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About

Memberships and Donations

AI‑powered oversight. Human‑led truth.
Transparency is the bedrock of democracy. Without it, “government by the people” becomes government at the people—silent, unaccountable, and untested by public scrutiny.
We built the HOLE Foundation to make transparency practical, lawful, and
accessible to everyone—no press pass required.
Donor‑powered: If this mission resonates, please chip in—small gifts keep requests moving. $10 helps file and track a request; $50 covers hosting and redaction; $250 supports a filing or appeal. (GoFundMe link)

Memberships 

Memberships

AI-powered oversight. Human-led truth.
Membership at the HOLE Foundation is free—always. We don’t sell access to public records. We teach everyone how to get them, and we publish what we learn.

How membership works (free)

Join with your email and you’ll get:

  • Member dashboard with templates, checklists, and case trackers

  • Tool guides (PDFs) and step-by-step training

  • Campaign updates and outcomes (wins, losses, lessons)

  • Badge profile (see below) when you choose to support the work

 

No Gatekeepers Pledge: Everything we build is released publicly. Members never pay to see records or playbooks.

One Time Donations

Support this work (totally optional)

One-Time Badges (impact tiers)

Badges are thank-yous you can display on your profile. They don’t unlock secret content—they fund the public releases everyone uses.

  • $25 — Rising Star
    Why you’re special: You light the fuse—because of you, a clean request goes out and the clock starts.

  • $50 — Accountability All-Star
    Why you’re special: We can count on you—your gift keeps timelines tight and follow-ups automatic.

  • $75 — Audit Master
    Why you’re special: You love receipts—deadlines, clarifications, every step documented and auditable.

  • $100 — Records Champion
    Why you’re special: You turn ask into action—appeals and cure letters go out airtight.

  • $250 — Truth Builder
    Why you’re special: You connect dots across agencies—timelines stitched, contradictions exposed.

  • $500 — Democracy Guardian
    Why you’re special: You back the heavy lifts—the cases that take persistence, not luck.

  • $1,000 — North Star
    Why you’re special: You set the course—end-to-end campaign from request to public release.

Small and Steady Donations

Monthly Crew (small, steady fuel)

Pick a level; we’ll keep the work moving every month. These also award badges and streak milestones.

  • $3/mo — Spark Keeper · Your steady spark keeps new requests firing each month.

  • $5/mo — Deadline Driver · You keep the clock honest—reminders, follow-ups, receipts.

  • $9/mo — Records Runner (Most popular) · You move cases forward—drafts out, replies tracked.

  • $12/mo — Audit Anchor · You underwrite the audit trail—nothing “lost.”

  • $20/mo — Sunshine Sustainer · You fuel releases—cleaned docs, summaries, uploads.

  • $35/mo — Case Sustainer · You make multi-agency pushes feasible.

  • $50/mo — North Star Monthly · You set the pace for the whole crew.

Streak badges (automatic): 3-month Steady Beacon · 6-month True North · 12-month Unwavering Light

How We Work (Our 4‑Step Process)

How We Work (Our 4‑Step Process)
IDENTIFY — Target records that advance the public interest. Define the questions the records must answer.
REQUEST — Ask precisely for the records and the metadata (who created them, when, and how). Use our templates and AI helpers to scope, narrow, and iterate.
AUDIT — Compare what was asked vs. what was released. Track deadlines, missing pages, improper redactions, fee games, and exemption misuse.
PLAN — When cooperation fails, escalate: appeals, complaints, litigation, and public pressure. Strategy > struggle.
 
Learn each step in depth on our AI Tools and Legal Strategy pages. (links)

What we're selling

Not access. Not secrecy. We’re offering:

  • Receipts. Documented requests, deadlines, rulings, productions, and appeals.

  • Know-how. Playbooks anyone can run at home.

  • Impact. Public releases that communities can cite, share, and build on.

The Roadmap

Stage 1 — Open the vault (now)

  • Publish our tools, training, and expert workflows free for everyone.

  • Maintain documented case logs and release records publicly.

  • Ship how-to PDFs, request templates, deadline calculators, and audit checklists.

Stage 2 — Build the tools (next)

  • Develop custom AI copilots purpose-built for records work (request drafting, timeline builders, compliance audits).

  • Add case dashboards and impact metrics so supporters can see what their dollars unlocked.

  • Release everything with public documentation—no proprietary lock-ins.

(Future) Stage 3 — The Civic Observatory

  • Network-level insights, anomaly detection, and scalable watchdog tooling—still public, still citizen-first.

FAQ

Is membership really free?
Yes. Membership is about participation, not paywalls.

Do badges unlock special access?
No. Badges are recognition only. Your support funds public work that everyone can use.

Where do my gifts go?
Directly to casework (requests, audits, appeals), tool development, hosting, and publication.

Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes, we are a recognized 501(c)(3) 

Refunds and policies?
See our Donations & Refunds page for details.

Call to Action

  • Join free (email capture)

  • Make a one-time impact (badges)

  • Join the Monthly Crew (recurring)

  • Read our latest case updates (blog/docs)

 

The HOLE Foundation (Honest Oversight & Legal Ethics). Membership is free; donations fund public releases and training. No donor receives privileged access to records or investigations. We publish what we build.

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