Draft:Free Speakers
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| Formation | July 1996 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ginny Richardson |
| Type | Speakers bureau |
| Headquarters | Hinsdale, Illinois |
| Website | freespeakers |
Formerly called | Free Speech |
Free Speakers, founded as Free Speech, is an American speakers bureau whose members give talks to community groups and organization without charge. It was started in 1996 in Hinsdale, Illinois, and serves service clubs, libraries, churches, retirement communities and similar organizations. Neither the speakers nor the bureau charge the groups that book a talk.[1][2] As of 2026 it operates bureaus in seven metropolitan areas of the United States.
History
[edit]The speakers bureau grew out of informal requests from local service clubs to Ginny Richardson, former journalist with the Hinsdale Doings, who matched the clubs with friends and contacts willing to speak.[3][4] The arrangement was formalized as Free Speech in July 1996, when a typed list of six speakers and their topics was mailed to clubs and organizations in the western suburbs of Chicago, mainly in DuPage County.[4][5]
By May 1998 the bureau listed 63 speakers and had filled more than 800 engagements.[4] By its tenth anniversary in 2006 it listed 170 speakers.[5] The mailed list was later replaced by a website where program chairperson from groups could browse speakers and topics and submit a request.[6][2]
In 2016, the bureau was renamed Free Speakers, with the website FreeSpeakers.org, and opened a second bureau in Milwaukee, by which time it had more than 150 speakers in the Chicago area and had provided speakers to more than 1,000 groups.[1][7] Bureaus followed in Indianapolis in 2016,[8] the Phoenix area in 2017[9] and the Washington, D.C., area in 2018.[10] The bureau also lists speakers in the Los Angeles and Orange County area and in Dallas–Fort Worth.[11]
Operation
[edit]Guest speakers are volunteers and include business owners, authors, health professionals, educators and retirees. They receive no fee, honorarium or travel reimbursement.[2][3] Speakers pay a membership fee to be listed, which covers the cost of running the website.[1][12] Talks are grouped into categories such as business, educational, financial, and health and fitness.[1]
A group chooses a talk on the website and sends a request, the speaker replies, and the two arrange the details directly. Either side may decline.[2] Speakers are to keep promotion of their own services to a minimum.[4]
In 2018 the Daily Southtown reported that one member, Larry Bergnach of Oak Lawn, retired after 250 talks given through the speakers bureau over 14 years.[13]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Wilson, Marie (January 24, 2016). "Free Speakers proves 'good free stuff' real". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois. pp. 1, 5.
- 1 2 3 4 Fornek, Kimberly (February 18, 2016). "Talk is not cheap; it's free, with Hinsdale speaker service". The Doings. Hinsdale, Illinois. Pioneer Press. p. 22.
- 1 2 Skweres, Ginny (August 28, 1997). "Free Speech gets the word out". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, Illinois.
- 1 2 3 4 Pohl, Laura Zahn (May 1998). "Free Speech fills the bill for groups seeking speakers". The Business Ledger.
- 1 2 Martinka, Vicki (September 6, 2006). "Bureau celebrates 10 years of matching groups with speakers". Suburban Life.
- ↑ Bosch, Sandy Illian (May 15, 2012). "Free speakers bureau matches speakers to groups". The Doings. Hinsdale, Illinois.
- ↑ Donahue, Jane (January 31, 2016). "Not much in life free, but speakers bureau has been for 20 years". Naperville Sun. p. 9.
- ↑ "Site offers speakers on variety of topics free to clubs, groups". WISH-TV. July 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Free speakers bureau opens to groups, organizations in EV". East Valley Tribune. Mesa, Arizona. September 3, 2017. pp. 13–14.
- ↑ "Initiative offers pro-bono public speakers to local groups". InsideNoVa. November 24, 2018.
- ↑ "FreeSpeakers.org". FreeSpeakers.org. Retrieved October 1, 2026.
- ↑ Krosel, Amber (February 10, 2012). "Burr Ridge woman a matchmaker of speech, need". Suburban Life. p. 3.
- ↑ Dargis, Barbara (October 14, 2018). "Oak Lawn man retiring from pro bono speech circuit after some 250 gigs". Daily Southtown. p. 10.
External links
[edit]Category:Speakers bureaus Category:Organizations established in 1996 Category:Public speaking