Mission Accomplishment as Philanthropic Organization Effectiveness: Key Findings from the Excellence in Philanthropy Project

Philanthropic organizations make a significant impact on the lives of Americans, and the effectiveness of these organizations is of great interest. The Excellence in Philanthropy Project is intended to contribute to the development of theory for designing philanthropic organizations for producing increased levels of effectiveness. The findings reviewed here are based on questionnaires collected from 101 philanthropic organizations in Franklin County (Columbus), Ohio. This article reports on the ways mission statements are expressed-as an intention to affect the world outside the organization, the organization itself, or both-and also on whether organizations 'performance measures assess mission accomplishment.