About Free Speakers

A pro bono speakers bureau since 1996

FreeSpeakers.org is a pro bono speakers bureau. All speakers present programs at no cost, in person in our seven metro areas or online for groups anywhere in the country. There is no charge to any group. Ever. Not from the speaker and not from us.

FreeSpeakers.org is the solution for chambers of commerce, libraries, Rotary and Kiwanis groups, clubs, retirement communities, schools, churches and employee groups who need and want speakers for their programs but have limited (or no) budgets.

Free Speakers History

The founder of FreeSpeakers.org is Ginny Richardson, president of Ginny Richardson Public Relations. From her work as a journalist and publicist, she accumulated a vast network of people, including program chairmen from organizations. These folks would call and ask if she knew anyone who gave talks for one of their upcoming meetings. Ginny always recommended friends and colleagues who had a good topic.

This very casual list of speakers grew. In the spring of 1996, Ginny sent a list of speakers in the U.S. mail to clubs, chambers, Rotary and Kiwanis groups and churches, and requests began to multiply. That summer, a Chicago Tribune writer heard about the speakers bureau. Her story, “Cheap talk for area groups,” ran on the front page of one of the Tribune’s sections, and within days the little speakers bureau exploded.

As technology evolved, the bureau outgrew the fax machine and moved to the internet. After years of running it out of pocket, we began asking speakers for a modest membership fee to cover web development, hosting and security. There is still no charge from FreeSpeakers.org to the club or group, and the speaker cannot charge the group either, not even mileage.

Seven Bureaus and Speakers Nationwide

Andy Richardson, Ginny’s son, joined the project in 2002 and serves as Executive Director, responsible for new city expansion, the speaker success team and daily operations. In 2016, on the bureau’s 20th anniversary, Free Speakers launched its first sister bureau in Milwaukee, and Indianapolis followed. Phoenix joined in 2017, Washington D.C. in 2018, Los Angeles & Orange County in 2020 and Dallas-Fort Worth in 2025.

In 2020 our speakers began presenting online, and today 421 of them give free virtual presentations to groups anywhere in the country. Together our bureaus have served more than 4,600 groups.

• Chicago Speakers Bureau, since 1996
• Milwaukee Speakers Bureau, since 2016
• Indianapolis Speakers Bureau, since 2016
• Phoenix Speakers Bureau, since 2017
• Washington D.C. Speakers Bureau, since 2018
• Los Angeles & Orange County Speakers Bureau, since 2020
• Dallas-Fort Worth Speakers Bureau, since 2025
• Virtual Speakers, nationwide

How Our Speakers Work

• Always free. Speakers never charge a group a fee, an honorarium or mileage.
• The three-day rule. When a group requests a speaker, the speaker contacts the group within three business days, even to decline.
• Education, not a sales pitch. Speakers do not sell from the stage. Authors may bring books, but the talk stays focused on the audience.