Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Guardrails can be helpful!

By Wes Trochlil | October 7, 2026

Guardrails can be helpful! When selecting a new AMS, I find my clients are often very tempted by custom software or “platform” systems (e.g., built on Salesforce or MS Dynamics) because these systems are infinitely configurable. After all, if I can make the system do anything I want, that’s a good thing, right? Well, maybe. In […]

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?”

By Wes Trochlil | September 30, 2026

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?” I had a conversation with a client recently about developing KPIs, reports, and queries from their forthcoming data warehouse. My client said: “We have a ton of requests for KPIs and reports. How do we determine which to focus on first?” My response: “When someone requests a dashboard […]

Showing is not teaching

By Wes Trochlil | September 23, 2026

Showing is not teaching In my experience, when new staff members are taught how to use their AMS (or LMS, CMS, FMS, etc.) they aren’t really taught how to use the system, they are shown how to use it. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, showing only covers the “how” and “what.” But teaching […]

Data management is improvisation

By Wes Trochlil | September 16, 2026

Data management is improvisation I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I’m paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to make God […]

Who own the AMS company is like the weather…

By Wes Trochlil | September 9, 2026

Who own the AMS company is like the weather… When I work with clients to find a new AMS, one of the most common questions I get is: “Is the software company owned by private equity or is it privately owned?” While I think this is a legitimate question to ask and have answered, it […]

Older Posts

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 […]

Stop hoarding data!

April 7, 2009

When working with my clients on data conversions, I always point out that they should convert as little data as […]

Online givers have lower retention rate

April 2, 2009

I found this very interesting. A recent report released by Target Analytics suggests that those that make online donations (as […]

Great idea for thanking your donors

March 31, 2009

I recently made a donation to NTEN’s scholarship fund for their annual meeting (NTC, which I wrote about here.) NTEN […]

CEO Interview Excerpts

March 26, 2009

I’ve posted a new article on my website, which is excerpts from the recent interviews I did with the CEOs […]

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