Checklist for Every Meeting
Meeting notifications: establish a way of communicating with regular attendees. Beacon can be used to email your members avoiding the need to collect email addresses. Inform your members of meeting topics and any changes to meeting timing and location. Update your Calendar on Beacon. The Members' Update email provides a way of letting most members know of changes.
Meeting Cancellations: Meetings that are cancelled should have "CANCELLED" in the topic of Beacon calendar entry. The cancellation should also be reported to the Venue Officer as soon as possible to avoid room cancellation charges. If you manage your own venue bookings, please cancel with the venue.
Attendance register: at the start of each meeting record the names and membership numbers of attendees (members and trial members). Send your register to the Attendance Officer termly, ideally in electronic format (spreadsheet, pdf, or list in an email).
Membership validation: all meeting attendees must be current Dorchester u3a members or a non-member attending once to decide whether to join the u3a. Confirm that attendees are current members by adding them to your group's members list on Beacon (If you can't find them, they aren't a member).
Meeting attendance fees: Meeting attendees, except the Group Leader, pay a fee for each meeting attended. Collect the fees, record the amount collected and pay it to the Treasurer no less frequently than termly. The current rates are published in the newsletter and in the website Group Directory.
Equipment use: each time you use u3a equipment that you have reserved, log it out on the clipboard in the cupboard and log back in when returning. Please report any equipment issues to the Equipment Officer.
Leaving a Meeting Room: Leave meeting rooms tidy and, if appropriate, locked.
Safety considerations / risk assessment: every time you will undertake a new activity, meet in a different environment or have different people involved, take time to assess what could reasonably be expected to cause harm. If you do identify a hazard, get rid of it or advise members to avoid it. Unless the hazard is temporary, inform our Venues Officer or Equipment Officer as appropriate.
Advise your members of any hazard identified and inform attendees of the fire procedures regularly and every time a member attends for the first time.
Injury and damage: in the event of an incident, obviously the priority is to keep people safe and get treatment for any injuries. As soon as possible after the well-being of those present has been assured, collect details of the incident and complete our incident report form (see forms section of Group Leader Reference). A report is required for every injury and item damaged for our insurance*. Please send your report to the Secretary within 24 hours of the incident.
Copyright and Photocopying: Please stay within copyright rules. We have the use of a photocopying facility at the Dorchester Volunteer Centre, The Coach House, Acland Road, DT1 1EF - open Monday to Thursday. On arrival, sign in and inform staff you wish to use the photocopier. Record number of copies made in black book to the left of the machine. If you plan to make more than 40 copies, please first discuss with the Treasurer. (It is worth phoning to check it is open - 01305 269214)
Meeting issues: we hope all your meetings go well, but if one is marred by, for example, some conflict and you would like to discuss the incident, please contact Group Coordinator or another committee member.
Member issues: if you become aware of a member having an issue needing support, please consider raising the matter with our Welfare Officer. If someone discloses abuse to you, listen and be sympathetic, and inform a committee member as soon as possible. Our safeguarding policy provides detailed guidance and can be found on the website.
New members: Do make new members feel welcome, explain how the group works and ask members to introduce themselves.
Trial members: Make sure trial members (non-members attending your meeting once to see if they would like to join) know how to join the u3a. Details are on the website, or available from the Membership Secretary.
Meeting Cancellations: Meetings that are cancelled should have "CANCELLED" in the topic of Beacon calendar entry. The cancellation should also be reported to the Venue Officer as soon as possible to avoid room cancellation charges. If you manage your own venue bookings, please cancel with the venue.
Attendance register: at the start of each meeting record the names and membership numbers of attendees (members and trial members). Send your register to the Attendance Officer termly, ideally in electronic format (spreadsheet, pdf, or list in an email).
Membership validation: all meeting attendees must be current Dorchester u3a members or a non-member attending once to decide whether to join the u3a. Confirm that attendees are current members by adding them to your group's members list on Beacon (If you can't find them, they aren't a member).
Meeting attendance fees: Meeting attendees, except the Group Leader, pay a fee for each meeting attended. Collect the fees, record the amount collected and pay it to the Treasurer no less frequently than termly. The current rates are published in the newsletter and in the website Group Directory.
Equipment use: each time you use u3a equipment that you have reserved, log it out on the clipboard in the cupboard and log back in when returning. Please report any equipment issues to the Equipment Officer.
Leaving a Meeting Room: Leave meeting rooms tidy and, if appropriate, locked.
Safety considerations / risk assessment: every time you will undertake a new activity, meet in a different environment or have different people involved, take time to assess what could reasonably be expected to cause harm. If you do identify a hazard, get rid of it or advise members to avoid it. Unless the hazard is temporary, inform our Venues Officer or Equipment Officer as appropriate.
Advise your members of any hazard identified and inform attendees of the fire procedures regularly and every time a member attends for the first time.
Injury and damage: in the event of an incident, obviously the priority is to keep people safe and get treatment for any injuries. As soon as possible after the well-being of those present has been assured, collect details of the incident and complete our incident report form (see forms section of Group Leader Reference). A report is required for every injury and item damaged for our insurance*. Please send your report to the Secretary within 24 hours of the incident.
Copyright and Photocopying: Please stay within copyright rules. We have the use of a photocopying facility at the Dorchester Volunteer Centre, The Coach House, Acland Road, DT1 1EF - open Monday to Thursday. On arrival, sign in and inform staff you wish to use the photocopier. Record number of copies made in black book to the left of the machine. If you plan to make more than 40 copies, please first discuss with the Treasurer. (It is worth phoning to check it is open - 01305 269214)
Meeting issues: we hope all your meetings go well, but if one is marred by, for example, some conflict and you would like to discuss the incident, please contact Group Coordinator or another committee member.
Member issues: if you become aware of a member having an issue needing support, please consider raising the matter with our Welfare Officer. If someone discloses abuse to you, listen and be sympathetic, and inform a committee member as soon as possible. Our safeguarding policy provides detailed guidance and can be found on the website.
New members: Do make new members feel welcome, explain how the group works and ask members to introduce themselves.
Trial members: Make sure trial members (non-members attending your meeting once to see if they would like to join) know how to join the u3a. Details are on the website, or available from the Membership Secretary.