Close but not quite: modifying modules that almost fit

While Drupal has modules that do so many things, how often have you found a module that was similar to what you needed, but didn't actually 'do the right thing'? Was it a patch away from being useful? Or maybe it was a good case for cloning and then modifying into what you do need? We'll discuss deciding how to adjust things, working with the maintainer, hiring consultants, and other ways to get the module need fulfilled, including how to share it back to the community and pay it forward. We'll have some examples, but will be focusing on general good principles.