Craft Your Family's Mission Statement

A guided workshop to help your family define what you stand for and how you want to give — in your own words.

Word Banks:

  • Children & youth · Families · Women & girls · BIPOC communities · Immigrants · Veterans · People in recovery · LGBTQ+ communities · Future generations · Seniors · Rural communities · People with disabilities · [+ add your own]

  • Supports · Champions · Invests in · Empowers · Advances · Builds · Creates · Drives · Advocates for · Strengthens · Cultivates · Transforms · Mobilizes · Elevates · Catalyzes · Unlocks · Centers · Uplifts · Fosters · Partners with · [+ add your own]

  • Systemic change · Equity and access · Dignity and respect · Collective power · Thriving communities · Generational impact · Shared prosperity · Voices heard and valued · Community resilience · [+ add your own]

  • Trust-based partnerships · Direct support · Community collaboration · Advocacy · Shared funding · Capacity building · Multi-year unrestricted funding · Policy change · Grassroots grantmaking · [+ add your own]

  • Local · Regional · National · International · [+ add your own]

Mission Statement Templates

  • Lead with what's broken and what you're doing about it.

    The [Fund Name / Your Name / Your Family's Name] exists because [the problem / what keeps you up at night] in [where you give].

    We [action word] [who you serve] through [how you work].

    We won't stop until [the change you want to see] because [your why].

  • Lead with what you do and who you serve.

    The [Fund Name / Your Name / Your Family's Name] [action word] [who you serve] in [where you give] because [your why].

    We focus on [the change you want to see] through [how you work].

  • Lead with what you believe and why it drives you.

    Because [your why], the [Fund Name / Your Name / Your Family's Name] [action word] [who you serve] in [where you give].

    Our focus is [the change you want to see] through [how you work].

How You Work Definitions

  • Trust-based partnerships - you fund in a way that respects organizational expertise and reduces burdensome requirements (multi-year unrestricted funding, simplified applications, treating grantees as equals); emphasizing the human connection and mutual respect between you and the organizations you support, beyond just financial transactions

    Direct support - funding programs, services, or assistance that directly reaches the people who need it (rather than intermediaries or administrative costs)

    Community collaboration - working alongside community members themselves, not just organizations; emphasizing that those affected by issues are part of the solution

    Local organizing - supporting grassroots efforts where community members come together to advocate for change from the ground up

    Partnerships - collaboration and working together with other organizations toward shared goals

    Advocacy - funding efforts to change policies, laws, or public opinion; working to fix root causes through systemic change, not just providing services

    Shared funding - pooling resources with other donors or using collaborative models like giving circles or funder collaboratives

    Leadership training - investing in developing people's skills and capacity to lead, whether that's nonprofit executives, community organizers, or emerging leaders

    Capacity building - investing in making organizations stronger overall through their infrastructure, systems, staff, and technology; developing people's skills and capacity to lead