All Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol

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 
 

We are having two Bink-a-Thons October 8. One in Monroe, Connecticut, and one in Beaverton, Oregon.  A little friendly competition never hurts, right? I really want to win. Jeanne Malgioglio usually wins. But really who wins? The kids who will get the binkies we are all making that day.  This is a fun opportunity to  connect multiple chapters. This is a great idea for other hands-on charities that have multiple locations. We will most likely be broadcasting live that day on Facebook and YouTube. This is a short episode just for fun and a little spunky.  You can sign up for the Beaverton, OR event here. 
A Bink-A-Thon is an event where we gather as many people as possible to make as many blankets as possible within 4 to 6 hours. Blankets can be sewn or tied. We usually have a couple of dozen people on sewing machines, many people helping with pinning, cutting, tying, bagging. There is something for everyone to do. We've been doing these since our first year in 1996 and they end up being more like a reunion for the volunteers who attend every one of them. We've more than 25 here in Oregon since we moved here 17 years ago.

Having events is a great way to expand your audience, donors, volunteers, and build goodwill in the community. Since Binky Patrol is all-volunteer, we rely on partnering with sponsors and hosting organizations that are looking for a fun event to offer their volunteers, employees, members. This episode walks you through some ideas, and a list of what you need to know before you have an event.
If you want to have an event, find partners. For Binky Patrol, we partner with United Way, HandsOn Portland, Comcast, quilt guilds, girl scouts and schools. Local coffee companies like Dutch Bros, sandwich companies like Subway help keep our volunteers fed and energized. You also need a partner to help you at the end of your event. We have our delivery team that will take all of the blankets made that day to deliver them. We have a clean up crew that will take everything to put it away until the next event. You need to plan it from start to finish, before promotions and after thank you notes.

Wil and Liam are back with Susan talking about what the homeless in Portland really need, and it's not tiny houses. They need to kick addictions, get teeth, get an ID, get a ride and sometimes that's all it takes to get them off the streets. Dinner and a Movie has great gift cards you can give instead of having mugs printed with your company name for client gifts. The focus is on helping one person as a time, not unlike Binky Patrol comforting one child at a time. Don't try to solve the issue with one big stroke. You can't. No one can. It takes time with individuals. Throwing money and building tiny houses won't do it. It just tucks them away and lines the pockets of those involved in "solving." Listen to this episode to hear real stories from people helping those on the streets of all ages in this episode of All Volunteer, All Heart from Binky Patrol, "How to REALLY help the homeless in Portland."
60 percent of all of those on the street are there because of drug addiction. They don't want to be restricted by the rules of tiny home communities. They need recovery - now. Most have suffered from neglect or sexual abuse as children. These are the two connecting threads. They have varying levels of education, skills and unique interests that could have them independent if they could break the cycle of addiction. This isn't just adults, this is for teens on the streets too. Help Dinner and a Movie help them.

Will and Liam from Dinner and a Movie see it on television every day. Reporters assure the homeless their story will be told and when it ends up on television it's been changed, twisted, and doesn't tell the truth. They know because they spend most days in Southeast Portland trying to give respite from the hell of being homeless. There are many misconceptions. This is part one of a two-part episode that shares some beautiful stories, some science and aha moments. Building tiny houses isn't the solution. Being homeless isn't the same as being houseless. A house isn't the full solution. It delays what the more difficult problem is to solve. 60% or more have experienced neglect or sexual abuse. 6 out of 5 are addicted to drugs or alcohol, or as you'll hear in the story of Raven, addicted to reading. Tune in for this episode.
Learn more about Dinner and a Movie on DinnerAndAMoviePDX.com You can help them bring ice cold water, hot soup, and so much more without a huge effort and make a huge impact.

Wade Perry joined Susan after his first annual Coventry Summer Jam in Littleton, Colorado. He goes through the expense and return of this event. The expense is all under marketing, the return is beyond what he had hoped. This event benefitted the School of Rock in Littleton. They raised enough for ten scholarships. Seeing and hearing everyone enjoying this event in their local park was the best gift. Listen to this to hear how a small business or two can align with a charity to give so much to a community overall, and directly to a charity. It wasn't that hard. They are already talking about next year.
Wade offered to talk to anyone who wants more information on how they can host a similar event in their community. Susan Finch is also available to anyone who wants to brainstorm events. Wade can be reached [email protected].
Here are the steps Wade recommends.
1. Find a local quality band that has a danceable set.
2. Local food trucks.
3. Partners who may be willing to share the expense.
4. A local charity you are truly attached to - you have to be all in.
5. Charity is always the focus. You are in the background.
6. Best to keep it a smaller community event under 500 people.
7. Pull permits.
Plan this starting at least six months out.
 

Nina Acosta, the Area Coordinator for Riverside Binky Patrol, told us, "When I started doing this with my daughter 15 years ago, I didn't think that it would still be here!" Susan asked her the reason she's still in Binky Patrol and her favorite part. Nina says it's the stories. Knowing the difference a binky their chapter made given to one child keeps them all going. Being able to immediately handle the need of a child or family in their community is another driving force keeping them motivated. Nina says, "If somebody calls me and says, 'Hey, I've got a, a friend that their house burned down' or 'I've got some kids and that mom's struggling, they don't have blankets, and they're freezing,' just knowing that because of this, I can help them. It might not be a lot it's, but it's enough for what they need at the time."
Nina Acosta is a 15 year volunteer and chapter leader for Binky Patrol. She says being able to immediately handle the need of a child or family in their community is another driving force keeping them motivated. What did you do this month to change the life of a child in need? We have ideas on our website.

Hobbies change, people die, and people downsize. Many times this results in a ton of fabric purchased for those projects that were never completed. Binky Patrol has been fortunate for over 27 years to receive a lot of fabric through these circumstances. It's a great way to honor the person who has passed or to make mom feel better about downsizing.
We give tax donation receipts by the box or the bag of fabric. Think about all of the stashes tucked away in your home, your mom's, your grandmother's. It could be given to a local chapter of Binky Patrol to be made into blankets to comfort children and teens in need. Perhaps you just don't like the fabric. If you clear it out, you can get MORE fabric to your liking. OOOOO, how does that sound? Marlys Vaughan joins Susan to talk about some of the windfalls of fabric her chapter has received over the years. This can make all the difference for volunteers who have time but limited financial resources to purchase the fabric.
Some of the fabrics that are the most helpful include cotton, flannel, fleece, and sometimes that silky ribbon for binding on the edges. Double-knit polyesters are not ideal. Denim is great for larger blankets - torn jeans can make great backings. It all has to be washable in industrial machines. Some of our chapters receive donations from hotels with damaged sheets. These are great for backings. Soft yarn is ALWAYS welcomed too. 

There are 6 elements a 501c3 orgs website must have to build trust and give a clear picture of the impact of the organization. Listen to this episode for the list
Kimberly Ofilas, Healthcare Partnerships Communications Manager at Direct Relief joins us to talk about the must-haves for a non-profit organization's website to build trust and credibility, as well as clarity of the organization's mission. Kim's experience with non-profits and many segments stretches back to when Binky Patrol started. Her current position with Direct Relief has allowed her heart to be full. Direct Relief works to equip health professionals in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing and caring for people in need.
List includes a privacy policy, about page with actual directors and officers listed, clearly state what you do first thing on the home page, your 501c3 number, links to charity review sites such as Guide Star, stories showing what you do to have impact.