Skip to main content

Credit Union Strategic Planning Topics Credit Union 2.0



Ahhh, credit union strategic planning topic season. Let’s take off our pessimistic blinders, pull out our beanies and start thinking of the credit union world we want tomorrow. Soon, our credit union will disrupt the local banks. We will put them those evil bankers out of business and take over the world… cooperatively (of course).

If you are looking for quick strategic questions to ask your board at your credit union planning session, you are in the right place.

Credit Union Strategic Planning Topics About Growth
    strategic planing for credit union topics
  1. If you had to process 3x your normal loan or member growth volume, how would you?
  2. Where do you want to be in 3 years?
  3. What market trends support that vision?
  4. What client demands support that vision?
  5. What are the tactical plans to support that goal?
  6. What are the known risks?
  7. If you could rebuild the credit union 2.0, what would it look like?
  8. What are the top 10 questions we have about our credit union (analytics based)? What would you do differently if you knew the answer?

Credit Union Strategic Planning Topics for Critical Self-Evaluation

  1. What is the one thing your credit union was worst at this year? What needs to happen to fix it?
  2. What is one thing your credit was best at? How can you double down on it?
  3. What is the single metric that you least like hearing about this year? Why? What can you do to change it?
  4. Where do we use Analytics well?
  5. Are we moving or reacting fast enough in the marketplace?
  6. In each department, what should you start? What should you stop? What should you continue?
  7. What are our best service experience and memories?

Credit Union Strategic Planning Topics About Culture

  1. What are some examples of living your core values?
  2. What are some examples of failing to live your core values?
  3. If you could change one thing about the credit union, what would it be?
  4. What are the top 3 credit unions we admire and why?
  5. What does the perfect member look like? Where do they hang out? Who do they know?
  6. What makes an ideal board member?
  7. If you were the new CXO and were brought in tomorrow, what were three things you would fix immediately?

Credit Union Strategic Planning Wildcard Questions

  1. If a perfect competitor opened across the street tomorrow, what would they look like?
  2. If we were to rebuild our credit union with no branches, what would it look like?
  3. If the NCUA got merged into the FDIC, what would change?
  4. If your largest SEG went out of business, what would you change?
Any of these credit union strategic planning topics can help you and your board plan for a brighter, warmer future.

Credit Union 2.0 — Credit Union Strategic Planning Facilitators

Kirk Drake and Chris Otey take a unique approach to planning sessions. Their goals are to deal with some of the real issues facing credit unions. These include:
  • Who is your ideal member?
  • How do we improve board governance?
  • How do we get our board to look more like our membership?
  • How do we deal with the onslaught of fintechs and technology?
  • How do we change our culture to be more like a fintech?
As the author of Credit Union 2.0, head of a large technology CUSO, and founder of CU Wallet, Drake has great insights from both his time working at a credit union through his entrepreneurship and board experience.

As board chair of South Bay Credit Union and former CU Wallet and Fiserv executive, Chris has worked with hundreds of credit unions to help them deal with board governance, CUSOs, and other technology challenges.

Click here to book us for your next strategic planning session.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why Auto Lending Is Starting To Stand Out As A Real Threat To CUs

  By Ray Birch MILWAUKEE—Auto lending is emerging as one of the biggest areas of risk for credit unions, even as the broader U.S. economy continues to perform better than many expected, according to Bill Handel, chief economist at Raddon, a Fiserv company. Delinquency trends in auto portfolios are now approaching levels last seen during the Great Financial Crisis, Handel said, driven by a combination of high vehicle prices, elevated interest rates and increasing financial pressure on lower-income consumers. “There’s probably still a lot of risk in the auto portfolios,” Handel said. “Our numbers in terms of delinquency behavior in the United States are now rivaling what they were during the Great Financial Crisis.” Economy Holding Up Better Than Expected Despite those pockets of risk, Handel said the broader economy remains surprisingly resilient. “If you look at the U.S. economy, it’s actually performing quite well—probably better than most people would have anticipated,” he said. ...

When Cooperation Turns To Competition: A Turning Point For The Firefighter Credit Union Movement

  By Grant Sheehan For decades, firefighter credit unions have stood as a model of what cooperative finance is meant to be—institutions built not to compete ruthlessly, but to serve a shared mission: supporting the financial well-being of those who risk their lives in service to others. That’s what makes the recent actions of Firefighter First Credit Union so concerning. Firefighter First FCU was not just another participant; it was a founding member of the National Council of Firefighter Credit Unions (NCOFCU). It helped shape the very principles of collaboration, mutual respect, and non-encroachment that have long defined our community. Those principles weren’t accidental; they were intentional safeguards to ensure that firefighter-focused credit unions could grow together, not at each other’s expense. But something has changed. Firefighter First FCU’s decision to pursue a nationwide charter marks a clear shift in direction—from cooperation to direct competition. This isn’t simpl...

Small Credit Unions Don’t Lack Representation—They Lack Board Education

  By Grant Sheehan Let’s be clear— representation  for small credit unions is not something new that suddenly needs to be invented. For more than 150 years in Europe and 115 years in the U.S., many of us—along with numerous trade groups representing postal workers, schools, hospitals, the military, first responders, electricians, welders, auto workers, and many other sponsor employee groups—have been actively representing and supporting small credit unions. The mission has always been the same: protect these institutions and ensure they have a voice. The real challenge facing small credit unions has never been a lack of organizations claiming to represent them. The challenge has been engagement and education. Many small credit unions operate with extremely limited resources. Their boards are made up of volunteers who already have full-time careers. Even when scholarships, training opportunities, and conferences are offered, the realities of travel costs, staffing shortages, op...

With Graham Signaling New Budget Bill, Credit Unions Brace For Tax Debate

By Ray Birch WASHINGTON— Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham’s comments Wednesday that Republicans will “expeditiously move toward creating a second budget reconciliation bill” are giving new shape to what had been a speculative discussion in Washington—and prompting renewed attention within the credit union industry to whether the movement’s federal tax exemption could again surface as lawmakers look for possible offsets. In a post on X, Graham said that after consulting with President Trump, his team and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the Senate Budget Committee will move quickly on a second reconciliation package focused on “adequate funding to secure our homeland” and support for the military. The remarks are notable because they offer one of the clearest indications yet that a second fast-track budget measure—previously discussed but far from certain—may now be gaining traction. CUToday.info on Wednesday reached out to House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arringto...

The United States at 250: How the Country Has Changed in the Past 50 Years

  In July, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary. The country’s last major milestone was 50 years ago, at its bicentennial on July 4, 1976. U.S. society has changed profoundly since then. Over the past five decades, the U.S. population has  aged significantly,  with the percentage of people 65 and older nearly doubling. The country has also become  more racially and ethnically diverse,  as growing shares of people identify as Asian or Hispanic. And following more than 70 million immigrant arrivals, the percentage of  foreign-born people  in the population has more than tripled.  Americans are also  less likely to be married  than ever before. Women – who now have far more options outside of the home than they did in 1976 – have contributed to a  boom in higher education  and helped  expand the workforce.  And even though many Americans are financially better off than they were 50 years ago,  econ...

Honoring Our Member Credit Unions Ranked Among the Top 100 in 2025

Celebrating Excellence: Honoring Our Member Credit Unions Ranked Among the Top 100 in 2025   Best-performing US credit unions of 2025 At NCOFCU, we take immense pride in the strength, resilience, and impact of our member credit unions. Today, we are thrilled to recognize and celebrate several of our members who have earned a place among the Top 100 Best Performing Credit Unions of 2025 —a testament to their unwavering commitment to service, financial stewardship, and community leadership. This achievement is not just about rankings—it reflects the daily dedication to members, the trust built within communities, and the innovation that continues to drive our movement forward. 🌟 Our Honored Members We proudly congratulate the following institutions for their outstanding performance: #7 – Long Beach Firemen's Credit Union A remarkable top-10 finish that highlights exceptional operational excellence and member value. Long Beach Firemen’s CU continues to set a high bar for perform...

Credit Unions Look For Answers After NCUA Shake-Up

FAQ on Recent Firing of NCUA Board Members ,   click here. WASHINGTON—Do Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka have legal standing to contest their removal from the NCUA board by President Donald Trump? Has any past president taken similar action? Can NCUA continue functioning without a quorum on its board? Is this the first step toward consolidating federal banking regulators? In light of President Trump’s decision to remove Democratic NCUA board members Harper and Otsuka, many in the credit union community have expressed concerns and raised important questions. In response, America’s Credit Unions has prepared a detailed Q&A document addressing the implications of the White House’s actions announced on Wednesday. Below are key takeaways from the document ACU has shared with its members: President Trump may now nominate either one or two new board members to fill these vacant positions. At least one must be from a different political party, as statutorily required by the FCU Act. Or, l...

Agencies Issue Exemption Order To Customer Identification Program (CIP) Requirements

WASHINGTON--The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, and NCUA, with the concurrence of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, issued an order Friday granting an exemption from a requirement of the Customer Identification Program (CIP) Rule implementing Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act. The CIP Rule requires a bank or credit union to obtain taxpayer identification number (TIN) information from its customer before opening an account, and the exemption permits a bank or credit union to use an alternative collection method to obtain TIN information from a third-party rather than from the customer, the agencies stated in a joint release. The order applies to accounts at all entities supervised by the agencies. "Since the CIP Rule was issued initially in 2003, there has been a significant evolution in the ways consumers access financial services, along with a rise in reported customer reluctance to provide their full TIN due, in part, to...

IWS Acquisition Corporation Is 2015 Official Conference Sponsor of National Coalition of Firefighter Credit Unions Annual Meeting

  CONTACT: Margaret Blankers MJB Public Relations Group 866.714.7041 · margaret@mjbpr.com IWS Acquisition Corporation Is 2015 Official Conference Sponsor of National Coalition of Firefighter Credit Unions Annual Meeting Boca Raton, FL. (June 4, 2015) – IWS Acquisition Corporation (IWS) is pleased to announce it is the Official Conference Sponsor for The National Coalition of Firefighter Credit Unions (NCOFCU) 2015 Annual Conference. The Conference, “By Firefighters for Firefighters, will be held in Nashville Oct. 7-10. NCOFCU is the nation’s premier professional association of credit unions serving firefighters and their families. “We are thrilled to welcome IWS as this year’s Official Conference Sponsor,” said Grant J. Sheehan, Executive Director & CEO of NCOFCU. “I have firsthand experience with IWS’ dedication and commitment to our brotherhood of credit unions. For five years, we have been pleased to partner with and endorse IWS’ suite of vehicle protection products...