Ventnor and District Local History Society has issued a clear appeal: it needs someone to take on the role of treasurer, and the future of the organisation depends on filling it.
The message came out of an open meeting held at the end of May, where trustees, volunteers, members and non-members gathered to talk through the problem and how to solve it.
For the past four years, the trustees have struggled to recruit anyone willing to take on the position on a lasting basis.
Why this matters now
A current trustee is covering the role for the time being, but only as a stopgap, and that arrangement ends in March 2027.
Without a treasurer in place, the society cannot carry on and would have to begin winding up – the most drastic outcome the trustees can imagine.
Money pressures add to the urgency, because falling membership and lower income already leave the society and its Heritage Centre running at a deficit.
What the job actually involves
The treasurer looks after the book-keeping for the museum and its online transactions, alongside the wider reporting and auditing side of the role.
At the meeting, attendees explored whether some of that work could be handed off, with the day-to-day book-keeping and cash handling outsourced to a professional, either paid or on a voluntary basis.
The trustees are already trialling a shared approach in which several of them split the responsibilities between them.
A lighter-touch role on offer
Three people have now come forward to help, one of them by email, on the understanding that the treasurer could act more as a named figure-head while others handle the daily book-keeping and cash.
That model would make the commitment far lighter for whoever steps into the post.
The trustees had originally asked for a five-year minimum term, though several people at the meeting felt that expectation might be too much to ask.
Building the wider base
The recent treasurer, drawing on direct experience of the role, urged caution about leaning too heavily on delegation.
Beyond the treasurer search, the trustees want to rebuild volunteer and member numbers, which have dropped and limited how much the society and its Heritage Centre can do.
They plan to keep working with Community Action Isle of Wight and other charitable groups, both to attract new trustees and volunteers and to get broader support on running the charity.
Funding the future
Members discussed raising the annual subscription, with one suggestion pushing it to £50 to help pay for an outside bookkeeper.
The maths does not quite work, though, because even if every current member renewed at that rate, the extra income would still fall short of what a bookkeeper costs.
The trustees see the present fee as fair for what members get – ten meetings a year and regular newsletters – and they intend to add a members’ website with a dedicated repository of material, while accepting the fee will have to rise at some point.
Fresh ideas also surfaced, including junior and family memberships, links with local schools to spark interest in local history, and a push to bring in more business sponsorship.
Going it alone, by choice
The meeting touched on wind-up as a last resort, and the option of merging with other Island history groups went down poorly with those present.
Many felt a merger would water down the society’s sharp local focus and the distinctive offering that sets it apart.
The trustees came away encouraged by the turnout and the messages of support from people who could not attend, taking it as a sign that the appetite to keep going is there.
For now, the work centres on one task above all: finding someone to safeguard the society’s future by taking on the books.
Anyone able to help can get in touch with the society’s trustees via the website.
