Writing GitHub Sponsors tiers people actually pick

If you're setting up GitHub Sponsors for an open source project, the tier list is the part most people overthink. A few things that keep it simple:

1. Keep it to 3 or 4 tiers. More choices make people pause and leave without picking any.

2. Name the concrete thing each tier funds. "Covers a month of CI minutes" or "pays for an hour of issue triage" is easier to say yes to than a vague "supporter" label.

3. Skip perks you can't keep up. A monthly call or a personal shout-out sounds nice on day one, but it turns into a chore by month three. Only offer what you'll still be doing next year.

4. Write a short, warm welcome message. One line of genuine thanks is enough, and it's the first thing a new sponsor sees.

5. Review the tiers every quarter. Look at which ones people actually choose, drop the ones nobody picks, and adjust the descriptions to match what the money really goes to.

That's it. A small, honest tier list usually does better than a long one.