You Have a Mission Statement. Do You Have a Values Statement To Go With It?

Good morning.
"And the beat goes on..................."

Virtually every nonprofit arts organization has a Mission Statement, declaring the purpose of the organization and why it exists.  Those statements are often complemented by a Vision Statement, an aspirational declaration setting forth what the organization would like to see accomplished. There has been no dearth of advice as to how to craft a Mission Statement (brevity, focus et. al).

But not that many organizations have yet developed a Values Statement to complement their Mission and Vision Statements.  What is a Values Statement?  It is a declaration (often times a list) of the core values that the organization holds dear, and which guide the decision-making, activities and behaviors of the organization as it pursues its mission and vision statements.

A Values Statement for organizations in the nonprofit arts might include, among other values, the following:

•  Doing the Right Thing - including the embrace and promotion of fairness, equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice.

•  Respect for the Organization's People - in the fair and ethical treatment of its' Artists, Board, Staff, Volunteers, Clients, Audiences, and public.

•  Transparency - in the actions and decision making process of the organization and its people.

•  Artist Support - in their pursuit of excellency in the their art.

•  Community Engagement - Collaboration, Cooperation and Connection as involved and responsible community citizens.

•  Innovation -  Growing the organization with constant creativity and fresh approaches to how it serves its mission and pursues its vision.  A commitment to moving forward and avoiding stagnancy.

•  Service Mentality - providing outstanding service to the organization's many constituencies and parts.

•  Having Fun and enjoying the daily process of being.  (And if fun isn't one of your core values, why would anybody want to work there?)

You get the idea, which is to codify the values that are important to the organization.  Your organization might embrace different or additional ones.  Having such a statement helps everyone in your organization put decisions and behavior into the context of what matters to the organization.  It can help guide decision making and ground goal setting.  And it signals to those who interact with the organization from the outside, the principles that guide the organization.  The process of creating a Values Statement is a way to engage everyone in the organization in a consensus as to what matters in how the organization does business.  It allows the organization to develop a kind of practical ethical compass for the pursuit of its actions and aspirations.  And that compass can be a source of pride and commitment.  It's about who you are.

What are the core values your organization holds?  Does everybody in your organization know?  If they don't, maybe a formal Values Statement is something you ought to consider developing.

Have a great week.

Don't Quit
Barry