Organization Foundations: Vision and Mission

Organizational purposes, or vision statements, define an overall idea of how the community will be changed/better because an organization exists and based on a timeline in the distant but foreseeable future. That future could be five years, ten years, or twenty years out. It is important, though, that there is a predetermined point at which you would expect to see noticeable impact, and what that impact will be should be succinctly described in your purpose statement. The purpose statement should be inspiring, and should energize both your planning team or board of directors, and ultimately the community you will be serving. Your purpose or vision statement is not your mission statement. We’ll talk more about that later. However, a good purpose or vision statement will assist you in formulating the organization’s mission, as they are complementary in nature.

An organization’s mission statement clearly outlines the prime purposes of the work of the organization, including clearly identified markers and measures of success. The mission statement is both a declaration to those internal to the organization, as well as those without, to keep the organization on point as to what it hopes to achieve by any and all activities in which it engages.

The vision statement is equally important, but is more overarching, defining and declaring the operational values, guiding assumptions and beliefs that give impetus to the organization’s very existence. For internal stakeholders (board members, employees, volunteers, etc.), it provides inspiration and motivation, as well as expressing expectations for how each will behave and perform to exemplify the organization’s highest standards. For those external to the organization, it provides a rationale for partnership and collaboration, based on beliefs and values they also share.

In the next post, I will provide some simple exercises for you and your planning team to perform the work of developing a vision and mission statement.