Collective Speakers: DEI, Disability & LGBT Advocacy

$170

pledged of$300,000 goal

0Days Left

Campaign Closed

Project Description

“Our Speakers Bureau has focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion since our launch five years ago. While our team has produced some great work, I’m most proud of our ability to quickly pivot to virtual events in early March 2020. The COVID19 pandemic threatened to wipe out a substantial revenue stream for our artists who rely on these live events for their livelihood. We persevered and helped many activists and thought leaders stay afloat financially. I truly believed a global pandemic would be the biggest threat our company would ever face. We are now challenged by a far more insidious threat: legislative actions at the state and federal level have the potential to make much of our work illegal. The global anti DEI/anti LGBTQIA+ backlash has decimated the budgets of many of our core buyers. In order to continue our work, we were forced to make hard choices, including downsizing our remote staff. But we will not compromise our values in order to placate corporate cowardice. We will not alter our commitment to those who most benefit from our work. And we will certainly not change our mission because we are labeled ‘woke’ by strangers online and in our inboxes daily. A small vocal minority have made our task harder but we know the type of change that is needed will require some discomfort for everyone. We have built a unique brand. And we know the right side of history is also the most profitable in the long run.”
Darlene DiFrischia
President and Co-Owner

After streamlining our expenses, we are moving in a cash positive direction. But in order to get through this transition, we need to lean on our community.

It's a hard time for everyone but we are grateful for whatever assistance can be offered. If the majority of the folx in our network can contribute $10-$20, we can recover much faster. That said, if you prefer to donate to more direct mutual aid options, we fully support that. If you need resources to find those, we can connect you with a number of our speakers who have those connections.

Rest assured, our mission will not change. We will continue to champion Diversity, LGBTQIA+, Disability Justice, Gender Equity, and Mental Health. While these conversations are intermittent trends for some, they will ALWAYS be the core of our business.

While the traditional motivational/inspirational lecture circuit has been lucrative for many speakers, historically underrepresented voices have been excluded from the biggest stages. We provide representation (and advocacy for fair compensation) to those who have been subjected to below value rates and subpar logistical support.

We will continue to work with all buyers looking to create positive change, no matter their budget.

And we will continue to use our Collective experience in the speaking industry to offer the same level of service as available from other top tier speakers bureaus.

THE CHALLENGES

Budgets for Diversity Initiatives have been slashed. In some organizations, they have been eliminated entirely. If some politicians get their way, it will be illegal to make any investments in these spaces.

In light of last year's backlash against Bud Light and Target, many corporations have curtailed their Pride initiatives.

The lack of accessibility for the disability community continues in all aspects of daily life. Whether neurodiverse, deaf, blind, or otherwise disabled, there are large parts of society that are simply off limits to a group of citizens that now represent over 20% of the US population. There is overwhelming evidence that organizations that confront their own internal ablelism are able to grow their market share with minimal cost.

While many speaker bureaus only work with established talent, we believe it's vital to offer opportunities to develop new speakers. We are proud to bring on fresh voices who need just a bit of coaching in order to grow their speaking career. This is labor intensive but we have numerous success stories of previously inexperienced speakers who are now among the most requested thought leaders in the world.

THE SOLUTIONS

Increased Logistical Support

In order to accommodate additional speakers, we need to increase our support staff. On average, we receive 9-13 requests per week for representation. We are currently beyond our capacity to add more than 1-2 artists each month. As in-person events have returned to some degree of normalcy, we still need to offer support that creates a flawless experience for the buyers as well as our artists.

Increased Sales Staff

We specialize in hard conversations. That requires a team of agents who understand the nuances of these issues. We need to grow the size of our sales team in order to help match event planners with the speakers who can best deliver their desired learning outcomes.

Enhanced Marketing

To give our talent the best chance to succeed, we must offer diverse methods of promoting their work. By Q4, we hope to launch an informative Collective Speakers podcast and a more robust newsletter. These offerings will be designed as resources for event professionals who are looking to integrate more diverse speakers into their programming.

Event Production

We know that great speakers change hearts and minds. Our long range goal is to curate and promote our own events (both in-person and virtual). While we love our event planners, we know there are more ways we can help our storytellers find an audience. Our first tour is in the works for spring 2025.

Updates

The Campaign FAQs

Where will the money go?

Our primary focus is to continue to amplify the work of our artists. To achieve this, we will need to make substantial investments in our infrastructure.

Additional hiring of logistical and accounting staff. While the volume of our engagements is increasing, the actual revenue is down. We need more people power to grow.
Additional hiring of experienced sales staff. We are looking for likeminded sales professionals committed to justice work.
Production for a dedicated Collective Speakers podcast and newsletter. We need more accessible ways to connect event planners with our content creators.
Investment in tour production that will allow more opportunities for our artists to reach a wider audience. We know the anti Social Justice rhetoric only represents a small percentage of the population. But if we do not create more space for hard conversations, this regressive ideology will continue to spread.

If you have additional questions about our work, or this campaign, please reach out to one of our co-founders Darlene DiFrischia ([email protected]) or Sean Lawton ([email protected])

Kym

07/22/2024

Thank you and a shout out!

$50

Lydia

06/22/2024

Monetary Contribution

$20

06/21/2024

Surprise Book!!

$100

Featured reward

Monetary Contribution

We are grateful for contributions of all sizes. Your contribution will help us push back against regressive and toxic ideology around race, gender, LGBTQIA+, mental health, and disability. It's a double win as our brilliant activists and thought leaders are able to find an audience and a paycheck for their work.

1 Supporter

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20.00 USD

Thank You Video and Update

Supporters of $20 will receive an exclusive thank you video from our founding team with an update on upcoming projects for the fall.

0 Supporters

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50.00 USD

Thank you and a shout out!

We will be offering shoutouts via our website and social media to all backers for this campaign at the $50 and above level. You will be added to our "Woke Enablers Hall of Fame". Please specify how you would like your name or organization to appear.

1 Supporter

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100.00 USD

Surprise Book!!

You will receive an insightful non-fiction release from one of Collective Speakers published authors. We have an eclectic collection at Collective HQ and we look forward to surprising you with a new favorite.

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1 Supporter

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1,000.00 USD

1 hour Speech Coaching Session

With nearly 40 years combined experience, co-founders Darlene Difrischia and Sean Lawton bring a wealth of information about the current state of the speaking industry. Whether you are trying to determine how to get paid for speaking, explore representation, or simply want to grow your existing speaking portfolio, we can provide a session that will leave you empowered to speak your truth and know your worth.

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0 Supporters

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5,000.00 USD

Speech Writing - up to a 30 min keynote

After a brief intro call, we will craft a knockout keynote guaranteed to earn you a standing ovation. No Chat GPT here! We will learn your desired learning outcomes as well as your call to action.

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About the Entrepreneur

by Collective Speakers

Greeley, CO

Created 1 Campaign

https://collectivespeakers.com/

Business Services

Social Good

Rewards

Featured reward

Monetary Contribution

1 Supporter

Select this reward

20.00 USD

Thank You Video and Update

Supporters of $20 will receive an exclusive thank you video from our founding team with an update on upcoming projects for the fall.

0 Supporters

Select this reward

50.00 USD

Thank you and a shout out!

1 Supporter

Select this reward

100.00 USD

Surprise Book!!

49 Left

1 Supporter

Select this reward

1,000.00 USD

1 hour Speech Coaching Session

25 Left

0 Supporters

Select this reward

5,000.00 USD

Speech Writing - up to a 30 min keynote

After a brief intro call, we will craft a knockout keynote guaranteed to earn you a standing ovation. No Chat GPT here! We will learn your desired learning outcomes as well as your call to action.

10 Left

0 Supporters

Select this reward