Data is the lifeblood of associations, much like water is the lifeblood of a cafe. Just as a cafe depends on clean, reliable water to make coffee, tea or slushies, associations depend on quality data to serve their members, deliver impactful programming and make informed decisions.
If the water (or data) flowing into your systems isn't clean, consistent or reliable, everything from daily operations to strategic planning is affected. This analogy can help illustrate how associations can build processes to ensure they’re working with clean, actionable data they can trust.
First, think about water itself. In a cafe, water flows from many different taps (or sources). Some taps deliver clear, clean water; others may be unreliable, inconsistent or muddy. Similarly, associations pull data from multiple sources: membership databases, event registration systems, survey tools and more. Some of these sources are fast and reliable, while others may be outdated or incomplete.
Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.