Читать книгу Nonprofit Kit For Dummies - Stan Hutton, Beverly A. Browning - Страница 84

Times have changed from when nonprofit organizations had long, drawn-out mission statements that spanned pages and read like a rambling fact sheet. Instead, we suggest keeping your mission statement short and succinct — aim for one or two memorable sentences that speak about the present and can be easily remembered by your board members, staff, volunteers, and community stakeholders. That way, everyone can remember why your nonprofit organization exists, what it does for the community, and how they can help it stay on focus daily. Save your lengthy writing for the vision statement.

Here’s a sample mission statement with the most important words bolded to amplify the nonprofit’s reason for existence, intent, and focus.

The mission of the Grant Writing Training Foundation is to educate, empower, and enlighten nonprofit staff through affordable professional development training.

What do your board members need to remember when they’re out and about in the community? “We educate, empower, and enlighten your staff through affording training programs.” This is short, sweet, and memorable — and it makes sense when the full mission statement is shortened.

Think of your mission statement as a one-minute elevator speech. You have 60 seconds to describe your organization’s purpose and activities. Doing so is easy if you have a clear, short mission statement. Even if you have a longer mission statement, develop a 50- to 75-word spiel that you can recite from memory. Say just enough to capture the attention of listeners. After that, give them a business card with the nonprofit’s contact information (on the front) and the full mission statement (on the back).