We’ve asked Wes Trochlil (Effective Database Management) a database management guru for associations and non-profits, to present a webinar to help membership organizations understand the what, the why and the how of databases. In this webinar, Wes will answer the following questions: What is a database? Why is having a membership database important? What does it allow me to do that I couldn’t do before? How can a membership database help me achieve my mission or goals? Wes will also offer up some database best practices. Participants – including organizations with small staff and high volunteer turnover – should leave the webinar with some key steps they can take to maintain an effective membership database and get the full value out of this data.

1. Wes Trochlil
Effective Database Management

2. Answer “yes,” “sorta,” or “no”
1. Can you easily and accurately tell me who the
top 20% of your customers are, as YOU define
“top”?
2. Is the majority of your data housed in one
database or source?
3. Can you easily and accurately tell me how many
messages you send to your members and
customers in a week or month?

3. 4. Do you have your data management processes
documented?
5. Do you have a process for capturing non-
financial interactions with your members and
customers?
6. Can your members and customers easily do
business with your organization via your
website?

4. 7. Does the data gathered by your website flow
directly to your database?
8. Can you easily and accurately tell me how many
volunteers you have?
9. Can you easily and accurately tell me the LTV of
your members?

5. 17-18: Leave now, you’ve got nothing to learn here.
13-16: Congratulations, you’re in the top 10% of all
associations.
7-12: Not bad. There are still plenty of opportunities to
improve.
0-6: Hang around, you’ll learn a lot today.
2 points for “yes,” 1 point for “sorta,” 0 points for no

6. • What is a database?
• Why is having a membership database
important?
• How can a membership database help you
achieve your mission or goals?

7. Process
Technology
People
Ideal Operations
It’s not one thing, it’s three things…

8. Create data entry guidelines and users guides

9. Training!

10. Eliminate shadow systems

11. Don’t manage to the exception

12. Capture all of your contacts

13. Capture non-financial,
non-volunteer interactions

15. Create data integrity reports

16. www.asaecenter.org

17. Start an internal users group

18. Practice database PR

20. Pursue success, not perfection

21. Wes Trochlil
President
Effective Database Management, LLC
wes@effectivedatabase.com
www.effectivedatabase.com