Initial Results from a Survey of Two Cohorts of Religious Nonprofits

Abstract

Next to congregations, religious nonprofit organizations represent one of the most numerous categories of religious organizations in the United States. However, very few data exist that shed light on this sector. In this research note we introduce new data from a survey of two cohorts of religion‐related public charities, also known as 501(c)(3)s or simply as religious nonprofits. We also present initial findings from these data. Specifically, we provide a descriptive profile of religious nonprofits’ founders and how these individuals compare to leaders and founders of other organizations, including congregations. We also provide a descriptive profile of these organizations’ activities, staffing, and structure. This note serves as the first step in what we hope will be an expanding literature on religious nonprofit organizations.

Explaining Variations in the Nonprofit Founding Process

“…After eliminating cases with missing data on our measures, the following analytical sample consists of 724 organizations. More information about the data collection can be found in Dollhopf, Scheitle, and McCarthy ().…”

“…We created a measure representing the total number of activities respondents selected from this list. Each organization was also placed into one of six overall activity sectors based on the one activity each organization identified as best representing its activities (see Dollhopf et al ) for more details ­concerning coding): Social and humanitarian services Mission work Religious education, counseling, or preaching Issue advocacy and organizational support Media production Networking and fellowship …”

“…To account for these differences, we included a survey weight that incorporates factors relevant to response rate, such as founding cohort (as older organizations are more likely to have disbanded). A more detailed account of the survey responses and nonrespondents is available in Dollhopf et al (). Nevertheless, it is possible that these sampling features may also limit the generalizability of the findings.…”

The Mobilization of Evangelical Protestants in the Nonprofit Sector: Parachurch Foundings Across U.S. Counties, 1998–2016

“…Dollhopf, Scheitle, and McCarthy () demarcate six activity‐based subsectors within the parachurch population . The Education, Counseling, and Preaching category, which is by far the largest segment representing nearly half of the population, includes organizations that focus on activities like itinerant preaching and speaking, camps, retreats and conferences, religiously influenced counseling and rehabilitation services, and leadership training.…”

“…1 Religious congregations and denominations are also technically 501(c)(3) public charities, but they hold a special status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that exempts them from requirements to formally register and file annual financial returns. So, for the purposes of the IRS, parachurch organizations can best be defined as non-church religionrelated 501(c)(3)s. Dollhopf, Scheitle, and McCarthy (2015) demarcate six activity-based subsectors within the parachurch population. 2 The Education, Counseling, and Preaching category, which is by far the largest segment representing nearly half of the population, includes organizations that focus on activities like itinerant preaching and speaking, camps, retreats and conferences, religiously influenced counseling and rehabilitation services, and leadership training.…”