Many purpose statements of companies and nonprofits miss the mark.  Companies often talk about “maximizing shareholder value” and nonprofits talk about the services they provide.  What is missing is a statement about the “impact” the organization makes for others – for customers or those benefiting from the services of a nonprofit.

Here are some suggestions from a recent article* in Harvard Business Review on how to craft a meaningful Purpose Promise statement:

*Why does the organization exist?  Explain the purpose in terms that are relevant to the customers/users.  How are your products/services unique?  What makes you different from competitors?

*What principles guide your decisions?  Consider all of your stakeholders as you craft this aspect of your purpose.  What values guide your interactions with various stakeholders?  What kind of work environment do you want to build?

*What is your long-term future?  This is the “vision” question.  What future are employees building as they work hard day in and day out?  What difference do you intend to make longer term?

The most talented people in the workplace want to make a difference with their hard work.  Key to all of this, as usual, is that top leaders must role model the purpose and the principles.  Without that, they are just empty words on a page.  A well-articulated Purpose Promise – which you actually deliver on – can make your organization a high impact magnet for talent.

*Blount, S.  “Why Are We Here?,”  Harvard Business Review, November – December 2019, pp. 132- 139.

This builds off the last blog where I discussed Lisa McLeod’s recent book,  Leading with Noble Purpose.

McLeod uses business examples, but this can easily be translated for nonprofits and government.  In order to create a Noble Purpose Statement, begin by asking three important questions:

1. How do you make a difference to your customers?  For nonprofits/government, we would ask what difference/impact you make for those you serve.  Make sure to identify the “ripple impacts” you make.  For example, you may provide direct services in literacy education, but what other ripple differences does that make in the community once someone can read.  They can get a job, this reduces unemployment, helps the tax base, impacts the rest of their family, etc.

2. How do you do it differently from your competition?

3. On your best day, what do you love about your job?

Going through these questions helps you get in touch with the Noble Purpose of your organization – the difference you make for others.  Your mission statement can inform this conversation, but this is way more than memorizing your mission statement.

This would be a great exercise for a staff retreat or special staff meeting.  By the end, each person should have crafted their own personal version of a Noble Purpose Statement.  Each version should have the same basic theme, but people can emphasize different aspects of the purpose.

Your organization makes an important Mission Impact.  You need to be able to explain it in a clear, compelling way that inspires you and others.