The 501(c)(3) application asks for your mission, a tagline, two descriptions and at least one program. We build your website from these words right after approval, so a little care here goes a long way.
Your mission statement
A strong mission statement says who you help, what you do, and the change you create, in one or two plain sentences a stranger understands straight away. Name the people (or animals, or place) you serve and the outcome you work toward. Leave out jargon, buzzwords and long lists of activities.
- Clear: “We provide emergency shelter and meals to families experiencing homelessness in Pima County.”
- Hard to follow: “We leverage synergies to empower stakeholders toward holistic community wellness.”
A quick test: read it to someone who has never heard of your organization. If they can tell you who you help and how, it works.
Tagline
A short slogan, usually under ten words, that sits at the top of your homepage. It can be warmer and punchier than your mission. For the shelter above, something like “Every family deserves a safe night’s sleep.”
Site description and short description
The site description is one or two sentences that introduce your organization on your homepage. The short description must be under 200 characters: search engines and social media share cards show it when someone links to your site.
To count characters, use Review › Word Count in Word or Tools › Word count in Google Docs. Both show characters including spaces.
An example for the made-up shelter above:
- Description: “Since 2015 we have given families experiencing homelessness in Pima County a safe place to stay together, hot meals, and help finding a permanent home.”
- Short description: “Emergency shelter, meals and housing help for families in Pima County.”
Programs
Program 1 is required; programs 2 and 3 are optional, and many charities start with one. Each program needs a short title and one or two sentences: what you do, for whom, and, if you know it, how much.
Example: Family Shelter: “Twelve private rooms where families can stay together for up to 90 days while we help them find housing.”
Not sure what counts as a program? It is any ongoing activity a donor could support: a food pantry, a tutoring club, an annual event, a scholarship fund.
Write it in your own words
Use the examples for shape only. Draft each answer in your Word document or Google Doc first, read it out loud, and cut anything a donor would skip. Your website maintainer can change any of this wording after your site is built (see website templates and the FFC footer).