Faith data: Methodology

This paper describes the process and methodology we have used to generate new data on faith-based charities. This data analysis is part of our programme of research to explore the affect of faith on how charitable organisations operate and what they can achieve. We worked with Jay Liu of Digital-Dandelion.com to develop this methodology.

While a number of classifications for categorising faith-based charities exist, we realised that they all underrepresented the true numbers. We developed our own approach over a number of months—combining existing classifications with text analysis to create a more comprehensive dataset. We believe this is the most advanced and up-to-date analysis of faith-based charities in Great Britain.