Leap of Reason "is the best thing on management I’ve read all summer... It helped me sharpen some of what we’re trying to achieve at my own organization, the Drucker Institute.”
               —Rick Wartzman, Bloomberg Business Week
               Outspoken About Outcomes for Nonprofits, 8/26/11

"If you hadn’t guessed already, I love this book. It says things that really need to be said if charities are to fulfil their promise and help tackle the problems society faces. It says them clearly, and with passion, conviction and insight based on deep experience.”
               —Tris Lumley, Alliance Magazine
               Leap of Reason - Managing to outcomes in an era of scarcity, 9/1/11

“Spending cuts will cause a crisis in the social sector that ‘will have an impact on almost every non-profit [organisation] in America, whether or not it receives government funds,’ writes Mario Morino, a veteran philanthropist, in ‘Leap of Reason’, one of three new books that address the same thorny question of how to not merely give, but to give well…. The books draw examples from the many years the authors have spent promoting better philanthropy, and are all worth reading.”
               —The Economist
               Giving for Results, 5/12/11

"Any list of effective venture philanthropists should include Mario Morino.... [His] short book struck a chord because it wrestles honestly with the need that any responsible giver faces to measure impact and the difficulty of doing that right.”
               —Matthew Bishop, Philanthrocapitalism blog
               Books of the Year, 12/28/11

“The book is a must read for anyone who cares about impact…. Indeed, Leap of Reason should be the first assignment in the foundation-grantees book club.”
               —Phil Buchanan, Center for Effective Philanthropy blog
               Why Foundations Need to Make a Leap of Reason, 7/13/11

“As Mario Morino of Venture Philanthropy Partners argues in his important new book, Leap of Reason, ‘Every ounce of our effort on assessing social outcomes should be with one end in mind: helping nonprofits deliver greater benefits to those they serve.’”
               —Phil Buchanan, Center for Effective Philanthropy blog
               Avoiding a False Choice (Why We Need Both Passion and Assessment), 7/21/11

“Mario Morino's book, Leap of Reason, is the clearest articulation of how and why we should be thinking hard about data, information and learning in order to do what we do. I think we're beginning to reinvent the core elements of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector.... Leap of Reason is much more pragmatic than the abstract, long term reinvention that I'm watching occur. ”
               —Lucy Bernholz, Philanthropy 2173 blog
               Information—"the single best basis for improvement", 7/26/11

"Morino’s book offers practical advice on one of the most difficult challenges facing donors and nonprofit leaders – measuring success.... Leap of Reason is a concise guide to help donors get and stay focused on the results they seek.”
               —Tom Tierney, Philanthropy Roundtable website
               "Five Books That Should be in Every Donor's Library", 10/11

"Leap of Reason is a terrific resource for nonprofit managers and board members, as well as social entrepreneurs, foundation leaders and informed individual donors.... As a consultant who often works on strategic plans and development roadmaps, I particularly value the savvy framework section and will undoubtedly use some of the key questions and models there in my work.”
               —Tom Watson, CauseWired blog
               Mario Morino's Leap of Reason -- Challenge and Reward, 11/15/11

"This short book is a great starting point for understanding the importance of nonprofits managing to outcomes. It also has a great list of resources to take you further down the road....”
               —Ken Berger, Charity Navigator blog
               A Great Addition to Your Summer Reading List, 8/4/11

Leap of Reason is “full of valuable insights about a sector that is increasingly important. [The book] is a must read for all involved in the non-profit organisations."
               —Long Range Planning, 2/12

“As I read this book, I kept wanting to shout out, ‘Amen!’ Finally someone argues so clearly why understanding if a social solution is working is not a luxury or a ‘nice to have’ but rather an absolute necessity for our new reality.”
               —Nell Edgington, Social Velocity blog
               A Call to Arms for the Nonprofit Sector, 6/28/11

“[Organizational capacity] building is pretty rare in the nonprofit sector. That's what VPP and other organizations like it are bringing to the table. For the past 20 to 40 years there's been a lot of talk about capacity building in nonprofits, but to actually figure out how to build and support organizations is something we're learning how to do through the for-profit world. It's absolutely critical to have that in place first—if you don't, it's hard to figure out what are the important things to measure.”
               —Professor Alnoor Ebrahim, Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
               The New Measures for Improving Nonprofit Performance, 12/14/11

“Good leaders in any sector—nonprofit, for-profit, or public—who have a performance mindset want to augment good intentions and intuition with the best data they can get their hands on. They can’t sleep at night when they don’t know whether they’re on course to achieve the results they seek. They’re obsessed with finding ways of doing what they do even better.”
               —Mario Morino, GuideStar blog
               Interview with Mario Morino, author of Leap of Reason, 12/16/11

“Leap of Reason is unusual among books about measuring results for nonprofits in that it is brief and practical…. Mr. Morino recognizes that measuring results is only a means to an end and urges readers never to confuse measurement with mission.”
               —Sean Stannard-Stockton, Chronicle of Philanthropy
               Is Underperformance Philanthropy's "Natural State?", 6/26/11

“In Mario Morino’s book Leap of Reason … he warns that metrics must never trump mission and urges the reader to always ask the question “To what end?”. It is through Mario’s question that I think rigor and moral clarity can be reconciled in philanthropy.”
               —Sean Stannard-Stockton, Tactical Philanthropy blog
               More on Philanthropy's Natural State of Underperformance, 6/29/11
               High Performing Philanthropy: To What End?, 7/6/11
               Mario Morino on "Underperformance in Philanthropy" Debate, 7/11/11
               Rigor and Moral Clarity in Philanthropy, 7/14/11

“Mario Morino ... has eloquently and forcefully argued for the need of nonprofits and its philanthropic community to embrace a management to outcomes framework.... In our limited but growing experience, it is exhilarating when our partners ... need not assume but can actually see how our individual and collective efforts are making a real measurable difference.”
               —Neil E. Carlson, Calvin College; Edwin Hernandez, and Chana Edmond-Verley, DeVos Family Foundations; Gustavo Rotondaro and Eleibny Feliz-Santana, Grand Valley State University; and Susan Heynig, Grand Rapids Public Schools,
               Developing a Master Data Sharing Agreement, The Foundation Review, 12/11

"It can be hard to define what success means to you.... In his wise and highly readable new book Leap of Reason, Mario Morino explores practical ways to measure results."
               —Susan Wolf Ditkoff, Bridgespan's "Give Smart" blog
               When a Pulitzer’s Not the Goal: How the Sandler Foundation Defines Success for
ProPublica, 8/11/2011

“What leadership books are at the top of your summer reading list? Here are my five… 5. Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity by Mario Morino. Given that federal agencies can often have difficulty measuring their outcomes, Morino’s book offers a simple approach for helping federal managers identify critical measures and learn from results.”
               —Tom Fox, The Washington Post's "Federal Coach" blog
               Summer reading suggestions for federal leaders, 6/22/2011

“Mario Morino’s Leap of Reason [is] a book which is not only destined to be viewed in the long term as a seminal contribution to the field, but which has, within only a few short weeks, made its way across much of the nonprofit sector… In this book, Mario collected his thoughts and put it all down on paper in an irrefutable argument for results-based thinking, management, and practice in the nonprofit space…. Leap of Reason is a book that every nonprofit leader should read."
               —Dr. Robert Penna, The Outcomes Observer blog
               June Update, 6/28/11

"Leap of Reason ... is a wakeup call for those who have been resistant to measurement."
               —Alliance for Children and Families Magazine
               More than Spreadsheets and Software, 12/22/11

"Leap of Reason could legitimately serve as a text book in the training of those who would be and/or are current execs. It should be considered as a tool for helping execs prepare their Board Chairs for leading.”
               —Michael Burns, Nonprofit Board Crisis blog
               Nonprofit Book Review: Leap of Reason, 1/3/12

“Every now and then, something towers above the noise with uncommon wisdom…. The justifiably renowned From Good to Great is such a read…. Now comes along Leap of Reason…. The publishers and writers are quite serious about getting this excellent resource in the hands of as many nonprofits as possible.”
               —Michael McWilliams, Rapporteur Log
               Books: Leap of Reason, 6/23/11

“The weekend is reserved for reading every word of Morino’s manifesto, but here’s one bit that jumped out in yesterday’s quick flip-through: Isaac Castillo urges nonprofits to ensure they’re providing the best services to the recipients.”
               —Brigid Slipka, blogger
               First Do No Harm Means Admitting When Harm is Done, 5/20/11

“Mario Morino makes a strong case for why nonprofits need to be clearer about their goals and more rigorous in gauging their progress.”
               —Tim McCarthy, The Business of Good Foundation
               Book: Leap of Reason, 8/1/11

“Philanthropist Mario Morino, along with a host of prominent nonprofit leaders, puts forth the convincing argument that the difficult challenges created by mounting budgetary pressures at all levels of government compel the social sector to become clearer in their goals, more deliberate in defining methodology, more willing to admit mistakes and more adaptable all while keeping an unrelenting focus on improving lives.”
               —Claudia Herrold, Ohio Grantmakers Forum
               Good Reads in Philanthropy, 8/1/11

"Reading the book has truly brought me much happiness.... My rating: Five out of five.... It is fantastic, and I agree with Geoffrey Canada — A must-read for nonprofit leaders."
               —Emily Rotella, Measuring Social Impact
               Review Revisited: Finishing Leap of Reason, 9/18/11

"Morino’s book succeeds because it effectively engages the reader, causing one to ponder application of managing to outcomes to one’s own work in the nonprofit world—be it running an organization, grantmaking or consulting with nonprofits."
               —Robert Jaquay, OGF Connection: News and Knowledge for Ohio Funders
                GOOD READS: Morino urges clarity first, 9/11

"'How do you know your organization isn’t hurting clients?' This important question leapt out to us (pun intended) from Isaac Castillo’s essay 'First Do No Harm…Then Do More Good,' in Leap of Reason."
               —Melinda Tuan, The Center for High Impact Philanthropy
               Leap of Reason (Mario Morino): “Back to School” Book Report , 9/22/11