Leap of Reason
Written by Mario Marino
(To download the book for printing or reading on your computer, iPad, or Kindle, visit: leapofreason.org)
Author’s Note: Mario Marino makes a strong case for why nonprofits need to be clearer about their goals and more rigorous in gauging their progress. The main message of his book centers on the importance of organizations having clarity of mission and a performance culture in order to be able to realize their full potential for the benefit of those they serve. Our foundation has spent the past couple years putting in place our own disciplined approach of managing to outcomes and monitoring our progress. While not easy, we’ve learned the hard way that our foundation, and the nonprofits we support, can’t act on gut feeling, emotion, or intuition to maximize and sustain our collective impact.
Excerpt: “Despite all the right intentions, the vast majority of nonprofits do not have the benefit of good information and tools to determine where they’re headed, chart a logical course, and course-correct when they’re off. They’re navigating with little more than intuition and anecdotes. The problem is not new, but it is growing in urgency. Public funders – and eventually private funders as well – will migrate away from organizations with stirring stories alone, towards well-managed organizations that can also demonstrate meaningful, lasting impact.”