For nonprofits & faith-based ministries

Mission stories
that move people
to give.

Donor communications, grant writing, and storytelling built for nonprofits and Catholic ministries — with cinematic video for the moments that demand it.

Hands clasped in prayer
Photo · Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash
— What we do

You're already doing the work that matters. We help the right people see it.

Nonprofit and ministry leaders don't lack stories. You're surrounded by them — the family your food pantry kept whole, the parishioner whose life turned around, the volunteers who showed up at 5 a.m.

What you lack is time, and a partner who can translate those moments into writing and video that holds attention, builds donor trust, and earns the next gift.

That's what this practice is for: mission-aligned storytelling priced for organizations that watch every dollar — and treat every dollar as sacred.

— Working together

Most clients start with a retainer.
Here's how that works.

Nonprofits and ministries don't need a vendor they have to re-brief every quarter. They need a partner who already knows the voice, the calendar, and the next campaign before it launches. A monthly retainer is almost always the most effective — and most economical — way to work together.

Starter
From $1,500 / month
Up to 2 content pieces per month — a donor appeal, newsletter, or web update — plus one round of edits on existing copy. Built for parishes and small nonprofits establishing a consistent communications rhythm.
Core
From $2,000 / month
Up to 4 pieces per month across donor communications, grant support, web content, or editorial — plus a brief monthly check-in to align on priorities and upcoming campaigns. The right fit for most mid-size nonprofits and ministries.
Partner
From $2,500 / month
Up to 6 pieces per month plus substantive editing, a dedicated monthly strategy call, and responsive turnaround on time-sensitive asks. For organizations that want a senior communications partner embedded in their work — not just a contractor on the roster.
— Project work

Need something specific?
Project engagements are available.

Not every need fits a retainer. Writing projects — grant narratives, donor appeals, annual report copy, web content — are available on a per-project basis, typically starting around $300 and scoped to your timeline and deliverables. Video production is also available; those engagements are scoped individually based on what the story calls for.

The best way to figure out what makes sense for you is a short conversation. No obligation, no deck.

Writing & Editing
From $300 per project
Grant narratives, donor appeals, annual reports, newsletters, web copy, and editing. Scope and investment discussed at the outset.
Video Production
Custom · let's talk
Mission films, testimonial stories, event coverage, and social video sets — scoped to your story and your budget. Estimates provided in writing before any project begins.

* Video production estimates are subject to change based on client-approved production requirements including crew, shoot days, location, and post-production scope.

About the practitioner
TheStoryDesk
VP Marketing & Communications, University of Dallas
Higher Education Brand Strategy & Enrollment Communications
15+ years in mission-driven communications leadership
Nonprofit, ministry, and institutional storytelling

The Story Desk is the independent practice of Clare Venegas — a communications strategist and writer whose career has been built inside mission-driven institutions.

As VP of Marketing & Communications at the University of Dallas, Clare has led brand transformation, enrollment communications strategy, and in-house content team development for a nationally recognized Catholic liberal arts institution. Before that, she built a track record in institutional storytelling that spans donor communications, editorial content, and video production for organizations where the mission is the message.

This practice exists because good organizations — nonprofits, ministries, universities — often can't afford the agencies that serve them poorly, and don't know where to find a writer who actually gets it. Clare does. She's been in the room where those decisions get made.

Full professional background →

Tell me about the story you're trying to tell.

Free 30-minute consult. No deck, no obligation. Just a conversation about what your mission needs and whether I can help.

Schedule a consult →
— Executive Communications  //  By Engagement Only

The quiet authority
of an executive
who actually has
something to say.

Speeches, op-eds, ghostwriting, and brand films for principals, founders, and senior leaders who need to be seen — without sounding like everyone else.

Photo · Benjamin Child / Unsplash
01 — Premise
01

Most executive content sounds identical because most of it is written by people who've never sat across from one.

The op-ed that reads like a press release. The LinkedIn post that nobody finishes. The brand video that could be any company in any industry. These aren't strategic problems. They're craft problems — and they cost executives credibility every time they publish.

This practice exists for a narrow market: senior leaders, founders, think tank principals, and advocacy organization heads who understand that visibility, when done well, is leverage — and when done poorly, is liability.

02 — Engagements
02

Most principals work with me on retainer.
Here's why that works.

A one-off op-ed is useful. A sustained presence — the byline cadence, the speech that lands at the right moment, the LinkedIn post that gets noticed by the right person — is what actually builds a reputation. Retainer engagements are how we get there together, without you managing the process.

Authority Retainer
Up to 2 bylined pieces or op-eds per month — researched, drafted, and revised to match your voice exactly. Includes a voice-capture session at the start of the engagement and NDA as standard. For executives beginning to build a public footprint.
From $2,500 /mo
Influence Retainer
Up to 3 written pieces per month — op-eds, speeches, or long-form essays — plus a monthly strategy call and responsive support for time-sensitive communications. For senior leaders with an active public platform who need a trusted partner, not a temp writer.
From $5,000 /mo
Principal Retainer
Full-spectrum executive communications: up to 4 written pieces monthly across speeches, bylines, white papers, and talking points — plus ongoing strategic counsel, media-prep copy, and priority turnaround. For C-suite principals and institutional leaders whose communications demands don't keep office hours.
From $7,500 /mo
Visual Authority Retainer
For executives whose visibility runs through video — cinematic content batched quarterly and released on a monthly cadence, paired with written social copy. Scope and production scale discussed individually.
Custom /mo
03 — Project Work
03

Standalone projects are available
for the right engagements.

A single high-stakes speech. An op-ed for a critical moment. A brand film that needs to be exactly right. Standalone projects are available — written work typically starts at $500 per piece; video engagements are scoped individually and quoted in writing before anything begins. The conversation is always the first step.

Written Projects
Op-eds, speeches, white papers, ghostwritten essays, LinkedIn content sets — scoped to the platform, the audience, and the moment.
From $500per piece
Video Production
Brand films, executive profiles, and social video — produced at a level the client would put their name on. Quoted individually.
Customlet's talk

* Video production estimates are subject to change based on client-approved production requirements including crew, shoot days, locations, and post-production scope.

About the practitioner
TheStoryDesk
VP Marketing & Communications, University of Dallas
Higher Education Brand & Enrollment Strategy
Executive ghostwriting, speechwriting & thought leadership
15+ years in institutional communications leadership

The Story Desk is the independent practice of Clare Venegas — a communications strategist and writer who has worked at the senior leadership level across higher education and mission-driven organizations.

As VP of Marketing & Communications at the University of Dallas, Clare has driven brand transformation, enrollment communications strategy, and cross-functional team leadership for a nationally recognized institution. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy and craft — she's built the plans and written the copy, managed the budgets and edited the drafts.

Engagements are selective. The right client already knows what they want to say. What they need is someone who can say it better than they can — and who won't need six months to find their voice.

Full professional background →

If you're already well-known internally,
this is how you become known externally.

Engagements begin with a 60-minute voice-capture conversation, by referral or direct introduction. NDA standard.

Request an Introduction
For Businesses · Agencies · Associations

Feature writing
and brand video
that read like the work
of a real publication.

Member spotlights, customer case studies, magazine-quality features, and brand video — for organizations that want content people actually finish.

An orange vintage typewriter on a wooden desk
Photo · Raymond Petrik / Unsplash
01 / What this is

Trade publications and association magazines have a lot in common with corporate marketing. Most marketing teams ignore that.

The difference between a member spotlight that gets read and one that gets skipped isn't budget. It's craft. A feature reporter approaches a story by finding the angle. A typical marketing team approaches it by listing the talking points.

This practice produces the former — for businesses, agencies, and professional associations that want their content to feel like editorial, even when it's serving a marketing goal.

Built for the team that has the strategy figured out and just needs someone who can actually do the writing — and now, the video.
02 / Working together

The best content relationships
run on retainer, not invoices.

A contributor who already knows your publication's voice, your members' stories, and your editorial calendar is worth more than one you brief from scratch each time. Retainer engagements are how most clients get the most consistent, highest-quality work — and the most predictable budget.

— Tier 1
Contributor
From $2,000 / month
Up to 3 pieces per month — features, member spotlights, or case studies — delivered on deadline with one revision round included. The right fit for associations and marketing teams that need a reliable senior contributor without the overhead of a full-time hire.
— Tier 2
Staff Writer
From $2,500 / month
Up to 5 pieces per month across features, newsletter content, and short editorial — plus light copyediting on existing drafts. For organizations running an active publication or content program that needs consistent output and dependable deadline performance.
— Tier 3
Content Partner
From $5,000 / month
Up to 8 pieces per month plus substantive editing, annual report writing, case studies, and a monthly editorial strategy call. For businesses and associations that want a senior communications partner embedded across their full content program — not just filling a slot on the contributor list.
03 / Project work

Individual projects, when
that's what the work calls for.

Feature writing and case studies are available on a per-project basis — typically starting around $300 for shorter pieces, with longer features and white papers scoped individually. Video production is also available and quoted in writing before any project begins. The scope of the work always determines the investment; the conversation is how we figure that out.

→ Writing
Features, Case Studies & Editorial
From $300 per project
Profiles, spotlights, industry features, case studies, white papers. Scoped to your timeline and word count.
→ Video
Brand Video & Content Production
Custom · let's talk
Brand overviews, customer stories, culture videos, social packs, event coverage — scoped and quoted individually. Paired with written companion content when it serves the piece.

* Video production estimates are subject to change based on client-approved production requirements including crew size, shoot days, location, and post-production scope.

About the practitioner
TheStoryDesk
VP Marketing & Communications, University of Dallas
Feature writing, editorial strategy & content leadership
Brand video, documentary & association media
15+ years in institutional & marketing communications

The Story Desk is the independent practice of Clare Venegas — a communications strategist, writer, and content director with deep roots in both editorial and marketing.

Clare has led content strategy, brand transformation, and in-house team development at the VP level in higher education. Her career spans the kind of work that usually requires two different vendors: the long-form feature writing that reads like a magazine and the brand video that doesn't look like everything else in the industry. She does both — and the writing and video actually talk to each other.

If your association magazine, corporate content program, or agency could use a senior-level contributor who shows up already knowing how to find the angle, this is that practice.

Full professional background →

Ready to brief a project, or
just want to compare notes?

I'll respond within one business day. Most engagements start with a short scoping call and a written estimate.

Start a project →