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The Wilder Nonprofit Field Guide to Crafting Effective Mission and Vision Statements by Emil Angelica. Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, www.wilder.org. 2001. 88 pages. Paperback. Order now.
Preparing a Vision Statement
Mission and vision statements can contribute to the long-term survival of organizations. Nonprofit consultant Emil Angelica's handbook explains how to bring focus and direction to your organization by means of effective, clear statements of purpose.
Particularly useful to managers and planners are two multistep processes for developing a mission statement. Each is broad and flexible enough to apply in a variety of settings. The first offers guidance on defining exactly what an organization does, a concept sometimes lost in multitasked, fragmented enterprises.
Important to a good mission statement is providing lasting challenges to everyone involved and distinguishing an organization from all others. Examples include "creating affordable housing for core neighborhoods" and "promoting the social welfare of people in a metropolitan area."
The second step-by-step process uses stakeholders' ideas and an organization's history, capacity for growth, and fundraising potential as the cornerstone for creating a clear and straightforward company vision. This task involves generating alternative visions of the future and identifying common themes in those visions.
The book's biggest strength is its practicality. Using real-life examples, reproducible worksheets, and exercises, Angelica has succeeded in making the book a must for any business or decision-making team involved in creating its own future. The book also offers an overview of selected resources available from the Wilder Foundation, an organization devoted to supporting the work of nonprofit associations.