My Mission Me
Demystifying the
Mission Statement
Why is something so important so difficult? Here’s plain talk about how to make your mission statement genuinely useful. ByJean Vo@
he creation or revision of the mission statement for a nonprofit organization looks so simple on the surface. Yet, this very basic and important project can take many months of laborious and often conflicting discussion by the governing body and management staff, or, according to Drucker, can “cause controversy, argument, and disagreement. ” Indeed, many organizations throw up their hands and say: “Forget it! Let’s Just operate with the mission statement that we put in our Articles of Incorporation way back when we first incorporated. ” It is the intent of this article to provide a solution to the mystery of the mission statement and to help clarify its importance to your organization.
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WHAT ISA MISSION STATEMENT?
The mission statement, or purpose, of your orga-
nization is the broad description of its reason for existence. It is the single statement that differentiates your organization from other organizations in the community. It is the source from which all of your organizational plans and dreams, strategies, objectives, policies, and outcomes flow. It is the vehicle for the empowerment of your staff to focused action. Without a single, concise mission statement, the numerous and varied parts of your organization do not function cohesively and you give mixed messages to your various audiences. The mission statement should flow from and be in congruence with the organization’s values and its Articles of Incorporation. It should be broad enough that it need not be changed too frequently, yet specific enough to describe the organization. Some experts suggest that it be incorporated into the organization’s bylaws, for “safekeeping,” so that it doesn’t get lost, and so that it is accorded its proper degree of importance. (Since some states mandate a boilerplate set of bylaws for
Mission Statement
Why is something so important so difficult? Here’s plain talk about how to make your mission statement genuinely useful. ByJean Vo@
he creation or revision of the mission statement for a nonprofit organization looks so simple on the surface. Yet, this very basic and important project can take many months of laborious and often conflicting discussion by the governing body and management staff, or, according to Drucker, can “cause controversy, argument, and disagreement. ” Indeed, many organizations throw up their hands and say: “Forget it! Let’s Just operate with the mission statement that we put in our Articles of Incorporation way back when we first incorporated. ” It is the intent of this article to provide a solution to the mystery of the mission statement and to help clarify its importance to your organization.
T
WHAT ISA MISSION STATEMENT?
The mission statement, or purpose, of your orga-
nization is the broad description of its reason for existence. It is the single statement that differentiates your organization from other organizations in the community. It is the source from which all of your organizational plans and dreams, strategies, objectives, policies, and outcomes flow. It is the vehicle for the empowerment of your staff to focused action. Without a single, concise mission statement, the numerous and varied parts of your organization do not function cohesively and you give mixed messages to your various audiences. The mission statement should flow from and be in congruence with the organization’s values and its Articles of Incorporation. It should be broad enough that it need not be changed too frequently, yet specific enough to describe the organization. Some experts suggest that it be incorporated into the organization’s bylaws, for “safekeeping,” so that it doesn’t get lost, and so that it is accorded its proper degree of importance. (Since some states mandate a boilerplate set of bylaws for