Mission, Vision and Values Workshop
A facilitated day to work out what your organisation stands for - your mission, your vision, your values - and put it into words your whole organisation can stand behind. A clear, shareable set that helps people make everyday decisions.
Who this is for
Perhaps your organisation has never quite put into words what it stands for, and it would help - with decisions, or with new people joining. Perhaps you have a mission and vision already, but they no longer feel like the organisation you are today. Either way, it's worth getting right.
The truest version of what an organisation stands for usually lives with the people who do the work, and it comes out best in the right kind of conversation. A leadership team brings focus, and a survey brings breadth. A facilitated day brings people together so you get a bit of both, with shared meaning.
The day is built to draw it out of the room - to get the people who matter talking honestly about what the organisation is for, find the common threads, and turn them into clear, plain statements people recognise. Your words, found and sharpened together, and shaped so you can share them more widely and let others add their voice.
And it doesn't have to be the classic trio. Mission, vision and values is where most organisations start, and often where they land. Sometimes what you stand for sits better as a set of guiding principles, a few clear promises, or a single statement. We start with the language you came for, and shape the result to whatever fits you.
What it looks like
Before the day
We talk first. What's prompting this - a fresh start, a refresh, a merger, a sense of drift? Who needs to be in the room for the result to carry weight? What do you already have, and what would you like to change? The day is designed around your answers.
Drawing it out
On the day, the work is to bring what's already there into the open. Through structured conversation and the right activities at the right moments, we explore what people believe the organisation is for, where it's heading and what it values - including any gaps between what's said and what's lived.
Finding the words
What comes out of the room is shaped into draft statements in plain language, and tested against real decisions as we go. The question isn't whether they sound impressive - it's whether they'd help someone make a choice. The form follows the organisation: mission, vision and values for most, or guiding principles, promises or a single clear statement where that fits better.
After the day, and beyond the room
You leave with worked drafts and a clear sense of what's settled and what needs another pass. For many organisations the day is the start: the draft set is built to be shared more widely, so staff, trustees or the people you serve can react to it before it's finalised. We capture everything and, where it helps, support that wider round and a final refine once the words have had time to breathe.
What makes this different
Your words, drawn out | We don't bring a template mission and fill in your name. The method is built to surface what's already true about your organisation and help you say it clearly - in whatever form fits, from the classic trio to guiding principles, promises or a single guiding statement. The result is yours because you found it. |
Built to guide decisions | Everything is tested against real decisions as we write it, so what you leave with is useful day to day - something people reach for when they're making a choice. |
Voices from across the organisation | The people closest to the work often have a clear sense of what the organisation does and why it matters. A facilitated day brings a good mix of voices into the conversation, so the result has breadth and shared ownership. |
What people take away
A set you can use - and share - clear statements in plain language - short enough to remember, specific enough to guide a decision, honest enough that people recognise themselves in them. Ready to use as they are, and easy to share for wider input if you'd like.
Shared ownership - because the words came out of the room, people feel connected to them. They helped shape them, so they're more likely to use them.
A clearer organisation - the conversation itself does useful work. People leave with a clearer, shared sense of what the organisation is for, and that shows up in decisions long after the day.
Alignment that lasts - mission, vision and values that fit together give everyone a shared reference point, which each part of the organisation can bring to life in its own way. That shared core is where working as one starts.
A way to keep them alive - you leave knowing how to use your statements - in decisions, in how you talk about the work, and in how you welcome new people - so they stay part of everyday life.
What makes a statement worth having
It can be hard to know which of the three you need, and the words often get used interchangeably. Here's a simple way to split them: your mission is what you do and who for. Your vision is what changes if you do it well. Your values are how you behave while you're doing it. If a sentence sits comfortably under two of those headings, it might be worth sharpening.
Length matters a little. Past about twenty words, a statement is often doing several jobs at once, and the ones people can hold in their heads tend to get used most. A good test is whether someone could pick up your mission and use it to help settle a question about priorities on a Tuesday morning.
It also helps for statements to be specific to you. If your name could be swapped for another organisation's and the words would still fit, there's room to make them more your own. Specific is harder than inspiring, which is where it helps to have someone in the room gently asking what you mean.
What brings organisations to this?
Most organisations come to this work with a feeling rather than a brief - "ours doesn't quite fit any more" or "we've never really pinned this down". Here are the situations we're asked to help with most often. Whichever sounds like yours, you'll leave with something you can share, in whatever form fits you best.
The situation | How a workshop helps |
|---|---|
Starting from scratch | Turns a blank page into clear statements you own, specific to your organisation |
A statement ready for a refresh | Refreshes the words so they fit who you are now, and people can recall and use them |
A new chapter | Gives a merger, a relaunch or a new strategy a shared foundation to build on |
Bringing words and actions closer | Helps the words and everyday behaviour point the same way |
Connecting the words to the work | Helps statements connect with the daily work, so everyone can see their part |
Starting from scratch
Plenty of organisations do good work for years without putting into words what they're for. It often becomes useful when a big decision comes up, a funder asks, or new people want to understand what you're about. A facilitated day turns the blank page into clear statements you own, drawing out what's specific to you so the words feel like yours.
Signs this might help
- You've never formally written your mission, vision or values, and it feels like the right time.
- A funder, a board or a partner has asked for them, and you'd like something that's truly yours.
- You're growing, and it would help new people to understand what you're about.
- You've had a go at writing them yourselves and would like help making them more specific.
What a day looks like, and what you'd take away
Starting from scratch can be the cleaner option - there's nothing to unpick. The day begins with the conversation underneath the words: what do we do, who for, and why does it matter? Once that's clear, the statements tend to follow.
With a blank page, it's tempting to include everyone's favourite phrase. The facilitation helps the group stay focused on what's specific and true about your organisation, so the words feel like yours rather than anyone's.
You'd take away first drafts in plain language - mission, vision and values, or whatever form fits you - the thinking behind them, and a clear sense of what's settled and what wants one more pass. Ready to stand, and shaped to share more widely if you'd like to bring others in.
Starting with a blank page? Let's fill it together →
A statement ready for a refresh
Missions and visions are often written at one moment in an organisation's life, by people who may since have moved on. As the organisation grows and changes, the words can start to fit less well. A facilitated day refreshes them, so they fit who you are now and people can recall and use them.
Signs this might help
- Your mission or vision exists, but people find it hard to remember.
- It was written a while ago and the organisation has moved on since - new work, new people, a different shape.
- It feels quite general, and you'd like it to say more about you.
- You'd like it to play a bigger part in how people work day to day.
What a day looks like, and what you'd take away
A refresh starts with deciding what to keep. Some of the existing wording may still ring true and be worth holding onto, while other parts may be ready to change. The day makes room to talk that through, building on what came before.
From there, we get underneath the words to what the organisation is for now, and find plain language that fits. The aim is statements people can remember, because those are the ones people use.
You'd take away refreshed mission, vision and values that fit the organisation as it is today, with a clear record of what was kept, what changed and why.
Ready to refresh your statements? Let's refresh them →
A new chapter
Some moments call for a shared foundation - a merger bringing two organisations together, a relaunch, a new strategy, a change of leadership. When a lot is changing, agreeing what you stand for together gives everything else something to build on. A facilitated day gives that new chapter its starting point: a mission, vision and values the whole organisation has shaped together.
Signs this might help
- Two organisations are becoming one, and you'd like a shared sense of purpose everyone can own.
- You're relaunching, rebranding or setting a new strategy, and want to set the foundations first.
- New leadership has arrived and wants to shape what the organisation is about together with everyone.
- Something significant has changed, and the statements no longer reflect who you are.
What a day looks like, and what you'd take away
A new chapter is a moment when people care a lot about what the organisation will become, and whether their part of it will be reflected. Handled with care, this is where a shared identity can be built together.
The facilitation pays particular attention to that - making sure every part of the new whole is in the room and heard, so the statements belong to all of it. Taking time over this early tends to make the months ahead smoother.
You'd take away mission, vision and values the whole organisation has shaped together - a shared foundation for whatever comes next.
Bringing something new together? Let's build the foundation →
Bringing words and actions closer
Sometimes stated values and the everyday experience of working in an organisation drift apart a little over time. People notice, and it can affect trust. A facilitated day helps close that gap honestly - getting to statements the organisation can stand behind and live up to.
Signs this might help
- Your stated values and how things feel day to day have drifted apart, and people have noticed.
- People feel a little unsure whether the values reflect how things really work.
- You'd rather have honest, modest statements you live up to than aspirational ones.
- You'd like to either adjust the words to match reality, or name the gap so it can close.
What a day looks like, and what you'd take away
This is the most delicate version of the work, because it touches on the gap between what an organisation says and what it does, and that needs care. The point is to get to statements that are true. Sometimes that means changing the words to match how the organisation is. Sometimes it means naming a gap clearly enough that the organisation chooses to close it.
The day makes space for that honesty in a supportive, constructive way. When words and everyday behaviour point the same way, trust grows - and that's worth more than polished phrasing.
You'd take away mission, vision and values the organisation can honestly stand behind, and a clear sense of where words and behaviour could move closer together.
Want your words and actions closer together? Let's talk it through →
Connecting the words to the work
A mission can be well written and still feel distant from the person answering the phone, running a session or making a budget call. A facilitated day works on the words and on the connection, so the people doing the daily work can see how their part fits and use the statements in their own decisions.
Signs this might help
- Your statements read well, and you'd like them to be used more in everyday decisions.
- The big organisational words feel some distance from the daily work.
- People would like to see more clearly how their own role connects to the mission.
- You want the mission to be a working tool people reach for.
What a day looks like, and what you'd take away
Statements can feel distant when they're written at a very high level. A phrase like "empowering communities" is easy to agree with, but harder to use when making a decision on a Tuesday. So part of this day is about getting the statements specific and concrete enough to help with real choices.
The other part is connection: helping people at every level see how their own work serves the mission, in their own way. When someone can hold a decision up against the mission and get a useful answer, the mission is working - and that's the test the day is built around.
You'd take away mission, vision and values that connect to the work - specific enough to guide real decisions, and clear enough that people see their own part in them.
Want your statements to connect with the day job? Let's make them useful →
Not sure where you're starting from?
Most organisations don't arrive with a tidy brief - it's more often "ours doesn't quite fit any more" or "we've never really pinned this down". That's a good place to start. Tell us what's prompting this and we'll work out together what kind of day would help - whether you're starting fresh, refreshing, or somewhere in between.
