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

Yet another article in The Washington Post about embezzlement at a non-profit

December 2, 2013

In late October there was an article in The Washington Post about poor financial controls at DC non-profits. Last week […]

Auto-renewing membership

December 2, 2013

I’m often asked by my clients about using credit card auto-renewal for membership dues (or donations or other recurring charges). […]

You won't learn if you don't want to

November 25, 2013

In a meeting with a client recently, we were discussing some of the challenges the association was having with managing […]

Another reason I prefer off-the-shelf software

November 22, 2013

I’ve written several items in the past about why associations are better off with off-the-shelf association management software rather than […]

Attending the Euclid ClearVantage Users Group Conference

November 20, 2013

I got the opportunity to attend the Euclid ClearVantage Users Group Conference earlier this month. One of the reasons I attend […]

In Case You Missed It – Webinar on Business Intelligence

November 19, 2013

On November 5, 2013, I did a 30-minute webinar with Matrix Group International on “Mining Your Association Management Software for […]

New Article Posted – The Difference Between Data Management and Database Management

November 18, 2013

I’ve posted a new article on my website. As the title of this article suggests, there is a difference between data […]

It's all in the cloud now

November 7, 2013

I recently had a client ask me to help them find a new association management software system. They were very […]

Why Financial Controls are SO Important at Non-profits

October 28, 2013

If you’re a manager at a non-profit, this story in The Washington Post is a must-read. As I wrote here, […]

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