For years, development officers have cultivated prospective donors by listening to their deepest desires. Now, development officers' work increasingly involves devising a strategy for aligning the donor's desires with the mission, goals, and needs of their institution. It is possible, even amid signs of changing donor agendas and attitudes, but it does require fundraisers to sharpen their tools of communication for developing and maintaining a donor relationship and the ability to say no. Such honesty allows the donor to take his or her gift elsewhere, which in the long term is a good thing. Experienced development professionals say that the key to winning a donor over is being able to clearly understand the donor's motivations and then determine and articulate a vision of how the mission and goals of a respective institution can complement the donor's wishes with a few adjustments to the original proposal.