Facilitators' Guidelines - Olton and District

Our Facilitators play an important role in Olton and District u3a. We have more than 30 groups, each one managed by one or more facilitators, who give their time and expertise to provide learning and/or social experiences to our members. Each group is self-funded – that means that those who are members of the group share any costs incurred in the running of the group. The role of the Group Facilitator is described here.

Setting up a new group

If you are planning to start a new group, there is plenty of help available. Our lead group coordinator is available to provide help and advice, whether you are starting a new group, or taking over the role of Facilitator for an existing group. You can contact the lead group coordinator via the Contact page. For a new group, it is important to try to find a suitable day and time that does not clash with an existing group. The role of Group Coordinator is described here.

Group meetings may take place in a member’s home, a hired venue, or a free venue, or in the case of a walk or a visit there is no specific venue where the group will meet. Each group is different and the group facilitator and the members of the group decide how they wish the group to be run. At each group meeting the names of the members attending the group must be recorded. If a payment is recorded on the register, then the form should be retained for a period of 7 years. Otherwise, these forms may be discarded after the meeting. They are essential in case there is an incident during the meeting, e.g. if there is a fire then the facilitator can ensure that all members have exited the building safely.

Sharing information about your group

When a new group is established, the Website Editor will create a new group page on the Olton and District u3a website. Details of the group meetings or events will be listed on the website and also in the monthly Events Diary. Facilitators should inform the Website Editor and the Events Diary Coordinator of the dates and times of their group meetings, any changes to the expected schedule and any problems or issues that might cause a meeting or event to be cancelled or amended.

The facilitator should check their web page regularly to make sure that all the details are correct and up to date and contact the Website Editor if any changes are required. It is important that if any photographs are published on the website or in the newsletter that the permission of the subject(s) is obtained for their image to be shown.

Facilitators should wear their Group Facilitator lanyards when they attend the core meeting, to allow members to identify them and enquire about their group.

From time to time a facilitator may be asked to give a short presentation about their group at a Core Meeting. It allows any new members to learn about what each group provides and how the group is run, and may tempt members to come along and try out a new activity. The group facilitator may also wish to send a short article about group activities, or any other relevant information, to the Newsletter Editor for publication in the monthly newsletter.

Using Beacon

Details of your group, such as the venue, meeting day and meeting time are held on Beacon, which is a computer system used by many u3as. The group facilitators have access to Beacon to record a list of the members of the group and to maintain the group ledger, which contains financial information for the group. Our Beacon administrator will set up a username and password for the group facilitator.

Beacon allows a facilitator to send an email to members of the group, and to save a standard message, for example a meeting reminder that may be sent out monthly. Beacon is also used to record any receipts and expenditure for the group. Receipts may be the fees the members pay to attend the group meetings (e.g. for venue hire) or payments for an event or outing. Expenditure is the amount paid for venue hire and other expenses, or coach travel, ticket costs for events, etc.

All facilitators are expected to use Beacon to manage their group finances. The Beacon system provides extensive training materials and there is always someone within our u3a who will give you a quick overview of how the Beacon system is used by facilitators.

Facilitators should always handle members’ information appropriately to meet GDPR rules. For example, do not leave members’ contact details, addresses, etc in a non-secure form or place, for example, pinned to a wall. A member’s email or postal address should not be shared with another member without prior permission of the owner of the addresses.

Venue Hire

If you need to hire a venue for your group meetings, then the group coordinator will help the facilitator find a suitable venue. When hiring a venue, the facilitator should check whether it is suitable for the group and has the appropriate facilities. A venue assessment check list form can be viewed and downloaded here.

In some cases, the facilitator may hold keys for a hired venue. A key registration form should be filled in with details of the group name, the day and time of the meeting, who holds the key and the person to contact regarding the key. The facilitator will keep the key registration form in their group folder. If the keys are returned to the lender, then this must also be recorded on the form. The key registration form can be viewed and downloaded here.

The facilitator contacts the person in charge of hiring out the venue to agree a suitable day and time for the meeting. This person will send an invoice to the facilitator, who checks that it is correct and then sends it to the Treasurer for payment. The facilitator can then record the payment as an outgoing amount on their Beacon ledger for the group.

At each meeting the facilitator should check the venue for any issues. If any problems are found then a form should be completed and forwarded to the Business Secretary and to the hirer of the venue. A venue (day of use) check list form can be viewed and downloaded here.

Meeting Safety

For some group meetings it may be appropriate to conduct a risk assessment prior to the meeting. This would usually apply to groups that are “out and about”, for example, walking or sailing.

The facilitator should inform members of the group of any risks (e.g. muddy or rough terrain, stiles) or requirements (e.g. suitable clothing or footwear) that are relevant to the meeting, and any rules that need to be adhered to during the meeting.

Core meetings are held at Olton Friary. Safety guidelines for the volunteers who help to set up the room can be viewed and downloaded here.

Reporting Incidents

The u3a provides insurance against incidents or accidents. Any incidents or accidents that occur during an Interest Group meeting must be recorded. If there is an injury to a group member, damage to property, breakage or an injury to any other individual as the result of actions by a group member, then this must be described in full and the form should be sent to the Business Secretary.

This includes incidents that occur during any type of meeting or event, in a member’s home, any venue used by Olton & District u3a, or on a trip, outing or at an event. The incident report form can be viewed and downloaded here.

Handling Money

For trips and outings, holidays, theatre visits and events such as a Christmas lunch, the facilitator should contact the Beacon administrator if a group needs to be set up on Beacon to hold details of the members who will be attending and any payments made. The facilitator records receipt of each individual payment on Beacon – note that a payment should not include funds for more than one person, e.g. for a couple.

Payments are preferred via BACS. The payee must supply their membership number(s) and the reference provided by the facilitator (e.g. XMAS LUNCH) in the BACS details so that the Treasurer knows who has made the payment and to which Beacon group the payment will be allocated. It is important to remind members that each payment must apply to a single event and to a single member. The member should inform the facilitator that a BACS payment has been made. The facilitator should not assume that because a member indicates that they intend to pay via BACS that the payment has been or will be made (the member may forget to do it). For BACS payments, the facilitator should periodically request a “Group Statement” from the Treasurer which they can then check against their group ledger to identify and remedy any discrepancies.

Cheques, if accepted, should be made payable to Olton and District u3a and have the member’s name(s)/membership number(s) written on the back and the legend describing the event for which the payment is being made (not the member’s name). The facilitator should check that the cheque has been signed and has the correct date, payee and amount and the required information written on the back of the cheque. The cheque can then be paid into a bank or post office using the bank card provided by the Treasurer, or else the cheque can be passed to the Treasurer for banking.

For an outing which requires a coach to be hired, the facilitator will book the coach and pass the invoice to the Treasurer for payment. When the payment has been made, the Treasurer will inform the facilitator who can then record the payment as an outgoing amount on their Beacon ledger for the group.

For regular meetings that require a venue to be hired, the facilitator will inform the group members of the meeting fee in advance of the meeting. Note that the fee charged for the meetings must cover the cost of the venue hire and any other expenses related to running the group. Attendance at the meeting and the fee paid by each member should be recorded on an attendance sheet. These payments are normally made in cash. After each meeting, the facilitator should record the amount taken in the Beacon ledger for the group.

The facilitator will pay the cash into the bank or post office using a bank card provided by the Treasurer. Alternatively, the receipts should be passed on to the treasurer in a timely manner.

Claiming Expenses

A facilitator can claim any expenses incurred in running the group. For example, these may include the cost of refreshments, craft supplies, quiz prizes, printing costs and any other relevant expenses. To claim expenses the facilitator should complete an expense claim form and send it to the Treasurer, including the appropriate receipts. The Treasurer will check the claim and then transfer the funds to the facilitator via BACS. The facilitator will then enter details of the expenses as an outgoing amount on the group’s Beacon ledger. An expenses claim form, including details of the expenses policy, can be viewed and downloaded here.

Visitor Policy

Each u3a sets its own visitors policy. In Olton and District u3a there are different rules which apply to people who are members of another u3a, and people who are not currently members of any u3a.

Any visitor who is not a u3a member is allowed to attend up to two meetings, either an interest group or a general meeting, provided there is room and the visitor pays the current visitor fee, plus any fee that applies to our own members. The number of visits permitted may be increased towards the end of the financial year.

A visitor who is a member of another u3a may attend a Core Meeting on payment of the visitors fee or attend a group meeting at the same cost as an Olton and District u3a member, provided there is room in the group.

The current visitor policy document can be viewed and downloaded here.

u3a Resources

The u3a provides a website that contains lots of information that is useful to group facilitators. Go to u3a.org.uk to discover resources that you may find useful, new ideas for your group and a list of people you can contact for help and advice. If you click on the Members Area link, you can choose Subject Advice to see a list of subject areas to choose from – from Arts, History, Languages, Pastimes and several others. You can, if you wish, contact a subject adviser who may be able to provide the help you need.

In addition to the Resources Centre, the u3a has also built a website called Oversights which is designed to provide an overview of the activities of u3as in the UK based on the contents of their websites. It currently holds records for more than 700 Siteworks sites (including our own).

Oversights also holds details of the groups and future events publicised on the u3a Siteworks sites. Group facilitators can discover what groups are running in which u3as and discover how the same topic is covered in different u3as, to facilitate exchange of ideas and resources. Go to oversights.u3asite.uk to find out more.