Any organization requires a mission statement. A mission statement provides its readers a brief outlook on what the organization does and how they are going to do it. Therefore a mission statement can be extremely important for a small charity. Here’s why:
It guides charity leaders when making key decisions. Many charities start projects that may not exactly suit the cause they hope to uphold. A clear mission allows the leadership to differentiate between the programs that require attention and those that don’t. A clear mission also provides a road map for employees of the charity and it’s volunteers. The mission tells the charity’s stakeholders how it intends to operate and what goals it hopes to achieve. This will provide the volunteers and employees a sense of purpose and they will know the end result they are working toward. A clear and concise mission statement isn’t just about internal stakeholders. It will suggest to external stakeholders what to expect from the organization. Also, one of the most important reasons to have a mission statement is so that donor’s have a bird’s eye view of your charity and they know what you do from the onset. Having a clear mission statement paints an accurate and powerful image of what your work is about and how you plan to change the environment and fill a certain need.
A mission statement isn’t always a bunch of words on a wall. On the contrary, it usually has deep meaning and can be a useful tool, especially for a small charity.