All Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol
This show is about the ability to run a non-profit from the heart with a sense of humor and still be successful. We interview our volunteers, partners, and other non-profits to learn from each other, and support each other as we bring love and hope to our communities. Binky Patrol is a 100% volunteer grassroots 501c3 founded in 1996. Binky Patrol makes blankets and gives them away to children and teens in need of a reminder that they matter, are not invisible and that someone cares. We give to children who are ill, abused, or in trauma.
Episodes
Rania Dudum and Zoe Rucker are in their early twenties, juggling work, school, roommates, and everything else that comes with that stage of life. They still make time for Binky Patrol, and in this episode they tell Susan why.
Rania describes her first Bink-A-Thon, where volunteers who had never met made nearly 300 blankets in five hours. Zoe explains why the lowest barrier to entry she has ever seen keeps her coming back. Together ...
It's Binky Patrol's 30th anniversary. Susan Finch marks the week with a look back at how one mention on The Oprah Winfrey Show launched the organization into 48 states almost overnight. She invites every chapter and supporter to celebrate this Saturday, gather friends, finish a stash project or a UFO, and send photos of how they marked the milestone. Susan also introduces Comforting in Color, a flexible new project any group, schoo...
Four Binky Patrol directors — Miriam Siegel (Nebraska), Carolyn Berndt (Thousand Oaks), Terrie Madruga (Idaho), and Jeanne Malgioglio (Connecticut) — join founder Susan Finch for a 30th anniversary conversation that is equal parts laughter, tears, and gratitude.
"I'm here to help. Can't sew, but here I am." — Carolyn Berndt, arriving eight months pregnant to her first Binky meeting
You'll hear Miriam's story of fi...
Jeanne started her Connecticut chapter one town over from Newtown. After Sandy Hook, she and her friends made 3,000 green and white scarves. When it was over, everyone asked what was next. They found Binky Patrol. That was twelve years ago.
Barbara joined as the chapter's voice, connector, and fundraiser — rheumatoid arthritis in her hands, no shortage of heart. Together they've delivered blankets to 199 students after a clas...
Five new Binky Patrol chapters have launched — St. Marys, Georgia; Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania; Janesville, Wisconsin; Sharon, Wisconsin; and a drop-off location near Oregon State University in Corvallis. Pennsylvania's newest chapter made 86 blankets at their very first Binkathon, with a football team and student volunteers showing up to help.
<...When Liza Buck followed a stranger's car down a dirt road into the Maine woods as an 18-year-old, she had no idea she was headed to a grief camp. She thought she was going to lifeguard. That accidental detour became her life's work.
Liza is now on staff full time at Experience Camps, a nonprofit founded in 2009 that provides free week-long programs for children who have lost a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. What started wit...
In this update episode, founder Susan Finch shares what Binky Patrol chapters are doing right now, from sending handmade blankets to tornado victims in Illinois and Indiana (in partnership with Reach Out Worldwide) to launching the Active Seniors campaign, expanding Greek life events in Connecticut and Oregon, and preparing for Bink-A-Thon in October.
The official 30th anniversary lands on June 19th — the date Binky Patrol we...
What does a wet diaper, an empty sippy cup, and a blanket in a backseat have to do with a warehouse full of hope? Everything.
Susan Finch sits down with Stacy DeWitt, Executive Director of James Storehouse in Newbury Park, California — and it turns out they’ve been serving the same kids all along. The connection? Carolyn Berndt, one of Binky Patrol’s All Volunteer – All Heart directors, who also works with ...
Jeanne Malgioglio has been running Binky Patrol's Connecticut chapter for years, and she's figured out something a lot of volunteers never do: how to ask for money without hating every second of it. In this episode, Susan Finch sits down with Jeanne to talk through what actually works when it comes to local fundraising — and what's mostly a waste of time.
Jeanne shares why she skips the big community foundation grant cycles (...
When Cheryl Bean's friend mentioned her mother was moving into a senior community, she saw an opportunity that would change everything. What started as helping one resident who loved to sew has grown into a beautiful movement across Texas retirement communities.
In this heartwarming episode, Susan sits down with Cheryl Bean, Area Coordinator for Binky Patrol's Texas chapter, to talk about something special: bringing the joy of givi...
Celebrating 30 years of making a difference, Binky Patrol founder Susan Finch shares five strategic initiatives designed to expand volunteer recruitment and engagement for small nonprofits. From Greek life partnerships to senior community programs, these practical approaches offer actionable blueprints for organizations looking to grow their impact.
In this practical solo episode, discover how you can meaningfully support your favorite causes without leaving home. Learn why sharing nonprofit content on social media isn't "slacktivism"—it's a powerful tool that expands reach, attracts donors, and recruits volunteers.
Get actionable tips...
This week's episode started with technical difficulties but ended with a powerful message about community support during difficult times. When a grieving grandmother in our sewing group asked if she could skip painful ornament memories with a pink Christmas tree, we didn't just give permission - we gave her new ornaments handmade with love. Kind of a binky for ...
From Business Meeting to Beautiful Mission: When a routine client meeting with Mod Op's Kevin Krekeler transformed into an inspiring conversation about adaptive sports and giving back, we knew we had to hit record! In this spontaneous episode of All Volunteer All Heart from Binky Patrol, host Susan Finch discovers the incredible work Kevin does with Dallas Stars Adaptive Sports, providing hockey and life-changing experiences for yo...
When the Altadena fires devastated Southern California communities, two organizations came together in an extraordinary way. Binky Patrol Director, Jeanne Malgioglio found ROWW while we and Al's Angels were looking for a way to respond and directly help the fire victims in Altadena. Susan Finch sits down with John Brotherton, Outreach and Partnership Manager for Reach Out WorldWide (ROWW), to discuss how a charity founded by actor ...
Twenty years ago, Kimberly Haley Coleman was stuck abroad on business weekends, wanting to volunteer but finding nothing meaningful to do. So she created her own opportunities—and Globe Aware was born.
Today, Globe Aware connects volunteers with communities in 21 countries through week-long service projects. We're talking about real work: instal...
In this powerful episode of All Volunteer All Heart from Binky Patrol, host Susan Finch sits down with Susie Vybiral, founder of Room Redux, an incredible organization that transforms the living spaces of children who have faced sexual abuse, physical abuse, and violent crimes.
Through the Mr. Ballen Foundation connection, Susan discovered this perfect partnership between two organizations dedicated to showing vulnerable chi...
When someone asks for help, they're being brave. Host Susan Finch sits down with her niece Susan Arias, Chief Growth Officer at MAAC—recently named one of California's Nonprofits of the Year for 2025.
For 60 years, MAAC has been proving that comprehensive community support works. From Head Start preschool to affordable housing, workforce training to innovative EV car loans, they meet people where they are and help them build ...
When 15 blankets arrived with messy selvage edges despite "clear" instructions, I blamed the volunteers. That was not great, but then I asked: What if the problem is my communication?
In this vulnerable episode, I share how frustration over "ruined" Binky Patrol blankets led to a profound leadership insight about expert blindness. After 30 years of nonprofit work, I discover...
Last week, we began our conversation with Cynthia Luvlee, CEO and Founding Board Member of Shyne. If you missed that episode, I encourage you to go back and listen as we discussed the economic challenges facing vulnerable communities and how innovative organizations are responding.
Today, we continue that important conversation by exploring Shyne's revolutionary approach to supporting survivors of trafficking and exploitation. Cynt...
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