Peter Greer’s stark warning, “Mission drift is the silent killer of organizations,” underscores the insidious nature of straying from core purpose. This threat looms over both nonprofits and for-profit businesses alike.
In October 2025, The City Mission will celebrate 115 years of serving the city of Cleveland. Through wars, pandemics and economic downturns, The City Mission has stayed true to its purpose: providing help and hope to all people through the transforming power of God’s love. This is no simple feat.
These days, there are so many opportunities, ideas and suggestions for improving or enhancing products and services. In my role as CEO, I am constantly asking myself if these ideas are in alignment with the core purpose and mission of our organization. These questions serve as the filter through which every idea, program and plan must travel.
Just like nonprofits, for-profit businesses are also vulnerable to mission drift, whether for the pursuit of short-term profits or external pressure from stakeholders. Market shifts, funding fluctuations and fleeting trends can easily throw organizations off course. When businesses lose their core focus, customers may become confused or lose trust.
So, how do we safeguard against mission drift? First, it’s good to differentiate between adaptation and drift. The world is constantly changing, and so are people’s needs. Adapting to those needs is necessary and can happen without drifting from your mission.
For example, until the late 1970s, The City Mission primarily served men but began noticing a rising number of women requiring homelessness and crisis services. This led to the opening of Cleveland’s first women’s crisis center, Angeline Christian Home, in 1981. By the year 2000, Angeline Christian Home was receiving 10 times as many calls for help than the staff was able to accommodate.
With the growing number of calls for help, The City Mission decided to expand its services to offer long-term programs for women and children. In December 1999, The City Mission purchased a new building and began fundraising for Laura’s Home, which opened in 2003. The new facility provided room for 166 residents, individualized programs and a new average stay of about nine months. Since its creation, Laura’s Home has served over 16,000 women and children.
The City Mission continued to adapt to community needs and recently constructed 16 units of transitional housing on-site at Laura’s Home. This program provides 18-24 months of safe, affordable housing for single mothers who have graduated from Laura’s Home.
Determining whether the changes you make are adaptation or drifting is tricky to do alone. Maintaining mission clarity requires discipline and vigilance. Organizations must regularly revisit their core values, assess their programs or products against their mission, and solicit feedback from stakeholders. Open communication and transparency are vital in ensuring that everyone remains aligned with the organization’s purpose.
I believe one of the most important pieces of an organization is its board of trustees or governing body. As CEO, I work very closely with our board, taking the time to get to know each member and the knowledge and wisdom each brings to the table. Working together has made it so much easier to ensure the Mission stays true to its purpose. When the world is changing quickly or a new and exciting program has launched, many people ask, “What’s next?” I often slow down and remind myself not to chase the next shiny thing.
There will always be more good ideas than the capacity to execute them well. If we falter in guiding our organization, the execution of our goals may not pan out. In the work we do — caring for the city’s most vulnerable — we simply cannot afford to fail. ●
Linda Uveges is CEO of The City Mission
