Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

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My most recent posts

Improvement is never linear

By Wes Trochlil | June 10, 2026

Improvement is never linear One of the many lessons one learns over a lifetime is that improvement, regardless of what you’re trying to improve, is never linear. That is, you’ll always have days where you’re better, and days where you don’t improve, or maybe even fall back. And so it is with data management. Even if you […]

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture!

By Wes Trochlil | June 3, 2026

Don’t forget to take a “before” picture! Whenever I start on a big home clean up or renovation project, I like to take a “before” picture, so that I can see the progress that was made when the project is complete. (Ironically, even though I’m the son of an award-winning amateur photographer, I often forget […]

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish?

By Wes Trochlil | May 27, 2026

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish? Two quick customer service stories to illustrate a point: First story: I’ve used the same email provider for more than 20 years. But for technical reasons, recently I needed to switch providers, so I canceled my service with them a few weeks in advance of my renewal. […]

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you

By Wes Trochlil | May 20, 2026

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you I’ve been working in and with AMS products for 36 years (27 years of consulting, nine years as an association staffer). And I can say with great confidence that the systems available today are much better than they were 36 years ago! (Shocking, I know.) But […]

Using AI beyond content generation

By Wes Trochlil | May 13, 2026

Using AI beyond content generation Recent surveys by ASAE and others suggest nearly 90% of associations are using AI for some type of content generation (e.g., creating blog posts, newsletter articles, “canned” responses to inquiries, etc.). That is great, but when it comes to data management, there are so many more opportunities for leveraging AI. Here are some ideas […]

Older Posts

First ask: “How will I use this data?”

April 22, 2020

First ask: “How will I use this data?” Whether it’s during data conversion, adding a new data field, or reconsidering […]

New Article Posted

April 17, 2020

I’ve posted a new article on managing volunteer data. Click here to read it. One thing that distinguishes associations from […]

“We run the report three times and get three different results.”

April 15, 2020

“We run the report three times and get three different results.” “We run the same report three times and get […]

How do you know if you’re making progress?

April 8, 2020

How do you know if you’re making progress? We all want to improve our data management, making it better than it […]

Don’t move too quickly OR too slowly

April 1, 2020

Don’t move too quickly OR too slowly This may sound like a big “duh!” but I’ll say it anyway: When it […]

“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.”

March 25, 2020

“Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your current results.” “Your current habits are perfectly designed to deliver your […]

There is value in just going through the exercise

March 18, 2020

There is value in just going through the exercise I was working with a client recently on helping them adopt […]

Daylight savings and business rules

March 11, 2020

Daylight savings and business rules This past Sunday, most of the US observed Daylight Savings Time and moved our clocks […]

It’s always about priorities

March 4, 2020

It’s always about priorities No matter the size or type of technology project, you will always be faced with choosing […]

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