Finding local organizations that actively host and look for women speakers is a fantastic way to build a speaking portfolio, network, or share your expertise. Both Michigan and Ohio have robust networks of women’s professional, civic, and academic organizations that regularly host monthly meetings, annual galas, and specialized panel events.
The following curated list details prominent women’s organizations in both states that frequently feature guest speakers.
🏛️ Michigan Organizations
1. Inforum Michigan
- Focus: A professional organization dedicated to accelerating the careers of women and boosting the economy. It is one of the largest and most influential businesswomen’s networks in the Midwest.
- Speaking Opportunities: They host regional events (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo), major annual meetings, and specialized industry groups (e.g., tech, automotive, healthcare) featuring keynote speakers and panel experts.
- What they look for: Executive leadership advice, industry-specific trends, technology, entrepreneurship, and career advancement strategies.
2. Michigan Women Forward (MWF)
- Focus: A statewide organization aimed at expanding economic opportunity, protecting rights, and celebrating the accomplishments of Michigan women and girls.
- Speaking Opportunities: Best known for their massive annual WomanUp & Celebrate events and entrepreneurial pitch competitions.
- What they look for: Inspiring personal journeys, female founders/entrepreneurs, financial literacy experts, and community leaders.
3. Grand Rapids Women in Business (or local chamber Women’s Alliances)
- Focus: Regional business coalitions across Michigan (such as the Detroit Regional Chamber’s women’s initiatives or the Grand Rapids Chamber’s Women’s Resource Center network).
- Speaking Opportunities: Monthly luncheons, professional development workshops, and networking breakfast panels.
- What they look for: Actionable business advice, marketing strategies, workplace wellness, and local economic growth topics.
4. Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (WLAM)
- Focus: Securing the full integration and equal participation of women in the legal profession.
- Speaking Opportunities: Regional chapter meetings and their massive statewide annual meeting.
- What they look for: Legal experts, policy advocates, diversity and inclusion professionals, and work-life balance strategists.
🌰 Ohio Organizations
1. The Ohio Women’s Alliance (OWA)
- Focus: A community-led organization focusing on advocacy, gender justice, and supporting the holistic well-being of women and non-binary individuals across Ohio.
- Speaking Opportunities: Community forums, educational workshops, and statewide advocacy summits.
- What they look for: Social justice advocates, public health experts, civil rights speakers, and community organizers.
2. Women in Business Networking (WIBN) – A Program of the BBB (Dayton/Miami Valley)
- Focus: A highly active professional development organization that helps women connect, grow, and lead.
- Speaking Opportunities: They host an incredibly popular WIBN Leadership Conference every year, alongside monthly “Lunch n’ Learn” events.
- What they look for: Leadership paradigms, professional communication, marketing, personal branding, and small business strategy.
3. Matriots Ohio
- Focus: A non-partisan political action committee and advocacy organization dedicated to electing women to public office in Ohio.
- Speaking Opportunities: Political education forums, regional networking events, and candidate training sessions.
- What they look for: Women in politics, policy analysis, grassroots organizing, public speaking training, and civic engagement experts.
4. Women’s Small Business Accelerator (WSBA) – Central Ohio
- Focus: Helping female entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses through accountability, mentoring, and education.
- Speaking Opportunities: Regular educational workshops, roundtable events, and gala celebrations.
- What they look for: High-level business operations, bookkeeping/finance, legal advice for small businesses, and marketing implementation.
🎓 Regional Academic Networks (Both States)
Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) – Women in Medicine and Biomedical Science
- Focus: Collaborative networks originating from major state universities (like the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University) designed to develop women faculty in medicine and healthcare fields.
- Speaking Opportunities: Annual collaborative summits, specialized medical panels, and career development workshops.
- What they look for: Academic research presentations, clinical experts, medical leadership, and addressing gender disparities in STEMM fields.
💡 Pro-Tips for Pitching to These Organizations
- Lead with the Audience’s “Takeaway”: When reaching out to event chairs, don’t just send a biography. Provide 3 concrete bullet points of exactly what their members will learn or take away from your talk.
- Check the Calendar Early: Most of these groups plan their speaker calendars 3 to 6 months in advance, especially for major luncheons and annual conferences.
- Leverage Local Chapters: National organizations like National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) have highly active local chapters in both Detroit (NAWBO Greater Detroit) and Columbus/Cleveland (NAWBO Ohio) that source local speakers for monthly programming.