That is an interesting idea. I like the fact of funding bounties, but one the problems that arises is time/delay. For example your 3rd example of speaking to the goverment most likely at a hearing of some sorta. This could take a week to fund and then event could be in 3 days. The main reason think some sort of board is needed is because if/when a goverment comes and requests someone to speak, they need someone to go to to do the request. Wheater this just means having a head of the foundation who simply talks to goverment and acts as the face of the foundation or someone who just controls the domain this is what would be needed.
As for a member ship fee, I thought about this alot and think a a expensive fee is dumb. I think just a small fee that costs 1-10$ just so that members know they paid to be members. The foundation would get most of its money via sites joining the paying a fee to join and voting. My idea of voting is that each address that contains btc greater then X prior to the announcement of voting can vote once in the election. Memebers who pay would get access to special voting and a physical forum to talk.
again no members fee's just bounties, this will make EVERY bitcoin user a member just by owning bitcoin and they put funds into a bounty if they think the project is worthy.
as for the
"problem"lobbyists dont need to be politicians, government employee's. all they need is to show they are experts in their field and that they have something to contribute.
these government hearings do not get announcd 2 hours before they happen. they are publicly announced way before EG the guy from overstock attended a government hearing on bitcoin as he proved he had some insight in bitcoin related merchats.. also it does not costs $10k for someone to go to a hearing. ATMOST $2k to cover costs of a plane ticket, a hotel for 3 nights, a few taxi fares and meals.
so lets call that 5 bitcoins COSTS.
now look at projects such as seans outpost. dorian nakamoto fundraisers. those earned more then 5btc in a number of hours. so time and money for costs is not a problem..
as for the lobbyists labour. that can be compensated later. mainly as a thank you for an incredible effort at the hearing. after all most people get a salary at the end of the month, not the start. so why break the habit of paying labour before the work is done.
i know there are many smart people that would love to lobby / do PR for bitcoin if only their costs were met. and if they get a payment after for an excellent job then that to them is a bonus.
we should not be thinking of a system where a "nobody" demands average joe to pay subscriptions. and hoards the funds. to then pay out as salaries to dozens of people that sit on their hands all year and only go to one meeting, just to show they have contributed something.
think of it this way. if scientists got paid minimum wage to cover their bills, and were told they could get a big fat bonus for curing cancer...
and then take those same scientists and give them a large salary per year with no contract length, just guaranteed income.. which scenario do you think will end up as scientist turning up bright and early, work hard and find a cancer cure first???