“If you put everything off until you are sure of it, You will never get anything done.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
It is said there is nothing that weighs heavier on our mind than the guilt and pressure of an undone, but 
high-importance task. We blame procrastination, our busy lives, our too-full plates, or others for not getting it done. We lose sleep, we worry, we make excuses. What we don’t do is really dig deep about WHY we don’t seem to get to it.
We development folk are a creative, sincere, dedicated bunch. We want our donors to have an amazing experience as our donors — a perfect experience, in fact. We want the people we involve with our donors — faculty, volunteers, leadership — to be enthusiastic, articulate, respectful and engaging when they talk to our donors, we want the receipt letters to be well-written, promptly sent, we want our events to be well run and on beautiful days…in a nutshell, we want our donors to have PERFECT experiences with us.
Perfect is tough. Impossible, really. Instead considering the following…
Will this action be as meaningful to my donor if it doesn’t happen soon? For example, instead of delaying to find the PERFECT birthday card, use a blank card and gleefully write. “I am celebrating your birth and all you mean in my life!” Then MAIL IT.
Is simple OK? Many of my donors love handwritten notes, but if it is simpler for you to send an artful email, do it!
Can I chunk it? Every time I focus my attention on a larger, more difficult task, random thoughts cross my mind about the project (besides, “Wow, this a monster task!”) Write down these idea(s) on a sticky. Often these inadvertently become STEPS to working through the task. Now DO THE FIRST ONE.
Sleep on it.Our subconscious minds are amazing — always working. The last thing before I go to sleep, I will ask (an artful ask!) my mind to work on a particular topic or situation. I often wake up with several ideas to scribble down on the notepad right by my bed.
Set a timer. Tell yourself that this won’t be your best work, but that you will work on this task for 15 minutes. Generally you will work longer once you start.
Dictate and Be Done or Draft and Be Done. When I had a long major donor visit, I would often dictate both a follow up letter and a contact screen driving to the next meeting. At other times, I’d key in my report like crazy. But then it would take me days to review the drafts, make it read better and finally send them. Instead, quick read the drafts — on have your assistant or a co-worker. If it makes sense, send it!
The point is, these all are “imperfect actions” but in the grand scheme of your donor relationships, they are appropriate actions. I was never a fan of “good enough” until I really came to understand that “good enough” is clearly better than “not at all,” and that “good enough” brings positive feelings, while “not at all” brings disappointment. So challenge the well-meaning perfectionist in you and take Imperfect Action … RIGHT NOW!
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© 2011 Marcy Heim and The Artful Asker LLC.
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Marcy Heim is a sought-after coach and trainer to fundraising leadership, staff and key volunteers who are transforming the world by encouraging philanthropy for their missions. She helps organizations and educational institutions uplevel their major gift programs through artful, long-term relationship building that dramatically increases fundraising success AND promotes increased staff job satisfaction. Her monthly Artful Action newsletter inspires leadership and staff to embrace the real power and joy of philanthropy. If you are ready to take your development efforts to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at www.marcyheim.com.
