Giving Compass' Take:

• Alyssa Wright offers advice on setting your giving mindset in order to produce real justice in communities around the world.

• Are you asking yourself the right questions to align your giving mindset with justice and community-need? How can effective listening help you set your giving mindset?

• Read about how you can align your giving for racial justice.

Over the years, I have found many of the philanthropic families I work with to have similar values but different mindsets when looking at what it means to execute on those values. In some way, shape, or form, I still find this idea exists that professional or economic success makes one superior to others in a community. With these beliefs, I’ve seen many donors do more harm than good to community-based missions, which truly need to be led by those in the community to ensure real change for society.

If donors desire to be a part of real structural change for communities across the country, they must change their own mindsets first. To move forward on this journey, and act upon these principles, here are a few questions I invite you to start exploring.

Am I Part Of A Philanthropic Community That Is Taking Risks?

If conversations and convenings consistently feel too comfortable, there’s probably no substantial growth happening to help move you along the continuum to justice-centric giving.

Am I A Good Listener? Do I Surround Myself With Good Listeners?

Fight your desire to have all the answers or to make plans quickly. Instead, craft a mini-strategy to meet with community leaders over the next few months, radically listening to them, without any other distractions.

Am I Doing This Work To Feel Good About Myself?

Remember on the path to embracing a justice mindset, you will need to be surrounded by people who can recognize when something is unjust and help change it, even if it is not an experience of their own. They are focused on doing what is fair and right not what makes them feel good about themselves.

Read the full article about setting your giving mindset by Alyssa Wright at Forbes.