It started like any other hunt on Upwork — looking for quick WordPress gigs, the occasional copywriting task, and hoping for fair clients. Then one random day in 2023, I accepted a small whitepaper proofreading job for a DeFi project. Payment? $150 in USDC. That one job opened the door to a whole new world: DAOs, bounties, grant programs, token vesting... and working with people across the globe while never touching fiat again.
Now, nearly two years later, I’m working full-time as a freelance contributor to two protocols and writing for a Layer 2 ecosystem blog. No resumes. No interviews. Just reputation, results, and crypto-native work.
So here’s my question to fellow freelancers:
What platforms, DAOs, or job boards do you actually recommend for meaningful, long-term work in crypto—not just one-off tasks?
And if you’re just starting out: I’m happy to share tips on pitching projects, staying safe from scams, and building your on-chain reputation. It’s not easy—but it’s worth it.
Love this story — super relatable. I had a pretty similar arc: started with basic smart contract documentation gigs on Upwork and before I knew it, I was writing governance proposals and managing bounties for a DAO treasury. Wild how fast it moves once you're in.
As for platforms that actually lead to long-term work, here are a few that have worked well for me (and people I’ve worked with):
🚀 1. Dework
Kind of like Trello meets GitHub meets Upwork — but crypto-native. Great for finding bounties, contributor roles, and building an on-chain rep tied to your wallet. Some DAOs even use it to track core contributor work.
🧑💻 2. Coordinape
If you’re working in collective contributor environments (especially DAOs), Coordinape is clutch for retroactive compensation. It’s not a job board, but worth mentioning since a lot of smaller teams use it to reward consistent contributors.
🛠 3. Gitcoin
Still very much alive and evolving — especially useful if you’re technical or have ideas for public goods. Grant rounds and bounties can lead to deeper involvement with protocols.
🌐 4. TalentDAO, BanklessDAO, and Developer DAO
Great starting points to find real community and project-based work. Not everything pays immediately, but they’re solid for building relationships and spotting new opportunities early.
💼 5. RabbitHole & Layer3
More task-based, but if you’re building rep or exploring ecosystems, both offer decent exposure and learning → sometimes leads to job offers or collabs.
If you’re just getting started, reputation and relationships matter more than resumes. Get active in Discords, contribute to open issues on GitHub or Notion, write helpful threads or docs, and always follow through. Crypto may be pseudonymous, but word travels fast — in good and bad ways.
