WAYNESBORO — Licensed fundraising counsel Ghost Writer LLC has now connected nonprofit and for-profit clients with over $10 million. This is the result of roughly 500 grants, RFPs, tax credit programs, sponsorship requests, direct mail campaigns, and other revenue streams the company has submitted on behalf of over 30 clients nationally and globally.
“I began Ghost Writer with an idea to equalize the funding landscape, giving grassroot nonprofits the same access to professional and sustained marketing and development as their larger counterparts,” says Kirsten Hubbard, CEO and founder of Ghost Writer LLC. “It is no longer an idea—now we have demonstrable proof that investing in development and marketing is the way to scale nonprofits. So much so that we now have a growing clientele of for-profit organizations.”
Ghost Writer LLC specializes in grant writing and development, offering services such as donor database management, grant research, sponsorship packages, and more. Ghost Writer LLC’s innovative business model presents a team of experts in writing, editing, graphic design, and more, all for less than the cost of full-time employees.
Ghost Writer LLC got its start in 2017 as an idea entered in the Lion Tank, a Shark Tank-style competition hosted by Penn State Mont Alto. Hubbard’s idea won first place. Since then, Ghost Writer LLC has grown to employ four people full-time and several contractors to serve over 30 nonprofit and for-profit clients, with ROIs reaching into the double and triple digits.
Colleen Tidd, formerly Ghost Writer LLC’s director of business development, was a witness to this growth. She began with Ghost Writer LLC as a contractor in the early stages of its existence. As the company grew, she became one of their first official employees, leading to her managerial role.
“From day one, I saw the amount of passion Kirsten had for her clients, her staff, and her community, and that passion is contagious.” Tidd says. “At one point, we were growing faster than we could have imagined. It was a little overwhelming! But we welcomed the expansion, because it meant we were doing something right. Ghost Writer didn’t cower, but methodically ran onto the battlefield with their pens and paper, writing to win.”
Abby McElhiney, Ghost Writer LLC’s newest team member, is unsurprised and delighted by these gains. McElhiney joined Ghost Writer LLC as an agency advocate in November 2023. In the Ghost Writer business model, the agency advocate serves as the primary contact point for clients and coordinates projects across Ghost Writer’s services, which include grant writing, social media, direct mail, donor database management, press releases, and other marketing and development functions.
“It has been incredible to see how a small team of professionals can be so nimble and produce high-caliber results. Everyone on staff is passionate about what we do,” McElhiney says. “It is such a privilege to be part of a team that assists so many nonprofits I deeply respect.”
“There is so much work left to do,” says Hubbard. “Now that we have found a business model that effects change the way we envisioned, we are working on documenting and replicating the system. We also have some exciting news upcoming, so keep watching us as we Write A Better Human Story!”
Call 866-GHOSTIE, visit GhostWriterQuill.com, or follow Ghost Writer LLC on social media to learn how its services can be tailored to your organization.
