Comparing Faith-Based and Secular Community Service Corporations in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Abstract

Much of the national dialogue regarding the role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in social service delivery has focused on congregations that provide various types of services to their communities. Comparatively little attention has been given to FBOs that have incorporated independently as 501(c)3 tax-exempt organizations. This survey of 237 community service organizations in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, finds that a substantial amount of service is provided by agencies that consider themselves to be FBOs, which are comparable to their secular counterparts in many respects, such as size, funding, program capacity, and management sophistication. FBOs appear to be substantially different from secular agencies with respect to their extensive use of volunteers, their relatively low reliance on government funding, and their relatively low engagement in policy advocacy and lobbying.