Methodology in Developing the Database

Nominations in the database
The nominations included in this database were submitted for the 2009 Collaboration Prize.  Each nomination was required to meet eligibility requirements established by the Lodestar Foundation.  A copy of the guidelines, nominator instructions, nominee qualifications, and instructions regarding the nomination letter can be accessed here.   With the exception of the finalist nominations, information contained in the nomination letters has not been subjected to independent verification. 

Methodology in developing the database:
The search categories of the database were designed to correspond to the information collected in the nomination forms and letter.

Data contained in the search categories below were derived directly from the nomination forms:

• Name of Collaboration
• Name of Collaboration Partners
• Geographic Location
• Year the Collaboration was Established
• Number of Participating Organizations

Data contained in the following search categories originated with the information supplied on the nomination forms and were supplemented with information contained in the nomination letters:

• Type of Collaboration
• Type of Agreement
• Goals Sought Through Collaboration
• Circumstances Prompting Collaboration

Data contained in the following search categories were derived from the nomination letters:

• Initiators
• Type of Agreement
• Nature of Funder Involvement
• Were Partners Added or Dropped?
• Management Structure
• Challenges
• Organizational Efficiencies and Effectiveness
• Community Impact

The "Ways to Collaborate" search categories were created to highlight key features of the database. The searches combine criteria from separate but related database categories to create one set of similar results. The search criteria used in each of the "Ways to Collaborate" can be found at the bottom of the Search Results page.

Part 1 of the nomination letter asked the nominator to address origins, structure, management, impact, community response, sector model, and challenges encountered in forming the collaboration in a narrative of no more than three pages.  In addition, nominators were asked in Part 2 of the nomination letter to summarize the financial and operating efficiencies that have been achieved by the collaboration, indicate the methodologies used to track these change, and indicate the time period over which results were obtained in no more than one page.   

The nomination letters were read and the search categories and subcategories selected based upon the terms used by nominators in their narrative responses.  The letters were read again and coded to these categories and subcategories.  Finally, the categories and subcategories were reviewed again in light of the group of nominations that each contained to ensure that the language was descriptive and clear.  In that process there was some reassignment of categories and nominations. 

The following search categories were established and values assigned based upon fit with those pre-determined categories:

• Collaboration Focus Area

• Geographic Scope