Social & Networking
Writing a community mission and values page
A mission and values page tells members why a community exists and how people behave inside it. This guide walks through three decisions, with one worked example for a companionship circle.
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Step one: state who it is for and why
Begin with a single sentence naming the people served and the change you want for them. Avoid broad claims such as connecting the world. Worked example: Saatha Circles helps adults who feel isolated find a small, regular group where someone notices when they are missing. Then add two sentences on why the community exists, grounded in a real observation from the founder or early members. Keep the language plain enough to read aloud. If a stranger cannot tell within ten seconds who belongs and what they will gain, the mission needs another draft before anything else is written.
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Step two: turn values into visible behavior
Values fail when they are only adjectives. Choose three, and pair each with an action a member could actually take or avoid. In the worked example, warmth becomes greeting every new member by name within a day, patience becomes letting people finish speaking, and privacy becomes never sharing what is said in a circle outside it. Add one short line explaining how a hosting volunteer should respond when a value is broken. This turns the page into a practical reference that hosts can use during real moments, rather than a decorative statement nobody remembers.
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Step three: add commitments and a review rhythm
Finish with what the organizers promise in return and how the page will change. Worked example: circles stay small, hosts receive guidance, reports of harm get a human reply, and the founders will review the page every six months using member feedback. Place a contact route at the bottom so readers can raise concerns. Date the page and keep earlier versions available to the team. A mission that can be questioned and updated earns more trust than one presented as finished, and it gives future members a fair picture of how decisions are made.