Wes's Weekly Wisdom Archives

The hidden costs of bad data Nobody likes bad data, and presumably we’re all working tirelessly to minimize it. After all, bad data has a price. Some obvious “costs” of bad data include poor deliverability of email/snail mail, inability to target market/message, inability to analyze data effectively, and potential reputational embarrassment. But there are also many […]

Don’t let your customers edit their names online! This issue came up recently and I was surprised because I thought we were past this. The issue is this: If you allow your members and customers to view and edit their profile online, as a rule, you should never allow them to edit their first or […]

Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. We’ve probably all heard this phrase: “Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern.” What this means is that when we see an actual pattern of behaviors or results (and not just random one-offs), there is an underlying issue to […]

“Every association does this.” One of the most significant values I bring to my clients is perspective. Specifically the perspective of having worked with several hundred associations of all sizes and types. It is not uncommon for me to hear from my clients “I don’t understand why our AMS doesn’t do things this particular way. Every […]

Trust your gut When I help associations with selection of a new technology system (e.g., AMS), I have a time-tested process to follow to help them make the best decision for their organization and their needs. With this process it is not unusual for my clients to narrow their choices down to two really good options. […]

“People more frequently require to be reminded than informed.” “People more frequently require to be reminded than informed.” – Samuel Johnson I came across this quote recently and immediately thought “Exactly!” A lot of my consulting is actually reminding my clients to do things they already know to do, but have allowed themselves to get […]

Problems without solutions are not problems, they are facts of life “Problems without solutions are not problems, they are facts of life.” A form of this quote is attributed to James Burnham, a philosopher and political scientist. I’ve always loved this quote because there are so many “problems” in the world of data management. One that […]

Perfect is not possible We’ve all heard the phrase “Perfect is the enemy of good” and I like to think that most of us believe it. But oddly enough, this phrase tends to get ignored when it comes to data management. In my experience, too often associations believe that if they discover anyerrors in their data […]

“Different” isn’t necessarily better or worse. One of the biggest challenges I face when working with my clients is getting them to think differently about things. Whether it’s a wholesale change of systems (e.g., a new AMS) or a change in how data is processed within an existing system, thinking about things differently is difficult. […]

The Rule of 100 and 1,000 and automation I originally coined the rule of 100 and 1,000 in relationship to data conversion (here and here). I extended that rule to ongoing data management here. The rule of 100 and 1,000 can also be applied to automation. Simply put, if you’re managing fewer than 100 records […]

Once you know, what will you do? I’ve yet to meet a client who didn’t require, in some form or another, some way to analyze their data. Whether it was simple queries or reports, or more advanced dashboards or analytics, everyone wants to be able to analyze their data. And that’s a good thing. But […]

If it’s not in your AMS, why not? I like to tell my clients they’ll know they’ve reached data management nirvana when the answer to any question about data is “It’s in the database.” And I don’t mean the obvious questions like “How many members do we have?” or “Who has registered for next week’s event?” […]

Why checkboxes and tags are awesome and dangerous One of the most common functions in an AMS is the concept of checkboxes and/or tags (your system may have both!). With checkboxes and tags we can easily “group” otherwise disparate data sets together. For example, need to create a VIP list of people to invite to […]

Don’t miss obvious engagement data What I’ve experienced with my clients over the years is that too many associations are not very conscientious about tracking all of their volunteer engagement in a centralized manner. (Because I’m a volunteer myself, I find this particular issue rather grating.) Take the tracking of authors (i.e., anyone who has written […]

All data requires active management It’s a simple fact of data management that is often overlooked: Any data that is not actively managed will eventually become useless. And it’s truer now than ever. If you take a moment to think about your members, whether they are individuals or organizations, every point of data that you […]

Documentation is critical for consistency There are so many reasons why documenting your data management processes are so critical to long-term success, but one of the most important reasons is to ensure we process data consistently over time. This is especially true for processes that occur repeatedly but very infrequently. For example, a client of […]

Consumer demands change and technology changes When I work with clients on the selection of a new AMS, I’ll often hear the client say things like “We feel like we’ve failed because we need to find new technology.” But this may be untrue. Very often, changes in consumer demand will require associations to have technology to […]

Why I write Thirty years ago, I started a new job as director of membership for a small trade association. It was my first real membership position, having worked in marketing and communications for four years prior at another trade association. While I knew how associations worked, I had no real idea how to recruit, manage, and retain membership. […]

DAN – The Data Analytics Network I’m a huge fan of users groups (both internal and external!). After all, users groups are just associations by another name, and having spent my entire career in the association space, I know their value. There is a great, informal group called the Data Analytics Network (DAN) for professional and trade […]

Process before technology In a conversation with a client recently, I was reminded (yet again) of how important people and process are when it comes to managing data. As we discussed their technology options, the client said, “You know, even if this technology is free, it won’t do us any good if we haven’t established […]