How to renew your membership of Plymouth u3a
Each year Members of Plymouth u3a, (whether Full members or those who have joined on Winter Rates), renew their membership for the next year (1st April to 31st March the following year). This is at a price which has been decided at the previous AGM.
Membership Renewal is formally opened from the 1st April but payment will also be accepted at the March General Meeting and the March Mix & Meet Group. If you are paying in March please be aware these payments will not be banked until the 1st April. If a Renewal payment is not made before the 31st May then this member is recorded as lapsed.
Renew Online
The easiest way is to renew online using PayPal from the 1st April (not before!). Go to the Plymouth u3a website https://www.plymouthu3a.org.uk From the Home page click on the Members’ Tab and then Members’ Portal and log onto Beacon using the same email address which you have recorded for you and your personal password. This is NOT the same password which you use to log in to Members’ Information, it is the password which you set up in order to access your membership record and make changes to your email address and telephone number etc, should this become necessary. If you have not already set up a personal password then just follow the instructions on the screen for ‘forgotten password’.
Once you are in the Members’ Portal then from the 1st April choose ‘Renew Membership’. This will take you to the PayPal page. You do not need a PayPal account, just click on the box which says pay by debit/credit card. And that is it!. An email will be sent to you prior to the 1st April reminding you of the payment you need to make depending on whether you a single membership, joint, associate membership or joint associate membership.
You can also pay in person at the March, April and May General Meetings on the 2nd Monday of the month. Here you can pay by cash, cheque or credit/debit card. At the desk complete a Renewal form only if your details (such as email address or telephone number need to be changed. Cheques should be made out to Plymouth u3a membership with your membership number on the back of the cheque. We can also give you our Bank Account details if you wish to pay by BACS after the 1st April. When paying by BACS please write your membership number in the Reference Box.
Gift Aid
As you may know, because the u3a is a registered charity, we are able to make a claim for Gift Aid from HMRC for any member who is a taxpayer, which equates to 25% of their membership payment.
Because our only source of income is our membership fees, being able to claim this revenue makes a big difference to our finances.
Therefore, if you are a UK taxpayer and you have not already done so, please could we ask that you complete and return the Gift Aid Form to us which is provided at the membership desk at General Meetings.
To those members who may have completed a gift aid form in the past but have a change in their circumstances (i.e. They are no longer are registered to pay tax), please complete a new gift aid form.
We hope you will continue to enjoy your Membership with us.
Best Wishes, Membership Secretary for Plymouth u3a.