Definition
Vision Statement: (Desired End-State) A one-sentence statement describing the clear and inspirational long-term desired change resulting from an organization or program’s work.
The following vision statements were selected from the top 100 nonprofits (based on a series of web, social, and financial metrics).
Be sure to check out our Guide to Creating Vision and Mission Statements for more helpful tips.
Details on how this list was compiled can be found by scrolling down to the bottom of the page.
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Key Findings of 30 Example Vision Statements
- The best visions are inspirational, clear, memorable, and concise.
- Avg length for the full 30 organizations listed here is only 14.56 words (excluding brand references)
- Avg length for the first 15 organizations is only 10.5 words (excluding brand references).
- The shortest contains only three words (Human Rights Campaign)
- The longest contains 31 words (Amnesty International)
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Oxfam: A just world without poverty (5 words)
Feeding America: A hunger-free America (4 words)
Human Rights Campaign: Equality for everyone (3)
National Multiple Sclerosis Society: A World Free of MS (5)
Alzheimer’s Association: Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s (7)
Habitat for Humanity: A world where everyone has a decent place to live. (10)
Oceana seeks to make our oceans as rich, healthy and abundant as they once were. (14)
Make-A-Wish: Our vision is that people everywhere will share the power of a wish (13)
San Diego Zoo: To become a world leader at connecting people to wildlife and conservation. (12)
The Nature Conservancy: Our vision is to leave a sustainable world for future generations. (11)
Ducks Unlimited is wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. (13)
In Touch Ministries: proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people in every country of the world. (14)
NPR, with its network of independent member stations, is America’s pre-eminent news institution (12)
World Vision: For every child, life in all its fullness; Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so (19)
Teach for America: One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. (16)
ASPCA: That the United States is a humane community in which all animals are treated with respect and kindness. (18)
Cleveland Clinic: Striving to be the world’s leader in patient experience, clinical outcomes, research and education. (14)
Goodwill: Every person has the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life. (21)
Smithsonian: Shaping the future by preserving our heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world (17)
WWF: We seek to save a planet, a world of life. Reconciling the needs of human beings and the needs of others that share the Earth… (25)
Save the Children: Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. (18)
Kiva: We envision a world where all people – even in the most remote areas of the globe – hold the power to create opportunity for themselves and others. (26)
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. (18)
Boy Scouts of America: To prepare every eligible youth in America to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law. (24)
charity: water believes that we can end the water crisis in our lifetime by ensuring that every person on the planet has access to life’s most basic need — clean drinking water. (28)
Clinton Foundation: To implement sustainable programs that improve access worldwide to investment, opportunity, and lifesaving services now and for future generations. (19)
VFW: Ensure that veterans are respected for their service, always receive their earned entitlements, and are recognized for the sacrifices they and their loved ones have made on behalf of this great country. (32)
Special Olympics: To transform communities by inspiring people throughout the world to open their minds, accept and include people with intellectual disabilities and thereby anyone who is perceived as different. (28)
Creative Commons: Our vision is nothing less than realizing the full potential of the Internet — universal access to research and education, full participation in culture — to drive a new era of development, growth, and productivity. (33)
Amnesty International: Amnesty International’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. (31)
What does this mean for you?
Is your vision statement longer than 20 words? Can you get it below 15? Below 10? Design your vision statement to clearly communicate what you are working to achieve in a way that people can remember it and communicate this to others. If you can’t get your full vision below 15 words, consider also creating a vision tagline (2-6 words) which people can more easily remember.
How the list was compiled
- Vision statements were gathered for each of the top 100 nonprofits that had published version and then evaluated for content and length.
- 30 were then selected for this list based on length and organized roughly from shortest to longest (based on number of characters).
- The number in parenthesis at the end of each line depicts the number of non-branded words included in their vision statement.
- In order to standardize the list, we removed things like “[Brand’s] vision is” or “The vision statement of [Brand]” when it created redundancy in the beginning of a vision statement.
Related Articles:
50 Example Mission Statements
Guide to Creating a Mission Statement