How to Evolve Your Mission to Win More Grants

Your mission is your purpose, but sometimes it can change over time—and that’s okay!

If you’re considering changing your mission, you may be worried if it’s the right time or even the right decision.

In this article, we’ll provide practical tips to help guide you through the process, including:

• Top reasons why your mission may require refreshing
• A step-by-step guide for updating your statement
• How to avoid shiny object syndrome during the process

Sound good? Let’s jump right in!

Your mission statement should summarize your nonprofit’s goals and guide your day-to-day work. If it doesn’t, it may need a refresh.

Here are some of the top signs that it’s time to evolve your mission.

Your Scope Has Grown

One of the most common reasons for evolving your mission is scope change.

You may have started focusing on one niche area, and thanks to the support of grants, donations, and additional staff, you can grow your impact to several different areas.

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For example, the National Center for Learning Disabilities recently unveiled its new mission statement:

“The National Center for Learning Disabilities partners with educators, students, families, and young adults to advance innovative research and advocate for equitable policies that address systemic barriers in schools, workplaces, and communities.”

While this new mission retains the spirit of its original statement, it makes some notable changes:

• It’s shorter and more direct to the point without losing the spirit of the mission.
• It emphasizes the importance of partnerships to make meaningful progress.
• It adds research and policy advocacy to be more comprehensive of their work.

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A new mission statement doesn’t have to be a revolution. Instead, it should be an evolution.

Check your mission statement every year and see if it still accurately represents your nonprofit’s programming and activities. If you have made meaningful deviations from your original statement, it’s probably time to refresh it.

The Community Needs Have Changed

Communities are living, breathing organisms. Populations change, businesses come and go, and what the community may have needed previously may not be what it needs today.

It can be so easy to keep your head down on your project that you lose perspective of the bigger picture.

Perhaps you were focused on food insecurity because there was a food desert. Now, thanks to your efforts, several grocery stores have moved to the area. However, there is still plenty of work to be done.

Now, you’re spending your time educating the community on healthy eating habits, teaching them how to grow their own produce, and more. You have evolved your programs and services to better serve the community's needs. If your mission statement doesn’t reflect that, it’s time for an update.

You can conduct a community needs assessment to help you identify your community’s current needs.

• Talk to your peers, partners, and residents to get a sense of what they are experiencing.
• Send a survey with a few questions to assess if there are gaps in your programming.
• Look at what others in the community are doing.

Not only will updating your mission statement help provide clarity to your funders and donors, but it will make it easier for those who require your services to find you.

You’re Struggling to Secure Funding

Maybe it’s time to update your mission statement because it’s too broad or vague. You’re struggling to secure funding because it isn’t reflective enough of who you are and what you’re doing.
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A new mission statement can breathe new life into an organization. It can reaffirm your commitment to serve your community and reconnect you with your target audience. It may even open new doors to potential funding opportunities.

A weak, outdated mission statement can hurt your chances of landing funding and securing community support. Donors, volunteers, and funders may not have an accurate picture of your work and overlook your organization as a result.

Share your mission statement with a friend or peer who is less familiar with your work. Ask them to explain what they think you do based on your statement. If they’re unsure, your mission is probably too vague.

Now that we’ve gone over why you may need to adjust your mission statement, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process.

1. Assess What’s Prompting the Update

Look at your original mission, vision, and values. Identify the gaps you’re trying to address with your revised mission statement. Write down new projects, focus areas, or aspirations that weren’t reflected in your initial mission.

Are there themes? Words that capture the motivation behind these projects? As you prepare to revise your mission, you want to create a list of keywords for consideration.

Share the list with others in your organization. Get their input on your nonprofit’s focus areas. Make your initial list as comprehensive as possible. You can narrow it down later.

2. Decide What to Keep and What to Add

Next, spend some time highlighting the portions of your original mission statement you’d like to keep. Remember: you’re evolving your statement, not starting from scratch.

After you’ve identified the aspects of your statement that will stay, you can start experimenting with adding in your list of new themes and keywords. There will be a lot of iteration when it comes to writing, so just start by putting pen to paper. Your revised mission statement will be workshopped and reviewed by others, so don’t worry about making your first draft perfect.

Here’s a great example for inspiration: Feeding America has a strong mission statement “to ensure that all people in the United States have equitable access to nutritious food.”

• It’s aspirational because they hope to reach all people in the United States.
• It reflects their values of ending hunger.
• It provides room to grow because it doesn't explain how they’ll provide equitable access.

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Your mission statement should only be one sentence, so make sure every word counts.

3. Seek Feedback on Your New Statement

Maybe you think you’re close to nailing the mission statement, or you have a few different options and you can’t pick which one is best.

This is the time to share your new mission statement with your team for their feedback.

The fresh perspective can help provide new insights you may not have considered. Engaging with others on your team also helps them feel like they’re a part of the work. It’s an easy way to garner buy-in and engagement moving forward.

4. Obtain Board Approval

Now that you’ve nailed down your revised mission statement, it’s time to obtain board approval.

Add it as an agenda line item to their next board meeting. Create a presentation that explains why the new mission is necessary, how it will help you further your strategic vision, and the impact it can have on your nonprofit and the community.

Your board will have to vote on the statement, and once approved, you are ready to start sharing it publicly.

5. Communicate With Stakeholders

An updated mission is something to celebrate, so make sure you share it with your organization’s key stakeholders.

We recommend announcing your new mission statement with:

• Press release: You can share the new statement, explain why it’s important, and express excitement about the future.
• Email marketing: Share the revised statement to your supporters via email, linking to the release.
• Social media: Share the new statement on your social channels and pin it so people can see it as one of your top posts.

Ultimately, you want to communicate the new mission statement to your funders, donors, volunteers, staff members, partners, and more. You want them to be aware of the change and generate excitement for the path ahead.

6. Update Branding

Lastly, update all collateral to include your new mission statement. This can include your:

• Website
• Needs statements
• Templates
• Impact reports
• Annual reports

Your new mission statement should replace your existing one and be used in conjunction with any external releases or announcements for a seamless transition.

As we finish up we have an important reminder: Don’t just change to change. Make sure there’s a need within your nonprofit.

There’s always going to be something new and trendy. Don’t be tempted to chase the latest fad in the nonprofit world if it doesn’t fit with who you are.

That’s called shiny object syndrome. You want to avoid it when you’re looking for funding—but you also want to avoid it when you’re reimagining your mission statement.

Chasing the latest and greatest isn’t sustainable, so don’t try to build it into your mission. At the end of the day, your mission should be reflective of your organization’s vision and community’s specific needs—regardless of what’s trendy.

Your mission statement should be the one sentence that tells the world who you are and what you stand for. Over time, that can change, so you may need to revise it.

If your mission statement has evolved and you’re looking for new funding opportunities, check out Instrumentl. Our robust grant database can help you get a picture of what’s out there and how you stack up against the competition.

To learn more, sign up for your free 14-day trial today!