Advocacy Compendium
Infrastructure & Resources
Last updated
Infrastructure & Resources
Last updated
When we say "crypto advocacy," we mean the broad based efforts made by organizations, coalitions, individuals and communities to promote the adoption, understanding, and sensible regulation of crypto, web3 and innovative technology. As the pace of government action picks, up, these initiatives will play an increasingly crucial role if we are to have a voice in shaping the future of the industry and driving mainstream acceptance.
Crypto, with its global internet-native community, is uniquely positioned for success with grassroots and community coordinated, crowdfunded efforts if we can solve coordination. This guide provides an overview various crypto advocacy initiatives in the US (and around the world) and how you can contribute to their success. We will first cover past issues we will need to surmount and how; the advocacy landscape, the organizations involved, and different ways to support these efforts (from promoting crypto education/awareness, to writing policymakers and helping fund activist litigation efforts).
I. Problem Statement: Fixing Coordination Issues
This is why this initiative exists. The crypto community has faced various challenges in coordinating advocacy efforts due to its decentralized nature, diverse interests, and resulting internal disagreements. We hope to overcome these obstacles by (i) first better understanding them, (ii) fostering increased coordiation and collaboration among advocates through platforms and efforts such as this (where possible) and (iii) finding common ground to form broader working groups for better use of resources on issues facing crypto.
Step 1: Understanding: Understand the unique challenges and barriers to organizing within the crypto community.
Crypto Constituencies. The crypto community is comprised of various stakeholders, including developers, investors, entrepreneurs, end-users, and regulators, each with their unique interests and goals. Advocacy efforts in the crypto space can be complex, with multiple stakeholders holding very different opinions on strategy and end goals that interact with regulatory agencies and policy makers with their own goals across multiple jurisdictions.
Historically, conflicts, disagreements and a lack of trust within the crypto community have hindered advocacy efforts and created a fragmented landscape for advocacy efforts. It is natural to have healthy disagreement and unique goals but increasingly important to come together where there are shared goals/efforts.
Step 2: Recognize the diverse interests and goals of different constituencies within the crypto community. Seek opportunities to collaborate and find common ground with other stakeholders.
Focus on finding common ground and fostering a sense of unity within the crypto community.
Support initiatives that promote collaboration and understanding among different factions in the crypto space.
Encourage open and inclusive discussions to understand different perspectives and build consensus, where possible.
Promote transparency and effective communication among stakeholders.
Step 3: Recognize we are not alone - Crypto vs. the Rest of the Policy Players
If the past kumbayah bit didnt convince you, there is also a bit of realpolitik at play. We can keep slap fighting while other more politically experienced actors continue to out maneuver us or we can start to be more strategic. Crypto advocates need to look outward to be more adept at navigating a complex policy landscape that includes other stakeholders, such as traditional financial institutions, regulators seeking to protect the status quo, and consumer advocacy groups. In summary, there is a large degree of professionalization that needs to take place to:
Understand the broader policy landscape and the interests of other stakeholders.
Build alliances and partnerships with like-minded organizations internally AND external alliances with organizations outside the crypto community that support our stance or have similar views on specific issues.
This does mean having an understanding that we need to better allocate our resources and time to efforts that yield results - we should avoid engaging in unproductive debates (and personal attacks) and shift toward spending time on respectful and informed debates to promote understanding and cooperation among policy players who are open to better understanding the issues and the tech.
Step 4: Start Overcoming Hurdles
This is the active phase -- organizing and implementing coordinated advocacy efforts. We need to do some bridge building and develop infrastructure to be more effective advocates. Some ideas are (and apologies if this is a bit of an "advocacy for dummies" section, but we gotta start somewhere):
Establishing the Shared Ethos/ Common Ground. These are the set of defensible principles we largely agree on as things advocates uphold and defend - decentralization, disintermediation, transparency (and privacy), self-sovreignity/autonomy, and defending open-source and permissionless tech.
We should use these ethos-driven priorities as a framework to coordinate efforts and make strategy decisions. Focusing on efforts that defend these principles are a solid guide for focusing coordinated advocacy efforts towards a common purpose.
Opening the Lines of Communication. This includes efforts like this coalition to facilitate collaboration amoung the advocacy groups and better messaging to effectively leverage the community. It also includes working groups for specific issues, coordinated campaigns for collective action, and building trust through transparency and engagement. Open sharing of information, efforts and decision making will go a long way to improve collaboration.
Figure Out how to Leverage Tech (Durr): We should be amazing at spreading the word on campaigns through communication platforms, social media platforms, and online forums but it is in practice very hard to cut through the noise on Twitter and every advocacy org has its own campaigns and constituency it leverages. It should not be this hard - advocacy orgs should engage in coordinated messaging and combined advocacy campaigns, develop strategies or their constituencies to share information, resources, and calls to action. We also publish resources, guidance and tools on platforms such as Twitter or Telegram, where they are soon lost. We should consciously build better repositories for tools and resources - we should develop open-source advocacy infrastructure to outlast particular campaigns and be used by many organizations so we aren't constantly reinventing the wheel.
Build Alliances and Partnerships: We need to actively be looking to form strategic alliances outside the crypto community if we are similarly positioned on issues. From privacy rights to a particular SEC comment letter, these alliances can be long-standing or fleeting. But we should look to how we can partner with established players where possible, from traditional financial institutions upset over an SEC proposed rule, to consumer advocacy groups, and regulatory agencies. These partnerships can serve a range of interests, from helping create a broader coalition for promoting crypto-friendly policies and regulations to helping defend on a particular issue.
Prioritize issues and allocate resources: Increased coordination also helps us marshal our limited resources - we can identify the most critical issues facing the crypto community and allocate resources accordingly, with some organizations taking lead on one issue and others focused on issues they are best suited to address. Focusing on high-priority issues and the highest and best use of each organization's efforts can help maximize the impact of advocacy efforts and ensure that we arent being spread too thin.
Develop a Coordinated Proactive Approach: Better allocation of resources can also help us have more room to switch from reacting to regulatory proposals or policy changes, and adopt coordinated proactive strategies to engage policymakers and regulators. Currently, these efforts are incredibly ad hoc with different organizations engaging directly or through lobbyists to push their narrow agendas. This is neither effective nor efficient - it leads to the sense that we are not aligned / do not know what we want from a policy perspective. This serves no one, even those acting out of self-interest. Increased coordination can help ensure that the community's collective voice is better positioned for consideration when crafting new policies and regulations.
Create and Adapt Strategies: The crypto landscape is constantly evolving, from the tech to the news cycle to the govt administration and we need to constant adapt our strategies to address new challenges and opportunities as they arise. Flexibility and adaptability are essential for effective coordination in a rapidly changing environment. This means understanding what works (sharing what works) and is an efficient use of resources vs. what could be improved or doesn't resonate. It means using failures to refine strategies in future efforts.
How You Can Support Advocacy Efforts
This is a question that is asked constantly and a large reason why we created this guide. The answer is that different types of efforts require different types of assistance. We will cover these in more depth, but as a baseline, some tips on how to help are to:
Get engaged - everything from increasing your awareness of the issues to participating in networks, working groups, and organizations that engage in advocacy or contribute to issues.
Promoting Crypto Education and Awareness- Share educational resources with friends, family, and colleagues - Host workshops, webinars, or meetups to help others learn about the technology.
Participating in Dialogue - Attend crypto-related events, conferences, and meetups to network with like-minded individuals and stay informed about the latest developments; Organize or volunteer at local events to strengthen the crypto community in your area.
Help amplify messaging - campaigns generally need help getting the word out. Retweeting, messaging groups and contacts and rallying the community is a shared effort.
Engage in online discussions and forums to promote the benefits of cryptocurrencies and counter misinformation.
Share positive news stories and developments on social media.
Create content (e.g., articles, videos, podcasts) to educate and inform others about crypto and blockchain technology.
Contribute - based on your skill sets and interests. It can be as simple as writing your representative to express your views or donating to an advocacy organization to further their mission.
Stay informed about crypto-related legislation and regulations and contact your local representatives and senators to express your support for crypto-friendly policies.
Join or support organizations that lobby on behalf of the crypto industry.
Donate organizations working on crypto advocacy.
Support crowdfunding campaigns for issue-based efforts
Crypto advocates may focus on various policy areas, such as fighting for the public good (protecting privacy or free speech), combating government overreach (through litigation or comment letters), addressing existential threats from policymakers (fighting bad bills that make permission less tech illegal), or proactively engaging to help shape smart regulations (engaging policymakers to help draft law).
Issue: The lack of clear and consistent regulations creates uncertainty for the crypto industry and may hinder innovation.
How to support general advocacy efforts:
Join or support organizations that engage in advocacy and work on behalf of the crypto industry to engage policymakers.
Reach out to your local representatives and senators to advocate for clear and fair regulations.
Stay informed about: (i) current and proposed regulations and (ii) government action/overreach to make your views known to your representatives on the specific actions you want them to take. There are a wide variety of issues that may come up and implicate different areas of the law - examples include:
Decentralized finance (DeFi) regulation: As DeFi gains traction, regulators need to ensure that the innovative potential of the sector is not stifled while addressing concerns about consumer protection and financial stability.
Share your knowledge and promote awareness of DeFi innovations and potential benefits.
Support organizations that work with regulators to create balanced regulatory frameworks for DeFi.
Tax Policy: Unclear or unfavorable tax policies can create confusion and discourage the adoption of cryptocurrencies.
Educate yourself about current tax policies and their implications for crypto users.
Advocate for tax policies that recognize the unique nature of cryptocurrencies and provide clear guidance for users.
Support think tanks and advocacy organizations that work to influence tax policy reform*
II. Fostering Positive Narratives Crypto has a PR problem. Public perception is an often overlooked critical aspect of successful advocacy. Efforts to engage in the broader public and educate, counter narratives, and promote best practices in the public forum can shift the negative storytelling in public discourse on the crypto and Web3 industries.
Here are some ideas on how the coalition can develop resources and open source them so we all can contribute to these efforts with a coordinated and consistent message:
Education and Awareness Campaigns: Develop and support initiatives to educate the public on the advantages of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, dispelling misconceptions and addressing concerns. By creating easy-to-understand educational materials, infographics, and videos, we aim to make complex concepts accessible to a wider audience.
Positive Storytelling: To counterbalance negative narratives, promote stories of successful projects, use cases, and real-world applications of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. By showcasing how these innovations can improve lives and empower communities, we hope to inspire public trust and enthusiasm.
Media Outreach: Establish and maintain relationships with journalists, media, and thought leaders to ensure balanced and accurate coverage. By providing media with accurate information and expert insights, we aim to foster a more informed and nuanced discourse around crypto and web3.
Community Engagement: Actively participate in community events, conferences, and workshops to engage directly with the public and address their concerns. By building strong connections and fostering open dialogue, we can create a more positive image of the crypto and web3 industry.
Best Practices: Advocate for increased transparency and accountability within the crypto industry, promoting best practices, and encouraging self-regulation. By addressing issues such as security, privacy, and compliance, we can build public trust and demonstrate the industry's commitment to responsible growth.
Collaboration with Regulators: Develop relationships to work more closely with regulators and policymakers to ensure that any new regulations are balanced and consider the interests of all stakeholders. By demonstrating a proactive and cooperative approach to regulation, we can help to create a more favorable perception of the industry.
