Purpose
Mission Support
Keep every handbook free for every neighbor.
Sustainability · Five tiers
Before They Build is built to stay free for every neighborhood. These are the five tiers that explain what stays free forever, what is free during Public Beta with a suggested amount, and how Mission Support works on its own.
≈4 min read
Reader-supported · always optional
You are supporting the project itself, not purchasing a handbook. Every resource stays free.
Your support funds handbook updates, accessibility improvements, research reviews, and new community resources. Pick the purpose your gift serves below — or just chip in.
Secure payment on this page · 30-day refund · No account.
Four purposes
Mission · Publishing · Community · Preservation. Same one-tap checkout; we honor the purpose on the receipt.
Purpose
Keep every handbook free for every neighbor.
Purpose
Fund new editions, accessibility reviews, and corrections.
Purpose
Sponsor a neighborhood, cohort, or block-edition print run.
Purpose
Archive civic history and keep older editions reachable.
Larger gifts: see Legacy giving · Grants · Sponsor criteria.
Reader-supported
Before They Build™ is supported by readers and mission supporters. Core educational resources remain free.
During Public Beta, many future paid resources are available at no charge while we improve them.
Jump to a tier: Core · Printables · Bundles · AI · Mission
Tier 1
Always free
These never become paid. They are the public-good core of the project — credibility before commerce.
Tier 2
Free during Public Beta · Suggested Support $3 / $5 / $10
Free during Public Beta. Suggested Support $3 / $5 / $10. This resource may become part of a paid bundle after Public Beta. You can still download it immediately.
Tier 3
Future paid · free during Public Beta
Future price: $5. Available free during Public Beta. Suggested Mission Support welcomed while we test and improve each bundle. Contents always remain accessible through their canonical free routes.
Planned future price: $5
Public Hearing Handbook · Hearing Survival Card · Meeting Helper print · Wallet Cards · Response Cards.
Planned future price: $5
Records Handbook · Request Packet · Appeals workflow · Evidence Packet.
Planned future price: $5
Water & Wetlands · Wildlife · Noise & Construction · Complaint Tracker · Agency Contacts.
Planned future price: $10
Every bundle, bound, with the binder frontispiece and tab dividers.
Tier 4
Planned
Planned service. Pricing will be set after real usage data exists — no dollar amount is pre-committed. AI is a multiplier of the existing content — never the primary surface, and never promised free forever.
Paste a notice — get summary, deadlines, and questions to ask.
Walks you through composing a concise statement for the local speaking rules.
Upload a staff report or environmental document. Get a neighbor-readable brief.
Match an address to the right local offices, by topic.
Tier 5
Independent of any download
Support the project itself. Buys nothing specific. Unlocks nothing. Pick the purpose your gift serves — Mission · Publishing · Community · Preservation. Or just chip in.
Refund available upon request within 30 days. Email support@beforetheybuild.com. Read our Editorial Standards for full bylaws, or the Trust Ledger for audit dates.