All Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol

In this episode welcomes Russ Cassvah, the founder of Little Brick's Charity. Susan has been trying to get Russ on the show for over a year, and finally, they get to talk about his journey and the mission of Little Bricks Charity. The conversation begins with Russ sharing his passion for LEGO and how that led him to start a charity that delivers LEGO sets to children's hospitals across the US. Russ talks about the challenges he faced as a one-man operation and how TikTok changed the game for him. He also shares his thoughts on the importance of seizing opportunities, the challenges of being a one-man operation, and how he manages to keep his nonprofit running on a tight budget. Russ and Susan discuss the importance of transparency, accounting, and branding to gain credibility and trust from donors and partners. They wrap up the episode by talking about the lessons Russ has learned as a nonprofit leader and how he plans to grow Little Bricks Charity in the future.

Learn more about Little Bricks Charity here.

Learn more about Binky Patrol here.

Today we have a special guest, Michelle Cramer, the founder of On Angels' Wings. Michelle’s story is one of devotion and determination, and her mission is to improve the mental health and well-being of families with medically fragile children. On Angels' Wings provides free therapeutic photography and grief recovery services to families who need it most. Michelle started doing bereavement photography 15 years ago, and the experience led her to start On Angels' Wings in July of 2013. Today, the organization serves families all over Missouri and has recently expanded to Oklahoma City and will soon launch in Minneapolis. All photographers who volunteer with On Angels' Wings are specially trained to handle the emotional challenges of working with families who have sick children. Michelle quit her job in June to work full-time for On Angels' Wings, relying on salary support raising to cover her costs. Join us as we learn more about Michelle's journey and the incredible impact On Angels' Wings has on families in need.

Links from this episode:

On Angels' Wings - https://oawphoto.org

Binky Patrol - https://binkypatrol.org

Michelle Cramer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelcramer-oaw 

For those of you who help market non-profits, volunteer for social media to help the non-profits, this episode will cover free tools to help lighten your load. I'm also excited to share with you some of the amazing small charities and organizations doing things differently in 2023. We'll be exploring the challenges they've faced and the successes they've achieved to inspire you to volunteer or run a nonprofit more efficiently. 

Join me and my co-host Savannah Finch as we interview these organizations and learn from their experiences.

Stay tuned and visit binkypatrol.show and binkypatrol.org for more information. 

This podcast is sponsored by Impact4Good.com

Impact 4 Good is the one source for bringing community service to your next event! Exciting and engaging team building activities are just part of what we offer. Let us identify the best cause/beneficiary to support, manage the donation logistics and bring the spirit of community service to your group. From your initial request through the day of your event, Impact 4 Good handles all the details.

Volunteering gives us an opportunity to break the cycle of negativity and fear. We have the power to change lives! Caitlin Peterson is a legal professional by day, and a Binky Patrol chapter leader in the off-hours. She's been volunteering for ten years - she started when she was 16. Listen to this episode to be inspired to do good and outshine the negative through volunteerism.

Links from this episode:

Connect with Catilin:

Her chapter page: https://binkypatrol.org/page.cfm?name=va_peterson

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-peterson-woolard-44081a67/ 

Learn more about Binky Patrol:

https://binkypatrol.org

Connect with Susan Finch:

On LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch

Funnel Media Group: https://funnelmediagroupllc.com 

How to get more volunteers? It will depend on the opportunities you have. Sometimes you have to be flexible and creative. Binky Patrol is a great organization for younger volunteers because what we do is easy and fun with friends.

In the past, we've gained a lot of volunteers through annual events.  These events can include scouting troops, schools, and service organizations. You'll have to think about what creative idea can you create to allow volunteers of all ages to help. What a great way to build a long-lasting volunteer base that can grow up with your organization. I know we have volunteers that started as children over 20 years ago who find us after they have children to see how they can get involved again because of all of the great memories they have from when they were children. Listen to this 11 minute episode, "How to Get Big Groups of Kid Volunteers."

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This podcast is sponsored by Impact4Good.com

Impact 4 Good is the one source for bringing community service to your next event! Exciting and engaging team building activities are just part of what we offer. Let us identify the best cause/beneficiary to support, manage the donation logistics and bring the spirit of community service to your group. From your initial request through the day of your event, Impact 4 Good handles all the details.

When Ben Tewes called panicked, he had two months to complete 236 court-ordered community service hours. We quickly calmed him down and assured him, he could do this! We came up with a plan, outlined here - https://binkypatrol.org/article.cfm?id=510. And he took it a step further. His probation officer wanted to be assured that BEN was actually making the blankets. He came up with the idea to set up his phone in timelapse mode and record his work. He won them over, they rooted for him to make his deadline, 236 kids are receiving blankets in Colorado because of him, and I think he's hooked. Hear his story in this episode of All-Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol, "236 Hours - A Community Service Story."

Have you ever known the family was coming over, but because of the weather, and varying ages, you didn't quite know what to do with everyone after the meal? What about when your office and workload are lighter due to the upcoming holidays, end-of-year vacations, and more? A great way to bring these groups of people together is to make blankets. It's a chance to lift some of the annual awkwardness, stay busy for those fidgety people, and change lives. Make blankets. We sometimes forget to talk about the overall mission of Binky Patrol. Binky Patrol makes blankets and gives them away to children and teens in need of comfort. Those invisible kids who need a reminder that they matter, they are not forgotten, and that someone cares about them. We do this through handmade blankets - they can be sewn, quilted, crocheted, knitted, or tied - just so they come from your heart and are washable, they are perfect. Please listen to this 7-minute episode.

This podcast is sponsored by Impact4Good.com Connecting companies, organizations, and communities.

Impact 4 Good is the one source for bringing community service to your next event! Exciting and engaging team-building activities are just part of what we offer. Let us identify the best cause/beneficiary to support, manage the donation logistics and bring the spirit of community service to your group. From your initial request through the day of your event, Impact 4 Good handles all the details.

Amy Smart is the founder of Diary of a Quilter. Her newsletter is inspiring, her website is filled with resources. Amy now knows about Binky Patrol. Binky Patrol volunteers have all been introduced to Amy Smart and Diary of a Quilter. This is how it works. 

Susan suggests that you seek out companies, individuals, and influencers in your space that have active social media presence, but who also have newsletters. There is a great opportunity for both them and you to expand your lists and introduce each others' audiences to your respective companies. It's easy to do and doesn't cost anyone money.  Listen to Amy's story and their ideas in this episode of All-Volunteer, All Heart - Connecting Like Hearts to Grow Your Organization.

When you volunteer you have an opportunity to help others, and better yourself. Our chapter leaders are not paid. No one is at Binky Patrol, but they are learning marketable skills. Binky Patrol chapter leaders - Area Coordinators - learn how to lead a group, speak publicly, do PR, coordinate events, do basic accounting and more. We give recommendations to up to 10 people a year who are seeking a job - sometimes for the first time. They have all of these skills they've learned while volunteering. Now they can get a better job. They have confidence, too. Listen to this short episode to be inspired to do more when you volunteer rather than simply showing up.

If you need more ideas on ways to help, visit BinkyPatrol.org and click on the dropdown at the top - Ways to Help

We've invited people and they signed up! That's great. But, they need to be able to easily find you from the parking lot. Sometimes non-profits have events at libraries, community centers, schools, churches. Their campuses can be large and confusing. Having directional signage can help prevent volunteers from being frustrated before they walk in the door. Jordan Castellanos (J.C.) is our guest today from FastSigns in Beaverton, Oregon. We talk about how teaming up with a signage professional can save you money and add to your event success.

Resources: FastSigns Beaverton https://fastsigns.com/beaverton-or 

Get ideas from their social media channels:

https://www.instagram.com/fastsigns46/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/fastsigns.beaverton/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fastsignsbeaverton/ 

Adobe's free banner design tool https://www.adobe.com/express/create/banner/event