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

Blindly Sending RFPs

February 24, 2009

I sometimes receive RFPs from associations actually looking for association management software (which I do not produce). If you’ve ever […]

NTEN is Looking for Your Help

February 20, 2009

The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) is a great resource for, well, technology in the nonprofit sector. If you’re not familiar […]

InformationWeek Survey has Surprising Results

February 17, 2009

In the January 26, 2009, issue of InformationWeek magazine, the cover story is about “vendor satisfaction.” They surveyed some 345 […]

Calculate the total cost of training

February 13, 2009

Too often when we calculate training costs, we only consider the direct costs, e.g., trainer’s fee, room rental, food, a/v […]

Interview with Thomas Howard of memberclicks

February 12, 2009

This is the seventh in a series of podcast interviews that I’ve been conducting with CEOs from providers of association […]

Interview with Amith Nagarajan of Aptify

February 6, 2009

This is the sixth in a series of podcast interviews that I’ve been conducting with CEOs from providers of association […]

Just how important is your AMS?

February 3, 2009

It would seem, according to this recent article in Associations Now, that a properly functioning association management system is critical […]

Interview with Joanna Pineda of Matrix Group International

January 28, 2009

This is the fifth in a series of podcast interviews that I’ve been conducting with CEOs from providers of association […]

Interview with Kevin Hostutler of ACGI Software

January 26, 2009

This is the fourth in a series of podcast interviews that I’ve been conducting with CEOs from providers of association […]

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