The pub the village bought
The village raised the money and bought the pub when it came up for sale. Now it has several hundred members who hold shares, a committee of volunteers, a paid manager and a group of people who help on the bar, in the garden and with events. The membership list is a spreadsheet the treasurer keeps. The volunteer rota is a WhatsApp group and a paper list behind the bar. The newsletter is sent from someone's personal email.
Before the annual meeting, the secretary has to send notices to every member, collect proxy votes, and check who has moved or died. Some members have no email. Someone asks how many shares they hold and nobody can answer quickly. A volunteer shift is empty on a Saturday because the WhatsApp message was missed.
Why community pub admin grows so fast
Community pubs combine a business with a membership organisation, and the membership side is run by volunteers in their spare time. The tools they reach for, a spreadsheet, a group chat, a personal inbox, are fine for twenty people and struggle with hundreds.
Records also change hands. Treasurers and secretaries step down, and each handover risks losing history about who holds what and who was told what. Your society's rules and your adviser decide what records must be kept. The tools just need to make keeping them practical.
What the spreadsheets cost
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Member list in one person's spreadsheet | Risk when that person steps down |
| Notices sent by hand | Evenings of work and members missed |
| Share queries answered slowly | Members feel out of touch with their pub |
| Volunteer rota in a group chat | Empty shifts and the same few people covering |
| Newsletters from personal email | Messages in spam and no record of who got what |
Members who feel informed and involved are the ones who come in, volunteer and invest again when the roof needs fixing. Admin that makes them feel forgotten weakens the very thing the pub depends on.
The volunteers who do the admin pay a cost too. The secretary who spends every evening before the annual meeting on a mail merge is the one who will not stand again next year, and finding a replacement willing to take on the spreadsheets is harder each time.
One system for members and volunteers
- Member records hold contact details, share holdings, joining date and communication preferences, including post for members without email. Changes are logged.
- Members can view their own holding and update their details through a secure link.
- Meeting notices and papers are sent by email and prepared for post in one go, and proxy or online votes can be collected where your rules allow, with a record of who voted.
- Volunteers see open shifts on their phones and sign up, with reminders the day before and a warning to the organiser when a shift is still empty.
- Newsletters go out through a proper email service to members who want them, with unsubscribes handled.
- Access is by role: the treasurer sees holdings, the volunteer coordinator sees the rota, the manager sees who is on shift.
We do not advise on your society's rules, share offers or meeting procedures. We build the tools that help your committee follow the rules you already have.
The next annual meeting
The secretary prepares the notice once. Emails go to members who prefer email and a mail merge file is ready for the rest. Proxy votes come in online and are counted as they arrive. On the night, the list of members present is on a tablet at the door. The volunteer rota for the summer fete is filled in a week, and the organiser can see the gaps.
- Member and share records that survive a change of treasurer
- Meeting notices and votes handled in one place
- A volunteer rota people actually fill
- Members kept in touch with their pub
Is your community pub run like this?
- Member and share records live in one person's spreadsheet.
- Annual meeting notices take evenings of work.
- Volunteer shifts are organised in a group chat.
- Newsletters are sent from a personal email account.
- Members cannot easily see or update their own details.