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It’s important for the governing board of your nonprofit to approach its responsibilities with the best of intentions and motives.
A key part of any nonprofit’s strategy should include creating a mission statement that quickly summarizes the goals of the nonprofit and how they benefit the community. However, creating an impactful mission statement is easier said than done, as it can be hard to come up with one or two sentences to accurately encapsulate your mission.
If you’re preparing to write a mission statement for your nonprofit, it helps to see examples from other like-minded organizations. This article provides 5 examples of nonprofit mission statements and explains how board management software enhances nonprofit governance.
What is a Mission Statement?
A mission statement is a brief declaration of a nonprofit’s essential purpose, goals, and values. The mission statement serves as a guiding principle for the organization, outlining why it exists, what it seeks to achieve, and how it intends to accomplish its objectives.
As the mission statement summarizes the overall vision for the organization, the nonprofit executive director should collaborate with others in key board member positions. The most effective mission statement offers a clear description of your nonprofit’s motivations but is concise enough to be easily understood by a wider audience.
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Nonprofit Mission Statement Examples
Here are 5 examples of mission statements from current nonprofits and what makes them successful:
1. Code for America
“Code for America works shoulder to shoulder with community organizations and government to build digital tools and services, change policies, and improve programs.“
Short, sweet, and to-the-point: Code for America’s mission statement provides all the introductory information about its purpose and strategic plan that isn’t already implied by its name. By using the phrase “shoulder to shoulder,” it positions the nonprofit as one member of a larger communal support system.
2. Wild Tomorrow Fund
“We face the extinction of one million species in our lifetimes. But there is still hope. The solution to the extinction crisis lies in the expansion of natural habitats in threatened wild places. We must enlarge and protect the spaces devoted to the natural world in order to save the amazing variety of life on our planet – called biodiversity.”
Wild Tomorrow Fund’s mission statement is strikingly direct in contextualizing the reasons for their existence. Despite not providing much insight into their strategy for combating climate change, the statement serves as a call to action for those interested in protecting the environment.
3. The Women’s Center
“The mission of The Women’s Center is to significantly improve the mental health and well-being of all members of the community through counseling, education, support, and advocacy.”
The mission statement of The Women’s Center is straightforward and clear about who the nonprofit cares for, and it gives you a general idea of how they plan to do that with a multi-pronged approach to aid.
4. QuestBridge
“QuestBridge designs and builds programs for talented low-income students to access and navigate exceptional educational and life opportunities. QuestBridge recruits, develops, and supports motivated low-income students – beginning in high school through college to their early career – to be successful at America’s best colleges, graduate schools, and companies.”
In terms of clarity, you can’t do much better than QuestBridge. In two sentences, the nonprofit manages to explain its core motivation, the target demographic for its work, and provides an outline of its methods for accomplishing its goals.
5. Muso
“Muso works to create a cure for delay because no one should die waiting for health care.”
While it is necessary to provide some tangible information regarding your nonprofit’s cause and programs, mission statements also need to strike an emotional chord. Anxiety over the potential complications of dealing with injuries or illness are sadly relatable across the world. Muso’s mission statement speaks to the universal fear that most people can connect to and understand as soon as they read it.
OnBoard Powers Effective Nonprofits
A good mission statement can help a nonprofit inspire trust in its work, encourage greater support, and contribute to the growth of your organization. In addition to creating a mission statement, a nonprofit board of directors must also attend to their other fiduciary duties, such as providing organizational oversight and writing nonprofit annual reports.
OnBoard’s digital board management platform provides purpose-built features that make it easier for board members to record meeting minutes in real time, share information, and collaborate during board meetings and ongoing projects.
Want to learn more? Download our board meeting agenda template to get a greater idea of how our platform can streamline your next nonprofit board meeting.
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About The Author
- Gina Guy is an implementation consultant who specializes in working with nonprofit organizations get the most from their board meetings. She loves helping customers ease their workloads through their use of OnBoard. A Purdue University graduate, Gina enjoys refinishing furniture, running, kayaking, and traveling in her spare time. She lives in Monticello, Indiana, with her husband.
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