by Tova Sherman
Is your mission statement a living breathing guide, or just a dusty frame in reception?
In the non-profit sector, our mission and values are our “North Star.” But as the landscape shifts those guiding stars can become obscured by operational noise. If your team can’t recite your core values, or if your mission feels like a pre-Covid relic, it’s time for a refresh.
As part of our annual reflection, at reachAbility, our team recently came together to review and reinforce our agency mission and values.
I call it “stopping the train”. By taking a fresh look at our commitment to community we are more likely to stay in touch with our essence and messaging. This is something we do once a year as a team and have always taken seriously.
We updated our process this year and the entire experience was driven by the staff. Our 3 step process resulted in a lot of learning and discussion. In fact, we ran out of time and decided to reconvene to complete this very important work.
Step 1:
We began by asking the staff two questions:
What is the one thing we do that no one else can?
What values do we live by when things get difficult?
Why start this discussion with the full staff? There are a number of reasons:
1. New staff deserve the opportunity to have input into, and intimate understanding of, our mission and values.
2. It is an excellent opportunity to engage the entire team in renewing our professional and personal commitments and ensuring they remain aligned and authentic.
3. Creating a space where we reflect on our mission is a great opportunity to ensure alignment with agency objectives and provide a voice to everyone.
4. A mission handed down from the Board or Executive Leadership often feels like a corporate mandate. In an NGO, where passion drives performance, staff need to see their daily grit reflected in the organization’s high-level purpose.
5. Authentic buy-in happens when the people on the front lines see their fingerprints on the final document.
Step 2:
We challenged the team to define what our values look like in action. For example, instead of “Transparency,” try “We share the ‘why’ behind every major decision.” This makes values actionable and measurable.
Step 3:
We applied the “Keep, Toss, Evolve” Framework. In other words, not everything needs to change. We reviewed our current value statements and asked:
What still rings true? (Keep.)
What feels like jargon or outdated priorities? (Toss.)
What needs a modern lens to reflect our current impact? (Evolve.)
The Result: A Re-Energized Culture
Refreshing your mission isn’t just a branding exercise—it’s a retention strategy.
When staff help shape the “why” behind their work, they move from being employees to being ambassadors.
A refreshed mission gives your team permission to say “no” to distractions and “yes” to what truly matters.
Has your organization recently updated its mission? How did you involve your team in the process? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your thoughts in the comments, or write to us at info@reachability.org.
