Strategy Highlight 1.1 discusses the importance of the inspiring vision developed at Teach for America. In your group search the internet for other nonprofit organizations (Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, etc.). Which of them has vision or mission statements that are appealing to donors, employees, and clients? Do these statements seem relevant in today’s environment or are they outdated? What improvements can you create for these organizational statements?

Data from Strategy Highlight 1.1

Teach for America (TFA) is a cadre of future leaders who work to ensure that underprivileged youth get an excellent education. The nonprofit organization recruits both graduates and professionals to teach for two years in economically disadvantaged communities in the United States. TFA’s vision is: One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. The idea behind TFA was developed by then-21-year-old Wendy Kopp as her college senior thesis (in 1989). Kopp was convinced that young people generally search for meaning in their lives by making a positive contribution to society. The genius of Kopp’s idea was to turn on its head the social perception of teaching—to make what could appear to be an unattractive, low-status job into a high-prestige professional opportunity. Kopp works to eliminate educational inequality by enlisting the nation’s most promising future leaders in the effort. Thus to be chosen for TFA is a badge of honor. In the first four months after creating TFA, Kopp received more than 2,500 applicants. Her marketing consisted of flyers in dorm rooms. During its first academic year (1990–91), TFA was able to serve five states and reached some 36,000 students. After 25 years, during the 2015–16 academic year, some 20,000 TFA corps members were teaching in 36 states (and Washington, D.C.) and more than 1,000 schools. To date, TFA has reached over 10 million students.