New Mission-Vision Statement Launches: Message to Members

Randy Bolinger, Civil AIr Patrol's chief of marketing, discusses the organization’s new mission-vision statement, announced Aug. 13.

If you took advantage of the opportunity to listen in on Maj. Gen. (Select) Ed Phelka’s keynote speech during the National Conference this week, you were among the very first to hear Civil Air Patrol’s new blended mission-vision statement.

If you missed it, haven’t been on social media, or haven’t checked GoCivilAirPatrol.com yet, we’ll spare you any further suspense. Civil Air Patrol’s new blended mission-vision statement is this:

Volunteers serving America’s communities, saving lives, and shaping futures.

That’s it – smart, simple, elegant, economical, memorable, succinct, and brief. In fact, that description of the mission statement is longer than the mission statement itself. At just nine words, the new mission statement is a master class in economy and precision. In just nine words, CAP has captured the essence of what differentiates our organization from others.

The new statement also reflects the innovative nature of Civil Air Patrol by blending both the mission and vision into a single statement of purpose. Many powerful organizations, like General Mills, Harley-Davidson, UNICEF, and Gulfstream Aerospace, have crafted blended statements to help lead organizations through periods of growth and change.

By combining a mission and vision statement into a single declarative statement of purpose, Civil Air Patrol’s unique value proposition – what we do, who we serve, and how we’re different – can be easily memorized.

No longer will anyone need to craft an elevator about Civil Air Patrol as a substitute for the mission and vision statements. At just nine words and relying on alliteration – serving, saving, shaping – every member should be able to recite the new CAP mission verbatim.

We challenge every member to learn and remember the mission statement so you can share it with others, In fact, to facilitate quick adoption, we’re creating a new email signature block, a new PowerPoint template, business card templates, and more, all bearing the new blended mission-vision statement.

Civil Air Patrol is evolving to meet the needs of the 21st century. CAP’s ability to adapt, adopt, and develop the technology, tools, and programs to serve our communities, save lives, and shape the trajectory of young lives should inspire people to join our cause as a force for good.