Mission Creep

Mission creep refers to the gradual shift in objectives when organisations expand their activities beyond the original purpose or geography. In Scotland, a country with a rich tradition of community-led initiatives and social innovation, mission creep presents unique governance challenges and opportunities.

History and concept

The term mission creep first appeared in 1993, in articles by Jim Hoagland published by the Washington Post in relation to a United Nations peacekeeping mission during the Somali Civil War. The term was largely used to describe the expansion of military operations.

The concept of mission creep (or mission drift) is also very helpful in understanding the growth and evolution of third sector organisations. It helps to describe some of the key challenges for organisational leadership – particularly in the context of increasing competition for declining levels of investment. At its core it describes the instinct of officers, board and management committee members to expand and diversify their offer in the pursuit of funding to maintain or expand a given organisation.

While expansion is generally a healthy activity, within the mission creep scenario, the expansion sees organisations moving away from their original purpose, aims or priorities by expanding their offer toward tenuously related activities or those which might actually create a conflict of interest for the organisation or its beneficiaries.

The phenomenon typically arises from well-intentioned efforts to respond to emerging needs, secure additional funding or to capitalise upon new opportunities. For the Scottish third sector, where many organisations operate with limited funding and rely heavily on volunteers, the risks and rewards of mission creep demand careful governance oversight.

Potential Causes of Mission Creep

Funding Pressures

One of the most common drivers of mission creep in the Scottish third sector is the pressure to secure funding. Many funders have specific priorities that may not align perfectly with an organisation's mission, leading nonprofits to adapt their activities to qualify for grants or donations.

Responding to Emerging Needs

Nonprofits often face pressure to address emerging social, economic, or environmental challenges. While this adaptability is a strength, it can also lead to mission creep if new initiatives are not carefully evaluated for alignment with the organisation’s purpose.

Leadership Ambitions

Ambitious leaders or boards may push organisations to expand their scope, sometimes at the expense of their core mission. While visionary leadership is essential, unchecked ambition can lead to mission drift.

Stakeholder Expectations

Stakeholders, including funders, community members, and government agencies, often have diverse expectations that can pull an organisation in multiple directions. Balancing these expectations is a key governance challenge.

Impacts of Mission Creep

Through a lack of clarity for beneficiaries, those who make use of your activities may become alienated. The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) has identified that, for advocacy organisations, receipt of funds from public bodies may impact the trusting relationship required to act authentically on behalf of a vulnerable person. By defining ‘Independent Advocacy’ the aim is to avoid the perception of conflict and to build trust with clients.

Funders seek to invest in organisations which demonstrate a clear purpose and the expertise to achieve it. By diluting your brand or purpose, you are potentially negatively impacting on funding opportunities. Funders, donors or beneficiaries might question whether funds are being used appropriately, efficiently or are being used inappropriately.

As the purpose of the organisation drifts, the board/management committee and staff might begin to experience professional and personal disquiet over the changes, people become less clear what the organisation is for. Where changes are planned and defined as part of a clear strategy it is much easier to bring people along.

One of the challenges related to mission creep is the impact that expansionism/chasing growth can have on other local peer organisations. This might happen, for example, where an organisation elects to begin providing a service in a new geographical area that is already well served, or offers to provide services at a lower (sometimes below cost) rate. The extent to which competition and territorialism impact will vary significantly by area (rural, urban), size of the local population and by the availability of other local community supports in an area or theme.

Transparency and accountability are cornerstones of good governance. Mission creep blurs lines of accountability, making it difficult for stakeholders to evaluate an organisation’s effectiveness.

Mission creep can expose organisations to new risks, including reputational damage, financial instability and regulatory challenges. Boards/management committees need to evaluate the potential risks associated with expanding into new areas and develop risk mitigation strategies.

If your funding begins to influence the direction of the work, it will become increasingly difficulty to manage public messaging. This can be managed by changing your strategy or by updating the purposes and aims of your organisation but this can attract reputational and other risk factors which will require to be managed.