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

Efficiency vs. Effectiveness

October 9, 2008

When discussing data management issues with clients I often hear “We want to be more efficient.” Of course, we all […]

New Article Posted

October 2, 2008

I’ve posted a new article on my website, entitled “What’s Plaguing Associations 2008.” Of course, if you’re already on my […]

SAF's Technology White Paper

September 30, 2008

I work with Renato Cruz Sogueco, CIO of the Society of American Florists, on the ASAE Technology Section Council. At […]

Dashboards Redux

September 30, 2008

Back in May of last year, I wrote the following post, which in essence said “There’s a lot of talk […]

Speaking in Chicago

September 25, 2008

I’ll be speaking in Chicago next Thursday, October 2, for the Association Forum of Chicagoland. My presentation will be on […]

Aptify Users Conference

September 23, 2008

I attended the Aptify Users Conference in Chicago last week. I always enjoy the users conferences because I get a […]

Are benchmarks useful or not?

September 18, 2008

At a recent ASAE Technical Section Council meeting, there was a lot of talk about benchmarking. One participant said his […]

Too many demos, too much perfume

September 16, 2008

When I work with clients on system selection (or when I’m presenting on this topic), I point out that one […]

From CIO to CPO

September 11, 2008

At the recent ASAE Technology Section Council meeting, Heidi Byerly of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) made the […]

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