The Role of Reliable Data in Association Management

by ​Towsif Nasor

In today’s day and age, data can be the lifeblood of any organization. For any organization, having reliable and accurate data is essential for growth. Reliable and accurate data enables organizations to make data driven decisions, helping drive forward member engagement and operational efficiencies. In this blog post, I will discuss the benefits and challenges organizations may face related to data.

Challenges Related to Data
Many associations grapple with data related challenges. These issues may hinder an organization’s ability to leverage data for strategic initiatives. Understanding these challenges can play a crucial part in developing effective products and resources for your members and help drive engagement forward, maximizing the potential of the data available to you. Here are some common challenges associations face when managing data.

Duplicate Data and Inconsistency: Duplicate data is a common issue that many organizations face. It can lead to confusion, and inaccurate reporting. Inconsistent data can be a result from different sources when there isn’t proper standardization of processes.

Incomplete Write Backs: For an integration to be truly effective, data needs to be able to flow seamlessly between systems. Often times we find that not all of the data required makes it back to the main system, resulting in gaps, and making it difficult to have a comprehensive overview of the organization’s activities and member interactions. This can hinder an organization’s ability to make data driven decisions.

Data Stewardship and Ownership: Data management often requires clear ownership and stewardship. Without dedicated champions, data governance can become chaotic. Associations need to establish proper protocols on how to effectively manage data to ensure that is accurate, secure and accessible to those who need it.

Limited Integrations: Many associations use various flatforms to help manage their operations. Often time, we find that a lack of integration between these systems can lead to data silos making it difficult to access by specific departments. This also hinders the reliability, accuracy and overall holistic view of an organization’s data.

Benefits
While many organizations face challenges, it is important to recognize the benefits that effective data management can bring to an organization. From enhancing decision-making processes to helping drive member engagement, accurate data is a key enabler of success for many associations. Here, we explore some of the advantages that come with effective data management.

Data Driven Decision-Making: Accurate data provides organizations with a solid foundation for making strategic decisions. It allows organizations to analyze trends, comprehend the needs of their members and predict future behavior. With data that is reliable, an organization may be able to better identify what programs are most effective, which events are of most value to their members, and what areas may need additional support. Data driven decisions lead to more targeted organizational strategies and can help drive forward organizational growth.

Enhance Holistic Overview: Having reliable data helps associations understand their members better. By having all data readily available in the main system, organizations can have an overall holistic view of their member profile. By looking at member interactions, organizations can better tailor their provided services and resources to better meet their members’ needs.

Operational Efficiency: By analyzing data, organizations can be enabled to streamline their operations. Data analysis can help identify bottlenecks in processes, for example, understanding event attendance patterns can help better plan for resource management for future events. This ultimately helps optimize resources and reduce costs.

Conclusion:
Reliable data can be the cornerstone of effective association management. Clean and effective data can empower organizations to make better informed decisions to help enhance operational efficiencies. The journey to harness an organization’s data, however, comes with its set of challenges. By addressing issues related to integrations, duplication, ownership and governance, associations can unlock the true power of their data to help drive organization growth and provide a better value to their members.