Robert B Waltz wrote "I conclude that you've never been deeply involved in a long-established, low-budget, non-profit, largely-volunteer-driven organization. :-)"

Actually I have. And exactly what you describe happened, several times. We now have a website which uses Wordpress. It's still run by a volunteer, but it's now on an established platform and properly documented, and it should be fairly easy for someone else to take it over when the need arises.

My point is that this is entirely predictable when you depend on a single person. EFDSS may not be flush with money, but its turnover is measured in millions of pounds. My organisation at least has the excuse that its income is only a few hundred pounds. I also recall EFDSS received a substantial grant to digitise the collection. It should have taken a more sustainable approach from the outset.