What Are Mission and Vision Statements?
Many people who step into the nonprofit world and begin to learn about an organization, can become confused by vision versus mission statements and underestimate their importance. Furthermore, many young nonprofits struggle with the distinction between the two which can create problems down the road with direction and identity. Lacking these features can cause an organization to struggle with fundraising, membership, strategic direction, and more. Mission and vision statements are key features in nonprofit strategy. These are the statements that guide everything you do. In today’s blog, we examine what vision and mission statements are, some tips for crafting quality statements, and the important role they play in quality nonprofit strategy. Let’s take a look at mission statements first.
Mission Statement
Your mission statement is your map. Its purpose is to get your organization to your destination (your vision statement). Your mission is critical. Nonprofits always refer to their mission, mission success, achieving the mission, etc. It is akin to profit for a for-profit business. Thus the mission statement should get at the essential purpose of your organization. To keep it simple, the statement should spell out:
Why does your nonprofit exist?
Who does your nonprofit serve?
How does your nonprofit serve this group?
Through these three concepts, your organization outlines the plan or “map” for how to realize your vision or “destination.” While those are the main principles you want to capture in your statement, there are a few tips to remember when crafting a statement to ensure that it maintains its impact.
It should be clear: complex vocabulary may seem like a good idea, but a concrete, easily digestible mission statement is far more powerful and accessible to all that support your organization. This also means avoiding generalities. Using the Red Cross as an example: Don’t say “we help people,” say “The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies…”
It should be concise: this helps support the above point of clarity. Getting to the point is essential for not losing/confusing readers halfway through. Remember not to go too concise. This is still a mission statement, not a tagline.
Inform: your statement should inform readers what your nonprofit will do. The conciseness and clarity do not matter if it is not an informative statement.
Review it regularly: sometimes nonprofits change and your mission statement should reflect those changes. Always review your mission statement to ensure that it accurately captures what your nonprofit is doing or vice versa (make sure your actions are not straying from your mission and vision).
With so many rules and suggestions, it may seem difficult to pull a statement out of thin air. It often helps to step back and look at what a great mission statement looks like. Then you can notice how an organization picked the right words and ideas to match their work. Here are 10 Great Examples of Mission Statements. When reading them, consider the components that make them great and think about how your organization can incorporate the right features of your work into your mission statement.
Vision Statements
Nonprofits are a special kind of organization. They are a force for good, but sometimes they forget their driving purpose and drift into complacency. Work becomes just work and no longer the fight for a good cause. A vision statement directs the efforts of your work, but it must be more than words on a page or a picture on the wall. Your vision is your destination, and it is important to craft one that doesn’t just check the boxes for sounding good but actually remains on the minds of your staff. Take a look at the work you are doing and then consider how you can maximize that work in the future: that is your vision statement. Look at these 30 Great Vision Statements and consider how they are a vision for maximizing the work these organizations do every day. Staff should be able to take the vision statement and juxtapose it with their work and ask “is my work moving us closer to our vision.” For example, the Alzheimer’s Association has not eradicated Alzheimer’s but they can say that their work is driving us to a world without Alzheimer’s. This is how a vision statement should work in relation to your day-to-day work.
While mission statements are the map that guides your work, keeping an eye on your goal (or vision) is important no matter what you are working on. It motivates your staff and drives your support. Athletes spend most of their time focusing on their active mission (workouts, training, nutrition, playbooks, etc.), but a massive driver of their motivation to do those things day in and day out is the goal, going pro or whatever that will be. Keep your vision visible, don’t let it become something that just sits on paper or the wall, live it. Here are three ways to keep your vision present and active in the minds of your staff:
Say it: the easiest way to remember it is to keep it alive in speech. Say it in meetings, at the start of the day, whenever it is appropriate in your workday. This will make it a habit.
Include it in the decision-making process: reference your mission and vision statements when taking action. If these were not included in decision-making previously, they need to be. If an action doesn’t track with your mission and support your vision, it should not happen.
Reward excellence: the nonprofit world is full of individuals who go above and beyond for their team, organization, and the people they help. If someone fits that description for advancing your vision, recognize them. It motivates, spreads your vision statement, and storytelling happens to be a great marketing and engagement tool (check out #4).
Nonprofits are unique. They are just what their name suggests. Profit does not drive them like a for-profit. In light of that, nonprofits cannot just make money any way they like. Having something to guide their actions is key. A strong vision must drive the fundraising process. Linking these (vision, purpose, and fundraising) will create a more authentic alignment and focused impact. Utilize your vision statement rather than just check the box for making one. That is what it is there for after all.
What Should You Take Away From All of This?
The goal of this blog is to help your organization understand the relationship between mission and vision statements. They need each other in order to drive your organization. A map does not help you much if you do not have a destination. Similarly, a destination is hard to reach without a map. Alone, they are great ideas, but together they are an actionable program to implement and make the world a better place. Finally, don’t hide these statements! Use them throughout your website, newsletter, marketing/informational materials, and elsewhere. This is your organization’s central mission and the vision for the community you serve, share it with everyone and live it out in all of the work you do.
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