Foundations of buildings are just that: foundational. They support an entire structure, creating a space that is protected from the elements and geographic occurrences, and determining the size, weight, design, and more. But how many of us pay attention to foundations? These building elements that allow a building to weather any storm, or not?
Similarly, a non-profit’s mission, vision, and values make up its foundation, creating the environment that determines how and why the organization does its work. Also similarly, non-profit staff, boards, and stakeholders can easily take the mission, vision, and values of their organization for granted. Without a deep understanding of what we mean when we talk about these foundational elements, and how they can impact an organization, we can become stymied when it comes time to make changes or provide regular maintenance.
In this article, you’ll come to understand:
- Differences between mission, vision, and values by definition and application
- How similar visions can have vastly different missions through a real-world case study
- Why consensus on mission, vision, and values among organizational stakeholders matters
definitions
An organization’s mission is “The reason an organization exists, the need it is meeting in the community” (Board Source) and it “expresses the particular way that the organization will fulfill its public benefit purpose” (National Council of Nonprofits). In other words, the mission explains why the organization exists and what work it does to solve that why.
Hand in hand with mission, an organization’s vision is “what you see in the future for your community if your organization succeeds at its mission” (Board Source). Or, the vision lays out how the community will be different because the organization completes its mission.
Lastly, each organization operates within a set of organizational values, “ethical guidelines and standards that direct all action” (Board Source), from staff to board and beyond. In other words, an organization’s values set the course for how people will act when completing the mission and attaining the vision.
case study
To explore further, let’s take a look at two organizations that share a similar vision, but seek to achieve this vision through vastly different missions: Goodwill Industries and the YMCA. Both seek a world where all people achieve their full potential. Or, in their own words:
Goodwill Industries: Every person has the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life.
YMCA: We envision a future in which all people – no matter who they are or where they come from – get the support they need, when they need it, to reach their full potential.
Yet when we imagine both organizations, vastly different pictures of how that vision is achieved come to mind. Goodwill is known for their secondhand thrift stores across the country, which offer community members with barriers to traditional employment access to steady work and professional development. The YMCA on the other hand offers space for communities to gather, learn, and practice healthy lifestyles.
This difference is – no surprises here! – found in their mission statements:
Goodwill: Goodwill® works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.
YMCA: put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.
These two examples show us how powerful an organization’s mission, in conjunction with its vision, can be and how different missions can lead to different outcomes to achieve the same vision.
mission & vision & values & you
But why does this matter in the day to day operations of a non-profit organization, or even for the board of directors in their higher level or advisory role? Let’s go back to our mission/vision/values as building foundation metaphor.
Say you are ready to expand your home, adding an additional sunroom because you got a big bonus. You would like it off the SE corner to catch the morning sun, but your partner thinks the view would be better from the NW because they want to see the sunset every night. So you ask your closest friends and family for their input, and soon every corner of your house is in the running for a new sunroom. Some even think to put it on the second floor!
After much discussion, you look at the floorplans and see that a sunroom can only be built in the SW corner because that’s how the basement was laid out for structural support (a note here: I am unsure at this point about the intricacies of home building). Building a sunroom anywhere else off of the house would cause instability, and the sunroom would likely fail within a few years. If you had looked at the floorplans before the conversation, you would have saved some disagreements and misunderstandings. You would have been able to move forward with clear vision from the get go, even as you add on to your existing home.
Like the foundation’s floorplans, an organization’s mission, vision, and values serve as guideposts for decision making within the organization. With a deep understanding and level of consensus on their scope and meaning, organizational stakeholders have the ability to make clearheaded decisions that will only serve to benefit the organization and its programs, regardless of their history with the organization.
It can be hard to tell if an organization you’re a part of has crept outside of its mission and Some subtle signs that are worth investigating include:
- Leadership, board, or volunteers unsure of intent behind a program, event, or initiative. When asked why something is happening, they may respond: “We’ve always done this. It’s a tradition”
- When a new project or initiative is created, current staff or volunteers don’t have the expertise or capacity. You may hear from internal folks: “If we do this project we need to hire someone who has the background for it.” A note that if the organization is growing rapidly, intentionally branching out while remaining rooted in the mission can be a powerful thing!
- The team isn’t sure if the organization should go for a project or funding, can’t articulate if it’s part of the scope or not. They may ask themselves “Is this really what we do?”
If you’ve seen or experienced any of these signs, it’s worth taking an intentional look at your organization and doing some reflection. It can be helpful in times like these to have a neutral, trained facilitator familiar with non-profits and organizational development work with the team so you can focus on the outcome for your organization.
Madeline Kvale Consulting is a great place to start, from small facilitated conversations to large group workshops, our expertise is in collaborative processes that harness your group’s knowledge and passion for your organization.
Your mission, vision, and values set you apart in your community and support you as you do your work. Let’s keep our foundation in mind, and use it as the basis of our strength as an organization.
Sources:
Boardsource. (2024, July 19). Mission, Vision, Values, and Purpose – BoardSource. BoardSource. https://boardsource.org/resources/mission-vision-values-and-purpose/
Goodwill’s Heritage, Mission, Vision and Values. (2009, September 8). Goodwill Industries International. https://www.goodwill.org/about-us/goodwills-heritage-mission-vision-and-values/
National Council of Nonprofits. (2024). Codes of Ethics/Values Statements for Nonprofits | National Council of Nonprofits. Www.councilofnonprofits.org. https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/running-nonprofit/ethics-accountability/codes-ethicsvalues-statements-nonprofits
YMCA. (2024). Our Mission Statement. Www.ymca.org. https://www.ymca.org/who-we-are/our-mission