By Julie Simpson
How do you know if you organization's mission statement needs work? If it's more than one paragraph. If, when you describe your organization, it doesn't match your printed statement. If it's dull and boring, and your readers roll their eyes. If readers don't understand a word of what they just read. If your board has no chance of remembering it. If it has already been achieved.
A mission statement is important to an organization and its various constituencies for many reasons: it gives management and program staff a framework to decide on the scope of the organization's services and helps determine the population to be served; it guides board members overseeing the organization's work and in determining which external opportunities to pursue; it provides guidance when board and staff are attempting to plan strategically and enables them to clearly define the outcomes if the mission is to be achieved. Additionally, it motivates staff, helps attract talented individuals to the organization, and assists in volunteer recruitment.
Finally, a clear and concise mission statement is essential in raising funds from donors—there is no way an organization can raise money, if it isn't able to articulate exactly what it's raising money for!
There are several schools of thought on what a mission statement should and should not be. Some experts feel that a mission statement should not prescribe the means by which one will accomplish the mission (the strategies), while others think it should; some believe the statement should be extremely brief - others don't.
At its core, a mission statement explains why an organization exists and defines the role it will play in achieving the larger vision. It should contain two basic elements: an infinitive verb that indicates a change in status (increase, decrease, eradicate, prevent, etc.) and an identification of the problem to be addressed or a condition to be changed (access to cultural resources, the existence of a disease, etc.). It is likely that other organizations will be striving towards the same vision, but your mission should be specific to the approach your organization will take to solve the problem—your unique contribution to the solution.
A mission statement should be short and focused, but it should also be broad enough to encompass organizational purposes for many years. A good mission statement addresses opportunities, is inspirational, and matches the abilities of the organization. Finally, a good mission statement communicates what the organization wants to be remembered for.
Mission statements are often confused with a number of other types of organizational statements or approaches: a vision statement describes the place the organization envisions it will be or the conditions that will exist once the organization's mission has been accomplished; a values statement describes the principles guiding the organization's work; goals and objectives are outcome statements that define what an organization is trying to accomplish with its programs and operations. Strategies answer the question of how an organization will achieve its objectives; tactics are specific action steps to accomplish strategies, including financial and budget plans, schedules, and identification of who is responsible for specific activities.
It is common for mission statements to become long and unwieldy, usually because organizations tend to combine the actual mission statement (focusing on the purpose of the organization, whom the organization serves, and where it envisions it will make a difference in the lives of its stakeholders) with a values statement, as well as with the strategies with which it intends to accomplish its mission.
While there is no hard and fast rule as to how long or short a mission statement should be, it typically works better to separate the mission from the values and strategy statements, breaking them into discrete pieces that can be used together when appropriate.
An organization should review its mission statement at least every three years, or more frequently if the group is operating in a field undergoing tremendous change. Here's one way to get started:
Establish a small group that includes representatives from staff, board, clients, and funders. (Do not try to draft a mission statement in too large of a group.) Start with the societal and organizational vision to highlight what it is that you hope will be in existence once you have achieved your vision. Then consider your organization's specific contribution to realizing the vision. Ask each individual to write his or her own draft mission statement. Using these drafts, the writing group will then create one statement based on the common themes found in the individual drafts. In creating the group draft, the following are some of the questions and considerations that should be addressed:
- Will your target audience understand the jargon? Will the general public understand the message?
- Is the statement too long? Does it need to be broken down into values, goals, objectives, etc.?
- Are your verbs strong? Do verbs like "empower" or "promote" sound hollow or hackneyed? Might you want to define them further?
- Is there something in particular about the way you will accomplish your mission that is not a strategy, but rather is part of your organization's DNA—something that defines the way you do business?
There are natural trade-offs in the qualities of a good mission statement; a single statement can't be all things to all people. Finally, after working on the statement and trimming it down, you may need to add back some of the aspirational language.
The writing group should vet the proposed draft with the organization's stakeholders and incorporate input into the statement. So that no one feels slighted, review all of the drafts and entertain all suggestions.
The new or revised mission statement is presented to the full board for approval. Expect some discussion and possible modification of the statement by board members. All the better if this discussion can be led by board members.
Once the new mission statement is adopted, it should be widely circulated and used. Incorporate the new mission statement into all aspects of organizational life, including proposals, training materials, brochures, and other collateral. Some organizations even opt to have it printed on the back of business cards. Ultimately, it should permeate everything you do.
These steps are critical in order to end up with a mission that will actually serve the organization in a meaningful way—one that inspires, is easily remembered, and readily communicated.
Julie Simpson is Director of Nonprofit Strategy and Capacity Building at TCC Group. Before joining TCC Group, she served as the Executive Director for Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education, where she built cross-sector partnerships between regional arts, social service, health, housing, workforce development, urban agriculture, and juvenile justice agencies. She can be reached at jsimpson@tccgrp.com.