Why we’re so inspired by the MNDA mission statement

We’re B2B marketers. We’ve all seen a gazillion Mission and Vision Statements.

Most of them suck. Bland, obvious, uninspiring…

Here’s one of the best we’ve seen in years. It’s by the Motor Neurone Disease Association and it’s built on five simple, compelling promises. Read this summary (extracted and edited a bit from their full 5 Promises page) and notice how they make you feel:

Promise 1: MND is treatable and ultimately curable

“We’re seeking new collaborative drug discovery and development projects… taking us ever closer to uncovering the causes of MND, effective treatments and ultimately a cure.” 

I love this because it’s soaked with hope. Makes me want to help.

Promise 2: Everyone gets the care they need, when they need it.

“Co-ordinated multi-disciplinary care is the very best way to ensure a person with MND has access to all the healthcare professionals they need, at the right time. Our 22 care networks across the country provide this. But not everyone with MND has access to the same level of support. That must change.”

This is a big, bold goal and a great reason to ask for money.

Promise 3: Every day with MND counts.

“For people with MND, technology can help life be the best it can. The MND Association Think Tank is working with tech giants from around the world to find solutions to real-life problems.”

This one’s about practical support for people living with MND—and about innovation too.

Promise 4: You are heard.

“If we shout louder and to the right people, things will change. If we all join together we can’t be ignored.”

Again: positive, practical and inspiring.

Promise 5: No one faces MND alone.

“We will work to break down barriers that prevent people with and affected by MND from accessing the help and support they need.”

That must feel great for anyone with MND and every family affected. Especially because it really is true: if you have MND, these guys have your back.

See how good that is?

The Five Promises are a model for packaging up the story of a big, complex organisation working across many fronts and making their work come to life for people who may know very little about the subject. (Does that challenge sound familiar to you B2B folks?)

If you ever get the brief to write your company’s Mission & Vision statement, this is a great guide.

Where inspiration meets action

We discovered the Five Promises of the MNDA because Velocity is midway through a big fundraising effort for them.

It started when Tim, our much-loved head of operations, got diagnosed with MND—but it didn’t end there.

The V team is doing some amazing and inadvisable things to raise money for the MNDA.
There’s a page about it here. (Best click you’ll ever click, karma-wise).

Things like walking the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall (89.4 miles in six days). Sponsor the team here!

Or cycling for 24 hours straight in Richmond Park.

Or entering five teams in the London Triathlon.

Or offering a new service called Extreme Velocity, in which Stan and Doug do a fast-track, intensive positioning engagement for a B2B tech company—for a donation only.

Check out all the Velocity Supports MNDA page.

If the Five Promises inspired you as much as it did us, I hope you’ll help us out by supporting one or (what the heck) all of these grueling fundraisers.