Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Susan Finch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Running a national nonprofit as a volunteer requires income from somewhere. I run two businesses that not only support me financially but provide skills that directly benefit Binky Patrol.

In Business:

“Our podcast has three listeners” → Strategic distribution that actually gets heard
“Our CEO sounds robotic on air” → Authentic host training
“Our website is being held hostage” → Digital asset recovery
“We have 47 software subscriptions we don’t understand” → Tech stack optimization

How This Translates to Binky Patrol:

Podcast skills → Our “All-Volunteer, All Heart” show shares best practices nationally
Crisis management → Helping chapters navigate volunteer conflicts or supply challenges
Digital expertise → Keeping our website findable and functional with zero budget
Systems thinking → Creating processes 4-year-olds and 94-year-olds can follow

What Sets My Approach Apart

The Scrappy Advantage: Running a nonprofit with zero overhead for 30 years teaches you efficiency. I bring that “maximum impact, minimum resources” mindset to every business client. You don’t need Fortune 500 budgets to achieve Fortune 500 results.
The “AND THEN!” Philosophy: Others see endpoints; I see launching pads. Record a podcast? AND THEN create 15 content pieces. Fix a website? AND THEN optimize for lead generation. Make a blanket? AND THEN teach five friends.

Teaching, Not Dependency: Teaching organizations digital and marketing skills when there is great variation in their level of comfort has helped me approach our volunteers and the guidelines. I don’t want clients dependent on me—I want them empowered.

What I’m Most Proud Of
The integration. When I train a CEO to be a confident podcast host, I’m developing skills I’ll use to coach Binky Patrol volunteers for media interviews. When I rescue a business from digital disaster, I’m learning recovery techniques that help our chapters. When Binky Patrol faces a challenge, my business experience provides solutions.

Example: When COVID hit, my podcast production pivoted to remote recording. That knowledge immediately helped Binky Patrol create virtual Bink-A-Thons, keeping volunteers connected and blankets flowing during lockdown.

The Bottom Line
I’m proof you can run successful businesses AND lead a national nonprofit without taking a salary. The skills compound. The networks overlap. The satisfaction multiplies.

My businesses aren’t separate from Binky Patrol—they’re what make my volunteer leadership possible. Not through funding (the organizations remain completely separate financially) but through expertise that serves both missions.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What helped me build my reputation? I put others first—genuinely, consistently, without calculating the payback.

When NRBA (National REO Brokers Association) members need a speaker, I don’t pitch my services—I recommend whoever would serve them best, even competitors. When Binky Patrol chapters struggle, I don’t dictate solutions from headquarters—I listen, learn, and help them find what works for their community. When business clients face crises, I fix first and figure out invoicing later. This isn’t a strategy; it’s who I am.

That servant’s heart approach created something I never expected: fierce loyalty. NRBA has me speak 2-3 times annually because they trust I’ll never put my agenda above their members’ needs. Binky Patrol volunteers stay for decades because they know they matter more than any process or protocol. Business clients become advocates because they’ve seen me prioritize their success over my profit. Turns out, when you consistently choose service over self-promotion, your reputation builds itself through the voices of those you’ve served.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

In 2012, our world stopped when Tom needed his leg amputated. I disappeared from everything—client calls, Binky Patrol duties, deadlines—to focus on keeping my husband alive and adapting to our new reality. What happened next still makes me tear up. Instead of angry emails or canceled contracts, clients extended deadlines and sent prayers. Binky Patrol volunteers didn’t just cover my duties—they organized meal trains and drove Tom to appointments. One client said, “Susan, you’ve had our backs for years. Now we’ve got yours.” Every single client from that period is still with me today. The chapter leaders who stepped up during those dark months? They’re now our strongest chapters, still growing, still serving. When you build relationships on genuine service rather than transactions, people don’t abandon you in crisis—they become your foundation. That experience taught me that reputation isn’t about perfect delivery; it’s about how deeply people trust that you’ll always do right by them, because they’ve seen you do it when there was nothing in it for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://binkypatrol.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/binkypatrol
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/susanmfinch
• Other: All Volunteer, All Heart podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5UXKJOi44qbfHbeKfNcGpA Rooted in Revenue podcast for my paid company: https://open.spotify.com/show/6EHtSy2VwznhleDxR3Go27

Image Credits
Photo Credits: Jeanne Malgioglio, Susan Finch, MrBallen Foundation