I define success of a social network proportional to the level of fun in having there. So far Mastodon and Lemmy are the most successful for me.
I guess the first thing all people needed to do is self-hosting (Yunohost, Nextbox, or the like), and the second thing is paying for Open Source software they use (if they can pay, as digital communication should be free very much like the commons -fresh air, drinking water- but those who can should pay imo.)
I think of money as one form of contribution. People should contribute more instead of simply asking from a place of entitlement.
I agree there are many forms of contribution (e.g., writing code if you’re a developer), it must not necessarily be money, but am not sure whether I understand what you mean.
