The Fieldstone Alliance Nonprofit Guide To Crafting Effective Mission And Vision Statements

Bring focus and direction to your work Too often, if you ask four people in a nonprofit what their organization's mission is, you'll get four different answers. Organizations without clearly defined and agreed-to mission and vision statements frequently find themselves adrift at sea, in real financial trouble, and unable to make an ongoing, positive impact on the community. But an effective mission and vision statement can help an organization unify services and create a consistent approach to new program development. Crafting Effective Mission and Vision Statements will help your organization develop (or revise) mission and vision statements that bring focus and direction to your work. With orderly, easy-to-follow steps, this engaging guide helps you: Build ownership for the mission and vision statements among board and staff Create a common understanding of your organization’s goals Understand how mission and vision statements differ and how to use both for greatest benefit Develop a mission statement that captures exactly what your organization does Create a vision statement based on stakeholders’ ideas and the organization’s history, capacity for growth, and fundraising potential Use this guide to create mission and vision statements that help your organization stay focused and keep it moving toward a positive future.

Bring focus and direction to your work Too often, if you ask four people in a nonprofit what their organization's mission is, you'll get four different answers. Organizations without clearly defined and agreed-to mission and vision statements frequently find themselves adrift at sea, in real financial trouble, and unable to make an ongoing, positive impact on the community. But an effective mission and vision statement can help an organization unify services and create a consistent approach to new program development. Crafting Effective Mission and Vision Statements will help your organization develop (or revise) mission and vision statements that bring focus and direction to your work. With orderly, easy-to-follow steps, this engaging guide helps you: Build ownership for the mission and vision statements among board and staff Create a common understanding of your organization's goals Understand how mission and vision statements differ and how to use both for greatest benefit Develop a mission statement that captures exactly what your organization does Create a vision statement based on stakeholders' ideas and the organization's history, capacity for growth, and fundraising potential Use this guide to create mission and vision statements that help your organization stay focused and keep it moving toward a positive future.

Designed to help nonprofit board members and senior staff, "The six books address all of the fundamental elements of service common to most boards, including board member responsibilities, how to structure the board in the most efficient manner, and how to accomplish governance work in the spirit of the mission of the organization."--Pg. 2 of Book 1

Nonprofit mergers are on the rise. Executive directors and board members are discovering the advantages: comprehensive service delivery, better finances, more powerful fundraising, increased market share. Bottom line, mergers make more mission possible. From assessing reasons and readiness, to finding a partner, to negotiating the best path, to budgeting and implementation, author David La Piana guides you through the maze of options with a steady hand. Based on experience with more than sixty mergers, this handbook is the perfect starting point for any nonprofit exploring a possible merger and a basic resource for all nonprofit managers. You'll find: how to decide what kind of structure from collaboration to merger meets your goals how to know your own motivation and keep your mission forefront what kind of merger best fits your goals, structure, and financial situation how to seek merger partners and objectively assess the pros and cons of each how to manage the boards essential role in merger considerations; how to exercise due diligence and write the merger agreement how to deal with the rumor mill what you can do yourself, when to call in attorneys and consultants, and how to select them typical roadblocks and how to beat them how to move past old history and build new traditions as you integrate staff, management, boards, systems, and corporate cultures how to budget for and raise funds to implement the merger and much more! Full merger case studies, decision trees, twenty-two worksheets, checklists, tips, milestones, an extensive resource section and many samples including the minutes of a completed merger negotiation give you concrete assistance with your own merger plans and implementation. A special chapter written for nonprofit organizational consultants explains their roles and responsibilities in assisting clients interested in merger.

In an environment of increasing competition and eroding trust, nonprofits are under pressure to up their ability to deliver on their mission. Stewardship is a paradigm-shifting way to view your role, your board, your staff, your funders, and yourself. Understanding that the nonprofit is rooted in its ownership by the community helps break the boundaries of turf and fragmentation that prevent sustainable impacts. Author Peter Brinckerhoff, internationally known expert at helping not-for-profits get more mission for their money, explains why stewardship is the smart thing to do and how you can use it to transform your organization. You'll discover: The eight characteristics of a mission-based steward; The various stewardship roles that exist in your not-for-profit, and why each is essential in a well-functioning organization; Three surprising truths about your not-for-profit; The nine characteristics of a successful not-for-profit; Fifteen warning signs of trouble in your organization; Stewardship-rich ways to view your finances, your budgeting, and your financial reporting; A refreshing new perspective on the relationship between funders and not-for-profits; Crisis management tools that really work; A stewardship self-assessment to use now as a starting point, and later as a reference point to measure your progress. Comprehensive, passionate, and practical. Dozens of real-world examples make this book relevant. End-of-chapter discussion questions reprise key points and reinforce important ideas. Nonprofit Stewardship is recommended for leaders of all types of not-for-profit organizations serving individuals, the local community, the state, the nation, or the world. Also recommended for donors, grant makers, government agencies, and others who fund your work.

Don't just wish for marketing results—get them! If marketing seems too commercial or too complex, or if your current efforts aren't delivering results, this book is for you. With this helpful guide, you can create a simple, usable marketing plan designed to get results! Since its first edition in 1990, the Marketing Workbook has helped thousands like you use marketing to reach the people you want to help—and attract the money and support your organization deserves. Now, this updated second edition offers an easy-to-follow five-step process to create an effective marketing plan; provides an expanded resources section including Internet examples; and includes ""web wisdom"" to help you set reasonable web goals, build an on-line reputation, and learn about the possibilities and pitfalls of web promotion. Use it to be sure you have the right services to meet people's needs; reach the audiences you want with a message that motivates people to respond; and make a strong impact in your community and beyond. This book will guide you through each stage of the marketing process. You'll learn how to link marketing with strategic planning, set goals and evaluate your success, conduct a marketing audit using the Six Ps of Marketing, position your organization in a unique niche, and develop a marketing plan and promotional campaign. Plus, you also get 27 proven promotional techniques, dozens of tips for writing and design, a sample marketing plan, a case study of how one nonprofit implemented their plan, and much more! Get the Marketing Workbook and start putting the power of marketing to work in your organization!

In an environment of increased competition, funding cuts, and other pressures, strategic planning is a sound management tool for nonprofits. This workbook provides a guide for developing, implementing, and updating a strategic plan. Sample plan and blank worksheets are included.

What makes the difference between your collaboration's failure or success? Collaboration: What Makes It Work, Second Edition answers this question with an up-to-date and in-depth review of collaboration research. This new edition also includes The Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory.