Sarah Barnes-Humphrey remembers the moment she realized something was seriously broken in the speaking world.
A friend had been invited to speak at a conference in Las Vegas. It was a speaking engagement at a prestigious industry event. It was the kind of opportunity that could lead to new clients, increased credibility and thought leadership status.
But the invitation came without a travel budget. So, Barnes-Humphrey’s friend drove four hours from her home to a major hub where she could catch a cheaper flight. She booked a hotel far from the main Vegas strip to save money. She pinched every penny she could just to spend one hour on a stage.
“The number one barrier to seeing more inclusive voices on industry stages is travel expenses,” says Sarah Barnes-Humphrey, founder of Blended Pledge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing diversity on industry stages, by providing grants for travel, tickets and speaking opportunities to underrepresented voices.
Airfare makes all the difference
Barnes-Humphrey didn’t start out to build a nonprofit. After working in her family business for more than a decade, she lost her job, sold her home and found herself at a crossroads. Instead of disappearing quietly into a corporate role, she kicked off her own speaking career. She built Let’s Talk Supply Chain™, now one of the top one percent most downloaded podcasts in the world, and began highlighting voices that rarely made it onto industry stages.
Through her work and her podcasts, she listened to story after story of talented professionals who were invited to speak but couldn’t afford to go.
Some drove through the night. Some couch-surfed. Others declined invitations that could have changed their careers. Some never told anyone why. Because sometimes the choice was between conference attendance and food on the table.
Barnes-Humphrey decided this was unacceptable and created Blended Pledge. Blended Pledge provides grants to cover travel, lodging and registration costs, so underrepresented speakers can accept the speaking opportunities they otherwise couldn’t afford. The grants aren’t huge. Most fall somewhere between a thousand and two thousand dollars, matching the average cost of travel, hotel and registration costs.
But these small amounts can open doors. Sarah has already seen it happen.
One grant recipient, a young race-car driver, a woman in a male-saturated field, was able to speak at a major conference and be heard in rooms that would have been poorer for her absence.
What breaks her heart
When Blended Pledge began accepting applications, Barnes-Humphrey expected to be flooded with requests. Instead, many women didn’t apply. They told her someone else deserved the money more than they did. (Imposter syndrome is expensive.)
And sometimes, when women did apply, their companies told them they couldn’t accept the grant because it would make the company look bad for not paying travel expenses themselves.
Why this matters
We know that one stage appearance can lead to media coverage, customers, partnerships and investment. But we don’t talk enough about the cost of getting there.
Half of speaking opportunities don’t pay speakers or even cover expenses. Women are less likely to occupy the C-suite, where a company would cover the costs as a business expense. Women are more likely to work for smaller companies. These smaller companies are less able to pay for event expenses and afford backfill and coverage when someone is out of the office for three days.
Event costs are hardest on women founders running lean startups, consultants building their first client base and solopreneurs who don’t have corporate travel budgets. Women are also less likely to even ask for corporate coverage of their speaking engagements.
When women stay home, industries lose access to their perspective. Innovation needs new stories. Blended Pledge is there to help.
How Blended Pledge works
Blended Pledge runs mostly on volunteers. It raises money from corporate sponsors and individual donors who give through programs like GoFundMe and PayPal Giving Fund. Sometimes the donations are small. Five dollars. Twenty dollars. A hundred. But those small gifts add up to a plane ticket, a hotel room and a chance to be heard.
If you’ve ever wished your industry had more women leaders, more diverse voices, more real-world experience on stage, there is a way for you to make a difference. Support Blended Pledge. Ask your company to support women employees who are looking to speak at industry conferences and events. And share the Blended Pledge program with women entrepreneurs who need it.
If you’re focused on building opportunities for your speaking business, then this article about networking is for you.
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