Data Management

I recently made a donation to NTEN’s scholarship fund for their annual meeting (NTC, which I wrote about here.) NTEN was shooting to raise $10,000, which would then be matched by Convio, giving NTEN a total of $20,000 to use as scholarships for NTC. The good news is that NTEN reached their goal. As a […]

I’ve posted a new article on my website, which is excerpts from the recent interviews I did with the CEOs from six association management software companies. You can read the article here. You can also hear all of the interviews in their entirety here. Of course, if you’re already on my announcements list, you would

I’m very pleased to announce the release of my new book, Putting Your Data to Work: 52 Tips and Techniques for Effectively Managing Your Database, published by ASAE & the Center for Association Leadership. For those who read the book, I’d love to get your feedback on what’s working and what’s missing. Since it’s an

Last week while speaking at the Canadian Society of Association Executives, I had ocassion to meet two women from an association that had recently purchased a new AMS from a vendor in the US. They had invested over $40,000 with the company, and at this moment, the company seems to be insolvent (e.g., they’re not

There is still time to register for my upcoming teleseminar on database training, March 5, 2009, from noon to 10pm Eastern. Register here. And if you can’t make the actual event, you can still buy the recording here. “Don’t Waste Another Dollar on Training: How to Ensure Your Training Dollars are Spent For Ultimate Effectiveness”

I sometimes receive RFPs from associations actually looking for association management software (which I do not produce). If you’ve ever attended one of my sessions on selecting a new AMS, you know that one of my cardinal rules is that the RFP should go out to no more than five vendors. So when I receive

The Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) is a great resource for, well, technology in the nonprofit sector. If you’re not familiar with them, check them out here. (Full disclosure: NTEN was once a client of mine.) And right now, NTEN is trying to raise $10,000 for their NTC scholarship fund, to help send 57 small nonprofit

Too often when we calculate training costs, we only consider the direct costs, e.g., trainer’s fee, room rental, food, a/v equipment, supplies, etc. What is often overlooked are the indirect costs of training, including staff time and the creation of “ill will” if the training is not executed well. Staff costs are easy to caculate: