As the decentralisation of the Polkadot Network advances, responsibilities once managed by centralised entities must now be handled through decentralised methods. Along with this shift, new challenges will emerge that need to be identified and addressed. This manifesto offers technical and social solutions to tackle these challenges, aiming to minimise the influence of any single participant and give DOT token holders greater control over defining needs, choosing solutions, and supporting them.
This manifesto draws on the core ideas of the Polkadot Fellowship Manifesto to suggest a new framework for an Ambassador Fellowship. Though aligned with the original manifesto's values, it addresses the unique challenges faced by this new group. It is designed to be a modest but meaningful addition to the existing framework.
While staying true to the original spirit, this proposal introduces significant changes to reflect differences in scope, candidate selection, and the evolving challenges faced by the previous Ambassador Programmes members and communities. This manifesto is a product of the community, intended to serve the community best now and in the future. By acknowledging past contributions and newer concepts, we will pave the way for future achievements.
Staying true to its core values and embracing decentralisation, the Polkadot Network creates the unprecedented need to rely on and support a broad network of agents and communities to accomplish various tasks and objectives - many of which remain to be identified by DOT token holders. This approach urgently requires a robust reputation system to recognise and highlight valuable contributors. Not only will this acknowledge their efforts, but it will also improve the visibility of these key contributors both within and outside the network.
These unique challenges require creating a more dynamic programme that evolves beyond the traditional models to support agents and communities. While the programme scope should remain broad, the main goal is to provide support in four key areas:
- Legitimacy of Fellowship Ambassadors externally
- Recognition, incentives and rewards for active Members
- Funding for initiatives that reflect the evolving needs of the Polkadot ecosystem
- Inclusion in initiatives strategic and operational initiatives that move Polkadot forward
The programme must offer straightforward solutions to efficiently provide those resources, empowering participants to identify and address the network's needs. Since these needs will evolve unpredictably, the program should be designed so DOT token holders can retain control over the Ambassador Fellowship’s purpose and objectives, ensuring flexibility and adaptability.
DOT token holders should resist efforts to impose regulation or bureaucracy. The Ambassador Fellowship should remain resilient by design, scalable to demand, and secure without compromising its integrity.
While the Ambassador Fellowship does not impact the Polkadot Network's core functionality, its value lies in mastering the core components of a strong community and empowering agents to identify and tackle non-technical issues that the Polkadot Network faces. The social aspect it addresses is vital, yet expectations vary as widely as they do DOT token holders.
Where the Technical Fellowship favours quality over quantity, the ever-growing global community requires an infinitely scalable Ambassador Fellowship, Seeking to strike a better balance between the technically educated and experienced and the passionate and knowledge-hungry. There will be no cap on the number of individuals joining the Ambassador Fellowship, nor a cap on any rank. To achieve a dedicated, global body burgeoning with talent, enthusiasm and a drive to make Polkadot unstoppable, the programme must be infinitely scalable, easily adaptable, empower the community with localised solutions and require minimal maintenance.
The Ambassador Fellowship's resilience is critical for success under these metrics, so there is a separation between rank and funding.
We propose a new merit-based ranking system for individuals. The system will recognise all individuals who add value to the ecosystem, giving them legitimacy and incentivising future work. By doing so, DOT token holders can delegate representation of the Polkadot Network to these trusted actors.
The true challenge is to design an inclusive system that welcomes past, present, and future members while accounting for their diverse visions, skills, and levels of involvement. The ranking system should reflect the ambitious goals of the Ambassador Fellowship and the Polkadot Network, offering a clear path of advancement with increasingly demanding criteria.
Although the Ambassador Fellowship intends to install a resilient system requiring streamlined management in line with the decentralised future of the Polkadot Network, it must also be a system that offers guidance and direction to its leaders. Management and leadership are two separate functions. Both will be required to achieve a smooth landing in the early establishment of this initially complex process. Still, over time, the former should retract and make way for an increasingly strong set of leaders, individuals, sub-communities and specialist programme initiators.
The Ambassador Fellowship structure should:
- Recognize that a Web3 community is as socio-political as it is technical.
- Become autonomous and self-directed once set in motion by an initial core group of ambassadors.
- Provide a correlation between funding and rankings.
- Relieve the pressure on OpenGov as much as possible
- Enhance the effectiveness of OpenGov fund allocation and efficiency of project delivery
These guidelines will provide a broad spectrum framework in which the Ambassador Fellowship can provide all of the above for the long-term stability and growth of the Polkadot Network.
The Ambassador Fellowship is a global initiative dedicated to fostering a community passionate about the vision of a decentralised web, true interoperability, and the potential of blockchain to transform our digital lives. Mirroring the mission of the protocol itself, it will be scalable, secure and resilient.
Our vision is to create the world's largest on-chain, decentralised community, anchored in vibrancy and empowerment around a fiercely resilient core.
We believe in the power of an open and diverse community. Blockchain is for everyone, and so is the Polkadot ecosystem. We champion inclusivity by welcoming people from all backgrounds, geographies, and expertise levels to participate, collaborate, and thrive. We promote equality, recognising that our strength comes from the diversity of our members.
Interoperability and collaboration are core principles of the Polkadot Network. As individuals within the Ambassador Fellowship, we embrace this ethos by working with developers, innovators, and community members from various ecosystems. We actively encourage collaboration within the Polkadot community and across different projects and blockchains. Together, we are stronger and can achieve more.
Knowledge is power; we are committed to being educators and stewards of accurate information. We are dedicated to spreading awareness of Polkadot’s technology, use cases, and benefits. We work tirelessly to ensure everyone, from blockchain novices to seasoned experts, can access resources and guidance that deepen their understanding of the ecosystem.
We uphold the highest standards of ethics and responsibility. As Ambassadors, we represent the Polkadot Network and commit to maintaining transparency, honesty, and accountability in all our interactions. We build trust through our actions, promoting a decentralised future based on openness and fairness.
Polkadot is at the forefront of blockchain technology. We are here to inspire and support creativity and innovation within the community. As Ambassadors, we are forward-thinkers, continuously exploring new ways to foster adoption, develop new solutions, and drive the ecosystem towards a future of limitless possibilities.
We commit to engaging with local and global communities, both online and offline. We facilitate meetups, workshops, and events that connect people to Polkadot while providing resources that empower developers, creators, and enthusiasts to build and participate in the ecosystem. We expand the Polkadot community by onboarding and educating new members, particularly developers, validators, and enthusiasts in the Web3 space.
We are the voice and face of the Polkadot community. Whether through social media, content creation, or public speaking, we represent Polkadot’s vision and goals. We champion its innovations and ensure that accurate, valuable information reaches the widest possible audience. We enhance our understanding of Polkadot’s unique value propositions, such as interoperability, scalability, and resilience, within the broader blockchain and Web3 communities.
We advocate for decentralisation not just as a technology but as a philosophy. We believe in empowering individuals to take control of their data, assets, and identity. We commit to promoting decentralised governance and decision-making, ensuring that the Polkadot network is owned and managed by its users. We promote Polkadot’s decentralised governance model and empower communities to participate actively in Polkadot’s decision-making processes.
We help guide developers and entrepreneurs and commit to supporting these builders. As Ambassadors, we help guide developers, connect them to resources, and promote their work. We play an active role in encouraging new projects to launch and thrive on Polkadot’s platform, contributing to the exponential growth of the ecosystem. We work to break down silos and foster an environment where projects across different blockchains and communities can collaborate. We encourage dialogue, cooperation and partnerships between different blockchain ecosystems, ensuring that Polkadot remains a hub for innovation and growth in the wider decentralised world.
We help initiate partnerships between people building on Polkadot and facilitate cross-chain collaboration with other Web3 projects. We bring in enterprise customers, nonprofits, government and educational institutions, investors, blockchain experts, exchanges, and other Web3-curious instances.
Ambassador—A ranked member of the ever-growing Polkadot community, working as an individual contributor or as part of a team. Ambassadors share their expertise where needed and gain a reputation by doing so. Their contributions can be incentivized via OpenGov projects, tips, bounties or directly from functional sub-treasuries.
Ambassador Fellowship—A member organisation existing on-chain whose statutes are partially governed by blockchain logic.
Ambassador Programme—A program that is developed within the infrastructure that the Ambassador Fellowship provides.
Collective—On-chain groups that serve the Polkadot network and manage their membership, work, decisions and incentives on-chain. Examples: Technical Fellowship, Polkadot Alliance and the Anti-Scam Team. Collectives can use the available modules for on-chain membership, voting, process, salary and treasury management. Functional Fellowships are strategic, long-term, on-chain collectives. Working groups can be created as collectives if it serves their purpose, but it is not a requirement.
DOT Token Holder—Those who own DOT tokens.
Specialist Vertical—A programme developed in focused areas that the Fellowship considers a key area and within the infrastructure that the Ambassador Fellowship provides.
Sub-Treasury—Each on-chain collective can use a treasury pallet to cover their operation costs as long as the OpenGov funds them.
Teams—Any teams that build layer-1 rollups, dApps, or infrastructure on the Polkadot tech stack or support the community with their specific functional expertise.
The code of conduct mirrors that of the Technical Fellowship.
Ambassador Fellowship members are expected to uphold the following tenets faithfully. Clarifications to the rules should be in agreement with these tenets. Acting in clear breach of these tenets may be considered by voters as grounds for non-promotion, demotion, or, in extreme cases, exclusion from the Ambassador Fellowship. (1) Sincerely uphold the interests of Polkadot and avoid actions that work against it. (2) Respect the philosophy and principles of Polkadot. (3) Respect the Ambassador Fellowship's operational procedures, norms, and voting conventions. (4) Respect your fellow members and the community in general, seeking to act at all times with integrity and professionalism in your interactions.
Operational rules should evolve relative to who composes the Ambassador Fellowship and be driven by the community's current needs. As much as possible, they should remain a social agreement between members of the collective, built on discussions, common consensus, and past votes.
The operational guidelines for the Ambassador Fellowship’s membership are outlined below. They suggest the process for joining, advancing in rank, and maintaining status, at least for the program's initial phase.
- All individuals can become Ambassadors for Polkadot.
- There are no limits to the number of Ambassadors at any rank
- Ambassadors are expected to have achieved different levels of work and outcomes to be promoted to the next rank.
- Each rank should require an ever-increasing level of involvement, dedication, and results that reflect the legitimacy the title will convey to its bearer.
- The Ambassador Fellowship must relieve OpenGov from most meaningless solicitation and should embrace self-management.
| Rank | Name | Tier | Voting Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Advocate Ambassador | n/a | n/a |
| I | Associate Ambassador | 1* | 1 |
| II | Lead Ambassador | 1 | 3 |
| III | Senior Ambassador | 2** | 9 |
| IV | Principal Ambassador | 2 | 27 |
| V | Global Ambassador | 3*** | 81 |
| VI | Global Head Ambassador | 3 | 243 |
*Tier 1—Listeners: Listening, Learning and Demonstrating Understanding **Tier 2—Engagers: Active engagement ***Tier 3—Drivers: Leadership and Innovation.
As an Advocate Ambassador, Rank 0 Ambassadors can be onboarded in two ways: (1) Through a current member of the Fellowship at any Rank above Rank 0 or (2) Self-onboard by locking one DOT from a verified on-chain account on the Fellowship pallet. An educational video on accomplishing this will be shared upon opening the programme.
At a rank higher than Advocate Ambassador, Rank 1 and above Seeding: individuals can be onboarded into any rank through a public referendum. However, this should remain exceptional and be primarily used for the program's initial seeding and if the community needs to revoke the ranks and title of a specific agent.
Ambassadors at any rank can remove themselves from the Fellowship by unlocking their one DOT. Removal will be instant. The educational content on accomplishing this will be shared upon opening the programme.
For higher ranks, a mediation process takes place, and removal from the program happens based on a process that is active at any given moment. The details of this process can change and develop based on the current needs of the ecosystem.
An Ambassador at any rank may request their promotion by following the promotion process:
- All Members of one rank higher than the current rank are invited to approve or reject the request.
- The window for voting is open for 28 days.
- Most rank-weighted votes (see above table) must favour the approved promotion.
- Suppose no Members have a high enough rank to affirm the promotion (always the case for promotion to rank VI). In that case, a general referendum on the Polkadot governance system must be approved for the promotion.
- If the promotion is approved, their associated rank is incremented by one.
To be promoted to the next rank, you need a majority vote of ambassadors who are one rank higher than the current. For example:
- To become an Associate Ambassador from an Advocate Ambassador, there must be a majority vote of Associate Ambassador and above.
- To become a Lead Ambassador from an Advocate Ambassador, there must be a majority vote of Lead Ambassadors and above.
- To become a Global Head Ambassador, there must be a public referendum since no ranks higher.
- In the initial seeding phase, there may not be any individuals in some of the higher ranks. In this situation, there will also be a public referendum on promoting those without anyone ranking higher than them.
By majority vote, we mean those who vote within the Ambassador Fellowship, not all potential voters. We cannot expect everyone to turn out for every vote, though there are expectations that voting turnout should increase as individuals rise the ranks. A majority vote means that the vote concludes with more than a 50% approval rate.
The Ambassador Fellowship will favour social consensus in its decision-making, using on-chain voting only in cases where a consensus cannot be reached. When voting is required, it will happen within the Ambassador Fellowship to reduce OpenGov solicitation as much as possible.
Decisions that Ambassadors may need to reach a consensus on via the voting system:
- Promotions and demotions
- Programme treasury spending
- Additions and removals
- Minor amendments to the manifesto
Should the Ambassador Fellowship require major changes, members can ratify the suggested changes using the fellowship-internal voting process. Non-members can only propose changes via the OpenGov root track.
There are three schools of thought surrounding a process which demotes individuals from their rank.
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Ranks are supposed to represent the acknowledgement of past actions and validation from the community to encourage an ambassador to continue on their way. Still, in no way is there a promise of future work or results and because there is no opportunity cost for the treasury to maintain less active Ambassadors in the program, it does not seem to welcome the design of an automatic demotion process.
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A ranking system with demotion and clear metrics is a must. A percentage of people who reach this threshold will certainly turn against the Polkadot Network through some unavoidable circumstances - resentment, disillusionment, attracted by a competing chain. Suppose these people, particularly in the higher ranks, cannot be easily demoted or removed. In that case, the programme is exposed to the dangers of having negative influences within the ranks, which could impact both the collective's mood and Polkadot's external impression. This is particularly dangerous where there is a caveat that would allow returning ambassadors to be promoted to any level via governance [seeding].
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Valuable Members could experience decay during times of necessary inactivity but be returned to their previous standing on return when deemed adequate. It would also seem more logical to have a stepped decay process than to apply the same 12-month criteria to everyone. A Global Ambassador may leave for 12 months, and it is unnecessary to demote them completely back to Advocate Ambassador; why not simply step them down individually. A stepped approach will lead to a more gradual journey, both encouraging more consistent engagement from people and less risk of completely demotivating the return of quality ambassadors who do not wish to start from scratch.
The broad spectrum nature of the Fellowship mandates that those in the programme should assess the need for a demotion framework upon its establishment. The three schools of thought may all have a place within this programme, and the lived experience should clarify what is necessary to encourage a culture of passion, dedication and openness within the Fellowship and broader community. Protecting and driving forward a favourable reputation of Polkadot is a minimum expectation of individuals that join self-policing should occur naturally. If there is still a need for a clear demotion process, the fellowship can vote internally for an amendment to this manifesto.
DOT token holders can propose amendments through OpenGov via root referendum or request the demotion or revocation of any Ambassador at any time via the Fellowship admin track.
The funding mechanism for the Ambassador Fellowship operates independently from the programme itself—a deliberate design choice that adds resilience and clarity. By decoupling rank from financial compensation, we create a merit-based organisation where ranks have real meaning and substance. Ambassadors earn recognition based on their contributions, and only those who provide ongoing value are compensated using the different funding methods described below. This fosters a culture of high-quality, long-term participation within the ecosystem, where roles are not simply honorary but are tied directly to tangible impact. Holding a title does not guarantee rewards; only results do, but the title (rank) itself serves as an aid to achieve those results.
The introduction of a new type of funding mechanism—the Optimistic Fund—to the ecosystem provides a structure designed to be flexible and scalable, ensuring the Ambassador Fellowship can grow without being constrained by rigid or outdated funding mechanisms. Compensation is allocated through pro-rata payments, which require votes to continue, ensuring that DOT token holders maintain complete control over how funds are spent. By adjusting how funds are managed—avoiding automatic payments, requiring memos for spending, setting more targeted budgets, and dynamically selecting Ambassadors on-chain we can reduce wasteful spending and diversify our investments into the ecosystem more effectively. This results in a more impactful, transparent use of resources.
This approach also brings security and limpidity to the program. DOT token holders have a direct say in how Ambassadors are funded, with decisions based on merit rather than fixed entitlements. Controlled budgets and clear reporting requirements ensure that every expenditure is justified and aligned with the community's evolving needs. This dynamic, on-chain selection adds another layer of security, ensuring that only the most qualified and effective contributors are rewarded and underperforming/bad actors can be quickly cut off from future funding.
We also create a resilient and future-proof program that can adapt to the Polkadot ecosystem’s ever-changing needs. This separation makes the Ambassador Fellowship more transparent and scalable and allows new programs to emerge, if necessary, with existing funding mechanisms.
For existing ambassadors, this shift in philosophy offers a more sustainable and impactful path forward. These pillars — merit-based recognition, responsible financial management and dynamic selection — represent a necessary evolution, allowing the Ambassador Fellowship to continue growing while ensuring that every contributor and every expenditure serves the long-term goals of the Polkadot ecosystem.
The Ambassador Fellowship programme has an on-chain treasury. These treasury funds will be used to provide tooling for the Fellowship and cover any incidental costs. When the Fellowship is established, the top-up amount and frequency will be agile, depending on the need. The required funds and top-ups will be requested via OpenGov, based on the process set by the Ambassador Fellowship. The use of the funds once in the treasury will be decided through the internal Fellowship voting system.
Examples of how the treasury may be used:
- Tooling such as G-Suite, Element, Discord, premium membership for apps and social media channels
- Specialist merchandise for Ambassadors
- Operational emergencies
The treasury will not be used for:
- Salaries
- Tipping
- Specialist vertical (Section 6.2) funding
- Travel expenses
- Personal expenses
Establishing a program based on optimistic funding will ensure that the Polkadot ecosystem has immediate access to funds.
An optimistic funding scheme proposes that the main Polkadot Treasury periodically transfers a predetermined sum of funds, whether in DOT tokens or fiat denominations, to an agnostic 'optimistic treasury' on a pro-rata basis. We suggest that a sensible starting point would be to handle monthly funding requests and treasury top-ups. On this assumption, during the prior month, any person, group, or collective within the Polkadot ecosystem may request a portion of the following month's treasury to cover their needs for that period.
During each pro-rata period, the community can vote on which person, collective, or scheme each portion of the optimistic fund will be used to finance during the next allocation period. If voters choose not to cancel or alter their previous voting preference, their vote will continue indefinitely (as long as the same entity is requesting funding). This approach allows voters to redirect resources each interval without burdening the voter base, should they be satisfied with the status quo.
All ecosystem participants have the right to apply for Optimistic Treasury funding, and the token holders can vote for their preferred applicants. While funding requests are not restricted to Ambassador-related activities, if the program performs as intended, we expect the community to prioritise and allocate resources to the necessary elements to push the program forward (optimistically). We suggest using a Phragmén voting system to determine the allocation of the Optimistic Treasury pot, as explained in section 5.3.2.
Establishing a funding mechanism open to all ecosystem participants will ensure that both the funding mechanism and any Ambassador program remain as resilient as possible.
Establishing a funding mechanism can introduce significant social and programming complications and is often a major barrier to entry for new programs. Additionally, when a program is created with inbuilt funding, if the program fails, the funding mechanism is often rendered useless and collapses. The friction in creating funding mechanisms can often lead to programs continuing past their useful lifespan and also inhibit valuable new programs from materialising.
By decoupling the Ambassador program from this new optimistic funding mechanism, we hope to create an enduring program. Should the time come when the community decides that this version of the Ambassador program is no longer fit for purpose, we believe any subsequent community-supported program must be swiftly created and have immediate access to funding through the independent optimistic funding mechanism.
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Definition: “Phragmén’s method seeks to solve the issue of electing a set of a given number of persons from a larger set of candidates. Phragmén discussed this in the context of a parliamentary election in a multi-member constituency; the same problem can, of course, also occur in local elections, but also in many other situations such as electing a board or a committee in an organisation”.
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Purpose: The primary benefit of Phragmén voting is its ability to allocate votes and seats more proportionally and equitably, especially in multi-winner elections such as those that will occur with the Optimistic Treasury. Phragmén minimises the concentration of power, reduces tactical voting, and optimises vote allocation.
Also of key importance (1) it ensures diverse candidates are elected, reflecting both majority and minority support; (2) power is more evenly distributed, avoiding dominance by a single group; (3) Voters can express true preferences without needing to vote strategically (4) Votes are used optimally to maximise voter satisfaction across multiple candidates; (5) it is a scalable system — works well in complex elections and is transparent.
- Each Optimistic Block (OpBlock) is valued at $10,000.
- The community votes periodically on how many OpBlox should be available each month, which will then be filled out automatically by the main Polkadot Treasury.
- All DOT holders can apply to the Optimistic Fund. The applicant should be from Rank I-VI for a proposal related to the Ambassador Fellowship programme.
- Applicants can apply for multiple OpBlocks at one time.
- Elections happen at equal intervals. The length will be determined as necessary to benefit Polkadot's needs.
- Those elected get access to spend up to USD 10,000 from the treasury during their election period.
- Each spend has a required text memo field where the Ambassador describes what the funds are used for.
- Elected individuals do not need to spend all the money, and spending the money is not a default operation.
- Elected individuals can send money to their verified wallet for payment, salary, compensation or reward.
- Elections occur on-chain, so Ambassadors need not appeal to anyone except DOT holders.
- DOT holders can update their nominations based on the memos and spending history of individuals
- DOT holders can update any parameters based on the ecosystem's needs.
These funds will be used for the establishment of the programme. When initially created, the programme will require an incubation period, and funding will be required. An initial Operational Committee and Advisory Board will be established as part of a treasury proposal which requests these funds. Once DOT holders have voted in favour of this, the Committee and Board Members will set out how the funds will be used to support the programme and its Members for success during the incubation period. How the funds are dispersed should mirror that of the Fellowship Treasury and Optimistic Fund to demonstrate how the programme will run effectively when the incubation period is over.
OpenGov is always accessible and should continue to be utilised by Ambassadors.
Creating broader categories of engagement for the Ambassador Fellowship ranking system will act to guide participants through a progressive journey from passive learning to active and meaningful contributions. These levels help structure the Ambassador's growth and can be tied to increasing responsibilities, recognition, and impact. The importance of having such a range in which an individual can engage with the Ambassador Fellowship lies in building a programme that will be resilient to outside factors such as directional changes within Polkadot, talent pool fluctuations and economic pressures. The programme should be open to all Polkadot enthusiasts and embrace the vibrancy of ideas and energy it will bring.
Advocate Ambassador (Rank 0) One absolute requirement for an individual to begin their journey with the Ambassador Fellowship is to be registered on-chain. To do this, they will take the following steps:
- Open a wallet, become verified, and lock 1 DOT.
- Introduce themselves in channels founded and designated for the Ambassador-ecosystem dialogue.
We will provide simple guidelines to walk individuals through each step to ensure the barrier to entry makes this Fellowship accessible to all.
Advocate Ambassadors are newly engaged members of the Fellowship. This is when an individual embarks on their journey to learn about the Polkadot Network and becomes immersed in both the Fellowship and the broader Polkadot community. Education and engagement are the primary focuses at this entry-level rank. For this reason, there are no specific expectations. However, individuals should still consider themselves part of the on-chain Ambassador Fellowship and adhere to the Code of Conduct (Section 3). Additionally, they should maintain a positive outlook on Polkadot and aspire to increase their engagement with the network
The first active rank is Associate Ambassador, Rank I. To progress to Rank I, an individual must have initiated their learning journey and committed to an active learning process. They must also be able to demonstrate their learning within the community.
The active ranks are divided into three tiers, each aligned with expected behaviours and deliverables. These behaviours and resulting actions are broad-spectrum, based on the natural evolution of the learning and development process.
Tier A: Listeners Listening, Learning and Demonstrating Understanding
- Associate Ambassador (Rank I) Listening and Learning about the Polkadot Network and the Community
- Lead Ambassador (Rank II) Initial engagement with the Polkadot Community
Tier B: Engagers Active Engagement
- Senior Ambassador (Rank III) Actively Engaging with the Polkadot Community and Growing External Networks
- Principal Ambassador (Rank IV) Helping External Partners Navigate the Polkadot Ecosystem, Cross-Chain Collaboration, Fellowship Programme Management
Tier C: Drivers Leadership and Innovation
- Global Ambassador (Rank V) External Partnership Lead, Fellowship Programme Process Design
- Global Head Ambassador (Rank VI) Globally Recognised Voice of Authority, Strategically Aligning the Ambassador Fellowship with Polkadot senior leaders.
The success metrics used for promotion through the ranks are flexible to align with the versatile and scalable nature of the Ambassador Fellowship and Polkadot's changing needs. To avoid overly rigid criteria, guidelines are provided to measure an individual's readiness for advancement and identify key engagement areas at each rank. As the Polkadot roadmap evolves, these areas may be adjusted accordingly.
Six key areas of appraisal for promotion exist. As individuals climb the ranks, they are assessed in more areas.
| No. | Key Area of Appraisal | Expected At | Example Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Online Engagement | Ranks I–VI | Community Forums and Chat Channels, Social Media, Podcasts, Live Spaces |
| 2 | Offline Engagement | Ranks II–VI | Event Attendance, Meetups, Hosting, Speaking |
| 3 | Governance | Ranks II–VI | OpenGov voting, Proposal Submission, Advocacy and Onboarding [retail and whales], Delegations |
| 4 | Community Growth and Sustainability | Ranks III–VI | Onboarding Retail Customers, DevRel, Ambassador Fellowship Growth and Retention, Educational Tool and Material Development |
| 5 | External Partnerships | Ranks IV–VI | Enterprise adoption, Cross-Chain partnerships, Investors, Government lobbying, Institutional user onboarding |
| 6 | Executive Responsibilities and Mentorship | Ranks V–VI | Ambassador Fellowship Development, Polkadot Strategy, Governance Engagement |
Each key appraisal area is measured on a scale of 1—6 per the tiering system.
| Category | Ranks | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [A – Learners] | 1–2 | Listening, Learning and Demonstrating Understanding |
| [B – Engagers] | 3–4 | Active Engagement |
| [C – Drivers] | 5–6 | Leadership and Innovation |
Within the same tier: Rank I, Associate Ambassador to be promoted to Rank II, Lead Ambassador Key Areas of Appraisal:
- Online Engagement — actions are meeting expectations at [A—Learner]2.
- Offline Engagement — actions meeting expectations at [A—Learner]1.
Moving up a tier: Rank II, Lead Ambassador, to be promoted to Rank III, Senior Ambassador. Key Areas of Appraisal:
- Online Engagement — actions are meeting expectations at [B—Engager]4.
- Offline Engagement — actions meeting expectations at [B—Engager]3.
- Governance — actions are meeting expectations at [B—Engager]3.
- Community growth & sustainability — actions meeting expectations at [A_Learner]1.
Voting will happen through rank-weighted voting. Ambassadors at Rank I, Advocate Ambassadors, will not be able to vote. Ambassadors at Rank I—VI, Associate Ambassador to Global Head Ambassador, will have their votes weighted as follows.
| Rank | Name | Tier | Voting Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Advocate Ambassador | n/a | n/a |
| I | Associate Ambassador | 1* | 1 |
| II | Lead Ambassador | 1 | 3 |
| III | Senior Ambassador | 2 | 9 |
| IV | Principal Ambassador | 2 | 27 |
| V | Global Ambassador | 3*** | 81 |
| VI | Global Head Ambassador | 3 | 243 |
In digital systems, decisions are designed to be straightforward and unambiguous. Yet, achieving consistent and fair judgments becomes far more complex regarding social systems like law, education, or corporate hierarchies. The delicate balance between the rule-makers intentions and the need for clarity often proves elusive, as history has shown numerous failures to maintain it. While our focus here lies on the technical facets of blockchain technology, it's essential to recognize that not every decision can be made with pure objectivity when evaluating people. Human judgement is still crucial. To navigate this, we promote open discussion and provide a basic framework to guide voters consisting of two components: broad considerations that apply across all ranks and specialist verticals that serve Polkadot's evolving needs. These verticals will mandate their deliverables and KPIs, operating as sub-programmes of the Fellowship.
An individual can make a broad and constantly evolving range of contributions to promote the Polkadot Network. To be promoted through the ranks, however, requires increasing demands for input and participation. For example:
- Active Participation: plentiful teaching, education, and rational advocacy are crucial for advancement to higher ranks.
- Community Growth: the individual has actively promoted and grown the programme by recruiting, onboarding and assisting in Member promotions.
- Governance Engagement: Regular voting is required to facilitate efficient promotions and other voting mechanisms. Increased voting activity should be reflected in rank advancement.
| Rank | Name | Tier | Voting Weight | Voting Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Advocate Ambassador | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| I | Associate Ambassador | 1 | 1 | >30% |
| II | Lead Ambassador | 1 | 3 | >30% |
| III | Senior Ambassador | 2 | 9 | >45% |
| IV | Principal Ambassador | 2 | 27 | >60% |
| V | Global Ambassador | 3 | 81 | >75% |
| VI | Global Head Ambassador | 3 | 243 | >90% |
These are consideration points when evaluating social interactions with other members. These should be evaluated comparatively to other members already of the prospective rank.
- Effective Communication: The individual can listen, comprehend, and form a compelling dialogue.
- Constructive Engagement: The individual avoids ego, pointless argumentation, or repeatedly pushing a point that has been addressed.
- Critical Thinking: The individual is not afraid to calmly and succinctly challenge others when it would lead to a deeper understanding.
- Community Support: The individual is persistently and consistently available to support other community members.
Functional Fellowships consist of dynamic, self-organising groups with clear purpose, domain and accountabilities. Within these groups, individuals take on specific roles with defined scope, functions and contributions.
The Ambassador Fellowship is designed to be resilient and versatile, empowering its members to be creative in finding solutions and innovations that support the ever-evolving Polkadot Network. The framework to support this must be broad enough to capture the skills and vision of many yet focused enough to ensure economic and social success while nurturing members to realise their ambitions as individual Ambassadors. The Ambassador Fellowship's vision, mission, actions and ranks are outlined. This framework acts to breathe life into specialist verticals with a defined purpose, dedicated Members and ambitious and achievable goals.
- Clarity of purpose: Each specialist vertical must have a clear purpose statement that defines why it exists. The DIRECT guidelines should be followed during the design process.
- Dynamic: allows for fast feedback and iteration
- Inclusive: open to anyone to participate
- Resilient: adapts to challenges and remains effective
- Equitable: ensures fairness in the selection process
- Clear: places outcomes and transparency at the forefront
- Trustless: relies on on-chain mechanisms for transparency and scalability
- Role definition: define roles based on functions, not titles. Roles can evolve.
- Accountabilities and Metrics: each role has specific accountabilities. These are measurable outcomes or deliverables.
- Role evolution: roles and their responsibilities adapt as circumstances change. Regular role reviews ensure alignment with the vertical’s purpose.
- Role-filling and double-linking: individuals fill roles based on their skills and passions. Double-linking means connecting roles across groups to foster collaboration.
Internally focused
- Ambassador Development and Recognition — Investing in Ambassadors' personal and professional growth, making them key contributors to the Web3 space.
- Programme Impact and Success — Establishing a framework to assess the programme’s effectiveness and ensure continuous improvement.
- Recruitment and retention — Actively seeking to grow the programme and create a scheme that people want to work and grow within.
Externally focused
- Business Development tracks, such as Enterprise, Government, and Cross-Chain Partnerships
- Investor Relations tracks, including managing relationships with existing investors, attracting new capital to the Polkadot ecosystem by engaging targeted investors, and conducting related activities explicitly aimed at increasing capital flow into the ecosystem and driving buy-pressure on the DOT token.
- Education and Awareness. Enhancing understanding of Polkadot’s unique value propositions within the broader blockchain and Web3 communities
- Developer Recruitment and Onboarding
- Decentralisation and Governance Promoting Polkadot’s decentralized governance model and empowering communities to participate actively.
Any Ambassador may propose a clarification or an amendment to this manifesto. In line with the Polkadot Technical Fellowship manifesto, all proposals will be subject to a one-month challenge. During that time, a majority ranked-vote of the Ambassadors rank and above may vote to approve or reject the proposal. Pre-existing rules will always take precedence. Clarifications and amendments must not contravene established principles and standards.
If an Ambassador wants to propose an annex, this must be submitted through OpenGov as a root referendum. If a DOT holder who is not part of the Ambassador Fellowship does not want to join but wishes to propose an annex or any other changes, including closing down the Ambassador Fellowship, this must also be done through OpenGov as a root referendum.
Enlightened Liberalism. Honesty and freedom. But respect, politeness and tolerance. Critical Rationalism. Judge only by actions, not suppositions, associations or words. Web 3. Provide individuals with tools to interact usefully with the world themselves, reducing their need to trust the group. Polkadot. Decentralised empowers the individual
This manifesto is the product of the diverse, passionate, vocal community that is Polkadot's heart. Below, we acknowledge the more significant contributions from within the ecosystem, but the finished article is a tapestry of expression from past, present, and future collaborators.
Special Mention for contribution to the underlying principles
- Gavin Wood
- Shawn Tabrizi
Lead Authors
- DonDiego Sanchez
- Lorena Fabris
- Lucy Coulden
Lead Contributors Abdulbasit Sadiq, AirLyft, Alex Promo Team, Bastian Kocher, Chris Hutchinson, David Pethes, Ezio Rojas, Felix, Flez, Dartford, Hope Clary, Jay Chrawnna, James Slusser, Jimmy Tudeski , Joe Petrowski, Leemo, Lightsonemusic, Lily Mendez, Luke Schoen, Mario Altenburger, Max Rebol, Mister Cole, Nikos, Pieky, OpenGuild [SEA Collective], Raul Romanutti, Rishant Kumar, Saxemberg, Sodazone, Tomi Astikainen, Tommi Enenkel, Vikk, William Chen, William Richter.