20 Mission Statement The Chapter mission statement clearly defines the Chapter’s purpose, who the Chapter represents, and the value added for its members and community. Mission statements reflect the identity of the individual Chapter, as well as the role the Chapter is playing or is striving to play on campus. Accordingly, the mission statement will typically be reviewed and revised by each new leadership team. As an example, SVA’s mission statement is, “Act as a catalyst for student veteran success by providing resources, network support and advocacy to, through, and beyond higher education.” By examining the SVA mission statement, the following questions can easily be answered: • What is the organization’s purpose or why does the Chapter exist? SVA exists to put into motion all factors that will lead to student veteran success. • What services does the organization seek to provide? SVA offers resources in research, programming, and services as well as policy advocacy. • What does the organization hope to achieve? SVA hopes to see the successful transition of servicemembers, their families, and allies into college, through graduation, and onto a successful career. Mission statements are a strategic tool and a part of an organization’s “brand.” This guide discusses the concept of developing a brand at length below, and it is important to recognize the mission statement’s role in showing the world three key elements: who your organization is, what you are doing, and why it matters. Goals Goals should be clear action statements identifying what Chapter Leaders seek to accomplish. They are a direct extension of the Chapter mission and should be re-evaluated often to ensure they are keeping up with the Chapter mission statement, campus culture, and strengths of leadership. As with any other strategic tool, goals will guide the Chapter’s decisions and define its priorities. A timeline should be established for each set goal, but can be short-term, lasting only a semester or long-term feeding into the legacy of the Chapter. It needs to be said again because it is important—collaborate to define your Chapter’s goals. One triedand-true, highly effective starting place for evaluating the Chapter and beginning to define goals for the next strategic plan is an analysis of the Chapter’s strengths, challenges, opportunities, and vulnerabilities (SCOV). This analysis should include Chapter Leaders, members, and advisors. This process is more commonly referred to as SWOT, but SCOV conveys a more constructive framework and tone. The people involved in the various aspects of the Chapter’s work will each have different and valuable considerations for each category, but they may include: Strengths. What aspects of the Chapter’s operations, structure, and team have been responsible for the most significant recent successes? Perhaps there were particularly successful programs, a wellconnected board, enthusiastic volunteers, or a generous and loyal base of supporters. Perhaps the Chapter has all these strengths and seeks to expand them. Challenges. Just as the Chapter undoubtedly has unique strengths, it is likely to have encountered some recurring challenges in Chapter operations. Identifying these can help in setting some early goals for the strategic plan to make the Chapter even better than it already is. Member retention, a lack of new faces in Chapter Leadership, and flat fundraising might be challenges affecting the Chapter. Opportunities. Building on current strengths, brainstorm opportunities for the Chapter that can transform into concrete goals. Are there ways to improve communications among Chapter Leaders, for instance, or
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