Strategic Coaching, Not Planning, for Credit Unions and Non-Profits Who Want to be Strong and Healthy.
Proud to be the only credit union and non-profit-centric planner in the country.
Credit unions and non-profits face unique and complex challenges that many planners are not familiar with.
You need a strategic coach who has spent decades in your industry understands the nuances of how you operate.
Kathy’s depth of knowledge and experience includes:
Former president (2019-2021) of the Assistance League, a nationwide non-profit with over 23,000 members in 120 chapters, focused on making our communities a better place to live.
Over 30 years of industry-specific coaching and planning experience.
Co-Founder of Quality New Mexico 26 years ago and still going strong.
Creator of the Desired Future State and ROCS (Risks, Opportunities, Challenges, Strengths) methods
Kathy helps you strengthen your business, develop its growth strategies, and create actionable plans for your products and services like no one else in the industry can.
“Kathy used group exercises to delve into personal goals, teach the staff things about their coworkers and themselves, and how to change perspectives on previously held ideas.
I would highly recommend Kathy for training courses as her flexibility and personality make the learning experience fun.”
Why do Kathy Darwin’s Strategic Coaching Services Work?
A continual relationship that produces big results
Kathy works with you throughout the year to ensure you are on track and staying true to your plan, providing much-needed accountability & reinforcement year-round for busy decision makers. She provides ongoing support, communication and expertise monthly and doesn’t leave you hanging after one planning session. What’s more, Kathy limits the number of clients she works with, so you get the full support and attention you deserve.
Proprietary, fail-proof Methods
The Desired Future State exercise is the key to strategic planning success, looking 10 years out to determine Who, What Why, How and Where the organization desires to be. This exercise creates a visual/picture of the organization’s future. Lou Tice taught us, “We move toward and become like that which we think about. Our present thoughts determine our future.” If an organization thinks and belief this is where they will be, they will move towards that future. Kathy is humbled to say she has used this exercise since 2016 and it has not failed.
Kathy Darwin is also the creator of the Strategic Maximizer® - a high impact process that wraps education, implementation and accountability around a powerful Strategic Planning workshop process.
Solutions for Modern Times
There was a time when strategic planning meant going to a resort out of town, spending three days eating fancy meals, playing golf, sight-seeing and allowing 1- 1.5 days of planning.
Kathy’s process does not include a long planning session; she focuses on what is important, which is the action. A good workshop will be 4 – 5 hours remotely, which is cost efficient for the client. Critical pre-work should be completed in the comfort of the participant’s office where they can really concentrate, and documentation of the plan should be simple, direct, and useable, such as a four to six-page plan that can be drilled down to a single page.
A critical piece that’s often overlooked is the monthly follow-up strategic discussion. Anyone should be able to join these sessions, and everyone should bring a voice to the table.
constant industry education and research
Kathy’s laser-focus on credit unions and non-profits allows her to be educated on the trends, challenges, opportunities, and best practices in a way that more generic planners are unable. The underscore of her process is the Baldrige Performance Excellence criteria, which includes 7 categories with approximately 275 questions focused on performance excellence.
Kathy is a constant learner and challenges herself to continue to grow in her field and adapt to the industry changes around her. The credit union and non-profit landscape is shifting, and her role is to understand the economic, political, and cultural impact on your organization. As she says, “I should know it before you do.”
To the right you’ll find a few recent reads from Kathy’s bookshelf.