Your mission statement is the foundation for your nonprofit’s marketing and communications.
A mission statement, also referred to as a vision statement, sums up the essence of your organization in just one or two sentences. It guides your decision-making processes and should drive people to want to learn more about your organization.
A strong mission statement explains three things:
Why your organization existsWhom it servesHow it serves them
An effective mission statement hits all three points in a succinct, clear, and memorable way. Unfortunately, many mission statements are vague and ambiguous, while others are too wordy and use industry-specific jargon. It’s up to you to craft a message that is easy for people to remember and repeat to others.
Whether you’re writing a new mission statement or sprucing up an old one, you can learn from the best. Check out these 15 mission statement examples for guidance and inspiration, along with our tips on how to write an impactful nonprofit mission statement.
Learn How To Elevate Your Mission at the Leading Nonprofit Conference
charity: water Vision Statement
charity: water is a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
What we love about it:charity: water wastes no time getting to the heart of their cause in their mission statement. In just a few words, the nonprofit explains their mission in terms anyone can understand. The simplicity of charity: water’s mission statement could even be seen as a parallel to their straightforward mission of providing clean drinking water to those who need it.
Team Rubicon Vision Statement
Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams.
What we love about it: In one sentence, Team Rubicon defines and details their purpose and services. The key word “rapidly” is a fine touch. The organization clarifies its mission to provide aid immediately after a disaster occurs with just one word.
Heifer International Vision Statement
Heifer International works with communities to increase income, improve child nutrition, care for the Earth, and ultimately end world hunger and poverty.
What we love about it: The phrase “works with communities” brings focus to Heifer’s method to eradicate hunger and poverty worldwide. It focuses on Heifer’s goal to help communities become self-sufficient and engage in sustainable agriculture and commerce.
Watts of Love Vision Statement
“Watts of Love is a global solar lighting nonprofit bringing people the power to raise themselves out of the darkness of poverty.
What we love about it: Watts of Love’s mission statement doesn’t fail to inspire. This powerful sentence communicates the organization’s purpose, the people it serves, and the solution it offers. The wording is concise, memorable, and inspiring.
Vs. Cancer Vision Statement
Vs. Cancer empowers any sports team, any athlete and any community to help kids with cancer. As a signature fundraising campaign of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, proceeds help fund child life programs in local hospitals and lifesaving pediatric brain tumor research.
What we love about it: As brief as they are, great nonprofit mission statements also get essential facts across. Here, Vs. Cancer is very clear about how they intend to move the needle for the cause: by partnering with athletic teams to fund pediatric brain tumor research.
First Descents Vision Statement
First Descents provides life-changing outdoor adventures for young adults (age 18-39) impacted by cancer.
What we love about it: First Descents keeps it clear and concise. We also love that they specify the age range of the people they serve, keeping their mission fine-tuned and focused. While being so extremely succinct isn’t feasible for all organizations, this is a perfect example of how to write a mission statement that packs a punch in one sentence.
Bright Pink Vision Statement
Bright Pink helps to save lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering women to know their risk and manage their health proactively.
What we love about it: Bright Pink crafts a nonprofit mission statement that is both compelling and clear. It explains the change that will arise from the organization’s efforts and how they plan to accomplish their mission.
Learn How To Elevate Your Mission at the Leading Nonprofit Conference
Global Communities Vision Statement
Global Communities brings together local ingenuity and global insights to save lives, advance equity, and secure strong futures.
What we love about it: In one sentence, Global Communities—the unified organization of recently-merged nonprofits Global Communities and Project Concern International—identifies its three-pronged approach to building stronger communities worldwide. The concise statement also highlights how they focus on both a macro and micro level to find solutions.
CoachArt Vision Statement
CoachArt creates a transformative arts and athletics community for families impacted by childhood chronic illness.
What we love about it: CoachArt offers a variety of services for the people they serve, and their mission statement captures this holistic approach in an emotionally stirring way.
Red My Lips Vision Statement
To transform our culture of sexual violence by educating, inspiring, and mobilizing a global community to red their lips, raise their voices, and create real change.
What we love about it:Red My Lips runs a campaign every April where supporters wear red lipstick to raise awareness about sexual violence. The organization’s name explains how people can get involved, and its mission statement reiterates this first, crucial step an individual can take—“to red their lips.”
Livestrong Vision Statement
Which everyday cancer problem will we fix today?
What we love about it: In an innovative take, Livestrong turns heads by asking a mission question, not a statement, because they “believe that [they] can only achieve the best solutions through asking the right questions.” This question format instantly gives off an impression of the organizational culture and approach—that Livestrong wants to listen to and learn from survivors and caregivers about their needs, so it can address cancer issues as a community.
SafeBAE Vision Statement
SafeBAE is a survivor-founded, student-led national organization whose mission is to end sexual assault among middle and high school students. As the only national peer-to-peer organization of our kind, we help promote culture change by giving teens the tools to become activists and shift school culture through raising awareness about dating violence, sexual harassment and assault, affirmative consent, safe bystander intervention, survivor care, and their rights under Title IX.
What we love about it: SafeBAE began during the filming of the Netflix documentary “Audrie & Daisy,” when the survivors and their families united in a mission to prevent sexual assault and fight for change. The vision statement, while lengthy, details the organization’s multi-faceted approach to prevent sexual assault among teens and raise awareness about the rape culture that leads to it. This statement underscores that the survivor-founded organization empowers students to lead the change.
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation Vision Statement
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is committed to unlocking the amazing potential of every child by fighting to end childhood hunger, ensuring students have access to a quality education, and providing safe places for all children to play and be active.
What we love about it: Founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in Oakland, the San Francisco Bay Area, and across the country. The nonprofit mission statement outlines a three-step approach focusing on nutrition, education, and physical activity.
Be the Bridge Vision Statement
We empower people and culture toward racial healing, equity, and reconciliation.
What we love about it: Be the Bridge’s vision statement carries significant weight in just a handful of words. This succinct sentence embodies all of the nonprofit’s efforts toward racial justice, restoration, and reconciliation. The reader can immediately grasp the organization’s heart for encouraging and equipping communities to pursue racial unity.
The Trevor Project Vision Statement
To end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning young people.
What we love about it: The Trevor Project leads various programs that range from crisis intervention services, to research, to advocacy—but all of the organization’s efforts point to the north star of its mission statement. This is a noteworthy example of how to be straightforward about whom you serve and your ultimate goal.
How to Make the Most of These Nonprofit Vision Statement Examples
The best way to gauge how your mission or vision statement is resonating is to workshop it with your board, ask feedback from loyal donors, and get inspiration to switch it up from other nonprofit vision statement examples.
While all mission statements should answer the essential questions—why you exist, how you incite change, and whom you serve—there isn’t a step-by-step formula to crafting a killer nonprofit mission statement. Study your own mission statement and assess whether it is doing its job. Then invest the time and effort to make it hard to forget.