In 2015 Care Ring joined 13 other nonprofits from across North Carolina for a 9-month leadership training program developed and lead by the BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Foundation.
Each agency was given the gift of time and access to expert coaching to dive deeply into a variety of leadership topics, including leading and managing change, strengthening the board + staff partnership, and improving overall nonprofit governance.
Care Ring elected to devote the bulk of our time on reviewing and updating our mission, vision, and value statements, with an eye toward upgrading our message and how we share our impact with the community.
We approached this task by very intentionally including all of our staff and board members throughout the process. Volunteers and staff were active participants in board and staff meetings and retreats, and gave helpful advice and feedback at key points during the process.
Among a number of interesting takeaways, we discovered through this work that our mission statement – our declaration of our core purpose and reason for being – did not need an overhaul. Our mission remains to empower individuals with limited resources to establish and maintain good health.
We did refresh our vision statement, taking into account our broad aim and vision of a healthy Charlotte region. Our new vision statement: “We envision a community that promotes, protects, and improves the health and wellbeing of all people. Care Ring is a vital link in achieving this vision.”
Previously, Care Ring’s core values had been jotted down and occasionally handed out to new board members, but they were buried within a three-ring binder and not widely circulated.
Our newly adopted core values, simplified and consolidated down to four:
Compassion: We believe every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and kindness. We are passionate about caring for the people we serve.
Integrity: We act responsibly and ethically in our individual and collective actions, always striving to be inclusive and open in fulfilling our mission.
Collaboration: We embrace poverty-fighting partners and actively seek partnerships with other individuals and organizations to best serve those in need.
Empowerment: We strive to empower the people we serve, encouraging them to take responsibility for their health by giving them the tools and the education they need to thrive.
Armed with these core values, an updated vision statement, and broad support for our mission statement, Care Ring will share our message and impact in new and expanded ways in 2016.
Our hope is to tell the community not only about the powerful programs that we run, but to give our supporters a bigger message about how Care Ring plays an integral and irreplaceable role in the overall health of Charlotte.
We will work with our board and network of supporters to reach out to folks across the region to share our message. We will go to houses of worship, Rotary clubs, neighborhood meetings and coffee shops – really anywhere people gather to share our good news and encourage others to join with us in our mission to bring health and wellness to those in need across the region.
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