Recently, a colleague of mine shared the best professional advice he's received: One person doesn't raise a gift. An institution raises a gift.

Stellar fundraising professionals know that it’s a great feeling to help someone figure out how they want to support an organization that means so much to them. Gift officers listen and assist. It’s never them raising the gift; it's everyone at their institution working behind the scenes to coordinate meetings and phone calls and proposals and gift terms, all of which will help the donor to understand the nonprofit’s needs better and make an informed gift decision.

Fundraising takes a village. It's not a solo pursuit. Fundamentally, it's not about the donor and the fundraising staff. It's about the donor and the mission.