Nonprofit Mission Statements Good and Bad Examples

We proudly serve thousands of churches, campaigns, schools, and other nonprofits.Select your industry for information on features, pricing, and how we can serve you. The statement presents a problem, outlines an action to change the problem, then addresses the population served. 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. The nonprofit world is full of buzzwords and industry jargon.

  1. It is also a way to communicate your organization’s message to the world.
  2. This is so important for location-specific organizations like Project Ropa.
  3. The more people you can involve in writing your mission statement the better – so long as getting more people involved does not lead to an overly lengthy statement.
  4. Each year, they host hundreds of author readings for visitors of all ages and a vibrant marketplace featuring the best selection of books and magazines in Canada.

Your nonprofit mission statement is your foundation. It shapes and influences everything from marketing and communications to culture, and it speaks to others about who you are. A mission statement, also referred to as a vision statement, sums up the essence of your organization in https://simple-accounting.org/ just one or two sentences. It guides your decision-making processes and drives people to want to learn more about your organization. Maybe it would be helpful to understand better what it means to “improve lives”, but even without this, this nonprofit mission statement is solid.

Nonprofit mission statements serve 3 primary functions, each geared to different audiences. 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. To help you craft the best nonprofit mission statements perfect mission statement for your nonprofit, we’ve put together a list of 30 organizations that are crushing the mission statement game. A straightforward mission establishes crucial boundaries which allow your nonprofit to exhibit responsibility and authority.

While it scores low on readability, we find this nonprofit mission statement to be very comprehensive and clear. Their goal is evident, it’s clear who the beneficiaries are, and they even managed to detail how they do it – all while keeping it to one sentence. A vision statement describes “the ideal future”, what the organization is building. A mission statement describes what the organization is doing in the present to create that ideal future. A nonprofit mission statement is a one or two-sentence statement describing why your organization exists and what you do.

Guidelines for Creating a Great Nonprofit Mission Statement

A mission statement is to an organization what a compass is to an explorer. If designed well, it will provide your nonprofit with a framework for making decisions throughout the organization. Your nonprofit mission statement can help you evaluate options and decide what’s best for your nonprofit according to your preferred future. 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”.

Heifer International Vision Statement

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. The team at BryteBridge specializing in helping new nonprofits have a strong start. If you need more help, use our guide to writing a mission statement in one hour. Bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. Anyone could remember this mission statement and tell others about it.

SafeBAE is a survivor-founded, student-led national organization whose mission is to end sexual assault among middle and high school students. They use an even shorter mission statement on their homepage (We’re on a mission to make government work in the digital age. Join us.) which also serves as a call to action. 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.

To inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge, and strengthen our communities. In this article I will show you how to write a strong mission statement. A world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are ensured equality and embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. A world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all people live in dignity and security.

Nonprofit Communications Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide

Mission statements are essential tools for promoting and positioning your nonprofit organization in the minds of others. It is a way to make your organization stand out by highlighting the unique purpose that resonates with your supporters. It is also a way to communicate your organization’s message to the world. Your mission statement serves as a clear and concise representation of your nonprofit organization to those outside it.

This is what attracts funding and allows you to take smart action. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are 17 examples of different nonprofits and their mission statements. Sometimes, nonprofits make their mission statements complex, but sometimes short and sweet really is the key. They are ideally set as part of strategic planning when an organization is just being set up (alongside mission and vision statements).

A mission statement influences and shapes your organizational culture, and organizational culture is a crucial aspect of employee happiness. People want to believe in the work that they do. 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.

With a focus on intuitive, human-centered design, GiveForms goal is to help you increase your online donations. While “Spread Ideas” might work for TED, some other organizations might find this mission statement too vague. An expertly written mission statement can sum up the impact of your organization in one sentence.

Text to be read by the general public should aim for a grade level of around 8 (source Readable). To connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. This tool has been downloaded over 1 Million times and has been utilized by hundreds of consultants and trainers to help clients and students like you. Every person has the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life.

Mission statements often get confused with vision statements. While these two are closely related, they serve different purposes. 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.

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