Gerard Murphy was a paid member of the OpCom team from 20 January - 19 February 2025. He worked to deliver the first cycle of the Ambassador Fellowship until 3 May 2025. This is a tip request for one month payment only, at $50 per hour, for 40 hours per week. A fraction of what was delivered, but a token towards work done.
Work produced:
As a compensated member of the team:
As a volunteer, post Op Com involvement:
Background for the rest of the team:
During the first funded phase of the Ambassador Fellowship, we achieved remarkable success — even amidst periods of uncertainty and transition. This success was largely thanks to the dedication of individuals who stepped up as volunteers to ensure we not only met but exceeded our deliverables within the agreed timeframe.
Per the agreement with the Advisory Board (see Sprint Overview Document), a discretionary payment was to be made to the core team upon successful delivery by May 3, 2025. Through careful financial stewardship — managed solely by myself — $230,000 remained in the Ambassador Fellowship fund. The plan was to distribute $29,000 to the team, with the remaining $201,000 returned to the treasury when the Board stepped down (five weeks later than anticipated).
The delivery deadline was met, and the Advisory Board confirmed the work was completed successfully.
However, during this period, several Board members resigned due to the extended duration of their roles. With diminished capacity and activity, decision-making became increasingly difficult. Ultimately, the remaining funds — including the portion intended for the team — were returned in full to the treasury for administrative ease. As a result, the promised payments were not made.
Today, the Ambassador Fellowship remains active and is preparing a proposal for further funding to support its continued growth. Cohort Two is currently being seeded, and a waitlist for Cohort Three is already forming — a clear sign of the program's community value and continued success. You can find our Delivery Report here.
After careful consideration and consultation, I believe the fairest path forward is to submit individual compensation requests on behalf of each team member. These individuals fulfilled their commitments and contributed significantly to the Fellowship’s outcomes. The full list of team members and corresponding payment amounts can be found in this Spreadsheet.
Thank you for your continued support of the team, the principle of fairness within the ecosystem, and the enduring impact of the Ambassador Fellowship.
Gerard Murphy was a member of the OpCom team from January 20 to February 19, 2025, working on the Ambassador Fellowship until May 3, 2025. He requests a one-month payment of $50 per hour for 40 hours per week. Gerard produced several documents, including the Fellowship Onboarding & Orientation Framework V1.0, Rewards and Recognition Framework, Resources Repository, and guides to Fellowship Verticals, Ranking System, and Promotion Process. He also created a Notion platform with public and private workspaces, uploaded resources, and maintained the platform. Gerard made videos on using the Notion platform and coordinated with Distractive on updating the Polkadot.com ambassador landing page. He also developed a guide for setting up and securing funding for meetups or pop-ups and produced a social media plan for Miami Mega Week.
During the first funded phase of the Ambassador Fellowship, the team achieved success, but due to several Board members resigning, the remaining funds were returned to the treasury, and the promised payments were not made. The Ambassador Fellowship is now preparing a proposal for further funding, with Cohort Two being seeded and a waitlist for Cohort Three forming.