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

Don’t ask if you’re not going to answer!

August 20, 2025

Don’t ask if you’re not going to answer! In the past week, on three different occasions, I’ve filled out forms […]

Seek forgiveness rather than permission

August 6, 2025

Seek forgiveness rather than permission “Seek forgiveness, not permission.” I can’t remember when I first heard it, but it made […]

Is a 360 degree view necessary?

July 30, 2025

Is a 360 degree view necessary? “A 360 degree view of our members should NOT be our goal.” – Joe Colangelo, […]

Why data matters

July 23, 2025

Why data matters I write about data because managing our data effectively will help us better manage our organizations. Better […]

It’s about process

July 16, 2025

It’s about process I’m in the midst of adding an AI agent to my website that will allow visitors to […]

Data integrity reports

July 9, 2025

Data integrity reports I speak and write a lot about data integrity reports. So I was pleased to see a […]

The most important training tip

June 25, 2025

The most important training tip I’ve been sitting in a lot of database training sessions recently, and I’ve been reminded […]

Be careful about getting tangled

June 18, 2025

Be careful about getting tangled “We had done a lot to tangle ourselves up.” – Bridget Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at […]

Discipline. Always discipline.

June 11, 2025

Discipline. Always discipline. I’ve been producing a newsletter in some form for over 25 years now. I’ve found that certain […]

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