Group Leaders Bulletin
May 2025
Membership renewal
Past members who have not renewed their membership will be removed from groups today or tomorrow. If they rejoin IGO, they will need to apply again to join groups via Beacon.
Waiting lists
Vacancies will be created in many groups because of members who have not renewed. Please check your group entry on Beacon and add people on a first-come, first-served basis.
Members who join groups and fail to attend
We have modified the group guidance as follows:
A member who misses three consecutive group meetings or is absent for two months without any explanation may be asked by the Group Leader if they wish to continue their membership. If they do not reply, or miss the next meeting without explanation, the Group Leader may remove them from the group.
We have been told that some people join groups but do not attend meetings and do not reply to emails from the group leader. When someone applies to join your group when you have vacancies, you might want to email them and ask them to confirm that they have received your email and that they do want to join the group.. If they do not respond, you could then leave them on the waiting list or remove them from the list on Beacon.
Note that this is optional. Some group leaders are not concerned that members are not attending, and may decide that it is less bother to leave them on the list than to pursue them about their absence.
Group Venue on Beacon
Group venues on Beacon are indicated by Zoom Acc 1, Zoom Acc 2, Zoom Acc 3, Zoom EXT, WhatsApp, Email or Padlet. The first three Zoom names refer to the three IGO Zoom accounts, Zoom EXT means that the group uses an outside Zoom account.
I use this information to keep track of IGO Zoom bookings, you do not need to do anything with it, but please do not change it! Thanks.
Calendars
Beacon calendar
The Beacon meetings calendar for March is attached. Members can view this from the Beacon Members Portal. Please note that entries here do not appear automatically – they have to be generated using the “Schedule” tab in Beacon.
IGO Zoom calendar for April and May meetings
This is attached with the password information redacted. It would be helpful if you could check the calendar before contacting me with a query about your Zoom booking. Also, please let me know if you spot any errors.
Generic Zoom calendar
The Generic Zoom calendar shows which slots are booked to each of our Zoom accounts.
Days are listed as First Monday, Second Tuesday etc. There are three different coloured slots for each day, showing which groups are booked into each account on that day, as:
This calendar should not concern you unless:
a) You want to change the time or day of your group meetings, and need to check when there are free slots, or
b) You do not currently use an IGO Zoom account and want to see when you could have a slot.
Please also note that I compile the calendar “by hand” from the Zoom accounts, so it may not always be accurate. If you notice any errors, please let me know. The calendar can also change from day to day as new groups start up and groups change their slots.
Reminders
Group Leaders Training
Any group leader who needs help can sign up for our Group Leaders Training, Beacon Familiarisation or Zoom Help groups via the Members Portal
Two routes into Beacon
Some group leaders are unclear that they have to use a different link to access Beacon as a group leader, and to access it as a member. Here are the two links:
Also note that the administration address is the same for all u3as, so you need to select “Interest Groups Online” from the drop-down menu when you are accessing it. Each u3a has its own Members Portal, and you need to make sure you are using the appropriate Members Portal, if you are also in a local u3a.
Thank you
To all our group leaders for your sterling work!
From Catherine, on behalf of the IGO team
You can contact anyone on the team using this email