05/23/2018

Put Small Data to Work for Your Members

Data modernization is an ongoing process to prepare for the future

These days, talk of big data is everywhere, especially its potential to power innovations like artificial intelligence, voice-enabled apps and the blockchain. But when I talk to association professionals about these emerging tech trends, I see one of two reactions: excitement or blank stares.

The fact is that data modernization is an ongoing process to prepare for the future, but not all associations are quite there yet. That doesn’t mean you can’t put your data to good use in smaller ways—a point made this week in a conversation in Collaborate, ASAE’s online member community [member login required].

Michael Hoke, client partner of nonprofits and associations at xScion Solutions, noted that many future technologies are still out of reach for associations without solid policies and procedures for effective data management. “You can’t demand that your organization start using machine learning and expect your bad data to suddenly start producing better and more strategic insights than it does now,” he wrote. (Hoke gave Associations Now permission to quote from his Collaborate comments.)

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.