Don’t be a perfect nonprofit, be a good one.

There’s one cliché I refuse to give up: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” I still remember a very wise friend saying this to me in high school, and I’ve clung to it ever since.

 

As a mom, lawyer, and a recovering "good girl," I NEED this cliched expression to get by.

 

When I don't respond in the ideal way to my three-year-old hitting her sister . . . when I’ve reached out a little late to a friend who’s been going through a tough time . . . when I describe something to a client in a confusing way and have to go back and explain again, I remind myself: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Sometimes, multiple times a day, this expression guides me.

 

Let’s be clear, in promoting this expression, I’m not saying that bad behavior should be accepted when it is done for the greater good. But, behavior that falls a bit short of perfect should be.

 

I try to remind my clients of this, particularly my nonprofit clients.

 

In the nonprofit world, it feels like there’s endless pressure to be perfect--pressure from donors, regulators, and the general public. This pressure can be stifling. And, frankly, I don’t think it’s possible to be the “perfect nonprofit.” But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a good one.

 

When organizations quiet the pressures to be perfect, they can focus on being good. They can make determinations about which risk mitigation strategies to prioritize. They can implement policies and practices that will reduce the chances of a compliance slip-up, even if they can't avoid these slip-ups entirely. They can renegotiate some disadvantageous terms in an agreement where they can't renegotiate a problematic agreement in full. These steps in the right direction are critical to nonprofits' sustainability and impact.

 

So, get out there! Do good, f* up a little, fix it, do it better the next time. Rinse, wash, and repeat.

 

And, as you contemplate good imperfection, I’ll leave you with a few sage lines from Gus Van Sant's GOOD WILL HUNTING (Miramax 1997):

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Will: . . . Right now she's perfect, I don't want to ruin that.

 

Sean: And right now you're perfect too. Maybe you don't want to ruin that . . .

 

My wife used to turn the alarm clock off in her sleep. I was late for work all the time because in the middle of the night she'd roll over and turn the damn thing off . . . My wife's been dead two years, Will. And when I think about her, those are the things I think about most.

 

 . . . You're not perfect. And let me save you the suspense, this girl you met isn't either. The question is, whether or not you're perfect for each other. You can know everything in the world, but the only way you're findin' that one out is by giving it a shot.

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