Proposal Key Aspects
- Receiver Entity: Celo Governance
- Status: [FINAL]
- Title: Celo Communities Guild Proposal | 2025 H1 Budget
- Author(s): Goldo (@0xGoldo), 0xj4an-work (@0xj4an-work), Anthony (@Anthony)
- Type of Request: Funding
- Funding Request: We are requesting from the Community Fund 47,090 cUSD + 5,000 Celo for six (6) months of operations.
Summary
This proposal outlines the request for funding to sustain and enhance the Celo Communities Guild program across Discord, Telegram, Reddit, and X (Twitter) throughout 2025. Since its inception in August 2021, the initiative has received consistent support from the Celo Foundation, reflecting its recognition of the critical role community-focused moderation plays in fostering a safe, informative, and engaging environment.
In June 2024, following extensive discussions with community members and stakeholders, the Celo Moderators Guild was integrated into the CeloPG proposal for H2 2024. Since then, the program has operated under the CeloPG framework with significant autonomy.
As the Celo Foundation continues to decentralize its operations, this program remains pivotal in enabling the community to uphold safety and quality standards while proactively addressing misinformation and mitigating risks posed by malicious actors. By cultivating a collaborative and inclusive environment, the Celo Communities Guild actively supports the growth and long-term success of the ecosystem.
Motivation
In blockchain technology, communities form the bedrock of growth, collaboration, and innovation. Platforms like Discord, Telegram, and Reddit are not just communication tools—they are dynamic spaces where users exchange knowledge, provide support, and collectively advance the ecosystem. These platforms are, in essence, public goods, shaped and maintained by the community for the community.
For a blockchain project like Celo, these spaces serve as both entry points for new users and support networks for seasoned participants. They are where ideas are born, questions are answered, and trust is cultivated. However, such open environments can also be breeding grounds for misinformation, scams, and unproductive discourse. This is where moderators become indispensable.
Moderators are the backbone of community quality—they guide conversations, provide timely and accurate assistance, and protect members from harmful actors. On platforms like Discord, moderators ensure real-time engagement and troubleshooting, creating a sense of connection for users. On Telegram, they manage fast-paced conversations and quickly address emerging concerns. Meanwhile, on Reddit, moderators curate in-depth discussions, helping new ideas gain visibility while keeping the conversation respectful and on-topic.
Moderators also play a vital role as the communication bridge between regional DAOs and the broader Celo ecosystem, ensuring seamless coordination and alignment. This is especially vital within the Discord server, where diverse voices from global communities converge. By acting as a unifying layer, moderators facilitate the flow of information, amplify updates from regional DAOs, and ensure that the ecosystem remains connected, cohesive, and inclusive. Their work strengthens the ties between localized efforts and the overarching vision of the Celo network.
This proposal underscores the necessity of continuing and enhancing the Celo Communities Guild initiative. A strong moderator team not only ensures the safety and well-being of community members but also fosters an environment of trust, collaboration, and shared values—key ingredients for the long-term success of the Celo ecosystem.
Objectives
1. Enhance Community Engagement: Foster meaningful interactions across platforms, ensuring a welcoming and vibrant community space.
2. Maintain Platform Safety: Strengthen moderation efforts to mitigate spam, scams, and violations of the community’s Code of Conduct.
3. Increase Ecosystem Awareness: Collaborate with projects within the Celo ecosystem to amplify their updates and initiatives.
4. Reward Participation: Expand reward programs, such as NFT incentives and engagement-based recognition, to encourage active participation.
5. Facilitate Community Growth: Support onboarding of new members, builders, and contributors to the Celo ecosystem.
Specification
Building on a strong history of driving community engagement and ensuring a secure environment, this proposal lays out clear plans to strengthen moderation, reward active participation, and foster deeper collaboration across platforms such as Discord, Telegram (including main Celo Account and some other regional or language dedicated accounts), and Reddit.
1. Active Moderation:
- Ensure 24/7 coverage across Discord, Telegram, and Reddit.
- Uphold the community’s Code of Conduct to maintain a safe and positive environment.
2. Community Hangouts:
- Host bi-weekly community calls to share updates, discuss projects, and foster collaboration.
- Launch a dedicated NFT collection to reward call participants.
3. Engagement Incentives:
- Implement and enhance the point system on Discord to reward active users.
- Organize contests, quests, and giveaways to promote participation.
4. Ecosystem Collaboration:
- Relaunch the Ecosystem Founder Role application process to empower projects with tools to share updates.
- Coordinate with the Celo Foundation and other ecosystem entities for cross-promotion.
5. Transparency and Reporting:
- Publish monthly reports on community activity and progress.
- Share key metrics and outcomes to ensure accountability.
6. HashBot Renewal and Integrations:
- Allocate budget for renewing HashBot and evaluating new integrations to enhance community management.
7. New X (Twitter) Account:
- Manage the new @CeloCommunities account to amplify community news and updates.
8. Google Services and Domains:
- Cover monthly payments for Google Services and domain renewals to maintain operational efficiency.
The Celo Communities Guild remains committed to fostering a vibrant, safe, and inclusive community that supports the growth and adoption of the Celo ecosystem. With this funding, we aim to build on our achievements and continue to deliver impactful results over the next six (6) months.
Metrics and KPIs
- Decrease average response time to community inquiries.
- Increase monthly active engagement across designated platforms.
- Track and reduce incidents of code of conduct violations.
- Report on frequently asked questions and community sentiment trends monthly.
- Engage community with tools like Guild.xyz
Current status
Following a successful first six months operating under the CeloPG umbrella, this program now seeks renewal and expansion to align with the Celo Foundation’s strategic focus on decentralizing community management. The proposed funding aims to both sustain and scale the Celo Communities Guild’s efforts, accommodating the growing activity across existing platforms and expanding to new opportunities for community engagement.
Over the past six months (July–December), we have diligently tracked our expenses, which are transparently documented [here], and published detailed monthly reports [here]. These records underscore our commitment to accountability and serve as a foundation for demonstrating the program’s value and impact.
Timeline and Milestones
Monthly Activities
- Active moderation in Celo Guilds (Discord, Telegram & Reddit).
- Hold a Bi-Weekly Community Hangout call on Discord.
- Engage community using Guild.xyz
- Amplification of ecosystem news and protocol updates.
- Active coordination with the Celo Foundation, cLabs, and other ecosystem entities to keep roles, access and information up to date.
- Exercise and enforce the community’s Code of Conduct.
- Report to the Celo Foundation and the community on progress and attend bi-weekly moderators meetings.
- Keep channels free of spam.
Detailed Budget
We are requesting a total of 47,090 cUSD and 3,000 Celo from the Community Fund to support six months of operations. The cUSD portion will be allocated primarily to cover the payments of three full-time moderators and to fund the essential tools required for our work. The 3,000 Celo will be exclusively dedicated to fostering community engagement through contests, quests, giveaways, and similar initiatives.
Payments will be distributed monthly, with performance-based reviews to ensure the program’s objectives are met effectively.
The Leadership part of this proposal takes care of all the security configurations, bots and all the technical stuff, other Moderators will be specifically in charge of each platform but all of them support each other.
1. Moderation Team Compensation: 45,000 cUSD
- Covers payments for three moderators actively managing Discord, Telegram, Reddit and the Celo Communities X(Twitter) account. (The moderator compensation is calculated based on a weekly working effort of 40 hours.)
- Monthly Breakdown
1. Celo Guild Lead Moderator and PM: 3,000 cUSD/month.
2. Celo Guild Moderator (Security): 2,500 cUSD/month.
3. Celo Guild Moderator: 2,000 cUSD/month.
- Monthly Breakdown
2. Community Incentives: 5,000 Celo
- 600 Celo/month allocated for contests, quests, giveaways, and NFT rewards.
- 1400 Celo dedicated for contests, quests, giveaways, and NFT rewards.**
3. Operational Costs:
- HashBot Renewal and Integrations: 1,500 cUSD.(will cover >6 months)
- Google Services: 90 cUSD (15 cUSD/month).
- Telegram and Discord Premium Services: 500 cUSD.(will cover >6 months)
Any funds left at the end of the sixth (6th) month will be returned to the Celo Community Fund or deducted from the next iteration budget.
The Budget will be managed in a Multi Sign designed to have three members, part of the proposal.
Multisign Address (Threshold 2/3):
0x0B6a6666027d90fD56f4a2E1827296db4d590f4d
Signers:
- 0xgoldo: 0x6233cab493e71689c2117213f78dae7daa157405
- 0xj4an-work: 0xFEF5A1A2b3754A2F53161EaaAcb3EB889F004d4a
- 0xKnight: 0xdd130bEEbAFe3e8d811252194B6b1F266A85FaB4
Payment Terms
Two payments with the total budget of 47,090 cUSD and 5,000 Celo that will cover Celo Communities Guild compensation, training, and community engagement initiatives for 6 months.
Team
The first iteration of this initiative (H2 2024) was led by Goldo (@0xGoldo) as Lead Moderator, supported by 0xj4an-work (@0xj4an-work) in the role of Security Moderator, and Anthony (@Anthony), an experienced moderator with a strong track record in community safety and engagement. From the outset, our vision has been to implement a rotational leadership structure, allowing team members to take on diverse roles and bring fresh perspectives every six months.
For H1 2025, the proposed rotation will have 0xj4an-work (@0xj4an-work) stepping into the Lead Moderator role, Anthony (@Anthony) taking on the position of Security Moderator, and Goldo (@0xGoldo) contributing as Moderator. Looking ahead to H2 2025, the leadership will rotate again, with Anthony (@Anthony) assuming the Lead Moderator role, Goldo (@0xGoldo) becoming the Security Moderator, and 0xj4an-work (@0xj4an-work) serving as Moderator.
Additional support/resources
We request access to Celo Foundation’s resources for training purposes and suggest collaboration with the foundation’s team for strategic guidance and support in program execution.
List of Celo Communities across different platforms
Regional Focused Communities
- Celo Africa
- Celo EU
- CeLatam
- KohCelo
- Celo India
- Celo Korea
- Celo Australia
- Celo Italy
- Celo Singapore
- Celo Philippines
Language Focused Communities
We invite the community to review this proposal and share feedback to ensure alignment with the ecosystem’s goals. Together, we can create a stronger, more engaged Celo community.
Final disclosure: The Celo Foundation will retain ownership of the Discord, Official Telegram, and Reddit channels.
