From the course: Nonprofit Management Foundations

Shaping your vision

From the course: Nonprofit Management Foundations

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Shaping your vision

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- When it comes to vision statements how many times have you heard something like this, "We aim to be the world-class leader in customer service "and satisfaction, and we strive for excellence "in all of our products." What exactly does this mean? How can a vision like that inspire others? A compelling vision statement is a critical element that non-profit leaders like you will need in order to move your organization forward. The most visionary leaders possess clear picture of the future they wish to create and they relentlessly pursue it. The vision statement is an aspirational description of what you aim to achieve in the future. It helps guide your current and future courses of action. A really compelling vision statement focuses on the change you create in the world. It's important to write it down so that it can be shared among your staff, volunteers, board members and other stakeholders. The non-profit Habitat for Humanity has enlisted millions of volunteers to build houses for low-income people all around the world. Here's Habitat's vision, "Eliminate poverty housing "and homelessness from the face of the earth, "and put poverty housing on the hearts and minds "of people in such a powerful way that it becomes socially, "politically, and religiously unacceptable." Talk about a compelling vision. Habitat's statement is a prime example of what "Good to Great" author Jim Collins might call a BHAG, a big hairy audacious goal. Now while Habitat's leaders recognize that this vision won't be achieved in their lifetimes, or ever perhaps, the lofty aspiration inspires the group to march on. It's bold and it's also pretty comprehensive. It helps Habitat transcend the common non-profit trap, making the false choice between either direct service or advocacy. Now, let's look at City Year. This non-profit has engaged tens of thousands of young people in a year of community service through its youth cores in 22 US states and others overseas. Here's City Year's vision, "One day, the most commonly "asked question among 18-year-olds will be, "'where did ya spend your service year?'". City Year aims to instill an ethic of community service so deeply in the United States that it fundamentally changes the fabric of our civic democracy. As you develop your vision, remember that the best vision statements provide a graphic picture of how the world will be different when you're successful. When writing your vision statement don't get hung up on trying to find just the right words. Writing a vision statement is not so much an exercise in wordsmithing as it is a process of deep reflection and future thinking. To get you started I'd like to ask you to try this exercise. Write out a vision for your organization that begins with these words, "One day". So, it could be, "One day our children will have equal "access to an excellent education." That's Teach For America's vision. Or, it could be, "One day, my city will be the best place "in America to grow old." That's a vision of a non-profit that provides housing and healthcare to elderly people. Now, this exercise might seem uncomfortable to you at first as it can be difficult to think in future terms but it's essential that as a non-profit leader you develop this capability. As the pioneering leadership studies author Warren Bennis once wrote, "Leadership is the capacity "to translate vision into reality." So, as you prepare to lead your non-profit into the future a great place to begin is by shaping your vision.

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