DAO Proposal
A formal request submitted to a DAO for members to review, discuss, and vote on before the organization takes action.
A DAO proposal is a structured suggestion put forward to a decentralized autonomous organization for a decision by its members. It can ask the DAO to spend treasury funds, change governance rules, upgrade a protocol, form a partnership, elect contributors, or take another action. Proposals usually explain the problem, the requested action, the expected impact, and any budget or technical details. Depending on the DAO, a proposal may start as an informal forum post before moving to an on-chain or off-chain vote.
DAO proposals matter because they are the main way decentralized communities coordinate decisions without relying on a single manager or company board. Token holders or eligible members review the proposal, debate trade-offs, and vote according to the DAO’s rules. For example, if a DAO manages a lending protocol, a proposal might ask to add a new collateral asset; if it passes, the approved change can be executed by developers, multisig signers, or smart contracts.
Other terms in DAOs & Governance
DAO
A DAO is an online organization run by shared rules and member voting, often using blockchain-based tokens and smart contracts.
Governance Token
A governance token is a crypto asset that gives holders voting power over decisions in a blockchain protocol, DAO, or decentralized app.
Multisig Treasury
A shared crypto fund controlled by a wallet that requires multiple approved signers to authorize transactions.
Off-Chain Vote
A vote conducted outside a blockchain to signal community preference without directly executing an on-chain transaction.