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Mission drift is common in not-for-profit organizations, particularly if they\u2019ve been active for a long time. Your local community probably has grown, the issues surrounding your mission may have evolved and new nonprofits may be addressing some of the same problems. In such circumstances, it makes sense to shift your focus and use your funds where they\u2019ll do the most good. But don\u2019t drift too far without formalizing the changes. You\u2019ll need to notify your stakeholders, as well as the IRS, about a significant mission\u00a0shift.<\/p>\n
Taking a long, hard look<\/strong><\/p>\n Sometimes organizations have no choice but to shift their mission. For example, perhaps you\u2019ve championed a cause that has been successfully resolved. Or maybe the population you\u2019ve served is no longer present in your community.<\/p>\n Other times, the decision isn\u2019t as clear-cut. Your board should look at where you\u2019ve been and where you\u2019re heading. Members should ask whether the services you currently provide are still needed and, if your mission has drifted, whether it\u2019s now focusing on what you consider the most critical issues. Your board may decide to expand, contract or modify your nonprofit\u2019s existing mission.<\/p>\n Drawing up a new statement <\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s generally easy for 501(c)(3) organizations to change their mission statements without major disruption. You just need to make sure your new mission qualifies as tax-exempt.<\/p>\n Your board should develop a new mission statement following procedures similar to the ones used at inception. The statement should be descriptive, but not so detailed that it limits your nonprofit and its growth. Once the board approves the new mission statement, your bylaws and Articles of Incorporation should be amended according to your existing bylaws. Unless otherwise stated, bylaws may be amended by a vote of at least a two-thirds majority.<\/p>\n Notifying supporters and the\u00a0IRS<\/strong><\/p>\n You can notify the IRS immediately about a change in your organization\u2019s mission or bylaws, but there\u2019s no legal requirement to do so. You can instead wait until you file your annual Form\u00a0990. At that point, the IRS will contact you if it has any questions.<\/p>\n On the other hand, don\u2019t delay notifying donors and grant makers. In general, nonprofits must use donations for the purpose specified by donors. If you\u2019ve accepted a large donation intended for a program that\u2019s discontinued after you change your mission, contact the donor immediately. After you explain the change, this supporter may allow you to use the donation for another purpose consistent with your new mission. If not, you\u2019ll need to return the\u00a0funds.<\/p>\n To get the word out to stakeholders and your community, use your website, newsletter and social media accounts. Large nonprofits with wide regional or national appeals generally distribute formal press releases. Smaller nonprofits may want to contact local media outlets. Finally, review and, potentially, revise all public communications to ensure they reflect your new mission statement.<\/p>\n Avoiding old attitudes<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019re not done yet! You\u2019ll need to monitor your programs and initiatives to ensure they\u2019re consistent with your new mission. To that end, you may want to provide retraining for staffers to help ensure they all understand the current focus and are carrying out your mission with a fresh attitude. If you have questions about how changing your mission could affect your tax-exempt status, contact\u00a0us.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2024<\/em><\/p>\n <\/body> Mission drift is common in not-for-profit organizations, particularly if they\u2019ve been active for a long time. Your local community probably has grown, the issues surrounding your mission may have evolved and new nonprofits may be addressing some of the same problems. In such circumstances, it makes sense to shift your focus and use your funds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,10,53],"tags":[8,11,12],"class_list":["post-16856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-news","category-updates","tag-articles","tag-news","tag-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16857,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16856\/revisions\/16857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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