What being a Founding Member actually guarantees

Your price is locked while your membership stays active

Founding Verified members pay $29 per month for as long as their membership remains continuously active. Once the first 100 founding memberships are claimed, new Verified members join at $49 per month. Founding members are not moved to that price.

The lock applies to the Founding Verified tier. If you upgrade to Featured or Category Partner and later return to Verified while your membership has stayed continuously active, your founding rate applies again at the Verified tier.

Your plaque is yours as long as you are a member

The wall is a live roll of current founding members, not a history book. Your number and plaque stay on the Founding Member Wall for as long as your membership is active.

If you cancel, your plaque comes off the wall and your number is released so another Pacific Northwest business can claim it. That is what keeps the wall meaningful — every business on it is one you can actually hire today.

Cancelling ends your founding status

If you cancel, your founding rate ends when the paid period ends and your place on the wall is released. Your listing stays on the directory as a free listing.

If you rejoin later, you rejoin at the price that is current at that time and take the next available founding number only if founding spots remain. Reactivation does not restore your old number or the $29 founding rate.

Failed payments get a 14-day grace period

An expired card or a failed charge does not immediately end your founding status. We keep your membership, your rate and your plaque in place for 14 days from the first failed payment and contact you at the email on your account. If payment is not resolved within that window, the membership lapses and the plaque is released.

How numbers are issued

Founding numbers are assigned when a listing first begins a paid membership, never when checkout is started or a free listing is created. Numbers are capped at 100 and are issued lowest-available-first, so a released number goes to the next business that joins.

While your membership is active, your profile displays "Founding Member #N of 100" with your join year.

How founding status affects placement

Listings are ordered by membership tier first: Category Partner, then Featured, then Founding Verified, then regular Verified, then free listings. Founding Verified members rank above free listings and above regular Verified members at the same tier.

Founding status does not place you above a Featured or Category Partner member. We will not sell higher tiers and then override them.

First opportunity on Category Partner openings

Active Founding Verified members receive advance notice and the first opportunity to upgrade when a Category Partner position becomes available in their primary category and region. The offer is open for 72 hours; after that the position is offered to other businesses.

This is a right of first opportunity, not a reservation. A founding member cannot hold a Category Partner position open without paying for it.

How customer recommendations are ordered

Ask Doug and our quote matching put customer relevance first: correct category, real service area, verification status, profile quality and availability. Membership tier is only used as a disclosed tie-breaker when two businesses are genuinely equal matches.

We do not hide better-matched businesses because someone pays more.

What is and is not included going forward

Improvements to the existing Founding Verified tier are included while your membership remains active. New products we may launch separately — websites, Google Business management, advertising packages, event sponsorships or premium AI tools — are not automatically included.

Membership provides visibility and access to matching opportunities. The number of requests varies by category, location and season. PNW Small Business does not guarantee leads or completed jobs.