EXPERTISE
Lowell has contributed significantly to the growing literature on nonprofit and philanthropic effectiveness. He is the author, co-author, or editor of the following publications, all of which are available for free download.
• “Indigenous Peoples Can Help the World Mitigate Climate Change” (GoodCitizen)
• “Tips from a White House Speechwriter Who Transitioned to Philanthropy” (Do Your Good)
• “Sharing Power: A Frank Discussion Between Funders and Grantees” (Candid)
• “It Shouldn’t Take Crisis for Funders to Learn This” (GrantCraft)
• “Sharing Power and Curbing Racial Inequities” (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
• “Why Foundations Benefit When They Focus on What Grantees Need Most” (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
• Funding Performance: How Great Donors Invest in Grantee Success (Leap Ambassadors Community)
“Celebrating Deb Haaland: A Q&A with Janeen Comenote” (GoodCitizen)
• “Range, Generalists and Wicked Social Sector Problems” (GoodCitizen)
• “Rising to Our Times: How Great Donors Dig Deep to Help Grantees When it Matters Most” (Giving Compass)
• “Step Up to Help Your Grantees Survive” (Center for Effective Philanthropy)
• The Big Reset: Guidance for Funders & Nonprofits for Our Tumultuous Times (Morino Institute)
• “The Fight for Indonesia’s Forests” (Ford Foundation)
• “Decoding the Donor” (page 17, iMPACT)
• “How Funders Can Get Better at Getting Better” (Washington Monthly)
• Learning & Sharing What Works: Profiles of Four Funders Propelling Philanthropic Practice (Center for Effective Philanthropy)
FUNDING PERFORMANCE:
PROFILES IN PHILANTHROPIC COURAGE
Every quarter, Lowell shines a bright spotlight on a funder doing a great job of supporting grantees’ pursuit of high performance. He writes these profiles under the auspices of the Leap Ambassadors Community, a group of more than 160 leading nonprofit and philanthropic executives.
• Ecosystems Thinker: A Profile of Rose Letwin and Wilburforce Foundation
• Growth Mindset: The Evolution of Tricia and Jeff Raikes’s Philanthropy
• Network Effect: A Profile of Venture Philanthropy Partners
• Meaning, Purpose & Joy: A Profile of Philanthropist Duncan Campbell
• Blunt Talk, Sharp Thinking: A Profile of the Mulago Foundation
• We’ve Walked in Your Shoes: A Profile of the Weingart Foundation
• Heart + Brain + Ears: A Profile of the Blagrave Trust
• Invested in Empathetic Challenge: A Profile of Impetus-PEF
• A Better-Angels Funder Practices What It Preaches: A Profile of the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust
Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity (2011)
Lowell was a major contributor to this guide to nonprofit effectiveness, which now has more than 100,000 copies in circulation. Harlem Children’s Zone Founder called the book “a must-read for nonprofit leaders.” Presidential advisor David Gergen said the book is “deeply relevant for any leader whose organization provides service to others.”
The Performance Imperative: A Framework for Social-Sector Excellence (2018)
Lowell was the editorial director of this yearlong collaborative effort to define “high-performance organization” and the seven organizational disciplines that underlie high performance. To crib from the late author Stephen Covey, these are the seven habits of highly effective organizations.
Working Hard—and Working Well: A Practical Guide to Performance Management (2013)
Lowell edited this book, which serves as a companion to Leap of Reason. Performance whisperer David Hunter shares the secret formula behind the intensive, tough-love workshops that have sparked transformation for many of the country’s top nonprofit organizations.
Impact Through Intentionality: The Effective Donor Principles & Practices (2010)
Lowell was the writer and editor of this guide to the core tenets and best practices of effective philanthropy. It was a collaborative effort of the Donor Effectiveness Network (DEN), a learning community of donor educators and advisors supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Leap of Reason Update
Every month, Lowell co-authors the Leap Update newsletter with the philanthropist Mario Morino. The newsletter, which goes out to nearly 50,000 subscribers, shows what high performance looks like in action and offers encouragement and resources for those pursuing it.
• “Even the Highest Performers Are in Triage Mode”
• “Lemonade”
• “New Signs of Evolution in the ‘Galapagos’”
• “Cultivating Great Leadership From Within”
• “Ignoring Gravity”
• “The LeBron of Philanthropy”
• “Momentum”
• “The Wisdom of WINS Leaders”
• “What Funders and Surgeons Have in Common”
• “Ask Not”
• “The Reads That Rocked Our World”
• “Half Empty Is Ok, But Full Disdain Is Not”
• “What You Can Do for Your Country”
• “The Big Reset”
• “The Hardest Leadership Decisions You’ve Ever Faced”
• “Brutal Honesty & Credible Hope”
• “‘Men Are Coming to Kill You!’”
• “The Link Between Humility and Effectiveness”
• “Great Ways to Squander Your Money”
• “Fool Me Ten Times, Shame on Me”
• “The Right Was Right on This”
• “A Paradoxical Mix of Arrogance and Insecurity”
• “Uncommon Mindset, Uncommon Results”
• “Five Habits of Highly Effective Funders”
• “Why Aren’t We Talking About ML?”
• “Gratitude Isn’t a Platitude”
• “A Gut Punch”
• “How Funders Can Leap from Good to Great”
• “Epic Example of Why Performance Matters”
• “Performance for the Poorest”
• “When Matters”
• “Up and Down the Elevator Five Times”
• “Gates Schmates”
• “Light After Dark”
