Board Member Participation in Review and Assessment of Foundation Mission
An excerpt from page 31 of the NSFA School Foundation Handbook by Jim Collogan

In the book, Dream Big, Creating and Growing Your School Foundation, author Mark Havens encourages school foundation personnel to work on developing and clarifying their mission statement, because it is a bridge between the foundation and the community.

When creating a mission statement, it is best to involve as many individuals as possible. Make sure it describes the reason for your foundation’s existence. Use language common to your board and keep it under 25 words. Above all, don’t use the words “world class” or other unlikely descriptions for your foundation. Be realistic, making sure the mission fits your community, time, place and philanthropic profile.

Mission clarification and evaluation should be done annually at board meetings. A good start to reviewing the mission statement is asking board members to write it out. If they can’t remember it, reviewing it briefly at each foundation board meeting might be helpful.

If your school foundation has a viable mission, you will have donors.