Some context, please

Some context, please

A pet peeve of mine: A report about associations (e.g., marketing benchmarks report) where the report defines associations by the number of members, but fails to discriminate between trade associations and individual associations. In other words, the report will talk about "associations with fewer than 500 members" as if a trade association with 450 members is somehow the same as an individual membership organization with 450 members.

I have worked with trade associations with fewer than three dozen members that had a budget and staff three times the size of a professional society with 2,500 members. I think you see my point; the number of members without context makes for pretty useless comparisons or benchmarks.

Just something to keep in mind if you're ever creating or reading benchmarking reports.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish?

May 27, 2026

Are you being penny wise and pound foolish? Two quick customer service stories to illustrate […]

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you

May 20, 2026

AMS Products are getting better – and what that means for you I’ve been working […]

Using AI beyond content generation

May 13, 2026

Using AI beyond content generation Recent surveys by ASAE and others suggest nearly 90% of associations […]

If you’re training, PLEASE do this…

May 6, 2026

If you’re training, PLEASE do this… If you’re doing any kind of software training, or […]

Don’t confuse motion with improvement

April 29, 2026

Don’t confuse motion with improvement I wrote recently how action can produce information. But an […]

Perfection is expensive (in fact, it’s not possible!)

April 22, 2026

Perfection is expensive (in fact, it’s not possible!) “Perfection is expensive. The last 5 percent […]

AI is a journey, not a destination

April 15, 2026

AI is a journey, not a destination Lately I’ve noticed a lot of associations talking […]

Action produces information

April 8, 2026

Action produces information “Action produces information. If you’re unsure of what to do, just do […]

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial…

March 25, 2026

Why a single source of truth is so beneficial… The holy grail of data management is […]

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

March 18, 2026

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should I’ve worked in and with associations for well […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top