Initially, the UKDFD was financed by the team that set it up, and since its launch in 2005 a small amount of income has been provided via subscriptions received from recorders. However, the costs of running the scheme significantly exceed the income received. Our team members are unpaid volunteers, and have personally paid for the many costly works of reference that are required for validation. (The ten volumes of Roman Imperial Coinage, for example, cost about £1000).
In order to secure its long-term survival, the UKDFD needs to cover its costs and preferably generate a small surplus to support its voluntary staff.
A very large number of people make use of the database on a regular basis, but were not previously required to contribute towards the cost of providing the service.
With the launch of new UKDFD software at the beginning of 2018, we decided that the most equitable way we could address the funding gap would be to charge a small membership fee to everyone making use of the database, rather than charging only those who record their finds.
We hope that all those who take up membership, whether they record or not, will find the service we provide to be of a high standard and good value.