Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

[ai_chat_window]

My most recent posts

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI?

By Wes Trochlil | October 14, 2026

Why bother with a consultant when I have AI? As AI becomes increasingly powerful, the value of using an AMS selection consultant (and many other types of consultants!) starts to come into question. After all, with very well-constructed prompts and responses, an association could develop a very solid needs analysis and RFP that could be used to […]

Guardrails can be helpful!

By Wes Trochlil | October 7, 2026

Guardrails can be helpful! When selecting a new AMS, I find my clients are often very tempted by custom software or “platform” systems (e.g., built on Salesforce or MS Dynamics) because these systems are infinitely configurable. After all, if I can make the system do anything I want, that’s a good thing, right? Well, maybe. In […]

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?”

By Wes Trochlil | September 30, 2026

“If you knew this information, what might you do differently?” I had a conversation with a client recently about developing KPIs, reports, and queries from their forthcoming data warehouse. My client said: “We have a ton of requests for KPIs and reports. How do we determine which to focus on first?” My response: “When someone requests a dashboard […]

Showing is not teaching

By Wes Trochlil | September 23, 2026

Showing is not teaching In my experience, when new staff members are taught how to use their AMS (or LMS, CMS, FMS, etc.) they aren’t really taught how to use the system, they are shown how to use it. So what’s the difference? In a nutshell, showing only covers the “how” and “what.” But teaching […]

Data management is improvisation

By Wes Trochlil | September 16, 2026

Data management is improvisation I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I’m paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to make God […]

Older Posts

AMS Vendors Providing Educational Opportunities

November 15, 2011

I’ve noticed an uptick, lately, in the amount of free education being provided by AMS vendors. This is a promising […]

Interview of Wes Trochlil by TMA Resources

November 10, 2011

TMA Resources has begun a new series of weekly educational videos on their website called “Association Tech News.” In this […]

A great example of managing to the rule

November 9, 2011

I’ve written often about “managing to the exception,” the idea that all of our business rules have to apply to […]

Effective Change Requires Leadership

November 7, 2011

Effective change requires leadership. Leadership from the top. Compare these two situations (true stories, clients of mine from the past): […]

Short-Term Gain May Cause Long-Term Pain

November 4, 2011

When it comes to managing our organization’s data, we too often allow our staff some short-term gains which create long-term […]

Are you doing the work, or just talking about it?

November 2, 2011

I’ve worked with well over 100 associations in my years as a consultant. In my experience, those of my clients […]

You Have To Do Some of the Work! – A True Story

October 31, 2011

I once met with an association executive director to discuss the challenges she and her association were having with their […]

No job satisfaction at your non-profit?

October 31, 2011

According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, “two reports…show a disconnect between what nonprofits provide to their […]

Inward vs. Outward focus of your AMS

October 27, 2011

One of the most significant changes in association management software over the past decade is the change in functionality focus […]

Scroll to Top