Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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It’s time to stop excusing association professionals

By Wes Trochlil | November 15, 2023

It’s time to stop excusing association professionals I worked in associations for nearly 10 years, and have worked with associations for over 25 years now. And over that time, I’ve heard some variation of the following thought (I’ve even expressed it myself): “You can’t expect the membership director to learn how to use the AMS; she’s not …

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More demos is not better

By Wes Trochlil | November 8, 2023

More demos is not better When I work with clients on selecting a new system, I try very hard to limit to three the number of systems that make it to the demo stage. (We’ll typically consider five or six systems prior to demos, but here I’m talking about demos specifically.) My clients will sometimes …

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The database owner should be “passionate”

By Wes Trochlil | November 1, 2023

The database owner should be “passionate” I’m frequently asked by my clients: “Who should we put in charge of the database?” And my first answer is “The person who is most passionate about the accuracy of the data.” I’ve written before about how there is no stasis in data management and that associations must be proactive when it …

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Discipline is required

By Wes Trochlil | October 25, 2023

Discipline is required Last week I discussed the importance of taking action. To manage data effectively, it takes more than just wanting to do something; you have to take action on your ideas. A corollary to that is that good data management also requires discipline. Put another way, once the idea is put into action, …

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Action is required

By Wes Trochlil | October 18, 2023

Action is required Over my many years of consulting, one thing I’ve noticed about many associations is their desire to do something without the commitment to do it. I call this the “wishlist effect.” Allow me to illustrate. It’s not uncommon for a client of mine to say something like the following: “We want to track …

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Older Posts

Who is your data evangelist?

April 19, 2023

Who is your data evangelist? I was recently talking with a client of mine about a new position they are …

Who is your data evangelist? Read More »

Who is your data evangelist?

April 19, 2023

Who is your data evangelist? I was recently talking with a client of mine about a new position they are …

Who is your data evangelist? Read More »

Ratio of Data to Errors

April 12, 2023

Ratio of Data to Errors One of the elements of a good data governance plan is establishing data quality metrics. …

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Back to basics

April 5, 2023

Back to basics Over the past couple of years I’ve noticed that some AMS vendors are adding in more sophisticated …

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Your people matter

March 29, 2023

Your people matter I’ve written many times about how people, process, and technology have to work together in order to …

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We remember moments…

March 22, 2023

We remember moments… “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” – Cesare Pavese Another way of looking at this …

We remember moments… Read More »

Acknowledging problems is part of managing expectations

March 15, 2023

Acknowledging problems is part of managing expectations Research was done some time ago that suggested that the best way for …

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Need data? Consider third-party sources

March 8, 2023

Need data? Consider third-party sources I always tell my clients, only collect data that you’re actually going to use. A …

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Action must follow the decision

March 1, 2023

Action must follow the decision When I work with my clients on their projects (whether system selection, system implementation, or …

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