FreeSpeakers.org Celebrates Five Years In Orange County

Five years ago, FreeSpeakers.org launched in Los Angeles and Orange County with a mission to provide local groups and organizations with access to free expert speakers at no cost. Today, the pro bono speaker’s bureau celebrates its 5th anniversary, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to community service.

Originally launched in LA / OC with 20 speakers and 30 topics, FreeSpeakers.org has experienced remarkable growth and impact. The bureau now boasts 38 speakers offering 85 different topics.

Speakers are requested by Los Angeles and Orange County area groups including libraries, chambers of commerce, Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, special interest clubs, church groups, retirement communities, local businesses, and more.

"We are incredibly proud of the growth and impact FreeSpeakers.org has had in Los Angeles and Orange County over the past five years," said Andy Richardson, director of FreeSpeakers.org. "We are committed to connecting groups with speakers at absolutely no cost."

As originally stated at the launch, FreeSpeakers.org remains a 100% free resource. Richardson said there is no charge to any group. Ever. Not from the speaker and not from the bureau.

Speakers are motivated by the opportunity to share their expertise, hone their speaking skills, make contacts, give back to the community, and frequently, all the above.

Richardson said, "When asked about helping the community by presenting virtually during Covid, the speakers overwhelmingly said yes. They are here to help the community, regardless of the format."

FreeSpeakers.org History

Ginny Richardson is owner and president of Ginny Richardson Public Relations (GR-PR), a PR firm specializing in digital marketing and traditional media relations in the fields of business, healthcare, not-for-profit, and arts and entertainment.

FreeSpeakers.org is an outgrowth of this PR business, although the two are entirely separate.

In 1996, Ginny received a phone call from a client who asked if she knew anyone who could give a talk at a Rotary meeting. She recommended four people - a friend with a fitness business who called her talk, “Fifty Ways to Lose Your Blubber,” a banker with a terrific sense of humor, a motivational speaker she knew, and a camera buff whose talk was titled “How to Take Better Pictures.”

Later, Ginny had lunch with a reporter from the Chicago Tribune, and she mentioned her “just-for-fun” speaker’s bureau. The reporter found it fascinating that no money changed hands.

The reporter wrote a four-paragraph story - "Cheap talk for area groups" - that ended up on the front page of a Tribune section. The day the story came out, Ginny’s phone rang non-stop. She typed the growing list of names with short descriptions of each person's topic. This list was snail-mailed at her own expense to clubs and organizations in Chicago and its suburbs.

Today, Andy Richardson, Ginny’s partner (and son) runs FreeSpeakers.org entirely online and with a much, much longer list of speakers. The response from the groups and the speakers has been tremendous.

“Many people don’t understand why we, as a PR company, would spend time on a project that doesn’t make money,” Ginny said, “but we are rewarded with loads of contacts and maybe most important – proof that some things in life are free.”

For more information about FreeSpeakers.org, visit: https://los-angeles-orange-county.freespeakers.org/.

To become a speaker, visit: https://los-angeles-orange-county.freespeakers.org/become-a-speaker/.