The Foraker Group

An organization’s core purpose is described simply and succinctly, in just a few words. If you are a soup kitchen, your core purpose may be to feed the hungry. Core purpose does not try to differentiate your organization from others. In fact, many nonprofits have the same core purpose, but differ in their core values and activities.

Core values clarify purpose and make each organization unique. Using the soup kitchen example, the core values could be compassion, respect, and dignity. An organization’s core values usually revolve around what drove the founder to create the nonprofit in the first place. They go beyond organizational aspirations. A value is considered “core” when it remains true through the years and motivates the entire organization.

To use a bowling reference, if one envisions the core purpose as the pins at the end of the alley, the ultimate goal is to get a strike by knocking down all the pins. A gutter ball is not desirable. What would happen if bumpers were placed in the gutters so that every ball could be guaranteed to hit the target? Who would not want such an effective tool to avoid gutter balls and ensure higher scores?

Core values act as bumpers, guiding the bowling ball as it makes its way to the pins for a strike, or at least a spare. Succinct, clearly stated core purpose and core values, provide solid information to nonprofit leaders when determining direction. Every staff and board leader should be able to articulate the answer to “Who are we?” for their organization.

Share with us your organization’s core purpose and values.

–Dennis

Dennis McMillian is President of The Foraker Group, a nonprofit capacity building organization based in Alaska, and the author of Focus on Sustainability: A Nonprofit’s Journey.