Your mission statement is the core of your organization – it's your ultimate guiding principle. But it can feel impossible to write one that perfectly captures what you do and why you do it. If you need some inspiration, we've compiled 17 of the best nonprofit mission statements. We'll also break down why each is working and what could be improved.
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In the nonprofit world, very little is more important than crafting a compelling mission statement.
To for-profit organizations, profit is the bottom line. This clarity helps business professionals make decisions, create and adjust strategic plans, and set appropriate goals. Without a bottom line, it’s hard to move forward with intention and focus.
How does this tie in with nonprofit mission statements?
Essentially…
A mission is to a nonprofit what profit is to a business.
A great mission statement provides ethical and strategic guidance, rallies the staff and donors around a common goal, and adds clarity to operations.
We compiled a list of 17 of the best nonprofit mission statements. Use these as a source of inspiration as you write your mission statement. Also, be sure to download our free mission and vision statement worksheet to help you craft!
Mission and vision statements capture the essence of your nonprofit organization.
Sometimes, a nonprofit mission statement, vision statement, values, and goals can get mixed up.
Let’s see how they’re different.
Your vision is the future you intend to create. It’s how you’re going to change the world.
Essentially, your vision is the destination.
A good vision statement answers the following questions:
Vision statements are usually prefaced with the phrases “A world where…” or “We exist so that…”
Your mission is the journey towards your vision. It’s your core work.
A good mission statement answers the following questions:
Put another way, your mission is a short, direct, and compelling way to state your theory of change or the core strategy for your organization.
It provides a link between your every day goals and activities and what you hope to achieve long-term.
A mission statement should be more tangible than a vision statement, have a shorter lifespan, and evolve more frequently.
Your values are the guiding principles for which you stand. They are the ideals you refuse to compromise as you conduct your mission in pursuit of your vision.
Nonprofit organizational values are the highest values that guide your organization’s actions, unite your employees, and define your brand.
They are ideally set as part of strategic planning when an organization is just being set up (alongside mission and vision statements).
Your goals are the handful of achievements towards which you will work over the next one to five years (you choose the timeframe).
Often, they are outlined in your business plan. They’re essential planning tools, as they provide the focus for your efforts and you can use them to measure results.
Set specific, realistic goals for your organization that will help you improve, grow, and accomplish your mission.
For a more in-depth look at how to write an awesome nonprofit mission statement, check out this blog. In it, we share a five-step exercise to help you get started.
Let’s review a few essential tips to create a great mission statement.
Sometimes, nonprofits make their mission statements complex, but sometimes short and sweet really is the key.
Your mission statement is your nonprofit distilled to its essence. It’s like an elevator pitch: concise but comprehensive enough to be understood, and intriguing enough for readers to want to learn more.
The best and most compelling mission statements out there are crystal clear and concise.
Ideally, your nonprofit mission statement should answer the following:
Great mission statements also:
If you’re looking for inspiration, here are 17 examples of different nonprofits and their mission statements.
We provide commentary alongside each one, hopefully helping you better understand what makes a great mission statement through real-life examples.
We face the extinction of one million species in our lifetimes. But there is still hope. The solution to the extinction crisis lies in the expansion of natural habitats in threatened wild places. We must enlarge and protect the spaces devoted to the natural world in order to save the amazing variety of life on our planet – called biodiversity.
Like many nonprofit organizations, Wild Tomorrow Fund combines its mission and vision statements into one copy on its website.
While separating the vision and mission statements usually brings more clarity, Wild Tomorrow Fund managed to combine them in a natural and smooth way.
Their vision is one of a world in which wildlife habitats are expanded and protected, and where existing reserves have the resources needed to keep their animals safe.
Although the video on their “mission” page talks about the “how” in a detailed manner, we strongly believe that including it within the statement makes it even more powerful. After all, watching a video is time-consuming. A compact mission statement is one that has the following elements in it –
Our mission is to ____(what)_____ for ___(who)______ by ___(how)______.”
Our mission is to improve the lives of refugees and the efficiency of humanitarian services by eliminating language barriers.
Their mission statement is short, sweet, and follows the best mission statement writing practices. It’s clear what impact they’re aiming to have (improve lives and efficiency of humanitarian services), who they’re serving (refugees), and how they’re doing it (eliminating language barriers).
This mission statement is pretty good as it is. Maybe it would be helpful to understand better what it means to “improve lives”, but even without this, this nonprofit mission statement is solid.
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Hope Initiative Alliance work together with our partners in improving the quality of life of marginalised people globally.
The ultimate goal/desired impact is very clear: improving the quality of life of marginalized people globally.
This mission statement is also concise, which is usually good when it comes to nonprofit mission statements.
This mission statement could be reworked to sound a bit less generic and a bit more memorable. Many organizations could write the exact same mission statement.
This organization does have a section on their “vision-mission” page called “learn more about our mission” which says a little more about who they’re helping and in what ways. There it’s stated that they’re helping marginalized groups by partnering with various organizations (the types and names) to make it possible.
Even so, the “how” is not clear. What work they’re doing and how they’re reaching out to people in need remains unclear. The statement needs some work there.
BluePath provides autism service dogs, offering safety, companionship, and opportunities for independence.
BluePath has done a great job with this statement. This clearly illustrates why this work is being done, what they offer, and who they serve.
This is a very solid mission statement. One addition that might help is understanding how they provide service dogs. They have a special breeding program that allows them to serve more people over time.
Everyone for Veterans empowers veterans to lead healthy and fulfilled lives by providing them with resources, support, and comprehensive dental care.
This moving statement clearly illustrates their purpose and provides a detailed look at what Everyone for Veterans provides. Stating their services lead to “healthy and fulfilled lives” moves donors and volunteers to get involved.
More detail about the resources and services provided would paint a more complete picture of their activities. We love how specific “comprehensive dental care” is, and it would be great if the other two pieces of their mission were as descriptive. For instance, what kind of support is offered? Financial support, emotional support, or community support? Getting specific here would better demonstrate the impact of this important organization.
To provide medicines and health supplies to those in need around the world so they might experience life to the fullest.
This mission statement is short and sweet. It gives some clarity as to the organization’s main work: providing medicine and health supplies.
“Experiencing life to the fullest” seems a bit out of place in a mission statement, given its vagueness.
It would also be amazing to know who “those in need” are.
The mission of The Women’s Center is to significantly improve the mental health and well-being of all members of the community through counseling, education, support, and advocacy.
The Women’s Center statement hits the sweet spot between being to the point but still comprehensive.
Their goal and desired impact are very clearly stated (significantly improve the mental health and well-being of all members of the community). We also love that they used the word “significantly” to add emphasis.
The Women’s Center also plainly states their “how” (through counseling, education, support, and advocacy). By reading their mission statement we can see the importance of including the “how” – it explains the work of a nonprofit and it helps distinguish it from many similar ones.
We’d love to understand better who the “members of the community” are, even if some of that is evident in the organization’s name.
Code for America works shoulder to shoulder with community organizations and government to build digital tools and services, change policies, and improve programs.
1. Partnership
We partner with government and community organizations with access to the resources and digital talent that can meaningfully impact some of the world’s toughest societal challenges.2. Empowerment
We create change that empowers government and community organizations with the tools and skills to change people’s lives, especially those most in need.3. Transformation
We connect and convene people from inside and outside government, and from all over the world to inspire each other, share successes, learn, build, and transform government systems.
The first sentence serves as an effective stand-alone mission statement. Even if it was read on its own, it would be clear enough: Code for America works shoulder to shoulder with community organizations and government (how) to build digital tools and services, change policies, and improve programs (what and who).
They also expand on that mission statement to add more detail for those interested in learning more.
Code for America does a great job with its “vision, mission, values, and operating principles” page. These are all clearly distinguished one from another, and even include short explanations for their audience (i.e. “Our vision: The world as we’d like to see it” and “Our mission: How we intend to make our vision real”.)
They use an even shorter mission statement on their homepage (We’re on a mission to make government work in the digital age. Join us.) which also serves as a call to action.
And they even invite participation and feedback at the end of their page!
The three statements following their main mission statement are at times vague. They could be more specific, seeing that they’re an elaboration of the main mission statement.
MISSION exists to inspire everyone who has stared down cancer to live a fuller life, with newfound strength and purpose.
There are no limits.
#FindYourMission
The use of compelling words (inspire, fuller, stare down, strength, purpose) inspires and evokes emotion. We especially appreciate this since nonprofit mission statements can sometimes sound “too cold” or “professional.”
MISSION also includes a tagline and a hashtag in its mission statement section. We haven’t seen much of this in the nonprofit sector, and we’re wondering if it could prove to be a best practice for inviting more engagement.
It’s not clear how MISSION inspires everyone who has stared down cancer to live a fuller life, with newfound strength and purpose. Including a clear “how” could take this mission statement to a whole new level!
We would love to see more about Mission’s values, purpose, and vision on this page too!
QuestBridge designs and builds programs for talented low-income students to access and navigate exceptional educational and life opportunities. QuestBridge recruits develops, and supports motivated low-income students – beginning in high school through college to their early career – to be successful at America’s best colleges, graduate schools, and companies.
This mission statement is very comprehensive. It leaves almost no questions unanswered.
We have an unambiguous understanding of who QuestBridge’s clients/beneficiaries are, what they’re hoping to accomplish, and a big part of how they do it.
Brevity could be worked on, although it would be difficult to make this shorter without losing vital information.
One Degree empowers people to build healthy and fulfilling lives through equity-centered technology and deep community partnerships.
It’s succinct and clear, with the “how” and “who” clearly addressed. There’s a lot of compelling, emotional language like “empowers,” “fulfilling,” and “equity-centered.”
We’d love to learn more about how One Degree uses equity-centered technology to empower people. A few more specifics here would help clarify exactly what their mission is and how it functions.
To be fair, One Degree has an entire page dedicated to their Theory of Change, but we believe some of it could be included in their mission statement for a more immediate understanding of their work.
Callisto’s mission is to use technology to empower survivors of sexual violence.
This is the epitome of a short and sweet mission statement. We like that it uses a tried-and-true formula to properly communicate what this organization does and for whom.
Some clarity on exactly how they use technology would help connect some missing pieces. We have the “who” but the “how” is still a little unclear. Luckily, there is a ton of information about their groundbreaking tech on their website.
The Rare Cancer Research Foundation is dedicated to curing rare cancers through strategic investments and innovative collaborations that facilitate effective research and accelerate the deployment of promising therapies.
The desired impact/goal is crystal clear: curing rare cancers. This statement tells us clearly when the “mission” will be accomplished.
And “curing” sounds much more impactful than “reducing rates.” “Reducing rates” is certainly more achievable, but “curing” is definitely more inspirational.
It’s also very clear how The Rare Cancer Research Foundation is working to reach that goal.
This mission statement is quite hard to remember and difficult to take in all at once, with lots of adjectives sprinkled in. It might benefit from being simplified and shortened, using words that are easier to remember.
The Article 20 Network defends and advances the human right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly worldwide.
Talk about being crisp! We get The Article 20 Network and what they’re doing when reading this mission statement.
The brevity is impactful. It’s also memorable. Anyone could remember this mission statement and tell others about it.
Admittedly, this sentence doesn’t include the “how” or “who,” but just below it on the website, Article 20 includes an image that does just that.
Our mission is to provide metabolic oncology nutrition and food security to support the health and wellness of low-income seniors and other individuals with cancer or chronic illness.
A solid mission statement! We know who Organic Soup Kitchen seeks to work with, what they want to address, and how they do it.
A key part of what they do (production and delivery of nourishing, healthy soups) is not evident in their mission statement.
The key question left unanswered is “How do they address food insecurity?”
Muso works to create a cure for delay because no one should die waiting for health care.
Muso’s mission statement is memorable and to the point, with a compelling premise.
We’d love to hear how! And who is Muso serving?
We can learn that when we visit this page detailing their model, but it would be great to bring some of this to the mission statement.
Project Ropa is a Los Angeles based nonprofit and certified social enterprise on a mission to reduce waste and restore dignity to those in need by providing clothing and hygiene essentials.
We love that they share their location with their mission! This is so important for location-specific organizations like Project Ropa. This statement also excels at sharing the two main mission focuses and how this organization will get there.
We don’t have much to suggest! This is a thorough statement. One area they might expand is to describe how they plan to reduce waste.
Your mission is what you’re here for. It’s likely the reason why your team is there too, and why your supporters donate. Crafting the best possible mission statement is crucial for capturing why you do what you do!
Don’t forget that a great mission statement encapsulates why your nonprofit exists, who it serves, and how it serves them. It needs to be clear, concise, and compelling.
Consider designing your mission and vision page in a way that draws visitors in and makes it both easy and interesting to learn more about your work. Use photos and videos to tell your viewers the story of your nonprofit and add color to your mission statement.
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Raviraj heads the sales and marketing team at Donorbox. His growth-hacking abilities have helped Donorbox boost fundraising efforts for thousands of nonprofit organizations.
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