Scott County Historical Society outlines volunteer push, fundraising plan and space constraints

Volunteer leaders of the Scott County Historical Society told county officials they have retooled operations and fundraising to increase visitation and stabilize finances.

Scott O’Brien, a volunteer and director at the society, said the organization shifted from a fee‑based admission model to donation‑based in late 2024 and saw visitation rise by about 30%. He summarized the research library and online catalog (more than 42,000 images and tens of thousands of documents are accessible online) and said volunteers catalog hundreds of donated items each year.

The society reported more than 53,000 cataloged items in its system (including images, documents, books and 3‑D objects) and depends heavily on volunteers for cataloging, research requests and public programs. The board said it has a fundraising and financial sustainability plan and will commit to covering certain budget items if county support is provided; the organization cited an operating budget of roughly $150,000 and described donor‑focused tactics (selling donor‑wall bricks and running a raffle with donated prizes).

Board members said they are trying to rebalance mission priorities—emphasizing countywide outreach and programming in addition to museum displays and collections maintenance—and noted plans to reduce staffed open hours in order to free volunteer time for off‑site programs and traveling exhibits.

Why it matters: The society preserves county history and provides research and community programming. Board leaders say they want to broaden the organization’s footprint, stabilize revenue and get county support aligned to a clearer, mission‑oriented plan.

Next steps: The society is finalizing its donor messaging, exploring juried partnerships for traveling cases and offering to coordinate exhibit swaps with municipal historical groups; it will follow up with the county on agreed‑upon funding and programming expectations.