MISSION STATEMENT PAPER

Mission Statement Paper

Mission Statement Paper

A mission statement is a very important part of organizational planning. The mission statement should be one of the first steps in building an organization.

Mission statements are often confused with vision statements. A vision statement pushes an organization toward a future goal or achievement, whereas, a mission statement guides current, critical, strategic decision-making. (Cardani)A mission statement is one sentence describing a company's function, markets and competitive advantages. This should be a concise and clear statement that says who the organization is, what the organization does and for whom and where. (Meshanko)A good mission statement should answer three basic questions in the one sentence.

What problem or need does the organization solve or satisfy?

How is the organization unique?

Whom does the organization benefit?

The mission statement for the American Red Cross follows the basic guidelines for a good mission statement:“The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteeres and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies” (www.redcross.org)This mission statement answers all three of the basic questions. The problem that the Red Cross helps to solve is emergencies and disasters. The Red Cross is unique because it is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers. The victims of disasters and emergencies are the beneficiaries of the Red Cross's efforts.

The United Community Center's mission statement states:“The United Community Center is a human service agency providing emergency assistance, daycare, social services and recreational activities for low-income children and families at risk in inner-city Atlanta, Georgia” (Meshanko)This is also a good mission statement. Two of the three questions are answered. The United Community Center helps to solve the problems of low-income families by providing assistance services. This organization benefits the children and families in the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia. The only question that really is not answered is how this organization is unique. Most human service organizations do the exact same thing that the United Community Center does. This mission statement needs to be able to make the community center stand out from the others.

“To improve health and well-being in Texas.” (Texas Department of State Health Services)This is the mission statement of the Texas Department of State Health Services. One sentence that states what the goal is of the organization. This mission statement does not state in ...