Overview

Vora's Voter Rewards system lets you attach real incentives - discount codes, event access, digital downloads, physical prizes, exclusive pre-order windows, or any custom benefit - to both proposals and idea challenges, and automatically distribute them to voters when the proposal closes (or when you announce challenge winners). It's the bridge between governance participation and tangible value: your community votes, and they're rewarded for it.

Why Rewards Matter

Customer governance works best when participation is rewarded. While XP and badges provide long-term engagement loops, Voter Rewards deliver immediate, tangible value that drives participation on the proposals and challenges that matter most.

Consider the difference:

How It Works

The rewards system follows a simple lifecycle:

Create Reward -> Attach to Proposal or Challenge -> Voters Vote -> Distribution Trigger
                                                                          |
                                                                          v
                                                Voter receives reward email with:
                                                  - the unique voting code (8-char + 32-char)
                                                  - redemption instructions
                                                  - inline QR + venue code (if is_local)
                                                                          |
                                                                          v
                                       Voter redeems on your storefront / venue
                                                                          |
                                                                          v
                                  Claim flips to "redeemed" via HMAC API, JWT, or QR scan

The distribution trigger is:

• Proposal close for proposal rewards (automatic, within seconds of close)
• Announce Winners action for idea-challenge rewards (you decide when)

The Complete Flow

1. You create a reward in your space's Rewards settings - define the title, type, instructions, external link (your storefront URL), and whether it requires in-person verification.
2. You attach the reward to a proposal or challenge when creating or editing it - one item can have multiple rewards with different eligibility tiers.
3. Voters vote as usual - they see a gift icon indicating rewards are attached. On idea challenges, both prize tiers (winner submitter + voter rewards) are displayed prominently on the challenge page.
4. Distribution fires - Vora automatically creates a RewardClaim for every eligible voter with a unique 32-character hex code, and sends a single unified email containing the governance outcome, the reward details, and the voting code in both short (8-char) and full forms.
5. Voters redeem on your external storefront (paste the code), at your physical venue (show the QR / read the code), or in your branded shop integration (HMAC server-to-server redemption from your commerce backend).
6. You see redemptions in the admin claims dashboard. The verification page lets staff and your storefront flip claim status to redeemed.

Reward Types

Vora supports five reward types, covering virtually any incentive you can offer:

Each reward can be marked is_local - that adds the inline QR code to the email and switches the redemption flow toward in-person verification at a venue.

Who Receives Rewards?

When you attach a reward to a proposal or challenge, you choose who's eligible:

Voting Codes & External Redemption

Every reward claim ships with a voting code - a 256-bit cryptographic secret in two human-friendly forms:

• 8-character uppercase short form (e.g., A3F7B2C9) - easy to type at checkout
• 32-character full hex - for API calls and copy/paste

The same code works for both:

• Public bearer-only verification - your storefront calls GET /api/v1/rewards/verify/?code=...&challenge=... and gets back a yes/no plus the campaign metadata
• HMAC server-to-server redemption - your storefront's backend signs a POST with your org's Rewards HMAC Secret and Vora flips the claim to redeemed automatically

This is what makes it possible to gate a pre-order, a private drop, an early-access window, or any external benefit on "did this customer actually vote on the brand's challenge?" - without any custom integration code on Vora's side.

Local Rewards & QR Verification

For rewards that require in-person redemption (cafes, events, retail locations), Vora includes a complete QR verification system:

• A QR code is embedded directly in the reward email - the voter shows it at your venue
• The QR links to a verification page where your staff can confirm the claim is valid and flip it to redeemed
• Only the space owner can mark a claim as redeemed via the QR/JWT path - preventing unauthorized flips
• The same 8-character code is displayed in the email as a fallback when QR scanning isn't possible

GDPR Compliance

Reward notification emails are fully GDPR-compliant under Article 6(1)(b) - Contract Performance. They are transactional service notifications tied to the voter's action (voting on a rewarded proposal or challenge), not marketing communications. This means:

• Reward emails are not subject to marketing consent opt-outs - they're service fulfilment
• The verification API does not return voter identity - only the claim status, reward title, and campaign scope. This protects voters even when codes are gifted to friends.
• Every email includes an Art. 21 objection notice with contact information
• A complete audit trail is maintained for every reward email and every redemption (which method was used, which redeemer authorised it)
• The lawful basis is documented in both the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

What's Next

• Reward Types in Detail - Deep dive into each reward type and when to use it
• Creating Rewards - Step-by-step guide to defining rewards
• Attaching Rewards to Proposals - How to link rewards when creating proposals
• The Voter Experience - What your voters see when they earn a reward
• Verifying & Redeeming Claims - How to manage claims as an admin, including the HMAC server-to-server flow
• Reward Strategy Guide - Best practices for maximising engagement with rewards