In my recently released benchmarking survey of association data management, I asked the following question: “Do you have a specific position dedicated to data management within your organization?” Forty percent of the associations responding said “yes.” (You can get a copy of the entire report here.) This is very good news. Anecdotally, I would guess that […]
The rise of the data manager Read More »
One of the greatest benefits of the internet revolution is that data management has been moved from staff to customer. For example, back when I started my first membership director position (20 years ago now), nothing was being processed via the association’s website. This meant that ALL membership joins and renewals had to be processed by
The inherent conflict between staff needs and customer needs Read More »
I love data and I love technology. So when there’s an opportunity to use new technology, or an opportunity to collect and use more data, I’m all for it. But. It’s important to keep in mind that data and technology are a means to an end, not the end itself. And that’s particularly important when
Data and technology are a means to an end, not the end itself Read More »
Because data is so easy to collect and store these days, it’s very tempting to try to collect data about anything and everything on our members and customers. But before you decide to collect yet another piece of demographic data on your members, ask yourself this: “Is this data actionable, or just interesting?” Actionable data is
Make sure it's actionable, not just interesting Read More »
My brother runs a business cleaning business in Minneapolis. We were discussing a business process issue (unrelated to cleaning OR databases) and how one should find a solution to a problem. He told me, “I always tell my cleaners, ‘Think like a lazy person but don’t act like a lazy person.’” In other words, find the simplest way
"Think like a lazy person but don't act like a lazy person." Read More »
SCIPP International is a nonprofit organization interested in finding out – and sharing back – the extent of the association community’s security prevention and response planning. They have put together a very short survey to benchmark associations’ security readiness. You can begin the assessment by clicking here.
Take the SCIPP Association Information Security Assessment Read More »
Many associations, because they are small and have relatively low volume on their e-commerce sites, believe they are not a target for hackers. I’ve been telling my clients for some time that a data breach in the association market is not a matter of if, but when. The American Bankers Association recently revealed that
Data Breach – Not if, but when Read More »
When you do training (you ARE doing training, right?) in your association management software system, are you testing for learning and effectiveness? Too often training is completed and then forgotten. I recommend that as part of your periodic internal user group meetings, you do a check-in with staff to see if the training you’re providing
Are you testing training effectiveness? Read More »
In football, coaches will often refer to “getting back to blocking and tackling.” Usually this is in reference to how a team is not performing up to par because they lack skills in the basics or fundamentals. The same can be said for data management. Associations often ask me how they can get better at
It's about the fundamentals Read More »
If you’ve ever registered for a large conference (e.g., an association’s annual conference), you’ve probably seen this question on the registration form. And you know what? I hate this question. As a data person, what this question says to me is, “Even if you’ve attended this meeting in the past, we don’t know who you
“Is this your first time attending?” Read More »