12/20/2024

Beyond the Numbers

Being a data-driven association is an asset

As a relatively young organization, the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools has enjoyed meteoric growth since it was founded in 2014. Its membership has recently grown 30 percent year over year, which the ATLIS board takes as good news. But that figure doesn’t explain everything going on with the organization, and Executive Director Christina Lewellen makes a point of sharing the story behind the numbers.

"It's easy enough to say we're a young organization so that growth is to be expected, but it’s not that simple," she said. "We've put very intentional efforts around our outreach and membership growth initiatives. We've added a membership support team that's focused on white-glove service to current and prospective members. I've been traveling the country. Being able to connect those dots for board members is really important."

Building storytelling into the presentation of data is important at a time when people can be more skeptical about that data and crave context. Numbers alone won’t explain what constitutes a success or a setback for an association, said Jeffrey Cufaude, a longtime facilitation expert and former association executive.

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