Leap of Reason Takes Flight
Friends and colleagues,
Im pleased to announce that today is the official release of Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity, a new book Ive written in partnership with McKinsey & Company and a dozen other social-sector experts and practitioners.
Leap of Reason, published by Venture Philanthropy Partners, offers candid, practical advice for social-sector leaders who want and need better information in order to fulfill the mission that compelled them to dedicate their lives to serving others.
As The Economist highlighted in its favorable review of the book, the need for data on performance is not new, but it will soon take on greater urgency than ever before.
Passionate and provocative, this work should prove deeply relevant for any leadergovernment, business, or nonprofitwhose organization provides service to others.
David Gergen
Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Senior Political Analyst, CNN
As budget pressures mount at the federal, state, and local levels, nonprofits will need better data to help them adapt what they do for dramatically changing needs and to compete effectively for funding. We hope the book will help thousands of nonprofits prepare for and even thrive in this new era and show funders what they can do to enable a sector-wide shift in performance.
You can get the book in different formats (PDF, e-book, etc.) at leapofreason.org. If the books messages resonate with you, we hope you will help spread the word through your own networks.
My best,
Mario Morino
Quotes From Leaders Like You
“You’re taking someone else’s money to get into somebody else’s life to try to make a difference. You better be showing you can make a difference!”
“Stories substituting for facts is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me!”
“Any school in the country can do this. And it breaks my heart that we’re not [all] doing this!”
“Every day, you have to say, ’How can we do this more efficiently and more effectively?’ It’s in our DNA.”
“Through a process of self-reflection, our board members asked themselves fundamental questions: How can we improve? How can we make a greater impact?”
“You have to have undying passion for the population you’re serving. We can spend time patting ourselves on the back for the 85 percent of the kids who are doing really well in our program. But we need to be as concerned about the 15 percent who aren’t succeeding and learn how we can improve for them.”
“Managing to outcomes is not about simply counting things or gathering information. And it is not about satisfying funders. It is an internal effort aimed at figuring out what works and what doesn’t, so that the organization can provide the best possible services to its clients”