Build Capacity – How to Write a Mission Statement

I don’t know why this came to mind but most of us have a favorite term or phrase we use when anyone asks us what we do. If you are a nonprofit, it probably has something to do with your cause. I use the term “capacity building” which makes sense because it is included in The Philantrepreneur Foundation’s mission statement. We use the capacity building process to help nonprofits increase their ability to better serve their mission

That then sparks another thought. How effective is your mission statement? Do you even know what a mission statement really is? These two elements, capacity building, and the mission statement are important to your organization’s success. For us, capacity building and our mission statement are our organizational compass.  We believe when done well, capacity building can be transformative on so many levels. It can fuel the growth needed to serve even more constituents — and to us, that’s a pretty big deal.

That’s why we’re going to break down two of the nonprofit industry’s biggest terms: capacity building and mission statement.

WHAT IS CAPACITY BUILDING?

We could use the formal definition which is the process of developing and strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes, and resources that organizations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast-changing world. However, from a nonprofit perspective, specifically targeting our capacity building initiatives. Capacity building is not just about the capacity of a nonprofit today — it’s about the nonprofit’s ability to deliver its mission effectively now and in the future. Capacity building is an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit.

We approach capacity building from three levels.

1. INDIVIDUAL: training and development activities to increase understanding of specific topics;
2. ORGANIZATIONAL: internal development, mission, policies, and procedural restructuring; and
3. SYSTEMIC: processes, initiatives, reforms to increase bandwidth and scale for greater impact.

From our experience, it depends on the maturity level – not size – of the organization which determines where the priority for capacity building might be. Often it goes in cycles and your organization might be currently undertaking some capacity building efforts. Here’s what it might look like: 

• Individual – Board/staff development activities increasing capacity by sharpening your team’s fundraising expertise, allowing them to work smarter.  
• Organizational – Strategic planning increases capacity by ensuring that all fundraising efforts are developed in a manner that maximizes return.
• Systemic: Investing in software to increase capacity by allowing you to automate marketing and database processes to save time.

Anything that optimizes or improves your organizational operations builds capacity. And because nothing can ever be perfect, the work is never truly done. Even the best nonprofits could still use some fine-tuning!

HOW TO WRITE A MISSION STATEMENT

In the beginning, I mentioned that the term capacity building was in our mission statement and is the driving force behind the work we do. Your mission statement should serve that same purpose. Not only internally for your stakeholders but externally so the community fully understands what and how you accomplish your purpose. If you are starting to get confused let me break down the areas that define who and what you are.

1. Vision: what the future looks like if you are successful
2. Mission: identifies the how, for who, and the impact or change to be made.
3. Purpose: explains the reason for existence – your why.

Some also like to explain it as:

We have the vision, which is the what.
We have the mission, which is the how.
We have the purpose, which is the why.

However, more often than we would like to see, organizational mission statements are confusing and too long. A mission statement has a very specific goal and includes 3 specific details to be effective. Many organizations include all three elements, vision, mission, and purpose into their mission statement thinking it would be more effective. It’s not.  When we do an organizational assessment, the first thing we look at is the mission statement. When was the last time you reviewed or assessed your mission statement? Is it effective? Are all your programs still aligned with it? 

Over time mission statements can be amended to better describe the goals. When an organization first launches one of the first tasks is to create a mission statement. It becomes the foundation of your messaging and development.

We would like to share with you our document How To Write A Mission Statement.  It will help you assess if your current one is on target or if just starting out helps you create a great statement.