Writing a Winning Nonprofit Mission Statement: Useful Tips

Sometimes, nonprofit organizations fail to write a winning mission statement, forgetting that this is a very important tool for every aspect of your initiative. This is the best way to bring your organization to the next level, therefore you have to pay special attention to it.

Reasons mission statements make a difference

• Depicting your objectives
• Motivating volunteers, company members, and supporters
• Helping the community stat organized and focused especially in the hard times
• Shaping decision-making strategies
• Giving out a strong message to the audience

Clear and powerful expression of organization’s aims and strategies will surely attract more volunteers and funders.

What to include?

The main idea of mission statement writing is describing the main purpose of the organization and showing its uniqueness. Two central aspects to focus on are the values and the groups an organization serves.

Therefore, make sure to include the following details:

• Why a nonprofit organization of yours was created?
• For whom was it created?
• How does it support them?

Writing tips

• Be informative

First of all, your document should tell the audience about your activity in an informative way. It doesn’t matter how attractive and witty your statement is, if you don’t describe your organization in detail.

• Be clear

You should make it understandable and simple. It’s not the best time to exercise your vocabulary.

• Be conscious

Make it short and to the point. Try not to exceed the amount of 20 words.

• Be open

Discuss the crucial points of your mission statement with colleagues and be open to adjustments during the process. Hire a consultant if you have financial capability to do so.

• Remember about the balance

When writing a mission statement, it is important to mind the difference between your aims as a public organization and your inner communication with colleagues and volunteers.

Creating a mission statement step by step

• Make a meeting with your team

Being an organization of people, who share the same values and aims, you should discuss them together and come up with a clear and concrete ideas for writing. Brainstorm and write down everything that comes to your minds, you will evaluate and sort these thoughts later.

• Tell a story

One of the best ways to relate to the audience with the help of a mission statement is to tell a story related to the impact of your organization. Ask the members of your team to write them down.

• Combine the stories

When the group members are done with stories, take a look at them and answer a number of questions to build one large story from these small ones. What are the most frequently described places/people/actions/problems? Basing on these answers, you can compose a story that matches the ideas of all the members.

It doesn’t matter if this is your first mission statement or you want to revise an old one. You should put your best efforts and invest enough time in the process to make sure that your text shows who you are and what exactly you do in both inspiring and informative way.

And remember. A mission statement is just a first step. Follow it and do everything to make your ideas come to life!