To enrich women’s lives.
Sounds wonderful, right? Who wouldn’t want to support an organization with that? Turns out that comes from cosmetic marketer Mary Kay. I’m not saying Mary Kay doesn’t enrich women’s lives, but it does so in finite ways. (Please look at the Sept. 29, 2008 comment called "SAMPLE MISSION STATEMENTS" below for examples of real company's statements.)
The purpose of a mission statement is to describe what your values are, what you do, and who you serve. A mission statement is not a slogan. You can come up with a slogan; you can even derive a slogan from a good mission statement. But remember that the mission statement’s principle function is not to sound catchy, but to let people in and out of the organization know what its purpose is and to guide decision-making.
Be clear and specific in your wording. For instance, you can include your geographic reach and services provided. "To end homelessness" might perfectly describe your organization’s mission… if it’s global in scope and uses a plethora of venues to achieve its goal. But chances are something more specific and realistic like "To combat homeless in HometownCounty through job-training, affordable housing, and advocacy." would work better.
You don’t want your organization’s mission statement to be too narrow, however. "To decrease homelessness by 25% in HometownCounty through affordable housing at the 12th Street Apartments" might be a great goal for a specific project, but as a mission statement is very limiting in terms of future partnerships or growth.
The following mission statement from a local United Way is both clear and flexible: "To inspire the people of York County to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors through financial generosity and volunteer commitment." Dissected, you find that the mission statement conveys:
- Values: making a difference in the local community
- Geographic reach: York County
- Purpose: Leveraging donations and volunteers
A mission statement often is a full sentence: "The mission of the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), a nonprofit charity watchdog and information service, is to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar contributed to charity by providing donors with the information they need to make more informed giving decisions." This statement is effective because it gives someone without prior knowledge of the organization a good understanding of what the AIP does and why.
For completeness’ sake, a mission statement can also be more than one sentence. Be wary, however, of a too-long mission statement. It should definitely not sound like legalese. It also need not describe the organization’s every strategy (for instance, the first bullet of this mission statement suffices). You can (and should!) write your organization’s specific goals and objectives separately – but leave the mission statement crisp and digestible.
Estela Kennen - Estela is a doctoral student in Public Administration and a freelance writer and editor.
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