Neighbors Helping Neighbors of Clinton County

							                 What is the purpose of a Mission Statement?

A mission statement is an action-oriented statement that clarifies an
organization’s purpose and indicates why it is doing what it does. The mission
should capture the essence of who you are, what you do, and for whom. The
mission should guide each day’s activities and decisions. It is the primary
standard against which the organization’s plans and programs should be
evaluated. The best mission statements use simple and concise terminology,
speak loudly and clearly, and generate enthusiasm for the organization.


       Does your mission statement answer the following questions:

   Why?       The purpose or essence of the organization; the changes that may
              occur because of its existence;



   What?      A brief description of the services provided by the organization;



   Whom? The target population served by the organization;


   Who?       Unique qualities of the staff and/or volunteers who deliver services;


   Where? The geographic service area;



   How?       The method of delivering the services; what sets you apart?




Source: Watters, Michael R. Esq. How to Plan and Organize a Nonprofit Corporation.
Baker & Daniels: 1996.
                         Examples of Mission Statements


IACED                                    Housing Opportunities, Inc.
IACED, whose members are                 (Valparaiso)
dedicated to strengthening Indiana’s     Housing Opportunities, Inc. serves
neighborhoods through community          the community through the
economic development, works to           promotion and provision of safe,
support both the industry and local      decent, and affordable housing and
organizations through capacity           customized support services to those
building, advocating for effective       in need.
public policy, forming beneficial
partnerships among members, and          Hoosier Uplands (Mitchell)
delivering quality professional          The mission of Hoosier Uplands, is
development services.                    to plan, implement or cause to be
                                         implemented, and provide
NCCED                                    comprehensive services to the poor,
NCCED is the national trade              elderly, and disabled. The
association of the community             corporation strives to alleviate
economic development (CED)               poverty, improve living conditions,
industry. Our mission is to promote,     and provide access to health care
support and advocate for community       and social services to those families
development corporations (CDCs)          and individuals in need within our
and the CED industry, whose work         service area. All endeavors are
creates wealth, builds healthy and       pursued with the client in mind,
sustainable communities and              never forgetting the value of every
achieves lasting economic viability.     human being or the importance of
NCCED fulfills its mission of service    our responsibility to the public which
to its members working in                we serve.
disinvested urban and rural
communities through education,
resource development, advocacy,          Otis Elevator
networking, training, technology         Our mission is to provide any
assistance, policy initiatives and       customer a means of moving people
strategic partnerships. We are           and things up, down, and sideways
committed to empowering people,          over short distances with higher
organizations and communities.           reliability than any similar enterprises
                                         in the world.
American Red Cross
The mission of the American Red
Cross is to improve the quality of
human life; to enhance self-reliance
and concern for others; and to help
people avoid, prepare for, and cope
with emergencies.