1. Go! Stay On Target. Be Mission Focused.
Go forward.

2. Go! Stay On Target. Be Mission Focused.
50% of Indiana nonprofit missions focus on human
services or religious/spiritual development.1
Go forward.

3. Fifteen years ago, when Peter Drucker wrote
What Business Can Learn from Nonprofits, veterans of
the nonprofit world celebrated. He recognized
that business could benefit from nonprofit
practices— specifically a clear focus on mission.
Proud as we are with Drucker’s affirmation, we can
remind ourselves that staying mission-focused requires
constant vigilance, discipline and leadership.
What makes up a mission?
Organizations capture their fundamental purpose,
philosophy, and values with a mission statement.
A mission answers the basic question, “Why does
the organization exist?” Clear and compelling mission
statements cut straight to the heart of what the
organization does:
Inspire girls with the highest ideals of character, conduct,
patriotism, and service…
Girl Scouts of the USA
Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit
ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those
who are poor and vulnerable…
Ascension Health
“It is concise, to the point, realistic, operational,
inspirational, motivational, informative, and even
emotional. It is not too abstract or even too intellectual.
A mission clearly states the purpose of an organization.
It is forward thinking, positive, and describes success.
It is clear and focused so that the reader can identify
with the statement. It reflects the values and clearly
enumerates the reasons why the organization exists.” 2
Funding challenges and
other pressures
Mission drift involves moving away from mission,
usually in pursuit of growth and stability. As funding
challenges and the pressures of commercialism close in,
staying true to mission is increasingly difficult. We see
examples of mission drift everywhere. Charity hospitals
abandon the uninsured in defense of the bottom line.
A summer camp changes its target market to children
with AIDS in pursuit of grant funding. Public
broadcasting stations walk a thin line between
sponsorship and paid commercial announcements.

4. Should the underlying purpose of an organization be
rationalized away in the interest of cash flow? One
nonprofit colleague believes that, “The resulting
organization might be a good business operated by
good people, but in the end, it is worse than just a
horse of a different color—it is a horse of an entirely
different kettle of fish.” 3
Avoiding mission drift
Kay Sprinkel Grace dedicates a chapter in her book
Beyond Fundraising to avoiding mission drift. “All
community outreach must purposefully emphasize
external impact and de-emphasize the organization’s
internal needs… The mission must be the message.”
She says that the role of nonprofit staff and volunteers
is to keep the organization on course. Importantly, she
sees that dedication to mission is central to a strong
fundraising program. It is the commitment to mission
that will energize staff, volunteers and donors for your
cause and philanthropy.
A Balancing Act
How to Use a To protect the integrity and viability of our
Go! Guide organizations, nonprofits must manage two
bottom lines:
1. Read the guide text for
practical advice. • financial performance; and
2. Use numbered “Endnote” links • ethics-based program results.
that match with Superscript
Sprinkel Grace suggests a leadership style
numbers (like this one 1) after
that she calls passionate pragmatism. This
key text points. You’ll link to
involves a convergence of courage,
materials that expand on the
key points.
confidence, creativity and commitment to
produce balanced decision-making that,
3. Use other Web sites in even as an organization matures, does not
the “General Resources” forget the passion of the founders.
for more access to
practical information.
4. Not getting the answers you
need? Call for help from the
Allen County Public Library
Nonprofit Resource Center
at (260) 421-1238.

5. How to keep an organization on track
To keep an organization on track, nonprofit leaders build
and maintain a crystal clear focus on mission. They:
refer to mission often, making it a top-of-the mind
issue for staff and volunteers;
convert mission to hard facts and key objectives;
align assets and budget with the mission
and objectives;
make mission the touchstone for every decision;
judge a program’s success in light of its mission;
make mission visible— on the letterhead,
brochures, offices and other facilities; and
have potential board members review the mission
to ensure that it is compatible with their own beliefs.
Focusing on mission means that the mission is an
important component in evaluating the organization’s
results. “In the for-profit sector, mission is often
translated into the bottom line revenue and value
delivered to the stakeholders of the company,” says
Kathy Cloninger, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
“In the not-for-profit sector, you look much more at
the impact that you’re making in terms of quality of
life in a community or in a country. You measure your
results very differently.”
When the powerful lure of money or another
distraction comes along, make sure that your
organization remains true to its founding purpose
and principles. Mission will be a unifying force when
different parts of the organization struggle for
direction or scant resources.
Target market
Answer these questions to protect mission and manage
an organization’s resources well:
What specific purpose was your mission born to serve?
What constituents are central to achieving your mission?

6. Be clear about who the target market is and design
strategies for them directly rather than the general
public. Sometimes simple human pride wants to tell the
world about our good intentions and work. We will be
far more effective by being selective and focusing our
energies on our key constituents, whether they are
program beneficiaries, potential partners or necessary
collaborators.
If you are tempted to falter, remember the words of
Peter Drucker:
“Mission and its requirements may be the first lesson
business can learn from nonprofits:
• it focuses the organization on action;
• it defines the specific strategies needed to attain
crucial goals;
• it creates a disciplined organization; and
• it alone can prevent the most common
degenerative disease of organizations… splintering
their almost always limited resources on things that
are interesting or look profitable rather than
concentrating them on a very small number of
productive efforts that boil down to what and
for whom.” 4
Copyright © October 2004 all rights reserved
Research was completed October 21, 2004. The sites below were active at that time.
For your convenience, copies of all information are available at the Allen County
Nonprofit Resource Center.
Endnotes General Resources
1 This site has an on-line course in
Indiana Nonprofits: Scope and
Community Dimensions; nonprofit program design and marketing:
http://www.indiana.edu/%7Enonprof/results/nps http://www.managementhelp.org/prog_mng/np
urvey/insprofile.pdf _progs.htm
2 Kay Sprinkel Grace; Beyond Fundraising,
An introduction to mission statements;
http://www.boardsource.org/TopicPaper.asp? New Strategies for Nonprofit Innovation and
ID=98e Mission Statement Investment; John Wiley & Sons, 1997.
3 Kim Klein; Fundraising in Times of Crisis;
Bruce D. Collins; Mission Impossible? Not
If You Can Stick To Your Guns; Corporate Josey-Bass, 2004.
Legal Times, Aug 97, Vol. 7, Issue 69.
Kay Sprinkel Grace; The Nonprofit Board's
4 Role in Setting and Advancing Mission;
Peter Drucker; What Business Can Learn from
Nonprofits; Harvard Business Review; July- BoardSource, 2003.
August 1989.
Research and copy by DeLiberty Services

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