operations strategy for growing organizations

Building clarity & efficiency
into mission-driven spaces.

The cost of disorganization

Mission-driven work is incredibly difficult. We build stop gaps and ad-hoc solutions in the uphill battle to make the world a better place. But now the communication issues are stacking up and your team is spending more time looking for That One Folder than helping your community.

In the competition for attention and money, every inefficiency is a missed opportunity. These redundancies and gaps are holding your organization back from an even greater impact.

What could your team accomplish if everyone was always on the same page? If everything was in one place, built around the way you actually work?

Let’s find out.

The Process

How it works

A “measure twice, cut once” method designed specifically for mission-driven organizations.

We start by getting crystal clear on what you need (and what you definitely don’t need) by designing a custom roadmap with key deliverables based on your goals.

Then, tag me in to build and implement the deliverables.

  • Book a 20-min call and grab a date that works for you. We’ll chat through your needs and determine if we’re a good fit. If you don’t know what you need, we can talk about that, too!

    (If you’re in Chicago and would prefer to meet in person, shoot me an email.)

  • After the intro meeting,

    • You complete a worksheet prior to our working session.

    • We meet for 90-min to dive into your business goals and operations.

    • I send over your custom roadmap and options to work with me on the implementation.

      (usual turnaround time is 7-10 days)

  • Your roadmap will have options to continue working together based on your organization’s specific goals.

    Pick the option that’s right for you, sign the contract, and pay your deposit to secure a start date on my schedule.

My approach

01

Collaborative →
Growing intentionally is a group effort, so partnership is critical. I’m excited to learn about your organization’s goals.

02

Intentional →
Every strategy is carefully crafted to make lives easier and work more fulfilling, not add more random activities to your plate.

03

Staff-centered →
Mission-driven work is demanding enough. I design all my processes to be as easy on you and your team as possible.

Hi! I’m Darcy.

I’m an independent
operations strategist & designer
based in Chicago.

- 15+ years in-house at political campaigns, nonprofits & small businesses

- certified project manager, m.A. in public policy from U of C

- deep love of streamlined systems, organizational efficiency & a solid workplace vibe

✔️ Created a sustainable system to read and respond to all print and email sent to HQ at Obama for America '08.

✔️ Produced a successful outreach strategy and fundraising event with Gloria Steinem for the Women's Media Center and Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation.

✔️ Spearheaded an org-wide shift in social media strategy for 50+ regional offices at Teach For America.

✔️ Crafted a content and execution strategy that generated millions of organic impressions at 9/11 Day.

✔️ Implemented transparency and accountability measures (including creating a wiki to house all information in one place) on One Tail at a Time's associate board.

✔️ Lead a project team to successfully onboard a new data convergence apparatus & launch a major website redesign at the American Library Association.

  • “…The remarkable critical thinking ability she brings to analysis and problem-solving; her courage in working toward innovative solutions…Darcy is the strongest team member I have ever managed and one of the sharpest colleagues I've ever had."

    Shuhei Yamamoto
    Managing Director
    Teach For America

  • "Darcy has been a true asset to our team from the day she arrived. Her deep knowledge of how systems work and how to measure and support high performance across large institutions are major strengths."

    Tracie D. Hall
    Executive Director
    American Library Association

  • "I've worked with a lot of great people in my career thus far but Darcy is definitely one of the best. She's very self-motivated, creative, positive, funny and so smart...If the opportunity to work with her knocks on your door, open it, it'll be the best decision you ever make."

    Monique Antoinette Millet
    Director of Social Media
    Teach For America

  • "Her problem-solving skills and ability to handle complex situations and relationships led her to become the most trusted employee on my team with the widest portfolio of responsibilities."

    Dan Griffin
    Ops-Comm Manager
    Obama for America ‘08

  • "Darcy excels at analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of strategies that drive internal and external operations. She's a strong problem-solver, looking for new ideas…to help define a problem before determining options."

    Ana Vargas
    Managing Director
    Teach For America

  • "Darcy has expertly managed multiple critical projects for ALA, including a large-scale and complex website redesign and launch, and an organization-wide business analytics implementation. Her strategic thinking, adaptability, and engaging communication style were an essential part of our success with these efforts..."

    Rebecca Headrick
    CITO
    American Library Association

  • “Darcy and her skill set were exactly what we needed as an organization at a pivotal moment in our history…She jumped in feet first and tackled opportunities with an unmatched set of expertise and intuition."

    Ryan Walls
    Executive Director
    9/11 Day

Growing pains?

Let’s grab oat lattes
and go from there.