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Purpose
Why we exist and who we exist for
Tough questions

Whether we are a service or may find that there are other organisations that have a similar purpose. We need to be clear about how we are different from them. If we have no distinctive features, why do we exist?

Our purpose may not change quickly over time. However, we should check it is still relevant. Legislative or environmental changes can affect the reason why we exist and the needs of our beneficiaries.

 It is common for us to drift away from our original purpose. This can be because:

● people take our purpose
   for granted or forget it

● new staff or board
   members don’t
   understand or support it

 ●

 Why do you exist?  
 ● Who benefits from your existence?  
 ● What do you do to
communicate your purpose to your stakeholders? 		  
 ● How do you make sure that your activities reflect your purpose?  
 ● What do you do to ensure that your mission is still appropriate?  
We use the words values, vision, mission and purpose to describe what it is that makes our organisation important and different from others.

Values are usually shared beliefs about what is right. For example, equality, justice, participation, honesty, respect and tolerance.
     
     
     
     

Vision is our organisation’s view of what society or the community could or should be like. For example, a society in which everyone has the same rights and expectations.


Mission and purpose usually mean the same thing; they spell out what we do to turn our vision into reality. For example, by challenging certain prejudices or barriers.


A typical statement of our purpose (commonly called our mission statement) will be a single sentence that answers these two questions:

● why the organisation exists


● who benefits from its existence

Our mission statement helps us to focus on our priorities and to decide what to do and what not to do.

● local or personal politics
   get in the way

● similar organisations
   start to overlap or
   duplicate our work

● funding is easier to get
   for other purposes

● emphasis is placed
   on one activity at
   the expense of others
   Revisiting our purpose
   can help us to make sure    that our organisation
   is still relevant and
   that our activities help
   us to meet our purpose.
   From there we need to
   make sure our purpose
   is clear to all relevant
   parties,our stakeholders,
    competitors and society    at large. 

  

 

How are you doing?
Score the Strand
Please tick, give mark out of 6
1 = disaster  
2 = not good  
3 = ok  
4 = good  
5 = very good  
6 = excellent  

 

Practical ideas for qualityimprovement
  ●

Ensure your staff and stakeholders know your mission. Put it on your publications, headed paper and other marketing material. Display your mission prominently in your offices or other property eg vehicles. Short and snappy statements can be printed on badges, pens and other materials. 

 

 ● Check the mission statement of similar organisations, through a copy of their annual report. Ask yourselves how you are different. If you have the same mission is there a possibility of partnership working or a merger, to achieve your common goal?  
  ●

Review your purpose before making your strategic plan. Keep asking yourselves "Why?" until you reach the bottom line and there are no further questions to be asked or answered. Use this to build up your purpose into a brief statement. Check if there are differences between this and your current statement.

 

 ● Ask how your activities support your purpose and help to achieve it. If they don’t, should you be doing them? Remember, if you change your activities you must explain why you are doing this to your stakeholders. Communicating your purpose clearly is an element in managing this change successfully.  
  ●

Check that your purpose still meets the needs of the people you exist to help. You could undertake some stakeholder analysis. For information on how to do this see the Help Boxes at www.thebigpic.org.uk (general section on stakeholder satisfaction).

 ● Ensure board members understand the values, vision and purpose of the organisation. You could organise committee induction. Improve continuity by rotating board membership so that there is a mix of new and longer serving members.  
       

 

Moving back to The Big Picture
   

Remember, when you make changes in one part of your organisation, this will have an effect on other parts.

For example, changes to purpose may affect your activities; it may affect the satisfaction of your stakeholders, your strategic outcomes and public profile.

Think about the changes you have made or intend to make. How will these affect other areas?
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