Identifying A Market’s Mission and Goals
Defining a market’s mission is a fundamental task—it defines the market’s aims and activities, its purpose in a nutshell, and hence establishes the boundaries of its operation. And it should answer the question of what you hope to achieve in operating the farmers market. By defining its purpose clearly and concisely, you will help your market attract partners, vendors, funding, and assist the board with management.
Define your mission statement
With a mission statement, you begin to write or revise your market’s story. It can be used as barometer; and it can connect your farmers, vendors, and shoppers. While a mission statement can vary in length, there are a few guiding questions to help you craft an effective one.
First, consider what need the market serves. How and who will it serve? What are the market’s values? Define your essential work: it should not include everything you do but should capture the essence of what you do. Are you creating opportunities for local agriculture, creating vibrant public spaces, revitalizing a local economy, meeting social and economic goals, reclaiming and/or revitalizing public space, and providing food access to otherwise food-insecure neighborhoods? Here’s an example:
The Harrisonburg Farmers Market mission is to provide the public with easy access to fresh, nutritious, locally produced agricultural goods, and crafts of the highest quality, to assist local and regional farmers and other producers to directly market their products to the local customer base, and to support environmental stewardship and community well-being.
In addition to your mission, you need to be clear about the goals and objectives of your market so that you can articulate them to the people with whom you work. Even though you may have a hundred things on your to-do list each week, it is critical always to keep the “big picture” in mind.
Reflect on these questions:
▪ How will/does this market fit into the community?
▪ What products and services will/does it provide?
▪ What role do I see it playing in the neighborhood now and into the future?
▪ How do the decisions I make affect the bigger picture?
Know how to talk about your market. Be prepared for questions from a variety of different sources and have answers to them that will generate interest and excitement in what you are doing. Whether you are recruiting new vendors for the market or planning a promotional event with local talent, sharing your market’s story will get people involved. If a local reporter is interested in writing an article on your market, what would you say at the interview? “Well, we are a bunch of farmers out here selling our produce so come support us” does not convey the same message as “We are providing a valuable service to the community by bringing high quality, fresh produce straight from the farm to a friendly social environment in the center of your community.” The way you represent the market to the public will have a big impact on how customers perceive it. Funders also look at mission statements, goals & objectives to consider if their granting program is a good match with a potential grantee.