Have you ever played the game Telephone? If so, you’re game probably ended with someone saying aloud a very jumbled up message.

If you’ve never played Telephone or just need a reminder, you can watch this clip of the Marvel’s Avengers playing Telephone on Jimmy Kimmel to get the gist.

If you don’t have a mission and vision statement, your student club or organization is essentially playing Telephone with the message being your organization’s “purpose”.

You can conduct a fun test with your fellow officers or members by passing around a sheet of paper and having your peers write down why they think their organization exists. 

Chances are you’re going to find a variety of responses that may be closer or further from your own.

Without a clear mission and vision, everyone is using their personal experiences and ideas of the club to create their perceived purpose.

For instance, someone who only shows up to a club’s social events is going to have a different view than someone who goes to all the workshops and vice versa. Same could be said about a new member vs. a long-time member. Even a club’s name can lend itself to different interpretations. Without much context, would you be able to guess the intentions of an organization called “Best Buddies” or “Women in Business”?

No matter the reason, a lack of cohesive acknowledged purpose can lead to some directional issues. How can members and officers make the best decisions for their student organization if they have different ideas of their groups purpose and intentions? 

Having a mission and vision can also improve member and officer engagement. According to Simon Sinek’s book, “Start with Why”, our why is our passion. You spend most of your college days attending lectures, taking tests, going to tutoring, and completing homework for a reason. Your mission is probably to build your skills and knowledge in order to obtain a degree and you most likely envision some sort of personal success after college in a career of your choosing. Therefore, your mission and vision is the passion that get your groggy-eyed self to class at 8:00 am every other morning.

Just like you need your “why” as motivation to get your degree, your fellow members and officers need their “why” to be active in your student organization or club.   

 So, how do you find your organization’s why?

Your organization’s why should be a trifecta of your Mission, Vision, and Values. 

Mission – Why your organization does what it does. A simple statement of purpose. 

Vision – Where your organization sees itself in the future.   

Values – The culture, principles, ethics, and (or) beliefs of your organization

Discover Your Mission

Consider this your group’s existential crisis. It’s about time you discover your mission as an organization. It should be simple and straight to the point; one sentence long should sum it up. 

Ask your organization:

• Why are we here?

Example:

“We are here for only one reason: to help a girl reach her highest potential.” 

– The Girl Scouts

Dreaming Up Your Vision

For the continuity of your student organization, you have to see a future for it. My favorite motto in life is to leave things better than when I found them. So hopefully, you’re imagining a brighter future for your organization and its endeavors. 

Ask your organization: 

• What is our group’s hopes and dreams?
• What change do we want to inspire?
• What problem are we hoping to solve?

Example:

“That the United States is a humane community in which all animals are treated with respect and kindness.”

– American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) 

Finding Your Values. 

There are hundreds of good values to have but what essential values are going to drive and uphold your mission and vision? 

Having an agreed-upon set of core values can help an organization run smoothly and make finding new officers and members easier. 

Sometimes your organization will have to make difficult decisions based on ambiguous situations. Looking at your values for guidance can justify your stance to do right by your organization.

One way to find your organization’s values is to reflect upon the culture or essence of your student organization. Looking at your mission and vision or simply some self-reflection can help your group find its values.

Ask your organization:

• What does our group believe in? 
• How does our group interact?
• How do we want the external community to view our group?

It may sound counterintuitive, but another way to find what your organization values most might be asking your officers and members what should be done in the event of your group’s most trying times and what values would help your group overcome them?    

Ask your Organization: 

• What would compromise the integrity of our organization and how should we avoid those situations?
• What behaviors would be unacceptable of our officers and members and how do we prevent them? 

For simplicity’s sake, your student group shouldn’t need more than 6 core values, so make them good! 

Example:

1. Members First

2. Relationships Matter

3. Be Open, Honest, and Constructive

4. Demand Excellence

5. Take Intelligent Risks

6. Act Like an Owner

– Linked-In

We Want to Hear From You!

The best way to learn and improve is to get feedback and feedback can flow both ways. Did this article help your organization find it’s stated purpose? We’d love to hear what mission, vision, and values your group came up with. Let’s get the discussion rolling below!