Attestation Network
Overview
The Attestation Network empowers donors and builders to mint onchain proof of their contributions via Gitcoin Grants. These attestations turn contributions into verifiable, personalized records and shareable graphics, fostering deeper connection, trust, and visibility. This feature not only enriches identity and storytelling but also drives revenue through micro‑fees, unlocking new possibilities for engagement and incentive alignment.
Problem
Prior to GG22, Gitcoin lacked a structured system for validating and surfacing contributions. Supporters could donate, but their impact disappeared into the ether, no record, no visibility, and no mechanism to build reputation. This invisibility limited incentives for early donors, weakened connections to projects, and left Gitcoin with unmet potential to drive transparency, engagement, and repeat participation.
Solution
Seamless Post‑Donation Flow
After completing a donation via Grants Stack, users are led to a friendly thank-you page where they’re offered the chance to “Mint Your Impact.” This optional feature allows them to create a visual, shareable attestation representing their donation, no extra navigation needed.
Onchain Verification & Customization
Users choose a color, preview their attestation, and confirm via wallet on Arbitrum. The mint costs just a tiny bit of ETH, affordable and lightweight. Since attestations are issued via a delegated signature using Gitcoin’s custom EAS schema resolver, contributions are cryptographically tied to the event and verifiable onchain.
Social-Ready Visuals
Each attestation includes a unique graphic designed to be shareable on platforms like X and Warpcast. These visuals are not NFTs, they’re backed by verifiable onchain attestations that can unlock future rewards or recognition gitcoin.co.
Revenue Mechanism
Attestations introduce a new revenue fee (e.g., $1 per attestation or bundled batch options), helping support Gitcoin's operations and offering new value capture models without compromising user experience.
Design process
Research and Discovery
Conducted donor and builder interviews to discover what motivates impact-sharing and reputational acknowledgment.
Analyzed existing systems like POAPs and airdrops to identify gaps in contribution recognition.
Uncovered donor fatigue and checkout friction, making post-checkout minting a key design decision.
Ideation and Prototyping
Crafted wireframes to integrate attestation minting after checkout, minimizing friction.
Developed visual customization options and preview flows.
Iterated social sharing screens to ensure graphics looked home-native across X and Warpcast feeds.
Final UI
Guiding users seamlessly through chain switch (Arbitrum), wallet confirmation, and social sharing from the confirmation screen.
Ensured the flow felt fun, accessible, and optional, encouraging adoption while preserving choice.
Impact
Adoption Rate: From 132,338 total donations, 18,307 attestations were minted (~14% adoption).
User Engagement: Of ~28,190 unique donors, 65% minted at least once, suggesting strong value recognition.
Revenue: The attestation minting generated 14.13 ETH (~$46,422), representing ~15.7% of total donation volume, a significant new revenue stream.
Donors frequently shared attestations, validating Gitcoin’s hypothesis that minting would support virality. Builders gained a way to identify early backers and build long-term relationships.
Next steps
Expand Network Support: Add more chains beyond Arbitrum to grow accessibility (e.g. Optimism, Base, Polygon).
Increase Attestation Utility: Explore linking attestations to incentives - airdrops, badges, staking benefits, or invitation tiers.
Optimize Social Virality: Refine visuals and sharing flows to maximize engagement across social platforms.
Iterate Pricing Models: Test bundles, retroactive minting, and variable pricing to optimize conversion and revenue.
Leverage Usage Data: Track behavior to refine UX and inform product roadmap for greater monetization and community-building features.