Vision Statement Examples: 15 Real Ones, Checked at the Source
Every example below was copied from the organisation’s own website in September 2026, with a link to where we found it. Then a simple way to write your own.
A vision statement says where an organisation is going. The best ones are short enough to repeat from memory and specific enough that you could tell if you were getting closer.
Most lists of vision statement examples are copied from other lists. That is how mission statements end up labelled as visions, and how old wording keeps circulating after an organisation has changed it. Oxfam, for example, no longer says “a just world without poverty”, and CodeAI has widened its vision beyond computer science.
So we did it differently. Each example here comes straight from the organisation’s own page, and we left out any we could not find labelled as a vision on their own site. If you want to write yours, skip to how to write your own, or use the free vision statement generator.
Vision, mission and purpose in one minute
| Statement | It answers | Time frame |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Where are we going, and what will be different when we get there? | The future |
| Mission | What do we do, every day, to get there? | Now |
| Purpose | Why do we exist at all? | Always |
Some organisations publish all three side by side. RSPCA Australia and the Australian Red Cross both do, which is why their visions can stay short and only describe the future.
Short and simple: ten words or fewer
These six are the easiest to remember, and the easiest for a team to use when they have to make a decision.
“To create a better everyday life for the many people.”
Ten words, and it is about the customer's life, not about IKEA's sales.
Source: ikea.com, checked September 2026
“Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”
Names an outcome and exactly who it is for. LinkedIn keeps its mission as a separate statement.
Source: about.linkedin.com, checked September 2026
“a world where everyone has a decent place to live”
One picture anyone can hold in their head: a decent place to live.
Source: habitat.org, checked September 2026
“We have a vision of a just and sustainable world.”
A short headline, then more detail underneath on the page. Note that older lists still quote "a just world without poverty", which is no longer the wording.
Source: oxfam.org, checked September 2026
“Our vision is a cancer free future”
Seven words and a single outcome, so it needs no explanation.
Source: cancer.org.au, checked September 2026
“We aim to be Australia's bank of choice.”
Short, competitive and easy to test: do people choose us?
Source: bendigoadelaide.com.au, checked September 2026
Name who benefits, and what changes for them
These are a little longer, and they work because each one names a specific group of people and the change in their lives.
“A world where every child has the opportunity to change their future.”
Names one group and one change: every child, a chance to change their future.
Source: thesmithfamily.com.au, checked September 2026
“A world where animals and people live together with dignity, respect & compassion.”
Sits beside separate mission and values statements, so the vision only has to describe the future.
Source: rspca.org.au, checked September 2026
“Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation”
Names one group, children, and spells out what "attains" means: survival, protection, development and participation.
Source: savethechildren.org.au, checked September 2026
“Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.”
"Imagine" invites the reader in, and "every single human being" leaves no one out.
Source: wikimediafoundation.org, checked September 2026
“Being trusted as the leading humanitarian organisation making a genuine difference in the lives of people and communities.”
Defines success by trust and a real difference in people's lives. Purpose is a separate statement.
Source: redcross.org.au, checked September 2026
“every student in every school has the opportunity to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science (CS) as part of their core K-12 education”
Names the audience (every student in every school) and the scope. The wording has changed: older versions covered computer science only.
Source: code.org, checked September 2026
Harder to repeat: more than one idea
These are real, current visions too. They are useful because they show what happens when a statement tries to say more than one thing, or leans on jargon.
“Our vision is to become the most trusted retailer in Australia and grow long-term shareholder value.”
Unusually puts a customer goal and a shareholder goal in the same sentence.
Source: colesgroup.com.au, checked September 2026
“Our vision is to craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body & spirit. And done in ways that create a more sustainable business and better shared future that makes a difference in people's lives, communities and our planet.”
Two sentences and several ideas at once. Useful as a contrast: it is much harder to repeat from memory than the short ones.
Source: coca-colacompany.com, checked September 2026
“A.P. Moller – Maersk's vision is to become the Global Integrator”
Names a specific role in the market. "Global Integrator" is jargon, so the page has to add a sentence to explain it.
Source: maersk.com, checked September 2026
Logos are trademarks of their owners and are shown only to identify each organisation.
What the best ones have in common
- They are short. Thirteen of the fifteen above are 18 words or fewer, and six are ten words or fewer.
- They are about people, not the company. IKEA talks about everyday life, Habitat about a place to live, the Smith Family about a child’s future. None of them is about the organisation’s own size or revenue.
- They name one outcome. The cancer one is seven words and has a single idea. The two longest, Coca-Cola and CodeAI, carry several.
- They are separate from the mission. Where an organisation also publishes a mission or purpose, the vision does not try to do their job.
- They are concrete enough to picture. “A decent place to live” is easier to picture than “excellence in housing”.
How to write your own
A small business does not need a lofty global goal. It needs a specific one: who you serve, what changes for them, and how you will make it happen. Here is a simple pattern, followed by a real example from our generator.
Pick a horizon
Three to five years is far enough to matter and close enough to picture. Imagine you are standing in that future.
Say who benefits, and how their life is better
Start with the people you serve and what is different for them, not with your revenue or your headcount.
Add how you will do it
Your approach is what makes the vision yours. Two businesses can want the same outcome and get there very differently.
Write one sentence, then cut it
Use: our vision is to [outcome] by [approach], so that [benefit]. Aim for 40 words or fewer, then write a short form of about ten words.
Test it out loud
Could your team say it from memory? Could a competitor say exactly the same thing? If yes to the second, it is too generic.
A real run of the generator: a 6-person bookkeeping firm
Our vision is to end the dread small business owners feel about their books, by running a fixed monthly rhythm and one simple dashboard for every client, so owners always know where the money is.
In short: Ending the dread of the books for small business owners.
Bold version
Our vision is to make the shoebox obsolete across Melbourne's trades and hospitality, by giving every owner a monthly catch-up and a dashboard they actually understand, so nobody loses sleep over tax time again.
Pragmatic version
Our vision is to give owner-operators a clear picture of their money every month, by running the same documented process for every client, so weekends stay free and the tax office never brings a surprise.
The generator asks a few short questions, offers several versions like these, and then writes a one-page narrative of the business on a future date, plus a summary you can share. It takes about ten minutes and it is free.
Frequently asked questions
What is a vision statement?
A short statement of the future a business is working toward. It describes the change you want to see, usually for the people you serve, rather than what you do day to day.
What is the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement?
A vision says where you are going. A mission says what you do, every day, to get there. Some organisations also publish a purpose, which says why they exist. Several of the examples above show all three as separate statements.
How long should a vision statement be?
Short enough to say from memory. Thirteen of the fifteen examples above are 18 words or fewer, and six are ten words or fewer. The two longest, Coca-Cola and CodeAI, are also the hardest to repeat.
How do you write a vision statement?
Say who benefits and how their life changes, add how you will get there, and cut it until you can say it in one breath. A useful pattern is: our vision is to [outcome] by [approach], so that [benefit]. Then write a short form of about ten words the team can actually repeat.
Can a small business have a vision statement?
Yes, and it is usually easier to make it specific. A small business can name the exact customers, area and change it is aiming for, which is harder for a large company to do.
Does a vision statement need a date?
Not the statement itself. Most published ones have no date. But it helps to picture the business at a set point, such as five years out, when you write it. The free generator does this and writes a longer narrative set on that date.
What is a vivid vision?
A longer, present-tense description of what the business looks and feels like at a future date: who you serve, how the team works, what your role is, and what proof exists. It sits behind the short statement and makes it concrete.
How often should you update a vision statement?
Review it once a year, and change it when the direction of the business changes. It should stay stable enough that the team can repeat it from memory.
Where should we keep our vision statement?
Somewhere the team sees it and the work can be checked against it, such as alongside your values and org chart in systemHUB, rather than in a document nobody reopens.
Is the vision statement generator free?
Yes. You get 3 free conversations with no account. Each one takes about ten minutes and returns a vision statement, a short version, a narrative and a one-page summary.
Write your own vision in ten minutes
Answer a few short questions and get a vision statement, a short version your team can repeat, a one-page narrative and a summary to share.