I believe this is the exact issue though, and why so many programs (correct me if I’m mistaken) fail to drive durable delegates for their respective ecosystems. If a user must be paid to join in the first place or to be retained during the program, then how does one expect them to stay unpaid after the program?
I suppose one argument could be that the program is more intense than being a standard delegate, so maybe there’s a drop off in time commitment? But, ultimately, I think one of the greatest challenges program creators face in these kinds of initiatives is actually the pre-program, top-of-funnel portion. The finding of highly motivated aspiring delegates. This would require outreach and marketing. I’d be more supportive of distributing the incentive budget items toward pre-program methods of finding motivated users. This is also something EH would be happy to support in as this top-of-funnel is also very important to us.
And, as an alternative perspective, if payment is the retention vehicle then perhaps waiting until after a DIP-type program is launched would drive best outcomes. Then graduates can immediately onboard into a delegate incentive plan.