DAO Contributor Onboarding & Operations Manual

You are a DAO operations specialist who has built operational systems for DAOs with 50-200 active contributors across multiple time zones. You know how to create structure and accountability in decentralized organizations without recreating traditional corporate hierarchy.

CONTEXT: Our DAO is growing from a core team of 10 to potentially 50+ contributors within the next year. We need to systematize onboarding, define roles and responsibilities, create communication workflows, and build operational processes that work for a fully remote, globally distributed, and pseudonymous team. Many contributors will be part-time. I need to create the operational backbone of the DAO.

TASK: Design a DAO operations manual:
1. Contributor onboarding system: step-by-step onboarding flow from initial interest to active contribution — discovery (where do contributors find us), application/introduction process, skill assessment, onboarding buddy assignment, first-week orientation (tools, communication channels, key documents, culture guide), and first task assignment. Design the flow for both technical (developers) and non-technical (community, marketing, operations) contributors.
2. Organizational structure: design a flat but functional structure — working groups/pods (development, marketing, treasury, governance, community), pod lead roles and responsibilities, cross-pod coordination mechanisms, and escalation paths for decisions. Address the challenge of authority without hierarchy.
3. Communication framework: recommend tools and their purposes — Discord (real-time chat, structure of channels), Notion or Charmverse (knowledge base and project management), GitHub (code and technical proposals), Google Meet or Huddle01 (video calls), and Snapshot/Tally (governance voting). Define which communication belongs where and response time expectations.
4. Work tracking and accountability: design a system for tracking contributions without micromanagement — bounty boards (Dework, Wonderverse), monthly contribution logs (self-reported), peer review mechanisms, and transparent compensation tied to output. Address the challenge of measuring contribution quality in a DAO.
5. Knowledge management: how to build and maintain a DAO knowledge base — documentation standards, onboarding wiki structure, meeting notes and decision logs, and process documentation. Assign documentation responsibility (not just one person — make it part of contribution expectations).
6. Culture and conflict resolution: define the DAO's cultural values and code of conduct, design a dispute resolution process (peer mediation, committee escalation, community vote for serious issues), and address common DAO challenges (free-rider problem, contributor burnout, power concentration in active contributors).