One of the things that we have been trying to develop for NOLS is a purpose statement. The purpose statement works hand in hand with the mission statement and is intended to answer the, "Why?" NOLS mission is, "to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment." Why?
The executive team has worked on this on and off for a while and the NOLS board has also provided input at critical junctures.
A few weeks ago while we were at the "Strategy for Non-profit Organizations" class at Stanford this topic of purpose came up again. Since then I have been playing around with words trying to capture in a brief statement NOLS purpose. I'll say up front I am neither deserving of credit nor ridicule for the draft statement that follows. This is simply my effort at putting together words or phrases that have evolved over numerous conversations. Here is what I have:
To provide awe-inspiring, transformative experiences that develop active, positive leaders with environmental ethics and outdoor skills that last a lifetime.
Please comment. Like it; hate it. Better words? Wrong idea?
Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director
