Mission Statement
I have a self-imposed task to do by this Sunday. It came out of one of the two presentations I was able to attend at the American Music Therapy Association's annual conference back in November, and it's a good one to engage my brain and make it do some dreaming.
I need to update my mission statement.
"What is a mission statement?" you may ask? Well, according to Wikipedia (I know, I know, but you have to admit that Wikipedia is a great place to START looking for information!), "a mission statement is a statement which is used as a way of communicating the purpose of the organization" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_statement, retrieved 12/18/15). The article goes on to state that a mission statement also serves to direct the actions of the organization and provides a touchstone for decisions, goals, and desired outcomes.
I've written and debated mission statements before, but I find that it is not that easy to write one for your own personal and professional use. So, what do I do? I go to the internet and find some resources. Here's one that looks promising - How to Write a Mission Statement by Tim Berry. Apparently, Mr. Berry thinks that a mission statement should a) describe your company; b) state what you do, stand for, and why you bother to do it; c) are you in it for a profit or just because; d) what markets do you serve; e) what problem do you offer to solve for your markets; and f) the internal work space for employees. Interesting. This is a place for me to start.
Time to move into the brainstorming process. My business is simply targeted towards music therapists and music therapy students. I feel strongly that music therapists should have a deep understanding of music and musical elements. I feel that music therapists should be able to create and compose music for their clients. I feel that some people are very good at making things and composing music but others are not. At this point, a bit of profit would be nice, but it is not my only income source (thank goodness!).
So, start to refine - music therapists and music therapy students and interns; compositions; education; materials; reasonable price...
How does that transform into a mission statement?
I am someone who does well with examples, so this website: https://topnonprofits.com/examples/nonprofit-mission-statements/ seems to be a good place to find models for mission statements. Most of the statements on this page are short and concise. This site recommends that a mission statement be around 20 words long. My current statement is 32 words long. I can certainly refine that.
Current statement: The mission of www.musictherapyworks.com is to provide quality products, continuing education, and opportunities for music therapists, music therapy students and interns, and others interested in the use of music as a therapeutic medium.
Time to prune this down a bit. I'll be posting a new mission statement on the website on Monday at sometime. Check it out on the website. Happy Friday, reader!!
I need to update my mission statement.
"What is a mission statement?" you may ask? Well, according to Wikipedia (I know, I know, but you have to admit that Wikipedia is a great place to START looking for information!), "a mission statement is a statement which is used as a way of communicating the purpose of the organization" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_statement, retrieved 12/18/15). The article goes on to state that a mission statement also serves to direct the actions of the organization and provides a touchstone for decisions, goals, and desired outcomes.
I've written and debated mission statements before, but I find that it is not that easy to write one for your own personal and professional use. So, what do I do? I go to the internet and find some resources. Here's one that looks promising - How to Write a Mission Statement by Tim Berry. Apparently, Mr. Berry thinks that a mission statement should a) describe your company; b) state what you do, stand for, and why you bother to do it; c) are you in it for a profit or just because; d) what markets do you serve; e) what problem do you offer to solve for your markets; and f) the internal work space for employees. Interesting. This is a place for me to start.
Time to move into the brainstorming process. My business is simply targeted towards music therapists and music therapy students. I feel strongly that music therapists should have a deep understanding of music and musical elements. I feel that music therapists should be able to create and compose music for their clients. I feel that some people are very good at making things and composing music but others are not. At this point, a bit of profit would be nice, but it is not my only income source (thank goodness!).
So, start to refine - music therapists and music therapy students and interns; compositions; education; materials; reasonable price...
How does that transform into a mission statement?
I am someone who does well with examples, so this website: https://topnonprofits.com/examples/nonprofit-mission-statements/ seems to be a good place to find models for mission statements. Most of the statements on this page are short and concise. This site recommends that a mission statement be around 20 words long. My current statement is 32 words long. I can certainly refine that.
Current statement: The mission of www.musictherapyworks.com is to provide quality products, continuing education, and opportunities for music therapists, music therapy students and interns, and others interested in the use of music as a therapeutic medium.
Time to prune this down a bit. I'll be posting a new mission statement on the website on Monday at sometime. Check it out on the website. Happy Friday, reader!!
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