DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) have emerged in recent years, allowing people to collaborate on smaller-scale projects than companies. DAOs are organized around a mission that coordinates through a shared set of rules enforced on a blockchain. Put it simply, DAOs are a new way to finance projects, govern communities, and share value.

Supporters believe DAOs have the potential to reshape the way we work, make group decisions, allocate resources, distribute wealth, and solve some of the world’s biggest problems. DAOs are why Ethereum was created in the first place.

I explore participatory fundraising models through decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). There have been some stunning examples of rapid fundraising through DAOs, and while t’s still unclear how DAO-based, participatory funding campaigns can be applied to the social sector, they do represent a new era of crowdfunding.