Missy Spears

Big-agency results. Grassroots budget.

Websites, apps, operations and facilitation for nonprofits, campaigns and small teams. Real, professional work at a fraction of what agencies quote.

Book a free 30-minute call See the work →
Missy Spears in a blue cardigan and burgundy tie
Missy Spears LLCCovington, KY
Agency quote: $25–30K
~$5K

A newsroom-grade website for a statewide nonprofit, built in about 50 hours.

Agency quote: $100K
~$10K

An iPhone app for the same nonprofit, approved on the App Store in October 2026.

$50K raised on Facebook as a neighbor
$1M+

raised for nonprofits since. Grassroots first, always.

What I build and fix

Every project starts with a free call and a written quote, so you know the price before we begin. These are starting points, not fixed packages.

  • Websites

    Simple sites from $1,000Full organization sites around $5,000

    Clean, fast, easy-to-update sites that make your work look as good as it is.

    • Simple sites
    • Candidate & campaign
    • Nonprofit & small business
    • Redesigns

  • iPhone apps

    From about $10,000Smaller builds available

    Put your resources, news and events in people's pockets, approved and live on the App Store.

    • Resource directories
    • News & events
    • Community hubs

  • Board retreats & facilitation

    Day-of facilitation from $500Larger packages quoted per project

    Retreats and planning sessions where your people do the real work and leave with a plan.

    • Day-of: I facilitate
    • Co-designed agenda
    • Full-service

  • Responsible AI

    Hourly or by project

    Save your team hours on the back end, with clear rules about what AI should never touch, so you keep the human side of your work.

    • AI policies
    • Staff training
    • Workflow setup

  • Operations & policy

    Hourly or by project

    The behind-the-scenes systems that keep a small team from burning out.

    • Policies & procedures
    • Systems & workflows
    • Grant-writing support

  • Events, media & comms

    Quoted per event or project

    A familiar local voice for your event, and a steady hand when the news cycle gets hard.

    • Emcee & host
    • Media relations
    • Crisis comms, always confidential
$125/hourFree intro call. Written quote. No surprise invoices.
Book a free call

I don't take on projects that store protected health information or carry heavy legal or compliance requirements.

You've probably seen me with a mic.

I've hosted two to three dozen community events for local nonprofits and causes, and moderated panels for national journalism organizations.

Missy Spears smiling and speaking into a microphone on stage at an outdoor community event
Emceeing a community event
Missy Spears listening at a panel table with a microphone and laptop
Moderating for NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists

The work

Real projects, real numbers. Most of it built with little money and no agency behind it.

Website · iPhone app

A website and app for a statewide newsroom

For Queer Kentucky, I rebuilt a basic three-category site into a modern news site, then built an iPhone app with civic and health hubs. Approved on the App Store in October 2026.

~150 hrsfor both builds
$100K+under the agency quotes
Homepage of queerkentucky.com showing regional navigation and featured news stories Three iPhone screens from the Queer Kentucky app showing the civic hub, home feed and election results
  • Website: news by region and topic, real search, new About and Special Projects pages
  • App: a civic hub that changes with the legislative season, a health hub with emergency resources, plus community news and events
Community · Advising

Grassroots first

Before I ever worked at a nonprofit, I raised $50,000 for my community with Facebook posts and word of mouth. Since then I've helped raise more than $1 million for nonprofits.

$50K → $1M+raised, neighbor to nonprofit
11,000+served a year by the fridge
  • Advising: one-on-one work with dozens of local organizations, candidates and leaders on projects, fundraising and events
  • COVunity Free Fridge: co-founded in 2021; raised $18K on Facebook; now serves 11,000+ people a year in Covington
  • Neighborhood association president
  • Event host: two to three dozen community events for local nonprofits and causes
Coming soon

Roma: website & app

A new website and app build, currently in progress.

Missy Spears seated in a red chair in a dimly lit bar, wearing a navy vest and tie NLGJA graphic announcing Missy Spears as the 2025 Jeanne Córdova Award recipient

Hi, I'm Missy.

(she/they) · Covington, Kentucky

I spent years getting things done with almost no money and no institution behind me. Before I ever worked at a nonprofit, I raised $50,000 for my community through Facebook posts and word of mouth. I co-founded a community fridge, hosted dozens of events for local causes, served as president of my neighborhood association, and sat down with dozens of organizations, candidates and leaders to sharpen their projects, fundraising and events.

From there I moved into nonprofits and got a crash course in grant writing, operations and policy. I expanded a volunteer program from Cincinnati into Columbus and Louisville, and led my first board retreat. Today I'm Executive Director of Queer Kentucky, where our reach has grown from 700,000 to more than 10 million people.

Through Missy Spears LLC, I help small organizations improve their services, grow their capacity, and look as professional as they are, without the big-agency bill.

Your project helps me give back.

Consulting is how I pay my bills, and it's what lets me keep donating my time: hosting events, advising grassroots groups and fundraising for local causes. The more consulting I do, the more I'm able to give back.

  • 2025 Jeanne Córdova AwardNLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists
  • Citation, Kentucky House of RepresentativesRecognized by the Kentucky State House
  • Community Advocate AwardCincinnati Reds
  • Upstander Award nomineeNancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center
  • GLAAD Media Award nominations2025 and 2026
  • Grand MarshalCincinnati Pride 2025
  • Boards & advisory rolesKentucky Civic Engagement Table (co-president); community advisory boards for WCPO 9 News, UK CCTS and the Cincinnati Art Museum

How it works

No months of discovery workshops. We talk, I quote, we build.

1

Free intro call

30 minutes to talk through what you need and whether I'm the right fit.

2

Written quote

A clear scope, timeline and price, sized to your budget.

3

We build it

Regular check-ins, plain language, and something you'll be proud of.

Let's build your thing.

Book a free 30-minute call to talk through what you need, with no pressure and no jargon.

Pick a time on my calendar

Prefer email? missy@missyspears.com