Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

AI is a journey, not a destination

By Wes Trochlil | April 15, 2026

AI is a journey, not a destination Lately I’ve noticed a lot of associations talking about AI like it’s a moon shot. “We need an AI project.” “We’re rolling out AI in Q4.” That language suggests AI is something you implement once and then check off the list. It isn’t. AI is a journey, and […]

Action produces information

By Wes Trochlil | April 8, 2026

Action produces information “Action produces information. If you’re unsure of what to do, just do anything, even if it’s the wrong thing. This will give you information about what you should actually be doing.” – Brian Armstrong, co-founder of Coinbase This is the great thing about data and why I’ve been in this business so long. […]

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial…

By Wes Trochlil | March 25, 2026

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial… The holy grail of data management is the “single source of truth.” As I like to characterize it, when someone asks “Where is the data about X?” everyone knows the answer and everyone gives the SAME answer. One of the most common challenges I hear from my […]

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

By Wes Trochlil | March 18, 2026

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should I’ve worked in and with associations for well over 37 years now. And one of the things I’ve always loved and appreciated about association staffers is their willingness to do whatever is needed to get the job done. But the problem is this “Yes, we can!” attitude can also […]

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful

By Wes Trochlil | March 4, 2026

Data doesn’t need to be perfect to be useful “Your data doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful.” – (Borrowed with permission from Intellidata’s Slice newsletter.) In my experience, many associations hold themselves back from cleaning up their data, because they are overwhelmed with where to start, and they also think success can only be achieved […]

Older Posts

Welcome to the 20th Century! Airlines discover CRM

May 8, 2009

I read in the Wall St. Journal that US airlines have finally begun adopting some CRM (customer relationship management) tools […]

Protech Users Conference 2009

May 7, 2009

I attended the Protech Users Conference last week in Washington DC. Here are some random thoughts on what I saw: […]

So many "leaders." Who do I follow?

May 5, 2009

I track nearly 40 different software companies that provide association management software of some form or another. And I chuckle […]

AMS Learning and Demo Days is Just Days Away

April 30, 2009

If you’re considering the search for a new association management system in the coming months, make sure you don’t miss […]

When should I hire full-time database help?

April 28, 2009

I get this question a lot from my clients, especially “smaller” clients (those under 25 staff). This issue becomes particularly […]

Paradigms shifting

April 23, 2009

I’m not a big fan of the phrase “paradigm shift,” but I recently experienced one first hand that I found […]

An amazing factoid

April 21, 2009

This information is two years old, but I suspect it hasn’t changed much. “The average middle manager spends about two […]

More shocking survey results

April 16, 2009

In this survey, Campbell Rinker asked a series of questions of non-profits about their primary donor/member management software. On page […]

Sorry, Guy, I Disagree…

April 14, 2009

In this article on destinationcrm.com, Guy Kawasaki says: “I think it’s inherently arrogant if you think that you are worth […]

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