Mission vs. Vision: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters for Your Nonprofit

Morning friends,

Years ago, I clipped a cartoon (I think it was a Dilbert cartoon) about two people arguing about mission and vision statements. Someone was doing mission things when they should have been doing vision things. I thought it was funny, but you might have to see it to understand.

Unfortunately, I can’t find it, so here is another funny for you:

Lately, I have been working with several nonprofits on their strategy work. It is no surprise that staff, board members, and clients often have very different ideas about what the organization should be doing!

We often start with a TOPsTM (Technology of Participation) Consensus Conversation to bring people together and help them reach a common understanding of their goals. 

People often start by crafting their mission and vision statements without starting with this consensus building. In my experience, that is like heading out on a hike without checking All Trails. For my fellow hikers out there, you know what I mean. There are always paths that look like they are part of the actual trail but aren’t. My family made one of those errors while hiking in Yosemite and ended up hiking on a horse trail. Not pretty. 

Once your organization can reach a consensus, you are ready to talk about your vision and mission. So what’s the difference between them? 

I think of the Vision statement as your “North Star.” It's aspirational and inspirational. It is future-focused. It helps you avoid chasing shiny objects.

The mission statement is more about the levers you will pull to get to your vision. It’s focused on the now. It helps your organization focus on your values, clients, and how to serve them. That clarity helps you attract supporters and funders to your organization.

To help you get started we developed a Nonprofit Mission Statement Template.

Questions? I am here to help you.