Don’t be a hoarder!

Don't be a hoarder!

The simple truth is that it's almost "free" to collect data. Or at least that's how it seems.

Set up a field in the database, send out an email and ask for the data, and voila, you're collecting new data.

The problem is that, in many (most?) cases, the data that we start out to collect doesn't get maintained over time, even with the best of intentions. And so, over time, we become data hoarders, keeping data that we really don't need.

I would guess that almost every one of my clients (now several hundred over 25 years) has one or more data points in their AMS that are no longer being used, or if they are being used, haven't been updated in many years. I'd bet the same is true for your organization.

When is the last time you looked at your database and cleaned out what you're no longer using? Is it time to do it again?

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Budget for feature discovery and adoption

November 18, 2020

Budget for feature discovery and adoption When developing a budget for implementation of a new […]

Customize staff pages for better user adoption

November 11, 2020

Customize staff pages for better user adoption The single most important element to data management […]

Don’t ask questions for which you already know the answer

November 4, 2020

Don’t ask questions for which you already know the answer I was recently completing an […]

All decisions involve risk

October 28, 2020

All decisions involve risk Whether it’s choosing a new AMS or introducing a new product […]

Try flowcharting your processes

October 21, 2020

Try flowcharting your processes Working with a client recently on their membership join process reminded me […]

“I just want a system I don’t have to fight with.”

October 14, 2020

“I just want a system I don’t have to fight with.” I asked my client: […]

Inertia Contributes to Bad Data

October 7, 2020

Inertia Contributes to Bad Data Without knowing anything about your organization or its data, I’d […]

What are you doing with new contacts?

September 30, 2020

What Are You Doing with New Contacts/ I was very interested to read in a […]

Be Aware of Selection Bias

September 23, 2020

Be Aware of Selection Bias I wrote recently about the mistaken perception of older members […]

Some Things Just Take Time

September 16, 2020

Some Things Just Take Time I learned recently that an elephant’s gestation period is 18 […]

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