So you know the direction you want to take for your business, non-profit, church, or organization? You have a vision for a better world, now you need to provide marching orders for your team and employees. Converting your vision into a mission statement isn’t hard, but it is important.
A mission statement encapsulates everything that your organization is and does into a concise form… a 3-sentence (or so) summary of your business.
If you are officially incorporating (which is also a step necessary on the road to non-profit status) you will probably need a mission statement as part of the paperwork. So it needs to be clear and straight-forward, and easily understood by outsiders. It can be longer than your vision statement, and it may include specific goals, objectives, and a description of how you do business.
Hopefully you’re crafting a mission statement to answer the following questions:
- Why? Why have you been created to do?
- What? What change will happen? What are the services that will be provided?
- Who? Who will be helped, and who will do the helping?
- Where? Where will your work be focused?
- How? How will the services be delivered? What methods will be used?
How To Write A Mission Statement
Bring together the stakeholders, directors, visionaries, or leaders of your organizations. Make sure everyone knows the vision and end-state of what your calling or dream is. Use the questions above to guide you as you brainstorm answers. Use wording that is clear, easy to remember, and covers the breadth of your organizational goals.
Review other mission statements from businesses in your field… what do you like, what do you dislike? Borrow what you can from others and develop for your own use (there’s no law against that!)
Don’t be afraid to actually say what you do: if you have a non-profit to fight literacy, explain how you provide educational materials, classes, or teachers. If you are a business, explain how you create the best products or strive for the best return on investments…
So What Do You DO With a Mission Statement?
Everyone in your organization should know the mission of the organization and should be able to tie their day-to-day job directly to the mission. If they can’t, either you should look at their job or your mission statement–one should probably be changed.
Put Your Mission Statement on Everything
Put it on your website, your letterhead, and your walls. Have employees chant it at every meeting; play it over the intercoms. However you do it, make it common knowledge so that all team members can explain it easily to others.
Review Often
Every couple of years, review your mission statement… to ensure it stays fresh and still reflects your goals and operations. As years go by, businesses and non-profits change their styles, their goals, and the way they do business–make your mission statement relevant and honest.
Some Examples…
So here is a list of some good examples. In my opinion, these mission statements balance clarity, description, objectives, and memorability. Let me know what you think!
For-profit
Citigroup: Our goal for Citigroup is to be the most respected global financial services company. Like any other public company, we’re obligated to deliver profits and growth to our shareholders. Of equal importance is to deliver those profits and generate growth responsibly.
CVS: We will be the easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use.
Global Gilette: We will provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit, and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders, and the communities in which we live and work to prosper.
Non-profit
The Scouts (UK): The Aim of the Association is to promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities. The Method of achieving the Aim of the Association is by providing an enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training, based on the Scout Promise and Law, and guided by adult leadership.
International Committee of the Red Cross: …to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance.The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles.Established in 1863, the ICRC is at the origin of the Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It directs and coordinates the international activities conducted by the Movement in armed conflicts and other situations of violence.
charity:water: We’re a non-profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing countries.