@neardevgov.near [Posted on Developer DAO Board](https://near.social/#/devgovgigs.near/widget/Post?id=540) ## Solution: DevDAO Fellowship Program _Improving the NEAR developer experience with guidance and funding._ [DevDAO](https://www.neardevgov.org/blog/near-developer-dao)'s paid program offers financial rewards to experienced NEAR developers and newcomers for their contributions to the ecosystem. By collaborating on the developer productivity tools for NEAR’s Blockchain Operating System [BOS], Zero Knowledge [ZK], and Contracts, community members can foster innovation and enrich our developer community. ### Why is it needed? As the NEAR ecosystem grows rapidly, there is an increasing need to improve developer productivity. While open-source communities are essential to manage these needs, new developers may find it challenging to get started. The DevDAO Fellowship Program aims to solve this issue by providing guidance to new contributors from experienced developers. ### What are the focus areas? DevDAO focuses on improving work in the following strategic areas within the NEAR ecosystem: - Blockchain Operating System - Zero Knowledge - JavaScript stack - Rust stack - Mobile development (native iOS/Android, and cross-platform frameworks like Flutter) Within each area, there are a number of tasks to complete, including developing security and contract development toolkits, creating productivity tools, and maintaining open-source repositories. DevDAO wants to prioritize contributions to the following repositories: - [docs](https://github.com/near/docs) - [near-api-js](https://github.com/near/near-api-js) - [near-jsonrpc-client-rs](https://github.com/near/near-jsonrpc-client-rs) - [near-cli-rs](https://github.com/near/near-cli-rs) - [near-cli](https://github.com/near/near-cli) - [near-sdk-rs](https://github.com/near/near-sdk-rs) - [near-sdk-js](https://github.com/near/near-sdk-js) - [workspaces-rs](https://github.com/near/workspaces-rs) - [workspaces-js](https://github.com/near/workspaces-js) - [wallet-selector](https://github.com/near/wallet-selector) - [create-near-app](https://github.com/near/create-near-app) ### How does it work? The DevDAO Fellowship program is a way for active and experienced NEAR developers to empower new contributors and solve the focus areas above. Here’s it works: 1. **Apply**: Experienced contributors apply to become a Fellowship Leader by submitting a proposal on DevHub. The proposal must include a timeline, budget to allocate to new contributors, and a focus area. 2. **Approve**: DevDAO and the NEAR community review the proposal to ensure that it aligns with the NEAR community goals and that the budget is reasonable. 3. **Invite**: Upon acceptance, the Fellowship Leader invites new contributors to participate in the project. The Fellowship Leader is responsible for evaluating and negotiating compensation (see [funding guidelines](https://www.neardevgov.org/blog/near-developer-governance-funding-guidelines)) with the new contributors. 4. **Execute**: Once the team is assembled, they can begin working on the project. 5. **Compensate**: Once the work is complete, contributors submit their contribution report on DevHub. The Fellowship Leader must provide an attestation to confirm the work and compensation amount. DevDAO will then work to issue the payment. To help bootstrap the program, DevDAO invites experienced developers to apply from various expert entities such as Pagoda, Aurora, Proximity, Human Guild, and Calimero. ### How to submit a fellowship proposal? Submit a fellowship proposal on the [NEAR DevHub](http://neardevhub.org) using these guidelines: - Create a new “Solution” post. - Add the “fellowship” and “fellowship-proposal” labels to your post. - Provide a clear description of the project goals, scope, deliverables, and timeline. - Describe the skills and experience you are looking for from new contributors. - Set a budget for your fellowship using the [funding guidelines](https://www.neardevgov.org/blog/near-developer-governance-funding-guidelines). Note that the compensation will get paid directly from DevDAO to contributors. Once you have submitted your proposal, the DevDAO team will review it and provide feedback. If your proposal is approved, you can start recruiting fellow contributors. ### How to be a great fellowship leader? As a Fellowship Leader, your role is crucial in empowering successful contributions to our ecosystem. To be an effective leader, it is essential to perform several key tasks: - **Define the scope of work**: Submit a well-defined proposal with clear goals. - **Find contributors**: Utilize networking, various community groups, and applications left on DevHub as comments to your proposal to find contributors. - **Onboard contributors**: Set clear expectations, including your availability and communication guidelines. Additionally, provide well-defined tasks with the relevant context and acceptance criteria. - **Oversee execution**: Deliver quality results that meet the needs of our ecosystem by monitoring the project, providing feedback to contributors, and promptly responding to questions. ### How to be a great contributor? New contributors play an essential role in our ecosystem, bringing fresh perspectives and ideas. If you’re looking to make meaningful contributions and gain guidance from experienced developers, here are some tips to help you get started: - **Apply to a fellowship**: Find [available fellowship proposals on NEAR DevHub](/#/devgovgigs.near/widget/gigs-board.pages.Feed?label=fellowship-proposal) and leave a comment with your application for a project that interests you. - **Align with your Fellowship Leader**: If you are selected, it is important to align with your Fellowship Leader on the expectations and requirements for the project. - **Be self-sufficient**: While your Fellowship Leader is there to guide you, it is important to become self-sufficient quickly and focus on completing your work. This means taking initiative to learn and communicating when you need support. - **Provide updates**: Post a contribution report on DevHub to provide transparency and potentially to get compensated. - **Keep improving**: As you gain more knowledge and experience, we hope that you continue to contribute to our ecosystem and share your insights to enable others to contribute too. ### How to submit a contribution report? To ensure transparency and accountability, DevDAO requires all contributors to submit a contribution report on the [NEAR DevHub](http://neardevhub.org) once the work is complete using these guidelines: - Create a new “Solution” post. - Add the “fellowship” and “contribution-report” labels to your post. - Add the requested compensation amount - In the description, reference the relevant fellowship proposal post. And list your contributions with references (e.g. PRs, issues, etc), the time spent, and [the factors to consider when determining the compensation amount](https://www.neardevgov.org/blog/near-developer-governance-funding-guidelines). Once you have submitted your contribution report, your Fellowship Leader must reply to it with an attestation confirming that the report is accurate and that they are offering a certain amount of their pre-approved budget. DevDAO will keep track of the attestations and take appropriate action to approve the payment unless there are any concerns raised. ### What does DevDAO expect in the short term? Over the next three months, DevDAO aims to board 10 fellowship leaders who will help us establish and scale this program. We welcome feedback from the community, so please share your thoughts by replying to this post. To learn more about the DevDAO goals, check out [the recently posted OKRs](/#/devgovgigs.near/widget/gigs-board.pages.Post?id=531). Together, we can build a community where developers share ideas, collaborate on projects, and learn from each other.