In the fall of 2009, we worked with a volunteer researcher to think through the dynamics of how to better collect, organize and improve the body of knowledge that enables good decision-making in Canada's nonprofit community. This project goal was to address the following four questions:

1. Within the tens of thousands of nonprofits/charities/social enterprises in Canada, how much organizational data and program information exists?
2. Of what exists, how much is actually collected, distilled and polished for learning and adoption? (Our assumption is that we capture less than 20% of the knowledge that is out there.)
3. If we were to capture this information/data/knowledge, how much is it worth?
4. And if people are being asked to contribute their 'intellectual property', how can put incentive systems in place to encourage greater collaboration?

Our hypothesis is that if we put a value on a body of knowledge, then we can deploy a system attracting the best and brightest to contribute. Imagine something like the x-prize, except the spoils are spread across the thousands of contributors who's contribution large and small all add up to something bigger.

In the diagram below, contributors ranging from experts to the casual observer have a role to play providing their insight, inquiry and information to help paint a picture of seemingly insurmountable issues, actions and resources. This is the long-tail of knowledge, popularized by Chris Anderson (former editor of Wired Magazine)