Trustees Week 2024: How to engage members in the running of your u3a

Inspired by a recent Third Age Trust workshop, Dereham u3a Chair Pauline shares her approach to engaging more members with the running of their u3a.

I was part of Dereham u3a for seven months as a member before becoming involved in the committee. I have now been Chair for one year.

I recently attended a very interesting workshop held by The Third Age Trust, on running a u3a where I learnt a great deal by interacting with other u3as. The recurring comments of how we get members involved in our u3a was a very prominent subject. As a new Chair of Dereham u3a, I am very keen to involve our members in the running of our u3a and want it to be a welcoming and interactive place. One of the biggest hurdles is the membership knowing who are behind their committee. I believe we need to be forward facing in our approach and all of us committee members try to attend every monthly meeting, interacting with our membership.

If members are aware of who we are and how invested we are in keeping our u3a healthy then this will encourage our members to become more involved, no matter how small, working towards the same aim.

We are currently trying a new approach; I am going to visit individual interest groups to introduce myself and encourage members to attend the monthly get together. I hope this will make our u3a sociable, welcoming & approachable.

Within my committee role, I use skills I gained in my career; I owned my own business and I have been able to use these skills to reorganise the administrative side of our u3a to be more efficient and compliant. 

When a new committee member decides they want to be part of our u3a, I meet them along with the person whose role they will be filling. We discuss the role so that they are fully aware of their commitments. This is followed by them attending a group committee meeting and be involved in the interaction.

The highlight of being a u3a Trustee has been the wonderful feedback from members who have recognised our commitment and enthusiasm. The camaraderie and working alongside members who want to make a difference makes the role enjoyable.