Big ideas: What would you really do for your mission?
Does a mission mean something, or does it justify something? Imagine the following scenarios:
...Your association has what you feel will be its single best opportunity to fulfill its mission since its inception 10 years ago...you can increase revenue, decrease expenses, and deliver the information and tools to members that they are screaming for, and you can help them lead better lives. The catch? You have to disband your entire association and its brand and merge it with another, stronger association that needs 1 or 2 of your strengths to really make an impact.
...You finally have found the perfect leader for those key challenges facing your association, challenges that need someone with the tact, skill set, and industry knowledge to get things done and help fulfill the organization’s mission...you know in your heart that this individual is more qualified, more passionate, and more poised than the person in the current position, and has the vision to really make things move. The catch? The position is yours.
...Your association has gotten really great at targeting the most essential and influential people who will bring long-term life and longevity to the association, as well as help it fulfill its most vital role, making the association more effective and relevant in a changing world. The catch? You’ll have to increase the requirements of becoming a member, effectively eliminating half of your less engaged, less relevant members in the process, oh, and cutting revenue.
...You have found that one thing that will solve one of societies most pressing problems...you have guaranteed proof that if you implement this tool, it will change the lives of members in your association and improve the quality of life for thousands of people. The catch? The solution involves breaking an outdated federal law still on the books.
...Your association’s cause is fighting a specific disease, and your sole existence revolves around education, advocacy, and information related to the condition ...you have built a great network of peers in medicine and health, and your organization has been awarded repeatedly as one of the top 5 most effective charitable, cause-driven associations in North America. The catch? They just announced this morning a cure for your cause...
What is the core of your association: Is it the association and its people (staff/volunteers), or is it that one big idea (mission)? What is more important?
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Comments
without the people, the mission cannot be completed - I have always believed that your people, paid and volunteer, are your most valuable asset. But you have to have the right people to meet the mission. They might not be the best at what they do, but they are very good and they fit with your culture and they bring out the best in the association and themselves when working with the others in the group.
Posted by: Cathi Eifert | December 11, 2009 10:40 AM
Wow. Great food for thought. I think the mission - as long as it's clear and simple and supported by everyone in an organization - is actually more important, as individual people will come and go. But having said that, I also think it's being truly mission-driven to be able to evolve your mission for changing times - another advantage of everyone in the system knowing what it's there for. If "what it's there for" no longer makes sense, it should be possible to have the necessary conversations which would ultimately lead to alliances/folding/rebirth as something different etc.
Posted by: Maddie Grant | December 11, 2009 8:05 PM