What is Beacon?
Beacon is an administration system specifically for u3as. It is:
- membership database containing contact details and other information about our members
- facilitates the orgainsation of our Groups
- facilitates communication with selected members by personalised email or letters
It also has a financial management system which we do not use. It is in use or planned by 600+ u3as around the country
How can it help a Group Coordinator?
- Hold your list of group members (derived from the SLu3a central membership master list)
- It is straightforward for you to add or remove group members
- It can help you communicate with some/all of your members by email or letter
- Maintain privacy of your group members’ personal details and ensures we comply with GDPR
- Identify non-members still registered in your group
- It can help manage group waiting lists
- Generate lists of your members on demand for printing or further processing
- Keep the group finance records
But I already do all that......
- Eases hand over to a new or stand in coordinator
- Does away with scraps of paper and many personal computer documents
- Central membership list SHOULD be the master list of member details and changes
- Ensures compliance with GDPR
(Remember your group members are probably in several other groups as well as yours)
Are there any drawbacks?
- It does need some initial work to set up your group information before you see the benefit
- BUT there is support for this available from the SLu3a Beacon administrators and other colleagues
- There is also existing documentation for specific tasks such as emailing your group members
Want to know more?
Contact the Beacon Manager