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- Make the question, “why is our mission important?” a standard component of board, staff and volunteer interviews and orientation; revisit the mission at meetings to discuss why it continues to be important and ask for personal reflections on why the organization’s mission is relevant to the community; emphasize that “no one else will support us if we can’t support ourselves.”
- Include your mission statement on all written correspondence with board: at top of meeting minutes, on organization letterhead, and as the cover to board binder/manual. Prominently display the mission at each board meeting.
- Engage a staff member/consultant to research related programs, studies and common practices. If research is not available, consider applying for a grant that will support a research project, or partner with a local college/university to initiate relevant research.
- Assign staff (or engage a consultant or volunteer) to conduct an environmental scan by researching programs that focus on similar mission or emphasis areas. Identify possible competition, opportunities for collaboration, and innovative practices that may strengthen your program. This is recommended as an annual, ongoing activity, but should be conducted every three years at a minimum.
- Regularly monitor census data and other statistics related to community needs to identify trends and provide documentation for funders.
- Allocate a portion of at least one meeting per year to discuss the needs and demographics of target population, and how the organization can continue to meet those needs within the context of its mission. This conversation should also be a part of all new board member orientations.
- Engage a consultant, or consider one of many quality resources for self-directed planning, to establish a formal strategic plan for the organization. All components of the plan should have direct relevance to mission achievement.
- Make sure that your strategic plan addresses a broad range of resources needed to accomplish each goal/task, including financial resources, facility needs, and staff skills and training.
- Engage a sub-committee of the board to develop a plan for engaging target constituencies through involvement on the board, participation in programs, and formal evaluation and feedback processes. Avoid token representation and ensure meaningful participation. Discuss relationship development at regular board meetings.
- Board members should be cognizant of the impact of cultural differences and perspectives in relation to defining community need and delivering programs. A variety of perspectives should be considered before a decision is made that will impact programming and customer service. Employees and volunteers should be able to effectively relate to and work effectively within the target population. Cultural values and norms must be considered to ensure acceptance and utilization of services by constituents.
- Consider relation to mission before deciding to implement any new project or program. Discuss the cost-benefit ratio in relation to the likelihood of advancing toward mission achievement. Prioritize the programs with a higher likelihood of mission impact and reduce or eliminate low-priority programs.
- Establish a plan to respond to a possible decrease in funding. Prioritize positions and functions (In the event of layoffs, which positions will be targeted?), prioritize services, programs and projects (Can any projects be put “on hold?” Can any services be provided by another organization?), and identify a list of potential new funding sources that may be pursued (Are there individuals, civic groups, foundations or corporations that may support you? Can you adapt any programs to a fee-for-service model?).
- Establish an organizational culture that says it’s okay to say “no” to an “opportunity” if it does not have significant impact on the mission.
- Consider the capacity of staff before implementing a new project/program. Ensure that funding is available to adequately staff and support the activity: if new staff cannot be added, what projects or programs can be down-sized or eliminated to free-up other staff time?
- Consider sustainability beyond initial (perhaps grant-based) funding for a new program. What other funding, including earned income, might be available?
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