A mission statement is the core definition of an organization: it tells potential stakeholders and community members why the organization exists. Mission statements can outline an organization’s values and vision in a matter that both motivates and persuades interest. For this reason, composing an effective statement for your organization is understandably no easy task. The statement has to be precise and clear in outlining the objectives of an organization, yet compelling in fulfilling the dual task of promoting the organization’s brand.
In effort to help organizational leaders and staff get started, here is my model for drafting a mission statement easily by answering four questions about the nature of the work being done.
Components of a Mission Statement
As an executive member of your organization or business, ask the following questions to help come up with a draft of a mission statement:
What is our organization? All organizations have a name, but the name is just a factor of branding. Staff members must be able to define what exactly the purpose of their organization is.
Why we do what we do? By answering this question in the statement, the organization explains to potential supporters and target audience members why it exists. This is the purpose of the organization.
For whom do we serve? This question outlines the target audience/ community being served by the organization.
How do we serve? Organizations have a list of values, objectives, and principles that guide their work. By answering this question, staff indicates how they intend to achieve the primary goals of the organization.
After completing the draft, read over and have several other staff members do so as well. Remove jargon and shorten sentences to avoid incoherence. Try to get the overall statement down to 3 concise sentences taken from the answers you described in the 4 questions above.
Case Study: Mission Statements and Women’s Advocacy Groups
Both examples I list below are the mission statements from two non-profit organizations in the Chicago area with the target audience of disadvantaged women. I removed the names of both in order to focus on the statements verbatim without harming the overall reputation of the organizations.
“XXXX breaks the cycle of homelessness for women in Chicago. Through a continuum of housing options, comprehensive support services and opportunities for change provided by dedicated volunteers and staff, women succeed in achieving their goals of stable housing, sustainable income and greater self-determination. We seek to fulfill our mission through the expression of our core values….”
This is a good example to use in breaking down the key elements of an effective mission statement. Strategically, the organization hit all the key components:
- What: This is a housing organization in Chicago staffed by both volunteers and professionals.
- Why: The organization seeks to help disadvantaged women fulfill their housing needs.
- Who: The target community that the organization serves is homeless women.
- How: The organization offers support services based on their core values in helping women find housing, employment, and grow self-esteem.
Now, let’s look at another example of a mission statement. Though the statement provides a foundation of the principles that empower the work of the staff (the Why? component), it misses the mark in regards to fully defining what the organization is, who it serves, and how it intends to fulfill its purpose:
“XXXX is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.”
Many organizations make the mistake by defining who they are by indicating what they are against. The statement could be more objective in that it leaves too much room for questions that distract from its purpose. For instance, how does the organization define racism? How does the organization intend to empower women? What are the primary scales being used to measure whether peace, justice, freedom, and dignity is being promoted? As a non-profit consultant, I don’t recommend staff members who intend to seek donations from various different funding sources go this route. The statement is passionate but far too broad.
In addition, a mission statement should outline goals that are engaging and promotes action beyond sentiment. It is important to continue to re-vision and tweek the drafts composed using this model. If you are an organizational leader such as executive director, community manager, or board chair member, have as many executive staff members as possible help compose the statement in making sure everyone is on the same page in moving forward.