Recent Headlines

I'll be speaking twice at the ASAE Technology Conference this week (Wednesday, December 7). My first session, with Rene Shonherd, is "Data Management Tips Every Association Needs." My second session is "AMS Selection for Smaller Associations." You can learn all about the tech conference ...

I’ve posted a new article on my website. A few years ago one of my most successful clients told me that with all the advice I had given her for improving the management of her AMS, the single best piece of advice was to have her organization create an internal users group. My advice was ...

I've noticed an uptick, lately, in the amount of free education being provided by AMS vendors. This is a promising development, as any real and useful information (i.e., not advertising) is welcome. Here are just some examples of vendors providing online education, very often for free. These are ...

TMA Resources has begun a new series of weekly educational videos on their website called "Association Tech News." In this week's installment, there is a brief interview segment with me. Association Tech News can be found here. The complete interview with me can be found ...

I've written often about "managing to the exception," the idea that all of our business rules have to apply to every case (i.e., the exceptional cases), instead of just the most common types of cases. One of my favorite examples of managing to the rule rather than the exception is the Dulles ...

Effective change requires leadership. Leadership from the top. Compare these two situations (true stories, clients of mine from the past): Association 1 has never had a centralized data management system. However, the CEO as well as key senior leadership understand the need for a centralized ...

When it comes to managing our organization's data, we too often allow our staff some short-term gains which create long-term pain. Let me provide some examples (all of these are actual cases of clients of mine): Managing the list of board members in Outlook because that's easier than managing ...

I've worked with well over 100 associations in my years as a consultant. In my experience, those of my clients that are most successful are those that don't just talk about doing things, but actually do things. I know this may sound obvious, but stick with me a minute. When I work with my ...

I once met with an association executive director to discuss the challenges she and her association were having with their data management systems. As we discussed what was possible with newer technology, she was especially excited to hear how a new AMS would allow her to capture interactions ...

According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, "two reports...show a disconnect between what nonprofits provide to their workers and what employees say is essential to their job satisfaction." The article goes on to state that "70% of workers in two surveys said their jobs were ...