Collaborating for Usable Knowledge: A Work in Progress by the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund

Abstract

In response to the persistent gap between scholarly research and “real world” practitioners in the nonprofit sector, the Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF) of The Aspen Institute launched a series of practitioner-researcher collaborations aimed at producing more usable research. This article provides an overview of NSRF’ scoll aborative programs in the areas of research agenda-setting, grant making, the conduct of research, and dissemination of research findings. It also discusses how NSRF came to adopt this approach, the benefits and challenges presented by collaboration, and ways to overcome these challenges. The authors conclude that despite the difficulties surrounding the collaborative process, collaboration should be attempted in research because it taps the knowledge and experience of both scholars and practitioners to help ensure that research is focused on issues of concern to nonprofit managers and leaders, is methodologically sound, and produces findings that reach appropriate audiences.

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