by Kris Kennedy

Created on: September 06, 2009

Nonprofit Mission Statement

Can your organization employees, board of directors, sponsors and volunteer state the mission statement and does it match the work of the nonprofit. Both these factors are important to a successful nonprofit.

Creation of the Mission Statement

With the creation of the mission statement, the organization needs to know what affects the nonprofit wants to have on the community. With out a clear image of want benefit the organization will have on its area of influence, sponsors cannot sort through a decision to share their community influence.

At the creation of the mission statement, the founders of a nonprofit need to know that it would recruit vacancies. With a well-written and realistic mission statement, future board of directors can determine a positive skill match. The mission statement is the first step to guarantee a forward moving nonprofit because it attracts the entrepreneurial and professional talent of the community.

Some nonprofits do not use volunteers, but most must solicit the assistance of volunteers at least on the fundraising level. With a view of writing a mission statement with a clear picture of possible questions the nonprofit provides a concise illustration. A complete mission statement provides the means to answer the question. What will I be helping with if I volunteer? If the only answer is your will run a golf tournament, or paperwork, volunteer might neglect to see the value of giving labor without pay.

Mission Statement Match

The matching of mission statement to what the organization actually accomplishes becomes confusing to many in the community. Some involved in a nonprofit fail to know what the overall picture of what the nonprofit wants to accomplish. Could any employee tell you what the community would be without if the nonprofit closed its doors, and would that affect match the nonprofit.

Keeping the mission statement simple makes it possible that actions within the nonprofit can run through the mission statement for verification. This can only occur if the mission statement is small enough to remain in the mind of all involved with the nonprofit. Many state the mission statement or at least a major portion of its language must fit on a prominent wall. A slogan developed from the mission statement can give directors the opportunity to grab an audience with the slogan and than state the mission statement.

How many times have nonprofits had difficulty when the community thought the nonprofit's mission was one thing, but the activity appeared to serve a different population or need? This frequently forces nonprofits to justify their actions with their community, but if the mission statement was known by all and could guide decision than the questions could answer themselves.

Mission statements are important and necessary. A positive and simple mission statement saves time and money.

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