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

Update on YourMembership and Affiniscape

January 25, 2013

I reported recently on the merger of YourMembership and Affiniscape. The new company name is YourMembership, and not surprisingly, YourMembership has […]

TWO New Articles Posted

January 24, 2013

I’ve posted two new articles on my website. The first is Your “Marriage” with your AMS Vendor, which outlines how your […]

Are you (really) thanking your donors?

January 23, 2013

At the end of this past year I made donations to four charitable organizations. While the donations were not the […]

Best Practices in Association Technology from TMA Resources

January 22, 2013

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out TMA Resources’ video series, Best Practices in Association Technology, featuring some […]

Of data, big and small

January 16, 2013

Two interesting articles on big data have come across my transom in the past few days, and I wanted to […]

New things on my website

December 11, 2012

I’ve made some minor but significant changes to my website. You can now find all of my videos on this […]

Merger Announcement

December 4, 2012

I just received an email from Bill Stover, CEO & President of YourMembership, announcing the  merger of YourMembership and Affiniscape. […]

New Article Posted – When Using Third-Party Systems, Don’t Leave Valuable Data Behind

December 4, 2012

I’ve posted a new article on my website. While most of my clients use centralized association management software (AMS) systems, which […]

New Article Posted – Why Associations Struggle with Business Intelligence

December 3, 2012

I’ve posted a new article on my website.   For over five years, I have been writing about the benefits of […]

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