More from Wes...

New Article Posted – Obstacles to Measuring Engagement

I’ve posted a new article on my website. From what I read and hear, it seems engagement, and particularly member engagement, is all the rage with associations these days. (In fact, I’m presenting on member engagement at the upcoming ASAE Marketing, Membership, and Communications ...

The Future of the AMS – A free e-book

I participated in a panel discussion of AMS experts on the future of the Association Management System (AMS) hosted by Aptify. An e-book was created from that discussion and is available for free from Aptify via this page: Click here and scroll to the bottom If you're thinking about the ...

A question for my association colleagues

My question: Why do associations frequently "hide" audience feedback from speakers? When I work with my clients, a common discussion point is capturing speaker feedback in the database. Typically associations want to do this via an online survey (which makes sense). But quite often, someone on ...

Put Your Data to Work! – 52 Tips and Techniques

If you don't own it, you should! Buy it in e-book or printed form. Click here to learn more about the ...

Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget

You've probably heard that phrase before. Essentially it means wanting much nicer things than we can actually afford. Or expecting much more than what we've paid for. In my 14 years of consulting, I've noticed that a small minority of associations suffer from this affliction. For example, I once ...

You Can’t Measure Success without Clear Objectives

I was speaking with two contacts at a client of mine about their multiple membership programs. One of the programs they told me about had 1,500 individual members paying $100 each (which by my math is $150,000 annually). They were asking my advice on whether the program was priced correctly. I ...

New Article Posted – The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

I’ve posted a new article on my website. From what I read and hear, it seems engagement, and particularly member engagement, is all the rage with associations these days. (In fact, I’m presenting on member engagement at the upcoming ASAE Marketing, Membership, and Communications ...

Big Data – which is good, which is not?

I saw this quote recently and think it's dead on: "'Big data' is what happens when the cost of storing information gets less than the cost of throwing it away." - George Dyson at Long Now This is SO true. Far too many of my clients are hoarding data, not because they are hoarders, but because ...

New Article Posted – Getting it Done: Who, How, and with What

I’ve posted a new article on my website. The intersection of people, process, and technology  occurs throughout every organization. For any system (e.g., an association management software system) to operate optimally, your organization must have the right people in place and apply the right ...

Small things can make a BIG difference

I continually surprise myself when I make what are seemingly minor changes in how I do something and find that it has a huge impact on my efficiency, effectiveness, or mindset (or all three!). Some simple but telling examples: We've got small recycle bins from our waste removal company, in ...