Regional Communities Governance Update
Proposed Council Structure: Continental Groups
Summary
This document outlines initial formation processes and governance procedures for a council that involves six (6) continental groups, each with one vote.
Regional community leaders must work together and hold each other accountable to facilitate the coordination of the many NEAR ecosystem participants. This requires a robust and resilient governance system to balance voting power across the continents, ensure alignment, and drive progress toward common goals.
RC DAO elections were intended to empower an inclusive group of verified humans to decide on initial council members. We proposed a model by which one candidate from each continent would be chosen and two additional representatives based on the popular vote.
Unfortunately, this election did not go as we had hoped. Patterns of activity by a few Attacker Wallets indicated a coordinated attempt to take control of Regional Communities DAO. The recommendation is to nullify election results since it is too difficult to determine which votes are controlled by attackers and who the actors are. Here is the full report.
We are grateful to everyone who participated in our election, and we appreciate all the great feedback on ways to improve. This experience will certainly help us become stronger as an ecosystem. Let’s move forward together, and keep building momentum!
Next Steps
- Preparation + Arrangements → Further Decentralization via Continental Groups
- Coordination + Communications → Contributor Onboarding, Education, and Support
- Governance Proposals + Decisions → Development of Processes for Accountability
Please comment on this collaborative document, ask questions, and share any other ideas.
We are open to suggestions!
- Join the group on Telegram: Telegram: Join Group Chat
- View our profile on NEAR Social: https://rc-dao.near.social
- Off-chain discussion via the forum: http://gov.near.org
Updated Structure
↳ continental groups rather than elected individuals;
1 vote per continental group
Preparations + Arrangements
1.1 — Form Continental Groups 
Before the RC DAO election, continental groups were formed to enable participating voters to indicate where they live (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, or South America).
Continental Group Account IDs:
- africa-community.sputnik-dao.near
- asia.sputnik-dao.near
- australia.sputnik-dao.near
- europe.sputnik-dao.near
- north-america.sputnik-dao.near
- south-america.sputnik-dao.near
1.2 — Coordinate with Qualified Candidates to Answer Questions and Provide Support
RC DAO admins created six private groups on Telegram to support candidates and community leaders in adding contributors to the continental groups.
1.3 — Add Qualified and Committed Candidates and members to their Respective Group
RC DAO admins communicate and collaborate with candidates/contributors in each continental group to decide their initial membership and policies.
NOTE: we recommend each continental group includes three or more council members/Core Contributors.
Continental Council/Core Contributor Criteria:
Must be a known Contributor in the region
Coordination + Communications
Continental Group Responsibilities
2.1 — Voting on Quarterly Budgets (Global Strategy)
Every three months, the six continental groups of the RC DAO council would all vote on strategic proposals and specific projects to be funded. This means each continental group would have one vote in the governance system for budgeting purposes.
2.2 — Gathering Continental Budgets for Deliberation
Each continental group brings a budget for strategic planning (four times per year).
2.3 — Recommending Proposals for Approval
Every month, continental groups will vote on whether local and regional community funding proposals should be approved.
2.4 — Reviewing Monthly Reports and Providing Feedback
Continental group members will read and respond to funding requests by community leaders. This helps make reporting more useful. Dedicated groups focused on their continents will streamline and strengthen the RC DAO funding processes.
2.5 — Submitting Governance Proposals and Voting
Contributors will also have the power to propose and vote on decisions regarding adjustments or improvements to existing rules and procedures.
Governance Proposals + Decisions
Continental Group Settings and Policies
3.1 — Change Policies: Roles and Permissions
Members vote on updates to the group settings and policies.
3.2 — Add Continental Groups to the RC DAO Council
Once the initial members set up the group, they can propose adding it to RC DAO.
Moving Forward Together
This new model supports greater decentralization, diversity, and cooperation. Plus, it alleviates problems with concentrating power in a council of elected individuals.
We hope community leaders and contributors from all continents will take charge of their groups and embrace open governance. Looking ahead to Q4, we aim to produce a budget for approval by most established continental groups of RC DAO. By following the procedural guidelines outlined in this document, participants can ensure fair, transparent, and efficient decision-making, leading to meaningful resolutions that address local and global challenges.
Thank you all for your questions, patience, and commitment. We look forward to resolving any issues and moving forward together.
Let’s put NEAR on the map!
– RC DAO admins
Bakaka, Igboze, James, Ola, and Yuen
