Mission Statement

The mission statement should be descriptive, yet concise. In a few lines, it should outline our purpose and aspirations.

The "exclusively for charitable..." language will be added in our corporate charter so we can get a 501(c)(3) ruling from the IRS, but is not needed for a mission statement. For more information on a mission statement see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_statement.

from the wikipedia article

The mission statement can be used to resolve differences between stakeholders (in our case, Node members). Stakeholders affect and are affected by the organization's strategies.

According to Vern McGinis, a mission should:

Define what the company is

Define what the company aspires to be

Be limited to exclude some ventures

Broad enough to allow for creative growth

Distinguish the company from all others

Serve as framework to evaluate current activities

Stated clearly so that it is understood by all

The classic example of the mission statement is the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Mission Statement draft

should hit: 1. the physical space, 2. activities and events, 3. the membership, 4. philosophical goals

Our mission is to create an environment that promotes creativity and exploration at the intersection of art, technology, science, and culture. This mission shall include:

1. Create and maintain a space in Baltimore City to foster technological exploration, collaboration, and community education.
2. Share the results of our work with the world through open access publishing and public events.
3. Empower members and the Baltimore community to explore the technical landscape. i.e., help people be not afraid to be awesome
4. Engage the Baltimore community on issues involving the intersection of technology, art, and daily life.
5. ...

Some examples from bylaws of other hacker spaces

The HacDC and Noisebridge examples are from their Articles of Incorporation and/or Bylaws and are not exactly mission statements.

HacDC

1. Build and maintain spaces suitable for technical and social collaboration.
2. Collaborate on all forms of technology, culture and craft in new and interesting ways.
3. Apply the results of its work to specific cultural, charitable and scientific causes.
4. Freely share its research and discoveries, using what is learned to teach others.
5. Recruit and develop talented members dedicated to these purposes.

Noisebridge

1. To provide work space, storage, and other resources for projects related to art and technology.
2. Through talks, workshops, collaborative projects, and other activities, to encourage research, knowledge exchange, learning, and mentoring in a safe, clean space.
3. To develop, support the development of, and provide resources for the development of free and open source software and hardware.
4. To foster, by all legal means, the common purposes of its participants.
5. To conduct or engage in all lawful activities in furtherance of the stated purposes or those incidental to them.

Harford Hackerspace

The mission of this organization is to unify community members with similar interest in order to share their knowledge in an educational environment and to engage the next generation with hands-on, technical experiential activities.

Pumping Station: One

Its mission is to foster a collaborative environment wherein people can explore and create intersections between technology, science, art, and culture.

Specific Goals

• Acquire and maintain a collaborative workspace for communal use by all members.
• Foster a creative, collaborative environment for experimentation and development in technology and art.
• Interact with the local community that our space is situated in through education and cultural participation.
• Share our developments and ideas with the world at large.
• Facilitate communication with other spaces and colleagues nationally and internationally. Invite experts and other creative individuals to share their ideas and projects.