Data Management

When I help clients through the process of purchasing a new association management system, the metaphor that often arises is that of buying a car. The client will say something like: “It’s like we’re buying a new car, and we want to be sure we’re buying the right car. We don’t necessarily need a Maserati…” […]

This post on the Fast Company blog got me to thinking about managing databases (surprise, surprise!). The blog post discusses the idea that “lollygagging” may be the best way to find breakthrough ideas. That is, NOT working may help the creative process. A similar things happens when it comes to managing our database versus actually

I’ve recently added to my website a page that lists the 40+ AMS vendors that I track. The page includes a list of all the vendors plus links to each of their websites. This list is provided as a service to the association community. None of the vendors on the list have paid me anything

I read a lot of different magazines. Business magazines, political magazines, so-called “lifestyle” magazines (e.g., Car and Driver). Each was purchased at a different time, but over the years they have started to accumulate and overwhelm me. I don’t really have the time to read them all. And frankly, my needs have changed over time,

I hate surveys. I’ve made it clear to anyone who will listen that I only answer one-question surveys. If your survey has pages of questions, sorry, I ain’t answerin’. I practice what I preach by conducting only one-question (okay, technically three) surveys, like my “What’s plaguing associations” survey or my BI survey. So I was

In a blog post last week I discussed a handful of AMS packages available at very low cost to associations. In the post I stated the following: But I would strongly argue that if your organization cannot afford several hundred dollars per month (for SaaS fees) for access to a database specifically designed to manage

By some accounts, the federal government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program has been a spectacular success. Hundreds of thousands of buyers took advantage of the program and $3 billion was allocated for it. But as this Washington Times article points out, the roll out of the program was less-than-stellar. The US Dept of Transportation had to

ASAE is hosting a series of 25-minute sessions of ASAE authors at the ASAE bookstore during ASAE’s Annual Meeting in Toronto. I’ll be speaking at 2.45pm on Monday, August 17, discussing my book, Put Your Data to Work: 52 Tips and Techniques for Effectively Managing Your Database, published by ASAE. You can buy the book