Presentation 01_Mission

This presentation shows what an organizational mission is, its purpose, and how to create an effective mission statement.

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of human history.”
—Mahatma Gandhi

What is a mission?
In a nutshell…

Mission as a word had different definitions. In the context of an organization or business, Mission defines their purpose and their actions in order to achieve it.

It refers to the present and is not to be confused with the vision that refers to the future of the organization/business.

What is a mission statement?
In a nutshell…

A mission statement is a short sentence or paragraph that describes the organization’s/business’s mission, their main purpose, the reason they exist. It also identifies the actions they take/services they provide, as well as the target groups.

The mission statement aspires to make clear the mission of the organization/business to both the public as well as its members/employees/volunteers/stakeholders. In other words, it is the image of the organization/business both inside and out.

What are the characteristics of a good mission statement

A mission statement defines an organization/business, its purpose.

A good mission statement should be brief and concise and answer the following questions:

• What? (what does our organization/business do)
• How? (how do we do it)
• For whom? (who is our target-group(s)
• Why? (what value do we bring, what contribution do we make)

How to write a good mission statement.

Remember to keep your mission statement:

• Short/brief
• To the point
• Memorable

A mission statement is not something you write overnight, but fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.
— Stephen Covey

Remember that you mission statement needs to define:

• What you do- For whom? (target groups)
• How you do it- Why? (the value you bring, the one thing that makes your organization different from others

In the additional materials sections, you will find useful articles and video with step-by-step instructions on how to write a successful mission statement.

Examples of successful mission statements

Here are some examples of successful mission statements that will help you get a better idea of what we are talking about.

MICROSOFT: To empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.

AIRBNB: To create a world where anyone can belong anywhere, providing healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable.

GOOGLE: To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

SQUARESPACE: Squarespace empowers people with creative ideas to succeed

AMAZON: To be Earth’s most customer-centric company where people can find and discover anything they want to buy online

WALT DISNEY COMPANY: to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.

WIKIMEDIA FOUNDATION: to empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally.