Mission First. Everything Else Second.

Too many times non-profit organizations get off track. A board member, staff person, or volunteer has an idea and before you know it the train has left the station and it is too late to go back. Where is that train going? Nobody may really know because nobody stopped to ask, “Where are we going?”

About a year ago, I started asking this question of my own organization. I felt, as others did, that we were running from event to event without really stopping to ask, “Is this event/program mission-related?”

It’s a good question to ask about not just your events and programs, but everything you do. We have implemented a new mantra at the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn and that mantra: “Everything starts with the mission.”

It sounds simple enough, but unless the organization consciously and intentionally puts mission first, the mission can get lost. I conducted a short exercise with my staff at our December staff meeting. First, we watched Simon Sinek’s TED talk on “The Why.” I then handed them a sheet of paper with one question on it.

“What is the mission of the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn?”

[That TED talk can be found here]

I told them not to put their name on their paper and the papers were collected in an envelope, promising them that the sheets would never see the light of day. You see, I needed to know how connected our staff was to the organizations mission. The results were good in that most people knew the basic premise of the mission and most got the key words in their answer.

I proceeded to talk about our mission in terms of the “why”, then the “how”, and finally the “what” – exactly in that order. This led to a list of our stakeholders and how they connect to our mission. Then, the staff discussed the mission and whether or not they thought it was attainable and, I think, some introspection on how they, themselves, connect with the mission.

It was about a 40-45 minute process but one that got the staff really thinking about why we exist.

Think about the following:

• Is your mission posted on the front page of your website or hidden in the “About Us” section?


• Is your mission posted in organization’s entryway, or hidden in a brochure that you hope someone might pick up?


• Do you talk about your mission at your staff meetings or do you simply focus on what people are doing?

How are you keeping your mission top-of-mind with staff, clients, volunteers, etc.?

Mission First. Everything Else Second.