How to Write a Mission Statement

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How to Write a Mission Statement

 

By Janel M. Radtke

 

Every organization has a mission, a purpose, a reason for being. Often

the mission is why the organization was first created - to meet a need

identified years ago. Sometimes, the same problems that the

organization initially tried to address continue to haunt generation

after generation. In that case, the organization's purpose doesn't

change - although how it does business has probably evolved. Other

times, even 10 or 20 years can change the landscape so markedly that the

original mission must be updated, altered, or changed dramatically in

order to address those new realities.

 

That your organization's mission is current, alive, and well, however,

doesn't necessarily mean that the organization has translated that

purpose into a clear, concise mission statement. A good mission

statement should accurately explain why your organization exists and

what it hopes to achieve in the future. It articulates the

organization's essential nature, its values, and its work.

 

This should be accomplished in a brief paragraph that is free of jargon

and " terms of art. " In other words, it should avoid the kind of

shorthand that you may be in the habit of swapping with others who work

in the field, but is unfamiliar to anyone who is outside the

organization or the field in which it works.

 

Another important consideration is how recently your mission statement

was reviewed by board or staff members. If it has been more than five

years, now is probably a good time to review and, if necessary,

fine-tune or even rewrite your mission statement. All too often an

organization's mission statement, which has been handed down over the

years, loses relevance and ceases to speak to staff, board members, or

supporters.

 

An effective mission statement must resonate with the people working in

and for the organization, as well as with the different constituencies

that the organization hopes to affect. It must express the

organization's purpose in a way that inspires commitment, innovation,

and courage -- not an easy task!

 

At the very least, your organization's mission statement should answer

three key questions:

 

1. What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to address? (the

purpose of the organization)

 

2. What are we doing to address these needs? (the business of the

organization)

 

3. What principles or beliefs guide our work? (the values of the

organization)

 

You can begin the process of drafting a mission statement by creating a

worksheet based on these questions Ask staff, volunteers, and

constituents to list any words, phrases, or ideas that come to mind with

respect to the organization and these various categories. Do not edit

at this point. Give everyone a chance to be heard. Look for language

and concepts that enjoy broad consensus.

 

Here are three mission statements that do attempt to answer these

questions. Let's see what they have in common.

 

1. The mission of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America is to make a

positive difference in the lives of children and youth, primarily

through a professionally-supported, one-to-one relationship with a

caring adult, and to assist them in achieving their highest potential as

they grow to become confident, competent, and caring individuals, by

providing committed volunteers, national leadership and standards of

excellence.

 

The purpose: to make a positive difference in the lives of

children and youth so that they'll achieve their highest potential

 

The business: providing and supporting committed volunteers who

have one-to-one relationships with children and youth

 

The values: individuals who are confident, competent, and caring;

leadership and standards of excellence

 

2. The National Conference, founded in 1927 as the National Conference

of Christians and Jews, is a human relations organization dedicated to

fighting bias, bigotry, and racism in America. The National Conference

promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and

cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution, and education.

 

The purpose: to fight bias, bigotry, and racism in America

 

The business: advocacy, conflict resolution, and education

 

The values: understanding and respect among all races, religions,

and cultures

 

3. Planet 3000 is committed to healing the earth. Using research into

natural ecosystems, Planet 3000 develops policy recommendations and

pilot projects that apply these underlying principles to human

ecosystems that are in harmony with other life on the planet. By

bringing the human social order into balance with ecological principles,

diversity of all living things can be sustained and the evolutionary

process that has guided and nurtured life on this planet for millions of

years can continue unabated.

 

The purpose: to " heal " the planet

 

The business: advocacy, research, and demonstration projects

 

The values: ecological principles; protecting balance, diversity,

the evolutionary process, and harmony with life on the planet

 

Your Mission Statement Should . . .

 

express your organization's purpose in a way that inspires support

and ongoing commitment

 

motivate those who are connected to the organization

 

be articulated in a way that is convincing and easy to grasp

 

use proactive verbs to describe what you do

 

be free of jargon

 

be short enough so that anyone connected to the organization can

readily repeat it

 

 

Excerpted from Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations:

Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Plan, Copyright C 1998, Janel M.

Radtke. To order a copy of this work, call 1-800-225-5945.

This article appeared in the Fall '98 issue of The Grantsmanship Center

Magazine.