How to Avoid Mission Creep7 Hallmarks of Mission Statements That Stay PutMission statements are more than just decoration for your office wall. A good mission statement makes decisions much easier. When in doubt whether to head off into another direction because a donor suggests it or a foundation grant opens up a new avenue, getting back to the mission statement will help you stay on course.
Kim Jonker, a consultant to nonprofits, and William F. Meehan III, a senior director at McKinsey and Company, authors of a recent article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (Winter 2008), suggest that nonprofit mission statements that have these characteristics are less likely to "creep": 1. They are focused.The best mission statements are not grandiose or even particularly inspiring, but rather narrowly focused...more like a laser beam than a spotlight. Feeding all the hungry people in the world is laudable but likely out of reach for an organization with finite resources. The more focused the mission, the better the performance is a good rule of thumb. |
2. They solve unmet public needs.Nonprofits receive special tax status because they address problems that the government and business can't or won't deal with. Their mission statement must be about these public needs.3. They leverage unique skills.Passion and high aspirations are not enough for real impact. A nonprofit should have skills and be capable of specific actions that are different than other organizations. An example is Teach for America which enlists young people (future leaders) to help eliminate educational inequality. That is specific as to the who and the what.4. They guide trade-offs.Every nonprofit organization must make critical decision and trade-offs...what intitiatives to proceed with and which to abandon. They should say "no" to funding opportunities or programs that do not align with their mission but they should say "yes" to opportunities that will take their mission to the next level.5. They energize stakeholders and are inspired by those stakeholders.A nonprofit has multiple stakeholders, often with conflicting interests and ideas. These can include board members, staff, customers, government agencies and the public. Great missions reflect all those interests but balances them, sometimes favoring some over others. But, as a result, the mission statement inspires those stakeholders.6. Great mission statements anticipate change.In anticipating change, these mission statements are timeless. To accomodate change, nonprofits should re-explain their missions to their stakeholders every three to five years. This will regain their understanding and commitment. But that does not mean organizations need to change their missions. That should only be done in truly exceptional cases.7. A mission statement should stick in the memory.Stakeholders, especially external ones such as donors, rely on your nonprofit's mission statement to guide their actions. So, the statement should be something that can easily be remembered. That means it should be short and concrete. A good example is Kiva's statement: "to connect people, through lending, to alleviate poverty."
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