The problem with DAO communication, DAO engagement and DAO voter participation today

DAOs find it hard to get members to take part in key activities like voting. Why? Our attention spans are waning, for one. According to Microsoft, the average adult internet user's attention span is 8.25 seconds. Open social channels often overwhelm and prevent meaningful conversation. People are reluctant to share their views. We miss actions. We miss voting deadlines.  

Then there’s delegates. “Am I really voting in the best interest of my delegators?” Delegates lack a trusted way to talk to their delegators, which means votes take place with doubt and uncertainty.  

Then there’s the general DAO confusion, or difficulty in understanding different entities and groups, their roles and responsibilities, within the DAO. Decentralized governance is fairly complex. This makes it feel as if no one really knows what’s going on, or no one’s truly educated enough to be participating in the DAO.  

Each of these problems stems from one major issue: Poor communication.  

When it comes to engagement and coordination for DAOs, the lack of poor communication is rooted not just in the confusion, but in the fact that the organization is indeed decentralized and the entity itself is built upon a token, or a smart contract. People are given voting rights based on their wallet address. These voters often have to use web2-native communication channels to sign-up or participate in their DAO forums, compromising their privacy.

There is a lack of web3-native infrastructure to support web3-native communication. It's simple math.  

Poor communication + a lack of web3-native communication channels = low DAO engagement.

The solution to DAO communication, DAO engagement and DAO voter participation

Now that we know poor communication and a lack of web3-native channels is at the heart of DAO issues; it’s easy to see that what’s needed is meaningful web3-native communication. Mailchain is the communication layer for web3. It encrypts messages for 1:1 and group chats between DAO members, using their web3 identities and wallet addresses. Mailchain is open source, working with all blockchain protocols (that means it's multichain and supports all EVMs and major chains). It includes an SDK for developers and a private web3 inbox for users.  

How Mailchain improves DAO communication

Boost DAO member engagement

With Mailchain, DAOs can send secure, direct messages to all members, with just their wallet address or web3 identity (.eth, .lens, .near, .tez, .sol, etc.). Using this web3-native channel, DAO’s important messages don’t get lost in crowded, public channels. Messages are direct, with no social media algorithms to get in the way. This reduces information overload and prompts quick actions.  

Keep DAO members accountable

With Mailchain, DAOs can send regular summaries or reports so members can follow DAO progress asynchronously. This keeps everyone informed about their roles. No “I didn’t see that post” excuses. Everyone gets the update, directly sent to their wallet address. Role-based communication lets DAOs send targeted messages, avoiding too much information to too many people, or to people who aren't key stakeholders.  

Improve delegation models

With Mailchain, delegates can send direct messages to and from to their delegators. Unsure delegates can discuss votes with their delegator group and have an email chain/ documentation for that discussion. Each party can give feedback or ask questions where needed, creating open, collaborative talks. Good delegate-delegator communication creates an authentic sense of community. It encourages sharing of ideas and promotes mentorship, making the DAO more effective and responsible.

Automate proposal notifications

With Mailchain, DAOs can implement systems for automated, timely notifications to delegates about governance actions, new proposals and voting reminders, all with wallets. This enables voters to actually see important voting timelines, as they will be able to receive a single, direct "email-like" message, sent directly to their wallet address, instead of simply seeing a social media post. The direct wallet-to-wallet communication also means they don't need to compromise their privacy in order to see a message. If the voter wants to remain anonymous, they can, as all that's required is their wallet address, no personal/ traditional email address.  

Create role-based communication

Using the Mailchain protocol, DAOs can send proposal summaries to specific roles and working groups for quick decisions and feedback. DAO teams can also send out automated onboarding emails to new members increase participation and engage them from the start.  

Create Delegate chats

People love both asynchronous and synchronous chat channels. DAO organizations can create an email-like tool auto-filled with delegator addresses for easy communication, so Delegates can easily communicate their voting decisions and reasoning to their delegators. DAOs can also create synchronous chat channels so people can easily communicate and get to know one another casually, or on a more personal level through web3-native Direct Messages.

Improving DAO operations and management

Your organization is onchain. That should make operations easier, not harder, right? The truth is, it’s not easy being an onchain organization. And that's because of the lack of native web3 communication channels. With Mailchain, members can directly and verifiably contact relevant groups effective coordination and team management, and automate operational activities.

Use your Smart Contract as your mailing list

Use the smart contract address as an addressable mailing list to contact all members about important updates and monthly reviews.  

Get the right information to the right people at the right time

Use role-based communication to send web3 emails to all the targeted role-holders at the point in time and get issues actioned faster.

Automate onchain event notifications

Use onchain events to trigger web3 emails or web3 notifications for important DAO actions.

Automate DAO onboarding

Automate web3 emails to new members to explain DAO rules and how to get started with their role.

Create a DAO support channel people can trust

Create a verified, end-to-end encrypted support system, so anyone who needs to raise a question or issue, can get a trusted answer.

Improve DAO security

Use verifiable authentication links via Mailchain to enable secure web3 multi-factor authentication, so you know a voting wallet address is the correct wallet address, with no extra wallet signature required.

Broadcast DAO updates

Send clear messages, updates, and actions to all members, ensuring clear, documented coordination.

Send out DAO Weekly Activity Reports

Send out weekly activity reports, keeping members informed and involved every step of the way.

Mailchain and DAO tool integrations for better DAO communications

Mailchain is joining forces with various DAO tools and DAOs for effective communication. See one of our Hackathon winners, Mailchain Compose, here.  Mailchain Compose is a DAO communication tool which makes it easy to select the appropriate roles and deliver your messages directly to those participants.

Better DAO Communication for Developers with Mailchain x HAL Notify

20 minute tutorial. That’s all you need to get better DAO engagement.  

Build an Express App that exposes an API to send HAL notifications via Mailchain. You will create onchain event notifications in HAL Notify, and configure HAL to use your API as a webhook for sending POST requests to. ‍

Conclusion

DAOs struggle with DAO communication, DAO engagement and DAO voter participation. Mailchain is built to make onchain life simpler and easier for teams and individuals. The integration of Mailchain into DAO operations represents a significant step forward in resolving multiple communication challenges within decentralized governance. By providing a secure and web3-native communication protocol, Mailchain not only improves member engagement and accountability but also strengthens the overall effectiveness and resilience of DAOs.‍