I don’t mean to sound harsh, but the truth is, when it comes to data management, your association is probably a lot like most other associations. You probably manage membership, meetings, committees, product sales, and so on. And what this means is, there is probably an off-the-shelf association management software (AMS) system that can support the data …
You're not special (when it comes to data management) Read More »
I’m often asked what the major success factors are for an AMS (or any system) implementation. There are many, of course, but based on my 18 years of consulting, the primary success factor is how much effort the association puts into the project. I’ve worked on over 200 AMS implementations, and I can say unequivocally …
Last week I wrote about an association with 60 staff but only six users. Today I want to talk about the flip side of that: those staff who are not necessarily users of the system, but consumers of the data. A great example of this is advocacy/government relations. In my experience, while the advocacy/GR department …
Users are important, but don't forget about your data consumers Read More »
The European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect in May 2018. In a nutshell, GDPR creates all kinds of new regulations for how any organization manages data on individuals residing in the EU. Here is a great outline of GDPR from ASAE. (For ASAE members only; requires a login.) The law goes into …
I was working with an association recently, helping them select a new association management system. The association has 60 FTEs, working on a wide variety of issues including regulatory and government affairs. As we worked through the process of identifying their functional needs, it became apparent that although they have a relatively large staff, the number …
Are the passwords for your members and customers in your database hidden from staff view (e.g., hashed out or showing a blank field)? Or can you staff see the password that your member has set up for him or herself? Customer passwords should be hidden from staff for one simple reason: As humans, most of keep only …
Are your customers' passwords hidden from staff view? They should be! Read More »
CASL is the Canadian Anti-spam Law, which was passed several years ago, and is now in full effect in Canada. One of its key enforcement features, known as private right of action, which would have allowed lawsuits to be filed against individuals and organizations for alleged violations of the legislation, has been suspended. Click here to …
When I work with clients, one thing I focus on is process. How is data managed within the organization? What steps are followed? What technology is used? Where does staff spend their time? One thing I’ve learned over the years is that what often seems like a small thing can turn out to be a …
Beware: Small things can add up to big time suckers… Read More »
I was speaking at an ASAE event recently and ran into a woman I had worked with at a past client. She explained to me that she had moved on to another association, to help with their marketing there. As she was telling me about her new job, she said “On the first day there, …
I was working with a client recently and discussing how data is currently managed in their organization. During the course of the conversation, my client said “Too often here, data is an afterthought.” What he meant was that very often, programs, products, or services would be developed by one part of the organization or another, …