Testimonials

“Elaine is by far the best freelance writer I've worked with. She has done several projects for me because she knows my field well (philanthropy), turns in high quality writing, and meets deadlines. She is an especially skilled interviewer who draws out compelling stories from her subjects.”

“I have worked with Elaine on a number of writing projects, most notably, her authoring of the Community Foundation Handbook: What You Need to Know. This was a huge undertaking, working with a number of volunteer committees, to draft individual chapters of this critically important resource for the US community foundation field. Through it all, Elaine was the consummate professional who went above and beyond. I highly recommend her and would love to work with her again.”

“Elaine is professional and precise. If you need to educate, spread the word, advertise, etc., Elaine Gast is the person for you.”

“While at the Association of Small Foundations, I had the pleasure of hiring Elaine to research and write white papers on topics related to foundation management, governance, and grantmaking. She takes the time to understand her clients' and audiences' needs. Her writing is clear, organized, and thorough. She is a pleasure to work with, and I highly recommend her.”

“Elaine has written press releases as well as news pieces and text for collateral. She worked for both our Company Rising Sun Solar and our industry nonprofit the Hawaii PV Coalition. Because of this experience she is well versed in solar and renewable energy, but she is capable of writing on a wide variety of subjects. We were always totally satisfied with Elaine's work and we give her our highest recommendation!”

“Elaine is skilled, smart, professional, timely and creative, and her writing skills are broad. She can be clear, instructive, witty, or stylistic, depending on the needs of a client or a project. She is simply the best.”

“Elaine Gast has worked on three writing projects for my department in the past year—a series of newsletters, an annual report and a major book on community foundation operations. Elaine has demonstrated a deep knowledge of philanthropy, exhibited a strong work ethic and produced high quality work on time and within budget. In addition, on a personal level, she has been a delight to work with.”

“We very much appreciate Elaine’s skill and efficiency as a researcher and writer, as well as her extensive knowledge of the family foundation field. She is able to quickly identify key material in philanthropy and organize it into crystal-clear prose that also is accessible and upbeat in style. Elaine is adept at using a variety of writing formats to convey information effectively. She is extremely responsive to project requirements and deadlines, and is also a pleasure to work with. We recommend her highly.”

“I hired Elaine in 2004 to write a family history to celebrate the legacy of my great uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, founder of Maybelline Company. Elaine was able to take a tremendous amount of information—family archives, letters, photographs, newspapers articles, interviews, diaries—and weave it into a succinct, compelling page-turner. As part of the project, she initiated historical research on her own that gave the story a rich context. In her writing style, she has a knack for making true characters and events come alive in words. Elaine balances creativity and professionalism; she is highly motivated, deadline-driven and dependable.”

“Elaine is not only a talented and professional writer, but her press relations produce results. We had outstanding returns with media and public response on her press releases.”