The following list contains frequently asked questions about inviting Mary to speak at your conference or event. Just click on the question to find the information you are looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Does Mary accept speaking invitations?
- What types of events does Mary speak at?
- What about US and international events?
- What topics does Mary speak on?
- What if we have a specific theme/topic in mind?
- Will Mary speak to small groups?
- What is her speaking fee?
- How do we know what to set the honorarium at?
- What other expenses are involved in having Mary come and speak at an event?
- Which airport does Mary fly out of?
- How do I extend an invitation to have Mary speak at an event?
- How far in advance can I make a request?
- I’m checking out the possibility of having Mary come, but am not ready to extend a formal invitation - what do I do?
- What if I am unsure as to the exact date of the event?
- Can I phone your office about a speaking request?
- How do I send the speaking request form to your office?
- How soon will I know whether or not the invitation is accepted?
- Can I request an answer by a certain date?
- Does Mary accept invitations on short notice?
- If my invitation has been declined, can I resubmit it?
- Do I need to fill out another speaking request form if I have previously submitted one?
- What happens when an invitation is accepted?
- Do we get the deposit back if the event is cancelled?
- Can Mary bring books and resources for our volunteers to sell at a book table?
- Can Mary do a pre-event promotional phone interview with a local radio station?
Do you have a question that’s not on the list? You can request additional information by filling out our quick and easy
1. Does Mary accept speaking invitations?
Yes. Mary does accept a certain number of group or church-sponsored speaking invitations each year.
2. What types of events does Mary speak at?
Mary has spoken at various types of events. She has been a keynote speaker at regional, national, and international conferences and events ranging up to 10,000 people. She has spoken at workshops and retreats, and has also taught courses at seminaries across North America at the under-graduate and graduate level. Mary has made numerous radio and television appearances, including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, USA Today, and Marriage Uncensored. Her main focus is ministering to women, however in certain cases she also speaks to mixed audiences.
3.What about US and international events?
Mary accepts several US speaking engagements each year and also travels overseas. Her availability for international engagements is dependant on time and scheduling considerations.
4.What topics does Mary speak on?
Mary speaks on various topics. Her goal is to “bring the Word to life” - that is, to make Scripture real and relevant to the everyday - encouraging Christian growth and passionate heart-commitment to God. Most often, Mary speaks on topics that she has written about: pursuing God (Vertically Inclined), the Fatherhood of God (In My Father’s House), godly communication (Conversation Peace), prayer/fasting/Christian disciplines (Time Out/Hands On) and biblical womanhood (Feminist Gospel/Women Creation & Fall). Mary also addresses groups of female leaders on leadership topics.
5. What if we have a specific theme/topic in mind?
Mary can prepare material specifically tailored towards your topic and event. She enjoys the challenge of digging into the Word and will seek the Lord for his message for your group. Obviously, preparing new material requires more time than refreshing/reworking existing material. Therefore, we ask that you specify your preferred topic with your invitation. It is important for the advisory board to judge how much preparation time Mary will need for a certain event. Her availability to speak on a new theme/topic is dependant on her other writing and speaking commitments.
6.Will Mary speak to small groups?
Mary accepts a limited number of “small group” (under 350) speaking engagements each year. She enjoys the personal dynamic and environment of smaller groups - particularly when she is interacting with groups of leaders or conducting practical workshops. However, her board has determined that in order to best steward her time and gifts, she allocate most of her speaking time to larger venues. If you wish to have Mary come and speak, we suggest you get together with other churches and groups in your city or region to co-sponsor an event.
7.What is her speaking fee?
Mary does not have a set speaking fee. Her advisory board requests that each group specifies and sets an honorarium amount for the event.
8. How do we know what to set the honorarium at?
The advisory board has established some suggested amounts for honorariums that will be forwarded to you when you request information about Mary speaking at your event. Because ministry is Mary’s full-time employment and source of income, the suggested rates are in line with what we deem to be reasonable compensation for her time. The advisory board regards it as their responsibility to protect Mary from over-extending herself and to guard, honor, and fairly reimburse her and her family for her kingdom work. However, because this is a ministry, the advisory board will prayerfully consider all invitations, and may also accept invitations where little or no honorarium is available.
9..What other expenses are involved in having Mary come and speak at an event?
We ask that the sponsoring organization covers all expenses for Mary to come speak, including mileage to and from the airport (mileage to/from event for local/regional events), airport parking, airfare, rental car (if required), accommodations, meals, and gratuities.
10. Which airport does Mary fly out of?
Mary flies out of the Edmonton International Airport (YEG). Prior to extending a speaking invitation, you may want to check the flight availability and airfare to your area.
11. How do I extend an invitation to have Mary speak at an event?
The first step in extending an invitation is to fill out and submit our on-line information request form. Within a couple of days you will receive an e-mail with the requested information and a standard speaking request form. Next, fill out the standard speaking request and submit it to our office. Then, if your invitation is accepted, you will be asked to sign an agreement and submit a deposit to secure the date.
12. How far in advance can I make a request?
Generally, Mary’s schedule is set a year in advance, although we will consider invitations for events as little as 3 months in advance. On occasion, a previously blocked weekend in Mary’s schedule opens up and she is able to accept an invitation on short notice. Generally, however, we recommend that you submit an invitation 12 to 18 months in advance. Mary’s advisory board meets to make decisions on invitations about every 8 to 12 weeks. When you submit an invitation, we will give you a response date, based on the date of your event and the scheduled meeting date for the advisory board. We do not accept invitations on a “first come - first served” basis. If you request a date two or three years in advance, we will consider that invitation at the allotted time. For example, if your request is for April 2009, we will not consider your request until about January 2008 - at which time we will consider and decide on all requests that have been submitted for the first quarter of 2008.
13. I’m checking out the possibility of having Mary come, but am not ready to extend a formal invitation - what do I do?
Submit a request for information and any questions you have via our on-line Information Request Form. This is the first step in making an inquiry. You can submit a request for information without officially extending an invitation. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate groups who want confirmation that Mary can come before filling out the paperwork and extending a formal invitation. You need to fill out the information request form PRIOR to us confirming her availability.
14. What if I am unsure as to the exact date of the event?
If you are unsure as to the exact date of the event, you can submit a few options as to date, or even a range of dates in your preliminary inquiry (For example, January or February, 200x). When you extend a formal invitation, we ask that you be as specific as possible with dates, but you are definitely welcome to give a preferred date and a few alternate dates.
15. Can I phone your office about a speaking request?
Our policy is that all speaking requests must be in writing. This allows the advisory board to review the request and give it proper consideration. We do not take requests by phone. Individuals making phone requests will be directed to use our on-line information request form and/or to communicate with us via e-mail.
16. How do I send the speaking request form to your office?
Our preferred manner of communication is via email, so that we can store the information in our electronic filing system, easily distribute it to our board and off-site office staff, and respond to you in an expedient fashion. Faxing the information to our office will also enter it into our electronic system. (Fax: 1-780-669-1067)
17. How soon will I know whether or not the invitation is accepted?
When we receive a formal invitation, we will advise you via email as to the date the advisory board will consider the invitation and make a decision regarding acceptance. Generally, we make decisions 12 to 14 months ahead of the quarter in which the event is scheduled. Events scheduled in the first quarter of 2008 will be considered in December of 2007.
18. Can I request an answer by a certain date?
There is a space on the speaking request form to request an answer by a certain date. We will do our best to accommodate your request; however reserve the right to postpone a decision to 12 to 14 months in advance of the date. Furthermore, due to our decision-making process, we may not be able to accommodate short turn-around times for invitations on short notice. Our advisory board meets every 8 to 12 weeks. If your invitation is submitted right after the board has met, you may need to wait until the board meets again.
19. Does Mary accept speaking invitations on short notice?
Generally, Mary’s schedule is set a year in advance, although we will consider invitations for events as little as 3 months in advance. On occasion, a previously blocked weekend in Mary’s schedule opens up and she is able to accept an invitation on short notice. Therefore, you are welcome to submit an invitation for an event that is less than 12 months away.
20. If my invitation has been declined, can I resubmit it?
Yes. You are able to re-submit an invitation with an alternate date. However, we do not make decisions based on a “first-come/first-served’ policy nor on the number of times a particular invitation has been submitted. Though Mary would like to say “yes” to any and all invitations, doing so is neither wise nor feasible. However, we welcome you to resubmit an invitation, as circumstances change from year to year and an invitation that is declined this year may be accepted next year.
21. Do I need to fill out another speaking request form if I have previously submitted one?
If you have previously submitted a request, you can simply update the requested dates and resubmit the form.
22. What happens when an invitation is accepted?
We contact you in writing when an invitation is accepted or declined. If your invitation is accepted, you will be forwarded a speaker’s agreement outlining the date, location, and financial commitment for the event. To secure the date, you must return signed copies of the speaking agreement along with a deposit.
23. Do we get the deposit back if the event is cancelled?
If you cancel the event, you forfeit the deposit. If we need to cancel the booking (e.g. in case of illness or emergency), we will return your entire deposit. If possible, we will provide or suggest an alternate speaker for your event, or will rebook for an alternate date.
24. Can Mary bring books and resources for our volunteers to sell at a book table?Depending on the location of the event, our office can forward product to sell at a book table. We ask that the event sponsors arrange for volunteers to manage book table sales.
25. Can Mary do a pre-event promotional phone interview with a local radio station?
Yes. Our office will do whatever it can to support your promotional efforts. Contact us, and we will do our best to set up a time for Mary to be interviewed by your local radio station.
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