Mission / Vision Guide

Mission / Vision Guide
Julia Erickson
©2015

Missions are:
The reason the organization exists, or its
purpose.

A Successful Mission:
Articulates core reason you exist
Inspires people
Is timeless
Is grounded by geography or
population served or both
Is driven by values

Questions To Develop Mission
What’s our reason for being, our
purpose?
To what group(s) do we make a
difference?
Where do we make that difference?
What would the world be like if we
didn’t exist?

What is a Mission Statement?
A clear, concise and memorable sentence
that captures the purpose of the
organization, encompasses core values,
and keeps the organization on course,
over time.

Mission Statement Examples
Non-Profit and For-Profit

The Nature Conservancy
To conserve the lands and waters on
which all life depends.

Nike
To bring inspiration and innovation to
every athlete* in the world.
* If you have a body, you are an athlete.

ASPCA
To provide effective means for the
prevention of cruelty to animals
throughout the United States.

Harley-Davidson
We fulfill dreams through the
experience of motorcycling, by
providing to motorcyclists and to the
general public an expanding line of
motorcycles and branded products and
services in selected market segments.

Oxfam
To create lasting solutions to poverty,
hunger, and social injustice.

Bristol-Myers Squibb
To discover, develop and deliver
innovative medicines that help patients
prevail over serious diseases.

Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign is America’s
largest civil rights organization working
to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender equality.

Ford Motor Company
We are a global family with a proud
heritage passionately committed to
providing personal mobility for people
around the world.

Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society
Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s
disease and myeloma, and improve the
quality of life of patients and their
families.

CVS
We will be the easiest pharmacy retailer
for customers to use.

Visions are:
A description of the desired impact an
organization will have in its field on its
target constituency.

A Successful Vision:
Fulfills the mission
Promises impact
Motivates people
Provides an image of your goals before you
set out to reach them
Communicates meaning to your constituency
Provides concrete guidance for designing and
aligning programming

What is a Vision Statement?
A short, vivid and inspiring written
description of what the organization
intends to become and achieve in the
future, often stated in competitive
terms.

SMART Vision Statements
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time Bound

Visions Guide Everything:
Programming
Funding
Visibility & marketing
Infrastructure
Governance/management

Vision Statements do not:
Specify how to achieve desired ends…
That comes next…with strategies.

Questions To Develop Vision
In [x time], we will be known for:
In [x time], we will be capable of:
In [x time], we will have the following
impact:

Vision Statement Examples
Non-Profit and For-Profit

Virgin Trains
To become the most safe, consistent,
reliable and profitable of the train
operating franchises in a climate that
respects different views and people
need not be afraid to be open and
honest.

City Harvest
City Harvest will build on our achievements as a
pioneering food rescue charity to increase access to
the food resources hungry people need to live
healthier lives. We will improve and grow our core
business, respond to evolving market conditions, and
make demonstrable progress toward ending hunger
in New York City. As a result of our work, by 2008,
more hungry people will consume more nutritious
food and improve the way they use their food
resources, and more people will contribute to the
mission of ending hunger in NYC.

Interface (interior floorcoverings and fabrics)
Our vision is to be the first company that,
by its deeds, shows the entire industrial
world what sustainability is in all its
dimensions: people, process, product,
place and profits - by 2020 - and in
doing so we will become restorative
through the power of influence.

Make-A-Wish
Our vision is that people everywhere
will share the power of a wish.

American Dietetic Association
ADA members are the most valued source
of food and nutrition services.

Amazon
Our vision is to be earth's most
customer centric company; to build a
place where people can come to find
and discover anything they might want
to buy online.

WHO Collaborating Center for Public
Health Practice
The Collaborating Center will provide leadership in the
area of public health practice, sharing best practices
and disseminating evidence to enhance public health
systems on a global level. Through collaborative
activities, the Center will play a large and growing
role internationally as reflected in the CDC's vision
statement: "Healthy People in a Healthy World-
Through Prevention." It will help countries to
enhance their public health infrastructure, enabling
better surveillance and use of scientific evidence in
healthcare decision-making.

Agway Energy Products
We will be the leading regional total
energy solutions provider to homes,
farms, and businesses. Our focus on
superior customer service, sustained
growth, and our ability to take
advantage of strategic opportunities will
enable us to maximize profitability.

Kiva
We envision a world where all people –
even in the most remote areas of the
globe – hold the power to create
opportunity for themselves and others.

Millennium Promise
End extreme poverty worldwide by 2025.

Mission / Vision Guide

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Mission / Vision Guide