It’s tough being a perfectionist. We like everything to be just right before we call it finished. The only problem is that it can take a really long time to get to the finish line. And with some projects, we never do.

In the world of fundraising, it’s lethal. For example, if you’re writing a grant, there comes a point at which it must be submitted. If you’re a perfectionist, it’s tough calling it done when you suspect there may be a tweak or two still needed.

My suggestion? Something I learned from my quilting friends – “Done is better than perfect.” It means that sometimes, it’s better to call something finished than to spend lots of time with the niggly little things trying to make them perfect when in reality they’re already good enough. With a quilt, you can take things apart and re-sew them so many times that the fabric will literally unravel. With a fundraising task, there definitely comes a point of diminishing returns. In other words, the last few tweaks you make probably don’t make much of a difference at all.

To be a successful fundraiser, you need to be able to move fast. You need to be able to get clear about what needs to be done and just do it. Do the best you can in the time you have, let it go, and move on, knowing that it’s good enough.

Are you ready? We launch next Friday! Speaking of being a perfectionist, it’s been tough for me to release details about the party because I want everything to be just right. Here’s some of what you can expect: At 1:00 pm eastern, I’m leading a free webinar called “The Get Fully Funded System: 7 Simple Steps to Raising All the Money You Need.” Beginning at 10 am eastern and going to 8 pm eastern, it’s a Twitter-palooza! We’ll be using the hashtag #GFFBook to talk about the book all day and we’ll be giving away free copies to those who use the tag. Starting Monday here on the blog, we’ll be taking your best tips for fundraising. Next Friday, we’ll draw a winner from the tipsters and give away a Kindle and a copy of the ebook. Cool? There’s more to come, so stay tuned!

One of the gifts I’ll be giving away to those who purchase the new Get Fully Funded book next week is a special report called “100 Best Web Resources for Nonprofits.”  There are SO many great websites out there and I want to be sure my readers know about them and use them.  Here are a few that are included in the report.

https://twitter.com/#!/nptweets  Keep up with tweets about the nonprofit world, including #nonprofit, #charity, #causes, #volunteer, and #philanthropy. 

www.volunteerspot.com  Need an online resource for organizing your volunteers?  Look no further!  Lots of resources here, too.

http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org/  Very cool site with resources to help you fund your work in supporting women.

www.501c3university.org  New site with comprehensive offerings for online training.  Very affordable!

www.microgiving.com  Want to try crowdsourcing to fund your work?  Check out this site.

We’re just about a week away from launching “Get Fully Funded: How to Raise the Money of Your Dreams.”  And I can’t wait!  If you’re in East Tennessee, we’re having a special preview party and book signing at the Cedar Bluff Library in West Knoxville on Thursday, September 29 from 5  – 6:30 pm.  Drop by and have a cupcake with us, and get your copy of the book!