> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.builtbydao.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.builtbydao.com/guides/choosing-your-work.md). # Choosing Your Work You can choose where to contribute to Built By DAO. Start with work that matters to you, fits the time and skills you can bring, and helps a shared project move forward. Self-directed contribution is central to the community we want to build. Members bring different abilities, interests and schedules. A shared view of the work gives that variety a place to become useful: a defined responsibility, an agreed outcome and a handoff the next person can trust. ## Choose with the Whole Project in View A task is one part of a larger effort. Before you claim it, read why the project exists and how this piece helps. Understand what must be delivered, when it is needed, which skills it calls for and what evidence the reviewer expects. Compare the work with your actual availability. A short task with a clear handoff can be a valuable contribution. A larger commitment makes sense when you can give it the attention and follow-through it needs. Ask the project lead about unclear requirements or dependencies before you commit. | Consider | Ask yourself | | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Purpose | What will this make possible for the project or community? | | Skills | Can I do this well, or does it offer an appropriate opportunity to learn? | | Time | Can I complete the work and respond to review within the needed window? | | Dependencies | What must be ready before I start, and who needs my result afterward? | | Evidence | What will show that the agreed outcome is complete? | Choosing the work does not change its requirements or let you approve your own contribution. It gives you agency over the responsibility you put yourself forward to take. ## Discover the Work You Can Contribute To Find Tasks helps you explore open work. Add the skills you already have so the app can show meaningful matches. Explore learning opportunities when you want to stretch into a new area, and read the task requirements carefully before deciding it is the right next step. Your community group, called a cohort in the app, helps organize the work you see. You can explore more broadly where tasks are shared across Built By DAO. Some projects share tasks only with their own cohort, and individual tasks can have additional requirements. A match is a discovery aid; eligibility and the claim decision determine whether you can take the work. When the list feels too narrow, check the search, task category and scope you are viewing, including whether learning opportunities or work in other places are included. An empty view can reflect those choices as well as the work currently available. ## Claim a Responsibility You Understand Open the task and read its outcome, subtasks and submission requirements. The claim confirmation tells you what will happen for that task: * **Claim & Start:** confirming gives you the task and you can begin its first subtask. * **Send claim:** a project lead reviews your request before you start. It remains pending in My Tasks, and you can cancel the request before approval. Some work is assigned rather than open for members to claim. The available action reflects the task's rules and your current eligibility. If you have reached your task limit, finish or appropriately hand back existing commitments before taking on more. ## Make Your Work Easy for Others to Build On Once the task is yours, work through its subtasks and keep the project informed about meaningful progress or blockers. If a dependency changes or you cannot finish, contact the lead early so the project can adapt and agree the next step. Collect the evidence the work asks for as you go. That can include files, links, notes or another specified form of proof. Explain what you completed and any decisions or remaining issues another member will need to understand. Keep the submission connected to the task so the reviewer has the work and its context together. Submit for review when the requested outcome is ready. The reviewer can approve it or send it back with changes. Read that feedback, clarify anything unclear, revise and resubmit. Review gives the community a shared standard for deciding when a contribution is ready to support the next piece of work. ## How Individual Choices Become Collaboration Consider an **illustrative scenario**: a project is preparing a shared workspace to open. A member comfortable with research chooses a materials comparison. A member with the relevant hands-on skills chooses a preparation task. Someone who prefers organizing information chooses the workspace instructions. Each person chooses a different kind of contribution. Their results connect through the project: the materials comparison informs a decision; the preparation record shows what is ready; the instructions help others use the space. A clear handoff lets the next member continue without having to reconstruct what happened. The ambition is to make community participation possible across different lives and abilities. Visible needs help people find a useful role, while agreed responsibilities help the project coordinate those contributions. You can contribute a manageable piece and still understand the larger thing you are helping build. ## Follow the Contribution Through to Settlement Read the task's approved terms before committing. Some activities are voluntary or have a different compensation arrangement. Where Contribution EQTBLT applies, the approved work must pass a separate authorized settlement process supported by project funding. Claiming, completing or approving work does not itself issue EQTBLT. Check the confirmed settlement record to understand what you have received. See [Earning EQTBLT](/guides/earning-eqtblt.md) for the EQTBLT process. ## Continue Contributing After review, consider what you learned about the work, your time and the way the project collaborates. Keep your skills current and choose your next task with that experience in mind. The goal is a pattern of commitments you can sustain, with useful outcomes other members can build on. {% content-ref url="/pages/xo8oDsBWJ5sWtkvPFr6B" %} [All Guides](/guides/guides.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/uRx1Syln1Y2tx95QNQTl" %} [Tasks & Rewards](/contributors/tasks.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/w0zDTT61RFryBvqRSyzK" %} [Guilds & Working Groups](/membership/guilds.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/ojqZHkx6wpp74gXlSnPp" %} [Earning EQTBLT](/guides/earning-eqtblt.md) {% endcontent-ref %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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