American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. We love the use of the word “empower” as it adds to the emotional intensity of the mission statement. Like with many short, one-sentence mission statements, it’s hard to share a lot of the “how”. This mission statement also scores lower on readability than some others on this list, but we still think this nonprofit mission statement is solid. Due to the nature of their work, some of the vocabulary used will be less accessible to the general public. However, their mission statement is straightforward and compelling.
Your goals are the handful of achievements towards which you will work over the next one to five years (you choose the timeframe). Your values are the guiding principles for which you stand. They are the ideals you refuse to compromise as you conduct your mission in pursuit of your vision. A mission is to a nonprofit what profit is to a business.
- Your organization does something different than others (or at least it should).
- Empowerment
We create change that empowers government and community organizations with the tools and skills to change people’s lives, especially those most in need. - Nonprofit organizations, in many ways, are shepherds of missions.
- The Trevor Project’s mission is to end suicide among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning young people.
Nonprofit mission statements are important because of the ripple effect. A powerful nonprofit mission statement evokes emotions and compels others to get involved. Donors are moved to give, and this brings in the much needed resources that your organization needs to accomplish its mission. This nonprofit mission statement makes it clear who the beneficiaries are (in this case lands and waters, and therefore the rest of the world).
Remove all synonyms and focus only on what’s essential. It’s only natural to want to add more information, but the key to writing great mission statements is keeping them short and sweet. Like many nonprofit organizations, Wild Tomorrow Fund combines its mission and vision statements into one copy on its website. Crafting a great nonprofit mission statement is a necessary beginning.
Gather your team
The best and most compelling mission statements out there are crystal clear and concise. A mission statement should be more tangible than a vision statement, have a shorter lifespan, and evolve more frequently. Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of minorities in all aviation and aerospace careers. Muslim Urban Professionals (Muppies) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and advancing Muslim business professionals.
Bring it to your board members and volunteers and see if they feel like the mission statement reflects your nonprofit. If you’re doing a revamp, you can also bring it to current members for discussion. Focus & Motivate Your Team – Staff and volunteers want to believe in the work they do. Your mission statement should be easy for staff & volunteers to understand, remember, and own.
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Similar to the other content on your website, your nonprofit’s mission statement involves strategic planning and brainstorming to truly define your core values and purpose. It’s worth mentioning, however, that many nonprofit organizations don’t follow this formula. Some choose to only focus on their why, their raison d’être, choosing not to specify the beneficiaries or their approach/methodology just yet. And while many nonprofit organizations need to follow standard business practices in order to succeed, mission orientation is what separates non-profit organizations from businesses. These fundamental elements characterize the most effective mission statements.
How to Write an Awesome Nonprofit Mission Statement
In the end, there isn’t a perfect formula that works for every nonprofit organization. No matter how invested you are in your core mission and all that it takes to make it happen, starting and growing your nonprofit can be hard. There are so many hoops to jump through, from certifying your nonprofit status designation, developing a sustainable and effective nonprofit strategy, and more. That is a lot for one or a small group of people to handle.
Clarity is essential when crafting a great nonprofit mission statement. Ideally, your nonprofit mission statement can be understood by someone completely unfamiliar with the work that you do. Finally, a nonprofit mission statement is not enough by itself. Have it lead you to make a jump and take action to achieve your mission.
Put together a focus group and test your mission statement with them. You might even want to A/B test with a few different mission statements on your website and see which one performs better. Bright Pink created a mission statement that is clear and convincing. Bright Pink is on a mission to save women’s lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering them to live proactively at a young age.
CoachArt Vision Statement
By reading their mission statement we can see the importance of including the “how” – it explains the work of a nonprofit and it helps distinguish it from many similar ones. Their goal and desired impact are very clearly stated (significantly improve the mental health and well-being of all members of the community). We also love that they used the word “significantly” to add emphasis. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF fights for the survival and development of the world’s most vulnerable children and protects their basic human rights. To do so I will begin by sharing some of the better mission statements I have discovered while working with the excellent nonprofit platform Every.org.
It might benefit from being simplified and shortened, using words that are easier to remember. We’d love to learn more about how One Degree uses equity-centered technology to empower people. A few more specifics here would help clarify exactly what their mission is and how it functions.
But it can feel impossible to write one that perfectly captures what you do and why you do it. If you need some inspiration, we’ve compiled 17 of the best nonprofit mission statements. We’ll also break down why each is working and what could be improved. Here are 10 impactful nonprofit mission statements you can use as inspiration to create an incredible mission statement of your own. This might not be the shortest and most catchy mission statement on the list, yet we love it because of how clear and comprehensive it is.
Remember, your mission statement is the face of your organization. It needs to be clear, concise, comprehensive, and ideally instill confidence, enthusiasm, and trust in what you do. To improve our communities’ best nonprofit mission statements sexual and reproductive health outcomes through health care, education, and advocacy. The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.
Some nonprofits struggle to differentiate between a mission and a vision statement. Bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. We love that they share their location with their mission! This is so important for location-specific organizations https://simple-accounting.org/ like Project Ropa. This statement also excels at sharing the two main mission focuses and how this organization will get there. QuestBridge designs and builds programs for talented low-income students to access and navigate exceptional educational and life opportunities.