Join A Committee

u3a Maitland has 3 committees consisting of numerous roles. Each committee meets once a month for about 1 hour (this maybe longer, or shorter) depending upon what’s on the current committee agenda.

Management Committee Roles
Elected positions: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Appointed positions: Course Coordinator, Enrolment Officer, Leader Liaison Officer, Publicity Officer, Newsletter Editor, Course Development Officer and Webmaster.

Program Committee Roles
Course Coordinator, Enrolment Officer, Leader Liaison Officer, Course Development Officer and Venue Officer.

Social Committee Roles
Publicity Officer and Social Coordinators (multiple members).

I don’t have any qualifications to be on a committee

The meetings are very informal, once the formal matters of acknowledging previous minutes and other reports are done, where members put forward, and discuss, ideas that will assist in the running of u3a Maitland.

I don’t have the necessary computer skills

If you know how to use email, maybe some basic word processing or spreadsheet skills then you have all the skills that you need. Only the Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster use specialised applications but they can teach you how to use them for the purpose of u3a Maitland.

Not sure who to contact?

If you have a role in mind then contact the relevant member – email addresses are listed in the Committee Members menu. You can converse with the member and discuss the requirements. You will be invited to sit in on one of the committee meetings just to get the feel of how things work.

I can’t devote that much time to being a committee member

That isn’t a problem. You can be a ‘shadow’ member. This type of role is to support the current member in the event of the member having holidays or other commitments and is a short term role.

Are there any current 'vacancies'?

There are no vacancies at the present time.

Please Sign In, locate the Document/Forms menu then select Role Descriptions PDF for detailed information about the position(s).

People who volunteer for the Management Committee

It is important to realise that members of any committee are volunteers, that is they are unpaid for the work they do on behalf of the organisation and are fully paid up members. This realisation may enable a proper appreciation of their time input and the work they do.

Committee members come from all walks of life. The only common factor is that they have some motivation for wanting to assist the organisation.  Sometimes they may have little or no previous experience as board members, or experience of formal meetings, or the type of decision-making process that takes place within the meeting. It is common for  committees to have a mix of people with and without management experience.  This makes for an interesting situation around the committee table and good communication and patience are useful skills to possess.

People who serve on committees, in the most part, give their time unselfishly and without reward to assist organisations. Usually this is because they or a family member have received benefit from the organisation and want to return something back.

Serving on a committee requires attending monthly meetings and undertaking duties in between. However, the benefits of volunteering often outweighs the time outlay.

How to volunteer for a committee

If you wish to volunteer your services to a committee for a few months you should consider

  1. Be positive in your approach. You have much to gain out of this exercise
  2. Show willingness to be assigned projects by the committee.
  3. Maintain regular communication with at least one committee member. Contact twice per week is recommended.
  4. Dress appropriately when meeting committee members i.e. smart casual
  5. Remember that your dealings with the committee will be evaluated.

Complete the Committee Nomination form and return to the Secretary of U3A Maitland.

Benefits of volunteering as a Committee Member

Being a committee member is an excellent personal development activity. Yes, there is a time outlay but there is also a potential to learn many things.

The benefits of volunteering for a committee include:

  • Developing and implementing organisation strategic and operational plans
  • Gain a greater understanding of budgeting and financial management processes
  • How to develop policy and procedure
  • What is involved in planning, promoting and managing events
  • Risk management
  • A range of legal matters such as Association Incorporation, Fiduciary Duty, Duty of Care, Natural Justice principles in dealing with disciplinary matters, Fundraising Law and Anti-Discrimination laws


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