January Newsletter – 2023 Plan

2023 Strategic Plan

Last month we provided a year-in-review of 2022. This month we want to share our vison and game plan for 2023. This year the GBA is planning to:

• Focus on local and regional government use of blockchain & digital assets
• Double the opportunities for GBA Members
• Continue to stabilize our fiscal and administrative operations

Local Government

Why are we doing this? There is an old saying that it is easier to turn a canoe than it is to turn an ocean liner. Local governments have fewer impediments to change. Also, there are far mor local governments than national governments. Consequently, there are more opportunities to find champions engaging in digital transformation.

Each month we are hosting an event called Web3, Smart Cities, and Digital Assets for State & Local Government. This event will be an online event and open to the public on the second Tuesday of each month. Each meeting will focus on a different way that local governments are using blockchain technology. We will also be recording the content and making it available on the GBA YouTube Channel and we will be sharing the content with our chapter leaders so they can translate it and customize it to fit in their local areas. The topics for 2023 are:

• January
  • Energy Infrastructure
• February
  • Identity Management
  • Elections & Voting
• March
  • Vital Records
  • Health Data Management
• April
  • Revenue Collection (Taxes/Bonds/Fees/Gaming)
• May
  • Public Fund Distribution
  • Grants, Disbursements, Entitlements
  • Financial Regulation & Oversight
• June
  • Community Health
• July
  • Social Services (education, family, financial, health, housing)
• August
  • Resource Management (parks, land, water, environmental, buildings)
• September
  • Transportation
• October
  • Land Titling
  • Licensing and permitting
• November
  • Law Enforcement
  • Judicial
• December
  • Budget, Accountability, Transparency & Auditing

If you are interested in speaking on any of these subjects, please log into the website and fill out the Volunteer to Speak Form. We are asking the GBA Strategic Communication (STRATCOM) Team to reach out to CIOs/CTOs that work for townships, cities, municipalities, counties, states, and provinces to invite them to this monthly event. It will cover topics relevant to local government technology leaders. It will also facilitate the relationships between GBA members and the government leaders we are trying to engage. As we develop these resources, more opportunities will become available for GBA members.

Doubling the Opportunities for GBA Members

This year we are focusing on four areas to increase opportunities for our members. They are:

• Events
• Blockchain Maturity Model
• Education & Training
• Promotion

Events

We have heard countless praises about opportunities that members have had because of the people they met at our events. So, if we want to double the opportunities for members, we need to double the participation in GBA events.

Conferences

This year we are hosting two major conferences. They are:

• The Future of Money, Governance, and the Law at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on May 23-24
• Blockchain & Infrastructure at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on September 28 & 29

Since an overwhelming number of participants from last year have already made plans to attend our May event, and with a world-class lineup of Speakers and Topics, and with the dedicated support of the GBA Strategic Communications Team, significant growth of our events is expected. If you are planning to attend the May conference, please get your Tickets now to help us pay the deposits required to produce a conference.

Online Events

And our online events continue to grow in numbers and content. We will continue to improve the events by providing high-quality information, delivered by impactful speakers and promoted by the GBA Strategic Communications Team. We have two types of events. Members only (you must be logged into the website to see these) and public events. The members only events are typically where GBA members share the latest information in their industry and connect, communicate, and collaborate with each other on ways to benefit from the information. The public meetings are designed to attract a wide audience because of the educational content and provide a platform to promote GBA members. Many people who regularly attend the public meetings eventually join as members because they want to be impact players instead of just observers. To see the full list of evens go the GBA Events Calendar.

Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM)

As governments and enterprises around the world prepare to acquire blockchain solutions. The problem is that they do not have the knowledge or framework to know a good one from a bad one. So, they typically default to the same solutions they have always used in the past. The Blockchain Maturity Model was developed to solve that problem. In 2023 we are continuing to build and deploy the BMM as well as the BMM Industry Supplements. We also continue to train BMM Advisors and are establishing BMM Assessment Partners in regions around the world. In 2023 our goal is to create a directory of trusted blockchain applications that have been evaluated against standards and with methods to assure an objective assessment of their reliability. We also will create consulting opportunities for members by helping them establish credentials that will bring opportunities for our members.

Education & Training

The Government Blockchain Training Academy provides GBA members with the opportunity to develop online courses and receive compensation from the revenue generated from those courses. This training resource uses the same learning management system used by colleges, universities, and training academies. Our first course was the Blockchain Foundations Course and is free for all GBA members. In 2023 we want to see this course become a globally recognized course. We are also working with many of our working groups to develop additional courses including:

• Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) Course – This course provides a general understanding of the structure, content, and use of the BMM. It is also a prerequisite for the BMM Assessment Team Course.
• BMM Assessment Team Course – This course provides assessment team members with the skills necessary to participate in a BMM assessment. This course is a prerequisite for the BMM Lead Assessor Course.
• BMM Lead Assessor Course – This course provides the skills necessary to lead a BMM Assessment and report the results to the GBA for formal inclusion into the BMM Directory of Assessed Solutions.
• Digital Asset Management – This course includes the accounting and legal compliance aspects of digital assets.  This course also fulfils the requirement for a BMM assessor knowledgeable in the governance and oversight areas of the BMM.
• Blockchain for Attorneys & Legal Professionals – This course reviews the legal issues related to blockchain and digital asset development, implementation, use, and disposal.

Our goal is for many other working groups to develop training courses that can generate revenue for the members of that group and provide valuable educational content to GBA members.

Promotion

GBA will continue to work with GBA Organizational members to plan & execute promotional campaigns. These campaigns include creating and distributing press releases, social media campaigns, newsletter placements, planning and conducting events, podcasts, YouTube posts, and other speaking opportunities. In 2023 we plan to continuously improve our tools, outreach, and capabilities to promote GBA members.

Continue to stabilize our fiscal and administrative operations

Last year we added Sean Kurzweil to the GBA Board and management team. Sean has done an amazing job putting our financial and administrative house in order. For the first few years when we were in startup mode, this area was neglected and not well managed. Sean came in, identified all of the things that need to be done and put our house in order. Unfortunately, because of the early neglect, we had lots of catch-up to do and debts to pay. In 2022 we saw a 100% growth in revenue for the GBA. While we are using most of those funds to repay debt and stabilize the organization, if we simply continue to work like we did last year, the GBA should be able to repay all debts and expenses and be fully sustainable by the end of 2023. That will officially take us out of startup mode, dependent on the herculean efforts of a few and have us be fully sustainable.

This is what the plan is for 2023. Come and join us to be part of a community that is impacting our industry!