SWOT analysis
The below list highlights the current perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) associated with charity archives that were identified during consultation with the project’s steering group.
Strengths
- Enables good governance in organisations
- Operational value within organisations
- Demonstrate how society operates
- Important for research across fields
- Can enfranchise missing narratives and support vulnerable and marginalised groups
- Transparency and accountability
Weaknesses
- Limitations to funding and resources exacerbated by the pandemic
- General lack of awareness of the importance of charity archives and recordkeeping across sectors
- No statutory obligation for charities to maintain archives
- Not all charity archives have access to archival expertise
Opportunities
- Increased academic and public interest in charity archives
- Focus on accountability within the charity sector
- Improved recordkeeping results in operational improvements and efficiencies
- Increasing appetite to use archives and records to support equality, diversity and inclusion
- Promotional use by charities
Threats
- Sustainability of archive functions within charities
- Risk of loss
- Lack of expertise and knowledge
- Sensitive data and lack of understanding of data protection legislation
- Preservation and conservation