NPC has identified six areas for religious charities to consider as the environment in which they operate continues to change.
In its latest paper, Questions of faith, the think tank said: “Britain is an increasingly secular society, with fewer people than ever professing a religious faith. Yet the number of faith-based charities has grown in the same period, both in terms of the total and as a proportion of all charities.”
There are 32,735 religious charities, 9,000 more than in 2006, which make up almost one-fifth of charities.
Jessica Nicholls, communications executive at NPC and co-author of the report, said: “December’s big religious festivals coincide with an increase in charitable giving, with 21 December the most generous day of all last year. It’s the right time to think about the role of faith-based charities, who will be making a pitch for some of that generosity.”
Six themes:
- Purpose and focus – how does a faith-based approach help a charity?
- Reach – how does faith play a role in reaching the most deprived?
- Delivery of services – are religious organisations affected differently by the shift from grants to commissioning?
- Collaboration – what impact do interfaith activities have on communities?
- Funding – does faith play a role in how charities fundraise and how funders make awards?
- Impact – how is impact measurement different for religious charities?
NPC wants to discover why “some charities have kept - and publicly promote – their religious roots,” while others are “now faith-based in name only” and will be carrying out more detailed research next year.
