Ranking in the table is based on relief from royalty which uses forecast revenue streams and the implicit royalties which the firms are relieved from paying because they own the brands. Royalty rates, the company said, are based on a measure of brand strength using qualitative market research, media coverage and websites.

The research revealed some discrepancies between the ranking for brand value and income - i.e. some organisations with higher brand values scored lower on income - which theoretically implies that organisations with higher brand values could better capitalise on this to generate additional revenue.

Stuart Whitwell, joint managing director of Intangible Business said: Charities rely on the goodwill of volunteers, members, institutional bodies and the general public for their survival. To attract this goodwill their brands need to embody and communicate values relevant to this audience. They also need to differentiate themselves from other not-for-profit and commercial competition. Charities with powerful brands, therefore, are able to stand out from the crowd and attract significant amounts of revenue. This research reveals just how important and valuable these brands actually are. 

The table itself is based on information including each charity is rating from last year (this is only the second year the research has been carried out) and how they rank according to income. The top ten were:

1. Cancer Research UK
2. The National Trust
3. Oxfam
4. British Red Cross Society
5. Wellcome Trust
6. Barnardos
7. RSPCA
8. Arts Council of England
9. The British Council
10. British Heart Foundation