MacKenzie Scott has become one of the world’s most influential philanthropists, giving billions to charities and communities through her organization, Yield Giving. Surprisingly, her approach to philanthropy was inspired by a book about writing.

Her approach is also distinctive. Instead of tightly controlling how donations are spent, Scott often provides unrestricted funding, allowing organizations to decide how best to use the money. This trust-based model gives recipients greater freedom and flexibility.

Scott’s connection to writing runs deep. She studied English and creative writing at Princeton under Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and later worked as Morrison’s research assistant. Her debut novel, The Testing of Luther Albright, was published in 2005.

For Scott, a lesson from literature became a powerful philosophy for giving.