How to write your own mission & vision statements

Mission and vision statements are amazing—they inspire new engagement, involvement, and thought both inside and outside your organization. They are also essential to any impact-aligned organization, institution, or individual, as these statements are often one of the first questions on any grant application or most frequently viewed page of any website. But with the immense pressure on the need for these statements, leaders often face difficulty in their initial creation. We know they have value, but how do you even get started?

I’ve worked with about a dozen organizations’ mission and vision statements, and while every organization is unique, the initial thinking and mental exercises behind forming the statements are often similar.

When I start the process of creating mission and vision statements, I start where anyone should start - the beginning. And in the case of social impact, the beginning is the why: why are you doing this?

That is often shortly followed by the what: what is the need creating this why, and what is the problem creating this need?

After we find out who: this includes what role I want my organization to play in solving this problem; and who I am serving as my main audience.

Establish some sense of exigency or urgency in the when: when does my solution need to be executed/why is right now the best time?

Lastly, there is always a where: is your organization focused on a specific geographic location or are you operating nationwide/worldwide programs?

These five W’s are not new or original: in fact, they are often the building blocks of any plan, process, or strategy you’ve created. This is no different, and - if anything - you most likely have these written down.

So take a minute - maybe literally 5 minutes - to answer these for me:

1. Why am I building this? (whether it be a nonprofit, social enterprise, B Corps, or personal brand)

2. What is the need creating this above-noted ‘why’? What is driving me to say “yes, this organization/product/service is needed, wanted, desired, or even unknown”?

3. What role do I want my organization to play in solving this problem?

4. Who I am serving as my main audience? What are their demographics?

5. Why is this the best solution at this time? Why right now?

6. Is my organization focused on a specific geographic location?

So with these answers, while a helpful exercise, it might not be clear how to then build your mission and vision statements. What is important to keep in mind is that these statements each have a distinct purpose (and they are not the same thing):

• the mission is what the broader idea of what you/your organization are doing now to solve this problem and fill this need

• the vision is what the world will look like after you have achieved your goal

For example:

Mission: The KW Co. helps unleash innovation in the nonprofit sector to impact the growing demand for social responsibility programming and initiatives.

Vision: The KW Co. envisions a nonprofit sector working hand in hand with their corresponding local and regional corporations to drive a more equitable society.

Play around with it: the formula is an option for brainstorming and constructing, but the key phrases you’d like in your statements might not fit this formula exactly.

If you’re interested in either creating new or rebuilding your current mission and vision statements, reach out to me anytime at hello@kaliewertz.com. I’d love to talk to you more about how we can build statements that exemplify what you are looking to share about your organization.