Volunteering

U3A Melbourne City has no paid staff. It functions solely through the efforts and contributions of our members, who give generously to our organisation as volunteers, both in running our activities or managing day-to-day running.

If you are interested in becoming a tutor or course leader, visit the Become a Tutor page.

We are always eager to hear from members who are willing to volunteer in any of the following areas:

  • Accommodation Working Group – responsible for exploring potential venues within Melbourne City for classes, forums, events and meetings.
  • Activities/Events Manager – sources speakers for forums and lectures, organises events and develops social programs for our members.
  • Activities/Events Team – responsible for catering for events and functions such as our Forum series and ad hoc lectures.
  • Class Assistants – record attendance for each class.
  • Committee – the overall body responsible for running U3A Melbourne City. There are both office bearers and general committee members.
  • Course Administration – interviews and engages new tutors, plans course programs, updates the Tutors Handbook, creates course guides, makes reservations for class venues and conducts student feedback surveys.
  • Course Coordination Manager – has overall responsibility for the course coordination team and all its functions.
  • E-Bulletin – produces the fortnightly e-bulletins.
  • Finance Team – responsible for all the financial accounts and records and writing grant applications.
  • IT Support Group – maintains the U3A Melbourne City IT systems including printers and hardware, provides advice and guidance on the use of IT hardware and software and guides tutors and volunteers in the use of online technology.
  • Let’s Do Group Leaders – organise different activities for members such as theatre outings, bike riding and movie groups.
  • Marketing/Public Relations – develops and implements marketing campaigns to boost membership.
  • Office Management – responsible for administrative management, planning and logistics.
  • Office Volunteers – manage memberships, enrolments, class waiting lists, social program bookings, member payments and reconcile daily financial takings. They work one day a fortnight.
  • Social Media – maintains the U3A Melbourne City Social Media pages.
  • Volunteer Management – match prospective volunteers with roles within U3A Melbourne City and maintain the volunteer register.
  • Website Development/Administration – design, develop and maintain the U3A Melbourne City web pages.

Levels of volunteering

A Core Volunteer regularly commits their time and effort to critical roles within our organisation. These volunteers ensure we remain compliant and functional. Examples are tutors, coordinators, Let’s Do team leaders, office administrators, Committee of Management members and a range of other roles.

Once registered, core volunteers have immediate access to priority enrolment in yearlong or semester courses.

An Auxiliary Volunteer contributes to a project for a short-term period. Examples are assistants at single events or class assistants who mark the role in classes.

Becoming a volunteer

To express interest in becoming a volunteer, please complete a volunteer application online.

A member of the volunteering team will respond. If any roles are available in your area of interest, you will be given further information about them. If all positions are currently filled, your details will be recorded in the volunteer database to ensure you are contacted when vacancies occur.

Becoming a Registered Volunteer

To become a Registered Volunteer, you are required to:

  • be a financial member of U3A Melbourne City,
  • be assigned a role within the U3A Melbourne City Team by a Team Leader/Tutor/Committee member.

Once you have been assigned a role you will be given a Volunteer Agreement which contains instructions, requirements and details of rewards for members who are registered as core volunteers.

Before you can be registered you must:

  • have read and signed the current U3A Melbourne City  Volunteer Agreement,
  • have your agreement co-signed by a Team Leader/Tutor/Committee member,
  • return your signed agreement to  or in person to the U3A Office.

Registration in the MyU3A system as a volunteer will only happen when the completed Volunteer Agreement has been received by the volunteering group.

Volunteer registration to the MyU3A System

We formally register our volunteers on our MyU3A Portal to:

  • ensure that they are covered by our Victorian Managed Insurance Agency (VMIA) insurance cover,
  • comply with the Volunteering Victoria rules,
  • comply with legislation requirements, including Victoria’s privacy-related acts and public safety regulations,
  • comply with the U3A Melbourne City’s Code of Conduct.