The Nonprofit Difference: Vision, Mission, & Impact

Nonprofits are an essential community resource. Unlike for-profit companies and government entities, nonprofits have identified a community problem or need, and committed to using their time, money, and resources to addressing that problem or need. When nonprofits begin to have issues with funding or operations, on a board or staff level, I often find that folks are not on the same page about problem they’re addressing or why they’re providing a product or service. In nonprofit language, this is your vision, mission, and impact. This clarity is fundamental to nonprofit operations, including fundraising and marketing efforts.

VISION.

A clear vision for the change you’d like to see in the world. Do you believe the vision of your organization is tangible? Vision is one, if not, the most important product a nonprofit has to offer its community. A clear vision articulates what your organization has recognized as problem or need and what a person, community, or our world would be like if this problem did not exist or the need was met on a consistent reliable basis. When we’re clear about what we’re working toward, we will take the necessary small steps to get us where we want to go. Additionally, the vision begins to shape what success looks like. If our actions are not clearly leading us to our vision, then it will be easier for us to stop what we’re doing and move on to something else. I believe that most visions cannot be achieved by one organization alone. When the vision is clear, we can begin to build the teams, partnerships, collaborations, and systems that will help move resources in a way that realizes our vision.

MISSION.

A primary duty of nonprofit boards is to make sure the organization is fulfilling its mission to the best of its ability. The vision tells us where we’re going, the mission states your organization’s role in getting there because no one organization can do it all. And honestly, there is plenty of work to do, and we should not be trying to do it all. What does your organization exist to do? Can you respond in six words or less? It’s important that your organization knows its role and how to do it effectively. I’ll never forget working with a group who shared two different focuses of work – “mobilizing community members to advocate against climate change” and “releasing people from the chokehold of white supremacy and capitalism.” Can you see why they might have been experiencing tension and conflict? While I recognize the connection between these two focuses, the work and how it gets done, and what success looks like (re: expectations and accountability) will all be different. Consider your mission to be your commitment to your community. To do it well, you all have to be clear about what you do. So, what is your organization’s lane and how can you do it well?

IMPACT.

I think community impact is the bread and butter of all nonprofit organizations. It’s one thing to share your hopes and dreams (vision) and tell people what you do (mission), but it’s a whole other thing to demonstrate that your organization is effective – its integrity. What happens when your organization gets the funds, resources, and advocacy support to make an effort? There are valuable, realistic, and uncompromising impacts every nonprofit can make that is worthy of support from your community. You have to do the work to understand what those impacts are by engaging your community – the users of services, target populations, partners and competitors, community leaders and providers. If your organization does its very best work, who should benefit most from that? The answer to that question are the people who can best tell you what impacts matter and look like. When you’re clear about the impact you want to make, you can begin finding relationships with other community providers, funders, grant opportunities, and volunteers (including board members) that are eager, willing, and excited to support what you have planned. This ensures you have the relationships and resources to deliver the impact.

Now more than ever, we need nonprofit organizations and they need the support of their communities through volunteering, donations, funding, and advocacy. If you’re having challenges in any of these areas, clarifying your vision, mission and impact is the place to begin. If you would like support in making a change to realign with your vision, mission, and impact, reach out to me and my team at The Spark Mill.