A written mission can be conceived in different ways. One popular and creditable manner is to summarize in a short statement how an organization aspires to be - and to be seen, for example: We will be the most respected regional provider of Widgets by our customers, our employees and our suppliers. This type of mission can be extremely useful, even inspiring. I make no case against such a formulation when I call upon boards to produce another kind of statement. The two (this type and the one I propose) could, in fact, coexist. Because the mission described in this booklet is of a different sort, there is a danger in using such a familiar and widely defined label as mission.

It is very important that nonprofit and public boards develop the type of mission I describe below. It is very unimportant that they call it mission. Although ends can be considered at various levels, it is only the broadest expression that should initially concern a board. This is your mission, but in Policy Governance is more accurately defined as the most global ends statement that is still doable.

It will, then, be brief and broad but accurate and true to ends attributes. It will not be a statement of how the organization wants to be or to be seen but a statement of how the world will be different due to its existence. In other words, the Policy Governance mission is not about us, it is about them. For most organizations, this will be a different sort of mission statement, indeed.

This broad ends statement of our public and nonprofit organizations is philosophical and even intensely personal, arising as it does from what we believe the world should be. Why do we have the public school system? What justifies the trade association, pension fund, or social service agency? It is no accident that the word mission has not only strategic but frankly religious overtones. What are we about? What human need compels our organization?

The answer that is short and to the point has few words but they embody the organization's basic commission to make something happen in the world. In this CarverGuide, we will take a look at how a mission statement should be written to be a powerful message about what your organization is for. I will show how the best mission conceivabe falls short if it stands alone. I will also offer some guidelines on how to evaluate your mission statement. (p. 1-2)

CONTENTS
The central role of the mission statement.
Creating an effective mission statement.
Characteristics of the mission statement.
Evaluating your mission statements.
Examples of missions.
Mission statement checklist.
Summary.