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What is a Vision Statement?A vision statement takes into account the current status of the organization, and serves to point the direction of where the organization wishes to go. The vision statement helps to provide a focus for the mission of your organization. It sets the goal that your organization aspires to reach. While vision statements and mission statements are very similar in nature, there is a fine point of difference between the two: a mission statement focuses on the overall aim of the business, a simple statement of the company’s reason for being; a vision statement focuses on the organization’s goals and vision for the future. Often the mission statement will include verbiage that makes a pledge to deliver a particular service. From this perspective, a mission statement is about maintaining a certain quality or attribute of your organization’s core values. The vision statement, by contrast, is not about what your organization currently is, but what you hope to become. The vision statement is a form of values statement. Values statements are simply an acknowledgment of the inherent worth of the organization and the services it provides. Value statements are usually brief and to the point. Similarly, a vision statement is also intended to be no more than a couple of sentences that clearly outline a specific goal of the company, while not providing the details of how that goal will be reached. Thus, the vision statement provides the direction for your organization, while not inhibiting the development of the strategy that will allow you to reach your goals. Nonprofit organizations may find that a vision statement is a way of keeping everyone focused on an ultimate goal, even if there may have to be some changes in operation. As a means of reaching toward the future, a properly drafted vision statement can provide motivation and inspiration, without stifling creativity in creating solutions to reach your vision statement’s aim. When writing your vision statement, you might think about answers to the following questions:
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