
(Required)
Please explain how your mission statement articulates the:
- Purpose of ApeCoin DAO
- Goals of ApeCoin DAO
- Sense of direction for ApeCoin DAO
- Common set of objectives for the ApeCoin DAO
Taxonomy
(Not required, but helpful to explain the thought that went into your mission statement submission. Please format in bullets and utilize the “Hide Details” function located under the gear icon in your formatting options above)Mission Statement
(Alternate languages, as many as desired)
Using the mission statement crafted by WG0 as an example:
ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE – empowering our community to build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, today.
Explanation
- Purpose of ApeCoin DAO - ApeCoin DAO exists to distribute $APE with intention, we are a grants DAO, this is the heart of what we do. Distribution of $APE also decentralizes and strengthens our community.
- Goals of ApeCoin DAO - Distribute $APE to empower our community. Providing grants to our community members to realize their dreams of any and all sizes. Empowering our community creates a flywheel of engagement for ApeCoin DAO where grants; power engagement, interest, awareness, use cases, and added value to the ecosystem.
- Sense of direction for ApeCoin DAO - Our grants will help our community build and participate in the future of the Greater Metaverse, recognizing our vision to, “drive culture forward into the metaverse.”
- Common set of objectives for the ApeCoin DAO - This mission statement reinforces our focus as a grants DAO that exists to empower our community. It clarifies that we’re here to support the creators and builders of culture for the future of the metaverse, and reminds us that we need to get started on this mission, today.
Taxonomy
- exists to distribute $APE
- We are a grants DAO, this is the heart of what we do
- Distribution of $APE decentralizes and strengthens our community
- empowering our community
- Providing grants to our community members to realize their dreams of any and all sizes
- Empowering our community creates a flywheel of engagement for ApeCoin DAO where grants, power engagement, interest, awareness, and further grants
- build and participate in the future
- Our grants will help our community build the future of the Greater Metaverse
- We highlighted participation here to make sure that anyone interested in this world feels welcome to take part in this new world in whatever capacity they feel comfortable, supporting our inclusivity guiding value
- Greater Metaverse
- With our focus on building the future, ApeCoin DAO can work together to define what the “Greater Metaverse” actually is
- Greater Metaverse can be used to encompass the “culture” piece of our vision statement
- today.
- This is a call to action
- You know that idea you have? The best time to put it into action was yesterday, the second best time is today!
- Carpe diem
