--- title: "Beyond the Numbers" id: "61225" type: "post" slug: "beyond-the-numbers" published_at: "2024-11-21T19:48:29+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:06:17+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/21/beyond-the-numbers/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/21/beyond-the-numbers.md" excerpt: "Being a data-driven association is an asset. But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Here’s how to use the art of storytelling to bring your data to life." taxonomy_category: - "Executive Leadership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Beyond the Numbers Part of the Deep Dive[Mastering Strategic Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/mastering-strategic-leadership/) 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 says. “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, says Jeffrey Cufaude, a longtime facilitation expert and former association executive. “People now seem to be more set in their ways in terms of the filters or mental models through which they’re viewing data,” he says. “I’ve seen either an unwillingness or difficulty in accepting or appreciating a story that doesn’t align with the story that they’re telling themselves about the data.” In the context of a board discussion, then, “storytelling” might require surfacing particular assumptions that people are carrying around the importance and meaning of a data point. When someone disputes data, Cufaude says, “I ask, ‘Can others comment on their experience?’ I’m immediately going to try to broaden out the perspectives on the story or stories that data can tell to see if what this one person is asserting is representative of the group.” [Mark Athitakis](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [Change Done Right](https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/21/change-done-right/) - [Change Management in the AI Era](https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/21/change-management-in-the-ai-era/) - [Why a Data-Driven Mindset Is a Nonnegotiable](https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/21/why-a-data-driven-mindset-is-a-nonnegotiable/) - [Crossing Borders](https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/21/crossing-borders/) - [Eliminating the Ad Hoc: Injecting Intentionality into Your International Strategy](https://associationsnow.com/2024/11/21/eliminating-the-ad-hoc-injecting-intentionality-into-your-international-strategy/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/mastering-strategic-leadership/) ## You Might Like - [VideoAmerican Geophysical Union: Standing Up for Science: AGU’s Year of Action for Scientists and SocietySeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/american-geophysical-union-standing-up-for-science-agus-year-of-action-for-scientists-and-society/) - [VideoInt. 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