Why Does an Organization Change Mission Statements?
A good mission statement expresses an organization's goals in a few lines. It identifies the purpose for the organization, what services or products it provides and any special philosophies or methods it espouses. The mission statement is helpful to employees because it helps team members to stay focused on the company's goals. It helps customers and potential donors or investors because it succinctly summarizes what the organization is trying to do. Sometimes it becomes necessary to "tweak" the mission statement.
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To Broaden the Mission
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Sometimes an organization realizes that its mission statement is too narrow, that in fact the organization wants to provide services or products that are related to the original statement, but not included in it. For example, if a homeless shelter originally wrote that it will provide beds and food, it might expand its statement to include "and a variety of social services," which would cover goals to provide employment counseling, child care, mentoring and the like.
To Be More Specific
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An organization might find that its mission statement is too broad, and that it would rather focus on a more specific, manageable goal. For example, an organization that originally wrote, "We aim to provide social services to women with chronic illnesses" might find that it does not have the resources to address such a broad variety of needs, and might change its statement to, "We aim to provide social services to young mothers with cancer."
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To Address Changing Times
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Sometimes an organization's mission becomes obsolete, and so its members change their focus. For example, an organization that previously provided free instruction to disadvantaged teenage girls in typing and home economics might change its mission to one that provides instruction in computers, personal finance and math.
To Update Language
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An organization that is old and established might find that its mission no longer "speaks" to modern society. It might contain vocabulary that is no longer in use or that is not "politically correct," or it might find that modern donors are attracted by certain catch phrases that would be useful to include.
To Address a Merger or Split
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If an organization merges with another, or splits into two separate organizations, mission statements may be altered to reflect the change.
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References
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