The National Office job description for the role of Chair outlines the roles and the responsibilities of being the Chairperson. They are all straightforward although couched in formal language and explicit.
Simply put the role is to ensure M&D u3a is legal in its definition as a charitable body, and operates legally; and that it enables its members and the community to maximise the opportunities that the philosophy of the u3a movement offers.
The first question to answer is how much time does it take? On average about 3 hours a week for communication/administration.
Then there are three days each month with extra hours, but only for 10 months not 12.
1] Chairing the committee meeting is 2 hours sometimes 2.5 hours.
2] Attending the coffee/speaker mornings another 3 hours.
3] Agenda setting with Secretary 1 hour.
After that, the rest of the time is down to the the enthusiasm and commitment of the person, e.g. visiting groups, developing new initiatives, publicity, and matters that the committee agrees to take on, such as promotional events.
Currently I hold a Zoom PRO licence and the keys to Townsend House and the Baptist Church. but these responsibilities can rest with anyone on the committee.
A working knowledge of IT these days is essential, and having a printer is extremely useful.
The Chairman’s column is optional, this is something I have introduced to replace Committee Jottings. This was previously a duty which rotated around the committee to keep the membership informed of decisions etc.
John Batt