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

CiviCRM a Year Later

February 17, 2011

Just over a year ago I posted this item on how the Evangelical Press Association is using CiviCRM as its association management software system. To my knowledge, CiviCRM is the only open source product on the market that directly addresses…

New Article Posted – Skills Required of a Database Manager

February 16, 2011

I’ve posted a new article on my website. Increasingly I’m hearing from my clients that they want to create a […]

Often it's about service, not product

February 10, 2011

Association management software (AMS) has existed for over 20 years, so I think we can fairly say the market has […]

Focus on Outcomes, not Inputs

February 8, 2011

When I work with my clients on selecting a new association management system, one of the first steps we take […]

Are your self-service web pages working?

February 3, 2011

According to research firm Gartner, 65 percent of self-service interactions currently escalate beyond the Web to an agent. In other words, […]

Here's my money, but keep the premium

February 1, 2011

I recently made a donation to my local Boy Scouts of America chapter. In return for my donation (although I […]

New Article Posted – Oh, The Changes I've Seen!

January 21, 2011

I’ve posted a new article on my website. I’ve been working in association management system (AMS) software since 1990. That makes me […]

Make sure you understand TCO (total cost of ownership)

January 20, 2011

On the Edmunds website is a very slick tool that will allow you to calculate the TCO (total cost of […]

Seek Dividends, Not Just Insurance

January 19, 2011

One of the primary services I provide to my clients is helping them select and implement new association management software. […]

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