Dear Development Director In Charge of Fundraising Events,

- Hi, I’m Christie, & I am a recovering perfectionist. I bet that I have a ton in common with you the week of your fundraising event. You may not be a perfectionist yourself, but during that week the need for everything to be perfect is high.

Why?

Events are public Events reflect the culture of your organization Events require a high level of personal investment from you Of course you want everything to be seamless!

A healthy degree of discipline is good, but watch yourself for signs of overdoing it.

mr.worryHere’s what I used to worry about: What if I don’t make a 100 on my math exam? What if I gain 5 pounds? What if I’m late for my meeting? Guess what , it will all be okay.

Here’s what you might be worried about: What if we don’t reach our fundraising goal? What if the caterers are late? What if we run out of x,y,z? Guess what , it will all be okay.

When the need for perfection strikes, think about this:

If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t taking enough risk .

Whoa.

That’s true.

Reframe mistakes & imperfections as badges of honor. Yeah, you went there. Yeah, you pushed your event outside of the box.

A fundraising luncheon will probably go smoothly. But a luncheon is safe. A luncheon is boring. People will reward you for an innovative event that had a few kinks rather than a boring event that went completely smoothly. So take a deep breath & let yourself be risky.

Sincerely, Christie

Recovering Perfectionist, Life

Communications Director, Swell Fundraising

Photo credit from top to bottom: The Guardian (Mr. Worry), Kiki Ramsey