Area Inventory

Is our group attracting alcoholics from different backgrounds? Are we seeking a good cross-section of our community, including those with special needs?

Are we paying our translators enough? Are there other services that we currently use volunteers for that we ought to be paying for?

P U R P O S E   O F   T H E   A R E A   A S S E M B L Y
     
-What are we doing t carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers? How successful are we?  What could we do to improve?

-What does the area do to support the General Service Conference and its members in its role as provider of A.A. world services, and as guardian of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions? How successful are we? What could we do to improve?

-Are we satisfied with the method we use to elect our delegate to the General Service Conference?  What could we do to improve the process of electing a delegate?  What does the area do to support the delegate?  How successful are we?  What could we do to improve?

-What does the area do to provide communication and encourage unity within the area?  How successful are we?  What could we do to improve?

-What does the area do to assist in the development and communication of an informed group conscience?  How successful are we?  What could we do to improve?

Set aside some time at each Area Assembly for business.  This wouldn't need to b a significant amount of time, but would recognize/acknowledge the possibility that urgent business may need to be addressed.

Why doesn't Area 8's assembly guidelines state: "It is highly suggested to have chocolate on the tables"?

Background:
As it is, members are assigned to committees based on what day they are available, so that getting on a particular committee is a "Blind Shot".  Each Committee is then CENTERED around S.D. Central Office, resulting in poor participation from "outlying" areas, due to TRAFFIC AND DISTANCE.

Suggestion:
Take a map of the Area and lay out "zones".  Each committee could be based in a geographic zone within the Area, and draw its primary membership based on location rather that date.

Additionally:
Committees could rotate around the zones, so that a given committee would not be based in one location forever.

What can the Area do to increase/create Corrections Correspondence activities?

Do the districts have a registrar who has the list of active General Service people?

Are we pleased with the financial procedures in our area?
Are we pleased with the results from the ad-hoc committee on finance?

Background:
Currently there are no special skills recommended for area officer positions which seem to require special skills.  For example, several of our area treasurers have had no prior accounting experience, some of our registrars have had limited computer skills and some secretaries, limited clerical skills.

Question:
Is this a good policy for the area to follow?

M E M B E R S H I P   O F   T H E   A R E A   A S S E M B L Y

-Are there service positions in the Fellowship with responsibilities that should carry voting membership in the area assembly that are not currently included?

Background:
Under our current  area Structure and Guidelines, a standing committee chair who is absent from 3 consecutive area committee meetings or upon the recommendation of an area officer may be replaced with the approval of the area committee; however, an area officer may only be replaced if he or she misses three consecutive area committee meetings.  In the past several years the area has had the unfortunate experience of having officers who are unwilling or unable to make the necessary effort to adequately carry out their duties to the area, leaving the area officers with a limited ability to provide the minimum services that the area expects.

Question:
Should the Area Structure and Guidelines be ammended to allow for some process of removal of an officer who is unwilling or unable to carry out his or her duties, but is unwilling to resign?

-Does the area respect the autonomy of the groups?
-Are the groups doing enough to consider the effects that they have on other groups and AA as a whole?
-Are there ways that the area could encourage the groups to consider how their actions affect other groups and AA as a whole, while still respecting the autonomy of the groups?

-In what ways does the area stay directly responsible to those it serves?  How could we improve in this regard?

Do we maintain a proper respect for anonymity?  What are some of the areas where we may sometimes stray?  What do we need to do to avoid this danger?

Background:
Over the years, the format of the area financials, which was approved by the area, included the standard statement of budgeted revenues and budgeted expenditures, a separate section of unbudgeted expenses and a cash activity statement showing cash balance at the beginning and end of the period being presented.

The new financial statement shows only a statement which co-mingles budgeted and unbudgeted expenses.  Unbudgeted expenses are no longer listed separtely, nor is there a cash activity statement included.

Question:
During the past two years, the format of the area's financial statements were changed without asking for guidance from the area.  The result of this change is that it is no longer possible to differentiate budgeted expenditures from unbudgeted expenditures or see a statement of cash activity.  Is this a good change for the area?

Background:
Area 08 has long "prided" itself on the Corporate Poverty policy that it has had in place.  Is the pride a character defect?  Over the past couple of years the area has seen the treasurer and finance committee express fear when discussing financial matters in the area.  We have observed the seat of power that is created for the treasurer, and to a lesser extent, those who advise the treasurer, including past delegates, current officers and the finance committee, in a budgeting process where there is limited cash on hand to fund errors in estimating the area's needs.  We have observed arbitrary budget allocations which appeared to benefit some committees and officers who enjoyed the favor of the treasurer (and those who counsel the treasurer), while working to the detriment of others who somehow had earned the treasurer's disfavor.

In a March, 1997 Grapevine article by Gary Glyn, a Class A Trustee to the General Service Board at the time, he writes that prudent reserves and Corporate Poverty are not mutually exclusive.  Glyn concludes in this article: "I started out by saying that if it wasn't spiritual it wouldnt work in AA and if it wasn't practical, it wasn't spiritual. A solid, prudent Reserve Fund and good business management skills are both spiritual and practical.  It is neither practical nor spiritual to accumulate more or spend more than we need to.  It is also neither practical nor spiritual to run out of money.  As usual Bill has a good phrade for what we need.  He called it fiscal common sense."

Is it possible that our area has taken the concept of Corporate poverty too far?  Is Corporate Poverty, as practiced by our area, good for area unity and acheiving our primary purpose?  Is Corporate Poverty, as practiced by our area, a true striving for spirituality or is it for bragging rights at PRAASA and the General Service Converence?  Do our past delegates take on a role of being a Bleeding Deacon when the subject of Corporate Poverty is discussed in the area?  Do we truly understand what "Corporate Poverty" means and are we comfortable with it, even when no one knows we're practicing it?

Question:
Is it possible that the Area's position on and practice of Corporate Poverty is more about ego that spirituality?

If the Newsletter's primary purpose - to distribute the minutes from each area assembly - be relegated to the website, allowing the newsletter itself to carry other useful information?

Questions:
Are we spiritually connected to the other Groups in our Area when we make contributions to the Area Assembly, General Service Board, District, Intergroup?

What is the spiritual bentfit to my Group?  Does it REALLY make a difference?

Background:

Fact 1:  Under our Area Structures and Guidelines "Area Assembly will adopt an annual budget, the expense of which shall not exceed its anticipated income".

Fact 2:  The area has never, and likely will never, spend all of the expenses budgeted in any particular year.

Fact 3:  There are only two, sometimes three area assemblies each year (all of which are held very close to the time that the next year's budget is approved), during which time unbudgeted expenses can be approved.

The result of these three facts is that the area historically builds a cash balance, even though it annually goes through a difficult process of determining what services it must cut in order to create a balanced budget for the following year.  There is no way, under the existing Structure and Guidelines, that the buildup of excess cash can be budgeted to be used.  The only way that excess cash, which is built as a result of favorable budget variances, can be used is through unbudgeted expenditures or by sending it to GSO.

This phenomenon raises a couple of logical questions:
    1.  When the area builds cash balances, should the additional funds be used for: (a) Area 08 services or (b) should they be sent to GSO?
    2.  If they are to be used for Area 08, what is the best method or means to determine the best use of additional funds for area services?

In 2005, a proposal was referred by the area committee to the finance committee for study.  There was never a report back to the area committee as their findings or recommendations or to the disposition of the referred motion.

Question:
Are we satisfied with the way we budget as an area and act as custodians or our 7th Tradition funds? 

Question: 
Should we be taking more precautions to protect our anonymity on the internet?  Should we be posting our personal e-mail addresses and phone numbers on flyers which are being put on the Area 8 website? 
Background:
Heres what GSO has published on this:
PERSONAL PHONE NUMBERS ON A.A. EVENT FLYERS
Until relatively recently, A.A. members usually had little concern about placing their first names, last initials and personal phone numbers on flyers announcing upcoming A.A. events, since these flyers were typically given out only in A.A. meetings, left on tables at other A.A. events or distributed to members. Today, event flyers can be easily uploaded and viewed on Web sites, accessible to the general public. Due to search services on the Internet, it is now possible to utilize phone numbers to find out a person’s identity, including full names and, possibly, other personal information. If A.A. members become increasingly uneasy with personal phone numbers being placed on flyers, event committees may need to look into alternate ways of providing contact information such as an event e-mail address.

Question:  Should the area have  "appointed committee member" as recommended by ad hoc committee created a while back?

Background: Several years ago I served on an ad hoc committee that was put together with members of the policy committee and several past delegates. The purpose: to look at the problems that some of our area standing committees were experiencing. This ad hoc committee met monthly for almost a year and then brought back several recommendations to the area committee. A couple of the recommendations were then presented to the Area Assembly as motions and eventually became part of our Structure and Guidelines.

The one that has not been used, and in my thoughts the one that is most needed, is the “appointed committee member”. I believe that if our standing committees really looked at the idea of implementing this tool it would serve two purposes.

   1. It would give the committee some stability and continuity, and even in most cases some history and experience.
   2.  It would release the officers from having to attend committees as a “liaison” and free them up for duties more germane to the description of their elected office. Please note that I am not speaking of the Treasurer who is a member of the Finance Committee or of the Chairperson who needs to attend the Agenda Committee. But, other Officers should not be expected to attend committee meetings on a regular basis.

We ask way too much of our officers and not enough from those with the experience to assist our committees through the application of the appointed committee member.

I believe that a special meeting with the Committee Chairs and a member or members of the former ad hoc committee should be set up to explain the thinking behind this amendment to the Structure and Guidelines, to answer any questions that the committee chair might have and to dialog amongst themselves on the pros and con of an appointed committee member. They could take this information back to their respective committee and the committees could decide if this option would work for them.

Is the number of area assemblies we have each year to many, too few, or just right?  Do we need to define the purpose of each assembly more clearly, or is it best to keep it the way it is?  There has been disagreement at times about whether or not it's okay to do business at the April and May assemblies.  Is this the sort of thing we should try to address through a guidelines change, or is there a benefit to allowing each panel to revisit this and decide how best to handle it?

Is our current hosting system and bid system for area assembly meetings serving us well, or are there ways that we could improve in this area?

Do we need to make any adjustments in the way that a quorum is defined?  There are occasional disagreements between the registrar and the chairperson about whether or not the standing committee chairs count as area officers.  Does this need to be clarified?

Question:   What can we do to help the groups to see the relevance of general service?

Question:  As a means to increase participation in general service should the area suspend it's business for one month each year to assist the districts in making a special effort to visit groups that currently don't participate?

 Can we cooperate with H+I and the intergroups during the same month to attract AA's to all service entities?

Q. Should our area Structure and Guidelines contain the revised and modified General Warranties of the Conference?

Are we as an area comfortable with this?

Background –What follows is the original General Warranties of the Conference from Concept XII, marked to show the changes and modifications made to what is described as “The Operating Principles of the San Diego-Imperial Area Assembly” in our Structure and Guidelines:

In all its proceedings, the  San Diego-Imperial Area Assembly shall observe the spirit of the A.A. Traditions, taking great care that the  Assembly never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient operating funds, be its prudent financial principle; that none of the Assembly members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others: that all important decisions be reached by discussion, vote, and whenever possible, by substantial unanimity; that no  Assembly action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; that though the  Assembly may act for the service of Alcoholics anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the  Assembly itself will always remain democratic in thought and action.

Q. Are the current financial procedures of the area adequate, given the size of the area’s annual budget?

Background ---

Fact 1: The area has recently upgraded its accounting software to Quickbooks, which was considered to be a much more robust and flexible software (compared to what the area previously used), enabling the treasurer to easily generate a wide range of financial reports.

Fact 2: There is no requirement for having prior accounting experience to be elected area treasurer

Fact 3: The finance committee serves to support the treasurer and meets with the treasurer monthly, during which time it reviews the same financial statements that are later presented to the area by the treasurer. In connection with this monthly review by the finance committee, detailed reports of cash receipts, cash disbursements and the monthly bank reconciliation ARE NOT made available to the committee members.

Fact 4: From a financial point of view, best practices of any organization include having a producer in place whereby somebody performs a review of monthly transactions to assure that errors are identified and corrected.

It appears that the monthly review performed by the finance committee should include reviewing detailed reports of cash receipts (including account distribution), cash disbursements (including account distribution) and the monthly bank reconciliation

What does the area assembly expect the area committee to do in its role as a steering committee for the area assembly?  Do we feel like the area committee stays within its proper role, or does it sometimes overstep?  On the other hand, would we like the area committee to have more authority to take action on behalf of the area?

Does the area take sufficient care that we never become the seat of perilous wealth or power?

Does the are have sufficient operating funds and an ample reserve?

Does the area avoid placing any of our members in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others?

Does the area reach all of its important decisions by discussion, vote, and substantial unanimity?

Does the area avoid taking actions that are personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy?

Does the are act for the service of AA while avoiding the temptation to perform any acts of government?

Does the area always remain democratic in thought and action?

Background:  Note: since these are yes/no questions, participants should be asked to do the following:  If the answer is "yes", provide examples that show how the area does this.  If the answer is "no", provide examples and make suggestions for improvement.

How well are the districts doing in serving the Fellowship?  How well are the DCM's doing in providing leadership to the districts?

Should we add the Summary of Area Assembly Procedures as an appendix?

Our guidelines are written in a broad and general way.  Do we like the flexibility that this gives us, or would we rather have more things spelled out in detail?  If so, what sorts of things should be specified?

Do we do a good job of following our own guidelines?  If there are areas where we tend not to follow them all that well, do we need to change the guidelines. or do we need to change the way we're doing things?