Steward

What is Steward?

A steward is a DAO member formally granted specific governance responsibilities and authority on behalf of the community. Rather than requiring a full vote on every decision, stewards execute predetermined responsibilities within approved boundaries.

How does Steward work?

1. A governance proposal defines the steward's scope budget, domain, and term length.
2. The steward executes decisions within those boundaries without requiring individual votes.
3. They report progress regularly to the community.
4. The DAO retains veto power and can remove a steward via governance vote.

Why does Steward matter?

Not every decision can be efficiently voted on by thousands of members. Stewards enable DAOs to scale operations and move quickly while maintaining community oversight.

Key features of Steward

• Authority scoped to specific domains or budgets
• Time-bounded terms with renewal votes
• Regular reporting requirements to the community
• Subject to removal vote if performance is poor

Examples of Steward

Aave governance stewards manage grants within defined budgets. MakerDAO stewards oversee risk parameters within agreed guardrails.

Yearn Finance uses stewards to manage treasury allocations and partnerships.