How to Create the Perfect Mission Statement for Your Nonprofit 

A mission statement for a nonprofit organization (NPO) can help craft a measurable purpose and shape its foundations. It influences marketing, communications, and organizational culture, and communicates who you are to others. According to the National Council of Nonprofits, NPOs cite limited resources and increased demand within communities as the top challenges in the industry. A solid mission statement can help your NPO stand out and attract more support for your mission. 

 

What is a Mission Statement? 

A mission statement describes an NPO’s fundamental, one-of-a-kind purpose in a short, compelling statement. It also defines what the nonprofit isn’t by setting essential boundaries. Ultimately, a nonprofit’s mission statement reflects its core values and beliefs. As a result, the best mission statements are a concise summary of the following: 

• Why they exist 
• What they do 
• Who they serve 
• How they do it 

Some may need help distinguishing between a mission and a vision statement. Although they share some similarities, as both emulate an NPO’s beliefs and values, a vision statement explains the organization’s overall goal in the future. In contrast, a mission statement outlines the plan to realize that vision. 

Therefore, an NPOs mission statement is critical as it paves the way forward. Mission statements serve several vital functions in addition to setting the foundation for its nonprofit’s goals and programs, including: 

• Assisting in defining goals and measuring impacts 
• Uniting and motivating staff and volunteers 
• Providing a template for decision making 
• Focusing the organization’s leaders’ efforts 
• Obtaining donations and community support 
• Legitimizing the significance of the organization 

How to Create a Mission Statement 

An excellent mission statement, like a tagline in advertising, sticks with you when you hear it. It’s concise, to the point, and memorable. A well-thought-out mission statement is an inspirational gold mine. Your staff and volunteers want to believe in what they do, and a good mission statement will help them understand, remember, and own it. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when writing a mission statement: 

Be clear and concise 

A strong mission statement is clear, concise, and memorable. People should be able to repeat it from memory, so keep it short and sweet. Your mission statement should provide a snapshot of your nonprofit organization. As challenging as it might be, no magic number of words makes a perfect mission statement, but try to keep it at a maximum of 100 words.

Keep it simple and specific 

A mission statement is simple — people should be able to read it once and understand it from the get-go. Your NPOs mission statement will most likely reach a lot of people. So, avoid ambiguity, buzzwords, and jargon — this is not the time to flaunt your vocabulary. An excellent rule of thumb is to keep the vocabulary at an 8th-grade level. Moreover, you need to be specific with your mission statement and get to the heart of what makes your nonprofit unique. It needs to inform and guide others on what your NPO does and how it’ll achieve its specific goal. 

Stay open-minded 

Make every effort to be clear and specific, but stay open-minded and think of your NPOs future growth. Consider the long-term! Your mission statement should include your current goals while leaving room for what you hope to achieve in the future. In addition, be open-minded to feedback from partners, staff, and volunteers. Learn what they think about the mission. They’re most likely just as dedicated as you are. Ask them what stands out to them and how they see the organization in the future. 

Questions to Get Started 

If you need help figuring out where to start with your nonprofit mission statement, begin by asking the right questions to generate a mission statement that encompasses all of the significant aspects of your NPO. Consider collaborating with your partners and staff to gain multiple perspectives and insights. Answering the following questions will assist you in developing a picture of your organization’s mission: 

What does your nonprofit do? 

Your NPOs mission statement is an excellent way to summarize what your organization stands for, providing context for additional information on programs and services. So ask yourself this: What valuable services does your nonprofit offer? Does it address prominent needs such as homelessness or hunger, or does your nonprofit build solid foundations for people through education and career readiness? Is your primary goal to raise awareness of a problem? 

Who do you serve? 

Your NPO is also a business and, thus, requires a target audience. When considering your audience, think about them as a whole. Your nonprofit’s mission statement represents everyone in your organization. It should be an inspirational tool for your partners, staff, volunteers, potential donors, and supporters. A good mission statement demonstrates that your nonprofit is concerned about the needs of all parties involved. You may find value in creating a target audience persona, a fictional representation of your audience. 

What are your core values? 

The essential, constant values that guide your organization are known as core values. They represent your nonprofit’s values and guide your future decisions. Once you’ve decided on your core values, work with your team to flesh them out and see how they affect every aspect of your nonprofit’s operation — from external operations to organizational culture. 

5 Nonprofit Mission Statement Examples 

Need inspiration? You can always look at mission statement examples to draw inspiration from them and create your own. Here’s a list of five existing nonprofit mission statement examples from GiveSmart’s case studies: 

1. United Way

Mission statement: This NPO wants to improve people’s lives by harnessing the caring power of communities worldwide to advance the common good. 

What we love: The United Way mission statement is truly inspiring. This strong sentence conveys the organization’s mission, the people it serves, and the solution it provides. The language is simple, memorable, and inspiring.

2. Wildlife SOS

Mission statement: This organization wants to make long-term changes to maintain and conserve India’s natural heritage, forests and biodiversity by actively trying to protect animals, study biodiversity, conserve habitat, conduct research and create alternative and sustainable livelihoods for former wildlife-dependent populations.

What we love: Wildlife SOS may not have the shortest mission statements, but it answers the what, who, why, and how. It also perfectly fits their brand voice.

3. The Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford

Mission statement: Their mission is to foster and inspire the next generation of innovators and thinkers to create good change worldwide through innovative educational practices driven by Jewish beliefs and values.

What we love: The Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford created a moving and compelling mission statement. The phrase “next generation of innovators” emphasizes the significance of their mission.

4. Over The Rainbow Housing

Mission statement: They envision an America where all people with disabilities who want to live independently and have the necessary skills may locate accessible, inexpensive housing.

What we love: Over The Rainbow Housing goes straight to the heart of its cause. The nonprofit explains its mission in simple terms that anyone can understand in just a few words. 

5. Sav-A-Life

Mission statement: They state that they assist men and women in accepting their religious truth and making life-affirming decisions for their unborn children.

What we love: Sav-A-Life created a brilliantly short and easily understandable mission statement. You know what they do and who they serve.

 

Check out More of GiveSmarts Resources for Nonprofits 

Curious to learn more about running a successful nonprofit? GiveSmart blogs cover many nonprofit topics to help your organization reach its fundraising goals. We’ve assisted organizations ranging from large, global nonprofits to smaller, local operations in meeting and exceeding their fundraising targets. We provide flexible, customizable features to support your online fundraising and donor management with our fully-featured fundraising and donor management platform.