6 Organizations Offering Speaking Opportunities Today

If you’re new to speaking, one of the first things you need to take care of is sourcing new opportunities to speak.
You can be the best public speaker in the world, but that won’t be much good for you if you never take to a stage!
While everyone immediately thinks of conferences (and right so), there are so many more organizations that you can approach to land a speaking gig.
Remember, when first starting out, I always advocate speaking for free. By approaching some of the organizations below with your free speaking services, you can quickly build a solid client list and a string of testimonials that afford you some leverage when speaking to corporate event planners.
So, without further ado, let’s get into this list of organizations available to jumpstart your speaking business.
Rotary Clubs
Your local Rotary Club is one of the best organizations to approach, especially if you are still in the infancy of your speaking career. They host many events during the course of the year, and several of them are suitable to slot in one or several public speakers to educate their members on specific topics.
Speaking at a Rotary Club has a number of other benefits, including networking opportunities if you live in a more populated area. Many of the members will have a wealth of contacts that they may be happy to put you in touch with should they be impressed by your speaking skills.
Plus, you can develop a relationship with the Rotary Association for your future speaking gigs. You never know when they could need your support for another event in the future.
Chambers of Commerce
If your speaking niche is more business-oriented, then it’s worth approaching your local Chamber of Commerce. Like Rotary Clubs, they are constantly putting on events that help their local small businesses grow, scale, and positively impact the local economy.
While Chambers of Commerce present similar networking opportunities, speaking at a Chamber event will also help you build credibility and authority in your chosen industry. If you do manage to land a speaking gig, make sure you record yourself on that Chamber stage for your speaker video and photos!
Nonprofits and Charities
While Rotary Associations technically fall under this umbrella, there are plenty of other charitable organizations that may appreciate what you have to offer. Again, while some of the larger non-profits may offer speaking fees for annual events, it’s perhaps best to target the smaller events and offer free speaking services to grab those all-important testimonials.
You can always offer to donate some of your time or services to the charity for free too. It may seem like a small gesture, but if you can maintain a presence with the organization in question, it could prove very beneficial later down the line.
Community Groups and Neighborhood Associations
Similar to charity organizations, community groups such as Neighborhood Associations are also always looking for volunteers to help them deliver workshops, training, and other related activities. By getting involved in your local community groups, you can start to build your speaking reputation within your local area before expanding.
It will help you gain recognition and referrals as you slowly become known as the “go-to” person on your chosen subject within your locality.
Trade Industry Groups
Another excellent organization to pitch your services to is one of your local industry trade groups that often host regular events to help their members. There are literally hundreds of trade industry groups, bodies, and organizations for you to pitch your services. Once again, a great way to get your foot in the door is to offer your services for free.
If you can only think of a couple of relevant industry trade bodies within your chosen niche, you can take a look at a more detailed list of American trade industry groups (divided by sector) here.
Networking Organizations
No matter where you are based in the country, there are always local networking associations and groups that hold regular events. Joining a local chapter of a specific networking organization alone might land you the opportunity to speak to the rest of the members for free.
This opportunity could be a potential gold mine if you are a product-focused speaker or if your speaking merely acts as a segway into your coaching or consulting business.
Find Over 700 Places to Speak Today with Charli Jane Speakers
The above list of organizations gives you a great starting point when looking to source speaking opportunities.
However, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. I have compiled an exhaustive list of over 700 (yes, 700!) places you can land a speaking gig today. The best part? For a limited time only, you can receive the list for FREE! So head over there now to grab your copy.
If you want further hints and tips regarding places to land speaking opportunities, make sure to join our free Facebook group Grow Your Speaking Biz today.
I put together a short course on how you can easily find the right speaking gigs.
There are thousands of speaking opportunities every day; some are paid, and some are free, but there are a TON of them. Knowing what you’re going after and staying consistent is KEY.
So, sit back, and watch Wendi’s training. Make sure you have a pen and paper handy. Better yet download the How to Find Speaking Gigs workbook to complement this masterclass. You will also find a bonus, the Gig Tracker to help you stay focused and on trac
Meet Wendi McNeill

As the Founder and Owner of Charli Jane Speaker Services®, Wendi has been “Opening Doors of Opportunity” for speakers since 2002.
Charli Jane Speakers provides speakers with support, exposure, tools, tips, speaking and media leads, coaching/learning programs, and much more to assist them in growing their speaking business.
When it comes to Wendi’s clients she is very passionate and laser-focused about how they can grow their speaking business to levels of great success and fulfillment. They work together on strategies to quickly & easily position them as the top expert in their subject matter.
The results are success, financial freedom, and limitless lifestyle choices. Her primary objective is to help speakers/experts properly position themselves so they can get found easily, fill their speaking schedule and increase their income to incredible levels. Also, through the development of multiple streams of income, her clients learn how to rely on more than speaking fees alone to sustain their businesses.
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