Logging on
Logon to the Group Leader’s Portal at https://u3abeacon.org.uk/password.php with the username and password which you have been given. Select 'Interest Groups Online' in the u3a field.
If you have forgotten your password, use 'Click here' to reset your password.
Editing Group Details
Click on 'Groups' as shown in the red circle in the previous screenshot.
You will now see a list of all the groups (leaders’ names have been blanked out).
Note that there is a currently a bug in Beacon which sometimes causes the number of members it thinks are in the group and/or the number on the waiting list to be incorrect. This is being worked on, but at the moment, it gives rise to errors when Beacon is deciding whether or not a group is full.
Click on the group you are leading in blue, and you will see something like this:
You can change all the fields here, but you should not untick any of the blue boxes.
Members’ list
When you click 'Members' (third from the left on top of the yellow box), you will see a list of all the members in your group (members’ details have been blanked out).
Normally, Interest Groups Online members will join the group themselves via the Members’ Portal so you should not need to use 'add members'.
Sending Emails to Members
To email all the members of the group, you can select them all by ticking all boxes on the left of 'member number'. Then click 'select', make sure that box B below says 'send email', and then select box A.
You then will see the screenshot on the next page (sender’s address has been removed, recipients’ emails addresses have been blurred).
You can type your email content in the white box and add attachments. Remember to include a clear Subject.
You can personalise emails using the hashtags on the right. For example, ‘Dear #FORENAME’ will ensure that each email is addressed directly to each recipient, despite being sent to multiple members.
Once you click 'send' underneath, your email will be sent to everyone on the list, but recipients only see their own address – this is in line with data protection regulations.
Select the box 'Tick to receive copy' near the top to ensure you know what you have sent.
Standard Messages
You can create standard messages for your group which you can save and re-use as required.
First select the people you want to contact. Create your message and then click on 'Save as standard message'. You should use the following format:
You will be asked to provide a name for the message. You should use the following format:
Your initials – group name – message name
To use the standard message again, select the people you want to email, and then click on Load standard message:
All the standard messages will appear and you can load your message:
You can edit the message and re-save it. You cannot delete messages – if you want to have it removed, you should email
New Members and Waiting Lists
When a new member joins your group thorough Beacon, you will receive a notification via email. You may want to send them a 'welcome' email as they do not receive any notification from Beacon.
When the number of members in the group equals the maximum number allowed, Beacon decides the group is full. The group leader is not informed by Beacon that this is the case. Because of the bug mentioned above, Beacon sometimes decides a group is full when the limit has not been reached.
When someone applies to join a full group, they are invited to join a waiting list, and the group leader is informed when this happens.
When the numbers in a group drop below the maximum number, Beacon does not remove them from the waiting list to the group
It is very important, therefore, that the group leader regularly monitors the group membership on Beacon to ensure that when the group is full according to Beacon:
- members who are not attending the group are removed from the list – see below
- members on the waiting list are moved into the group on a first-come first served basis when it is no longer full. The group leader should let the member know when this has been done.
Click on the 'join group' link in blue. You should notify the member that you have done this.
Group leaders are notified when someone leaves the group.
Members on the list who are not attending meetings
If a member does not attend meetings for three months, they should be asked if they want to continue to be in the group, and advised that if they do not reply, they will be removed. If they say they want to continue, but do not attend for the next three months, they will be removed anyway. There may be extenuating circumstances such as illness which should be addressed on a case by case basis, with appropriate discretion advised.
Creating calendar events
You should use the 'Schedule', to the left of 'Members' to add information about future meetings. You will get a screen like this if you have not added any events.
You can add an individual event by selecting the date. Leave 'Number of events' as 1.
Click 'Add Events' to save your meetings.
When someone selects 'Calendar' in the 'Beacon Members Portal', they will see this for the example Testing Group:
You can add a series of events that occur at regular intervals, such as every week, every two weeks, first Monday etc, and then choose the appropriate interval.
When you click 'Add Events', you will see your events listed above:
If the events occur at irregular times, then they should be added individually.
Events will disappear from the calendar when the date is past.
If you have any questions, please email