2012 Business Meetings
GROW BUSINESS MEETING: October 2012
- Business Meeting Agenda
- Business Items
- Secretary's Report (Trusted Servant Positions)
- Treasurer's Report
- Listkeeper's Report
- OIAA Representative Report
- Rotating Back-up Report
- First 4-day Period
- Second 4-day Period
- Third 4-day Period
- Fourth 4-day Period
- Business Meeting Summary
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GROW BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA: October 2012
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- Trusted Servant (TS) Positions - Incoming TS identified.
- Semi-Annual Reports
| 1.1 | Proposal for discussion and a decision concerning what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW website regarding our recently approved (in April 2012 Business Meeting) practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday. |
| 2.1 | Proposal for discussion and a decision concerning what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW literature regarding our recently approved (in April 2012 Business Meeting) practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday. |
| 3.1 | Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Listkeeper and Back-up Listkeeper to "Co-Listkeepers". It is proposed that the two "Co-Listkeepers" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other. For example: Co-Listkeeper 1 might cover the month of January and Co-Listkeeper 2 will function as the Back-up, to participate only as needed. At the beginning of February, Co-Listkeeper 2 will rotate to take on primary responsibility for the List and Co-Listkeeper 1 will function as the Back-up. Our current Listkeepers can comment further (and probably give a better description) about this Proposal and the practice that has been informally instituted during the past year. |
| 4.1 | Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Greeter and Back-up Greeter to "Co-Greeters". It is proposed that the two "Co-Greeters" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other. For example: Co-Greeter 1 might cover the month of January and Co-Greeter 2 will function as the Back-up, to participate only as needed. At the beginning of February, Co-Greeter 2 will rotate to take on primary responsibility for greeting and introducing newcomers, and Co-Greeter 1 will function as the Back-up. Our current Greeters can comment further (and probably give a better description) about this Proposal and the practice that has been informally instituted during the past year. |
| 5.1 | Proposal for discussion and a decision that the appropriate Job Descriptions be modified to reflect that the Sponsor Listkeeper and the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper will regularly check with members of their lists to ensure that all are still active and wanting to serve, and will likewise notify the Listkeeper on a regular (monthly?) basis of any changes to their lists, so the Listkeeper can maintain an accurate and updated membership roster. Our Listkeeper(s) have instituted a "pilot program" of this practice since April 2012 and can comment further. |
If you have an Agenda item you would like to have addressed, or if I have not accurately represented an item that you recommended, please email me privately and I will add it to the Business Meeting Agenda.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan G
Business Chair
Secretary's Report, October 2012
Trusted Servant Positions Filled
- 12th Step Listkeeper
- OUT: Michele ( michelekenny@live.com )
- IN: Marti ( martijim1@sbcglobal.net )
- Birthday Listkeeper
- OUT: Kirsten ( specialkchicago@gmail.com )
- IN: Carol ( quartermainedavis@yahoo.com )
- Business Meeting Chair
- OUT: Susan G.( sarger@sbcglobal.net )
- IN: Laura G. ( lmgraham1989@rogers.com )
- OIAA Representative
- OUT: Judy B. ( judydoll@me.com or mac.com )
- IN: Susan H. ( schbrockvegas@yahoo.ca )
- Rotating Backup
- OUT: Tanya ( tyurasova@gmail.com )
- IN: Joan B. ( joanb333@gmail.com )
- Secretary
- OUT: Colleen ( MRSV586@aol.com )
- IN: Alison ( alisonburke@live.com )
- Sponsor Listkeeper
- OUT: Nachelle ( Nachellew@gmail.com )
- IN: Elizabeth ( familyadvocatecc@yahoo.com )
- Treasurer:
- OUT: Lori W. ( loriwilliams7478@yahoo.com )
- IN: Kirsten ( specialkchicago@gmail.com )
Treasurer's Report
Submitted by Lori Williams
Immediate Past GROW Treasurer
September 28, 2012
Beginning Balance = $ 425.55 (a)
Deposits:
Contributions April = $242.81
Contributions May = $112.33
Contributions June = $22.18
Contributions July = $121.13
Contributions August = $94.78
Contributions September = $122.60
Total Contributions = $715.83 (b)
Expenses:
April: $6.50 (Service fee, cash Canadian check fee)
May: $403.50 (contributions, service fee, cash Canada check fee)
June: $5.00 (Service fee)
July: $6.50 (Service fee, cash Canadian check fee)
August: $5.00 (Service fee)
September: $5.00 (Service fee)
Total Expenses = $ 431.50(c)
Current Balance = $709.88 (d)
Formula:
(a + b - c = d)
($425.55 + $715.83 - $431.50 = $709.88)
Contributions to GSO, OIAA and OSO-AA will be drawn from the current balance, less the $100.00 prudent reserve.
It has been my great pleasure serving our group for the past few twenty-four hours, thank you. From this point on, our beloved Kirsten will be serving as GROW's treasurer.
Sincerely,
Lori Williams, alcoholic
Listkeeper Report, October 2012
April: 32 Prospects, 22 Subs, 13 Unsubs
May: 27 Prospects, 22 Subs, 11 Unsubs
June: 36 Prospects, 27 Subs, 10 Unsubs
July: 34 Prospects, 22 Subs, 9 Unsubs
August: 35 Prospects, 18 Subs, 7 Unsubs
September: 32 Prospects, 20 Subs, 10 Unsubs
Totals: 196 Prospects, 131 Subs, 60 Unsubs
GROW had 361 members on the morning of October 1, 2012.
Some list malfunctions in August turned out to be on the oso-aa.org end, a block of some kind that prevented our list from sending out emails. It was handled within a day and a half. Thank you for allowing me to serve.
Gigi
OIAA Representative Report
Finance Committee : No Report from Finance Committee the last few months because there is currently no Finance Chair.
OIAA Treasurer's Report : No current report from Treasurer. GROW had sent a $130 check that had not been cashed. Contact to OIAA Treasurer confirmed that the check was received. Information on how to make donations through PayPal was provided to GROW Treasurer to avoid delays in our checks clearing.
Steppers Committee : In the month of September 397 urgent requests were received and 1261 replies were made. This is the typical number received and responded to in the previous months as well.
Listkeeper : There are approximately 145 members. There are currently 49 voting groups, Officers and Committee chairs.
Public Information : In the month of August, PIC received 28 requests for information. No September report.
Conclusion : It has been my privilege to serve as your OIAA representative for the past year. I welcome and thank Susan H. for her willingness to serve as the incoming OIAA Representative. I know Susan will do a fabulous job.
Respectfully Submitted,
Judy B., Outgoing OIAA Rep
Rotating Back-up Report
There is nothing much to report from me - Rotating Back-Up. There were two instances when we temporarily lost out Birthday Listkeeper, so I stepped in on both occasions, and then I sent a few email etiquette and general info letters, covering for our Secretary.
Thanks to this wonderful group for letting me be of service,
Tanya
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1st 4-day Period
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1.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision concerning what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW website regarding our recently approved (in April 2012 Business Meeting) practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday.
This Proposal generated a lot of discussion. I will try to summarize the suggestions that several agreed on as follows:
- "To ensure that all members will receive it on Sunday, I suggest that the website states that "Every Saturday a new topic for discussion is provided to group members..."
- ". have the deadline of midnite eastern time zone [and] we should be covering all zones to have the topic showing up by Sunday morning."
- ". that the WEBSITE say something to the effect that "Every weekend a new topic for discussion is provided to group members... and that the INSTRUCTIONS to the weekly chairperson include the requirement to post Saturday / Sunday morning at the latest."
- ". and that the INSTRUCTIONS to the weekly chairperson include the requirement to post Sunday morning 0900 EST at the latest.."
A few members found the discussion of Sunday or Saturday posting of the meeting confusing and frustrating, pointing out that we live in different time zones across a world where when it is day on one side it is night on the other; when it is summer in one locale, it is winter in another, and also we are human. this topic came up because some members didn't (or don't) get the meeting out in a timely fashion.. and, [it is felt] .that will happen whether or not we move things to Saturday.
One member was adamantly opposed to this suggestion [changing the website], recalling that we changed to [the practice of] posting the meeting on Saturday simply to assure that the meeting topic went out by Sunday. If we formally change the weekly meeting from Sunday to Saturday, will we end up changing the day for posting to Friday to be sure it gets out on Saturday?
Clearly, we did NOT reach consensus on this Proposal, so we will have an additional four days of discussion.
It appears that there is considerable discussion about WHEN to post the meeting, and all are respectfully reminded that our GROW group reached consensus in our April 2012 Business meeting to adopt the practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting by Sunday. It was further agreed that we would discuss in THIS (October 2012 Business meeting) what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW website. It appears that we are re-hashing when to post the meeting, and all are simply reminded that this has, in fact, been decided.
If it is the decision of this Business meeting to totally revisit this topic, so be it, and the Chair will present another Proposal to this group. However, to the extent that we can address Proposal 1 as worded, and "Keep It Simple" and reach consensus, that would be advantageous.
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2.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision concerning what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW literature regarding our recently approved (in April 2012 Business Meeting) practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday.
The Chair respectfully suggests that this Proposal is contingent on reaching consensus on Proposal # 1.
The discussion regarding Proposal # 2 suggested that:
- The GROW literature that is provided to people volunteering to chair a meeting should be amended to include an instruction regarding the day(s) this is to be posted to the group.
- Changes will need to be made to the Greeter Letter #2, to the Weekly Topic Leader Message, to the Weekly Meeting Format Letter, to the Weekly Format itself, and to the FAQs.
- A couple of other members felt that it is not necessary to revise the greeter letter 2 because this letter is sent to a New Member and all they need to know is that a meeting will be emailed to them on Sunday.
We will have an additional four days of discussion of this Proposal in an attempt to reach consensus.
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3.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Listkeeper and Back-up Listkeeper to "Co-Listkeepers". It is proposed that the two "Co-Listkeepers" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
We did not reach consensus on this Proposal. There was a LOT of discussion about this Proposal, and quite a bit of it was from persons who have served as Listkeeper for our group. The Chair sincerely hopes that the following summary of comments, in no particular order, accurately reflects the discussion:
- Gigi, our current Listkeeper, initiated this Proposal and very eloquently explained her rationale in two separate posts, and all are referred to her prior posts for those details. Generally, I believe she expressed that the reality of how the Listkeeper and Back-up Listkeeper have worked together over the past few years has truly been as a "team" with each bearing full responsibility for the job at different times. To that end, she recommends that the titles reflect this "shared responsibility" and use the terms Co-Listkeepers or Listkeeper 1 and Listkeeper 2. (Gigi, if I have not accurately summarized this, please advise.)
- Many (most) disagreed with the idea of specifying in the Job Description "how" or "that" the two Listkeepers would share responsibility. It was felt that the two Listkeepers could, should, and would work this out between themselves.
- It was also suggested that we not worry so much about titles, but rather, focus on having two Listkeepers who can work well together. ". I believe that the two, if they are a good team, will have to communicate effectively and coordinate their activities. If they don't, we will have problems that titles or job duty descriptions will not be able to fix.."
- Others felt it would be important to identify a "Lead Listkeeper" and "Listkeeper" to reflect that one has more knowledge / experience, and that consideration should be given to the possibility that this would be advantageous for purposes of accountability.
- It was also pointed out that the job titles "Listkeeper and Backup Listkeeper" serve a purpose in that the Backup can be in a "training" role for a period of time. This allows someone to volunteer for this position without prior experience and have an opportunity to be trained. And, once trained, the Backup can relieve the Listkeeper as needed and even sign correspondence as "Listkeeper," without the need to change the job titles.
- Another commented that ". it mightn't always work so easily as it does with our present Listkeepers and, therefore, should be laid out in the title(s).."
We will have an additional four days of discussion in an effort to reach consensus regarding this item.
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4.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Greeter and Back-up Greeter to "Co-Greeters". It is proposed that the two "Co-Greeters" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
Virtually everyone agreed with this Proposal, or at least did not oppose it. You will note a new Proposal (6.2) that will be submitted separately for discussion that expands on this current suggestion.
- One member suggested that the Back-up Greeter does not rotate into the Greeter's position, and this position shares the same duties/job responsibilities as those of the Greeter. Therefore, there is no need for the name change to Co-Greeter. Let's just call them both 'Greeters'.
- It was also recommended that the group not "legislate" or specify how the Greeters will coordinate or rotate their duties, but that this be left up to the Greeters.
We will now have four days of continued discussion of this Proposal. I look forward to your input. Thanks.
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6.1 Proposal: Eliminate the position of Back-up Greeter. This position does not rotate into the Greeter's job and, according to the job descriptions for both, shares the job responsibilities of the Greeter. This would mean that we need two volunteers as Greeters - not as Back-up or Co-Greeters.
The Chair recognizes that this Proposal presents an "alternative" or "expansion" to Proposal 4.1, previously submitted for discussion:
4.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Greeter and Back-up Greeter to "Co-Greeters". It is proposed that the two "Co-Greeters" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
We will now have four days of discussion of Proposal 6.1, recognizing that this overlaps discussion of Proposal 4.1, the Chair will do her best to "make sense of it all".
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Another Proposal has been suggested for your consideration and discussion.
Proposal 7.2: It is proposed that the Weekly Leader Listkeeper maintain a "back-up" list of ladies who have requested to lead a meeting, but were not able to be scheduled (because of lack of available openings), so that persons on the "back-up" list can be contacted first when the next available month is being scheduled, prior to calling for volunteers from the group. The current method seems to be "first-come, first-served" and, it seems that some are not able to respond as quickly when the call goes out, and are repeatedly not able to get scheduled to lead a meeting.
We will now have four days to discuss this proposal. I look forward to your comments.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan G
Business Chair
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Second 4-day Period
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1.1 Proposal: for discussion and a decision concerning what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW website regarding our recently approved (in April 2012 Business Meeting) practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday.
During the 2nd 4-day session, the Chair began the session with the submission of the following clarification of this Proposal:
It appears that there is considerable discussion about WHEN to post the meeting, and all are respectfully reminded that our GROW group reached consensus in our April 2012 Business meeting to adopt the practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting by Sunday. It was further agreed that we would discuss in THIS (October 2012 Business meeting) what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW website.
It appears that we are re-hashing when to post the meeting, and all are simply reminded that this has, in fact, been decided.
If it is the decision of this Business meeting to totally revisit this topic, so be it, and the Chair will present another Proposal to this group. However, to the extent that we can address Proposal 1 as worded, and "Keep It Simple" and reach consensus, that would be advantageous.
After this clarification, all who responded were in agreement to stay with what was decided in our April 2012 meeting and not make any changes in the website.
PROPOSAL 1.2, as clarified, IS APPROVED.
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2.1 Proposal: for discussion and a decision concerning what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW literature regarding our recently approved (in April 2012 Business Meeting) practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday.
There was a suggestion made that the GROW literature should be revised to reflect the group conscience of April 2012. Therefore, we will have four additional days to discuss this proposal. For your information, our GROW website which is open to the public has the following re: the timing of our meetings:
"Each Sunday a meeting leader sends out the week's topic."
Please discuss whether to change this, and if so, what language should be put on the website.
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3.1 Proposal: for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Listkeeper and Back-up Listkeeper to "Co-Listkeepers". It is proposed that the two "Co-Listkeepers" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
We did not reach consensus on this proposal. The comments will be summarized and we will have another four days of discussion to seek agreement. If, at the end of this next four days, we seem to have consensus, we will call for Head Nods/Shakes, in order to (hopefully) resolve this issue prior to the end of the Business meeting. If we do not have consensus at the end of this (current) four days, we will table the discussion until the next Business meeting.
- The job of Listkeeper(s) is too busy for one to be considered "Back-up". Both Listkeepers should be called "Co-Listkeepers" or "Listkeeper 1" (LK1) and "Listkeeper 2" (LK2).
- "Back-up Listkeeper" does not confer the amount of responsibility and time commitment required of the role, "LK1" and "LK2" are preferable titles.
- The job title of "Back-up Listkeeper" serves a purpose for an individual who may be in a "training" mode. The job description can be intimidating, and we would be more likely to get volunteers if it is felt there would be a "training" period.
- It might not always work so easily and smoothly as it does with our present Listkeepers, and therefore, the levels of responsibilities/roles should be laid out in the title(s).
- Some members did not see the need to change the titles at all.
- Some members agreed with changing the titles to LK1 and LK2.
We will now have four days to further discuss this proposal. Thanks for your continued input.
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6.1 Proposal: Eliminate the position of Back-up Greeter. This position does not rotate into the Greeter's job and, according to the job descriptions for both, shares the job responsibilities of the Greeter. This would mean that we need two volunteers as Greeters - not as Back-up or Co-Greeters.
The Chair recognizes that this Proposal presents an "alternative" or "expansion" to Proposal 4.1, previously submitted for discussion:
4.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Greeter and Back-up Greeter to "Co-Greeters". It is proposed that the two "Co-Greeters" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
There appeared to be a consensus that we eliminate the position of "Back-up Greeter" and simply have two "Greeters." Further, there appears to be consensus that the two Greeters will have the autonomy to determine what works best for their schedules to rotate and provide adequate coverage for the group.
******* To make sure we have consensus, I will open the floor for the next four days for "HEAD-NOD" to accept the proposal -- or "HEAD-SHAKE" to reject the proposal -- to eliminate the position of "Back-up Greeter" and simply have two "Greeters," and that the Greeters can work among themselves to determine what works best for their schedules to rotate and provide adequate coverage for the group.
******* Please refrain from further discussion regarding this issue -- simply indicate "HEAD-NOD" if you approve or "HEAD-SHAKE" if you do not approve. If we don't have consensus at the end of the four day session, we will re-open the topic for further discussion.
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5.1 Proposal: for discussion and a decision that the appropriate Job Descriptions be modified to reflect that the Sponsor Listkeeper and the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper will regularly check with members of their lists to ensure that all are still active and wanting to serve, and will likewise notify the Listkeeper on a regular (monthly?) basis of any changes to their lists, so the Listkeeper can maintain an accurate and updated membership roster. Our Listkeeper(s) have instituted a "pilot program" of this practice since April 2012 and can comment further.
There was agreement among all that it is a good idea for the various Listkeepers should keep each other updated regarding the list of current members. Thanks again to Danna for suggesting the below changes, as described in the Modified Proposal 5.3.
5.3 Modified Proposal:
Modify the current Sponsor Listkeeper and 12th Step Volunteer job descriptions as follows:
Sponsor Listkeeper:
The Sponsor Listkeeper will check monthly with each member of the Sponsor list to ensure they continue to want to sponsor, to ensure that newcomers are not given names of individuals who may not be responsive to their request for sponsorship. The Listkeeper and Sponsor Listkeeper will coordinate to ensure that when someone unsubs, if that person is listed on the Sponsor List, her name will be deleted from the list of available sponsors well.
12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper:
Once a month, verifies that members of the 12th Step Committee are current GROW members and wish to continue their membership on the 12th Step Committee.
******* To make sure we have consensus, I will open the floor for the next four days for "HEAD-NOD" to accept the proposal -- or "HEAD-SHAKE" to reject the proposal -- to modify the job descriptions for Sponsor Listkeeper and 12th Step Listkeeper as described above.
******* Please refrain from further discussion regarding this issue -- simply indicate "HEAD-NOD" if you approve or "HEAD-SHAKE" if you do not approve. If we don't have consensus at the end of the four day session, we will re-open the topic for further discussion.
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Proposal 7.2: It is proposed that the Weekly Leader Listkeeper (WLL) maintain a "back-up" list of ladies who have requested to lead a meeting, but were not able to be scheduled (because of lack of available openings), so that persons on the "back-up" list can be contacted first when the next available month is being scheduled, prior to calling for volunteers from the group. The current method seems to be "first-come, first-served" and, it seems that some are not able to respond as quickly when the call goes out, and are repeatedly not able to get scheduled to lead a meeting.
The discussion concerning this proposal helped to clarify the practice of our WLL (present and past), and that is to maintain a list of members who volunteer, but are unable to be assigned to lead a meeting (because of lack of available openings), and strive to give preferential assignments to coincide with sobriety birthdays. Happily, we always seem to have an abundance of volunteers to lead meetings. The consensus seems to be that the WLL can determine how best to fulfill her job responsibilities and no changes in that job description are indicated at this time.
******* To make sure we have consensus, I will open the floor for the next four days for "HEAD-NOD" to accept the proposal -- or "HEAD-SHAKE" to reject the proposal -- to allow the Weekly Leader Listkeeper determine how best to fulfill her job responsibilities, and no changes in the job description are indicated at this time.
******* Please refrain from further discussion regarding this issue -- simply indicate "HEAD-NOD" if you approve or "HEAD-SHAKE" if you do not approve. If we don't have consensus at the end of the four day session, we will re-open the topic for further discussion.
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Proposal 8.3: It is proposed that the Weekly Leader Listkeeper (WLL) send to the group on a monthly basis the 3-month schedule of meeting chair dates and corresponding chair women. When one month has been completed, the dates and people for the third month can be posted. This will serve as a reminder to those who are scheduled to chair on a particular date. The Weekly Chair Schedule is prepared 3 months in advance so it may be easy to forget the date we have committed to chair a meeting, or the date on which we've been put on the Back-up List. The weekly reminder and meeting format that are now sent to the scheduled chair person for the upcoming Saturday will still, of course, be required.
We will now have four days to discuss this proposal. I look forward to your comments.
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Third 4-day Period
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3.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Listkeeper and Back-up Listkeeper to "Co-Listkeepers". It is proposed that the two "Co-Listkeepers" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
There was considerable discussion about this topic, with several different titles proposed. Ultimately, it was suggested that we adopt the title "Alternate Listkeeper" to replace "Back-up Listkeeper". The Chair presents a revised Proposal to reflect what is felt to be the consensus of the group.
3.4 Proposal : that we change the title of Back-up Listkeeper to Alternate Listkeeper, and that the Listkeeper and Alternate Listkeeper will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
The Chair is guardedly optimistic that we have reached consensus on this proposal, as revised, and is therefore calling for Head Nods/ Head Shakes.
******* To make sure we have consensus, I will open the floor for the next four days for "HEAD-NOD" to accept the proposal -- or "HEAD-SHAKE" to reject the proposal, as revised -- to change the title of Back-up Listkeeper to Alternate Listkeeper.
******* Please refrain from further discussion regarding this issue -- simply indicate "HEAD-NOD" if you approve or "HEAD-SHAKE" if you do not approve. If we don't have consensus at the end of the four day session, we will re-open the topic for further discussion.
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There were unanimous "Head Nods" to accept this proposal (as modified).
5.3 Modified Proposal Modify the current Sponsor Listkeeper and 12th Step Volunteer job descriptions as follows:
Sponsor Listkeeper:
The Sponsor Listkeeper will check monthly with each member of the Sponsor list to ensure they continue to want to sponsor, to ensure that newcomers are not given names of individuals who may not be responsive to their request for sponsorship. The Listkeeper and Sponsor Listkeeper will coordinate to ensure that when someone unsubs, if that person is listed on the Sponsor List, her name will be deleted from the list of available sponsors well.
12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper:
Once a month, verifies that members of the 12th Step Committee are current GROW members and wish to continue their membership on the 12th Step Committee.
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There were unanimous "Head Nods" to accept this proposal to eliminate the position of "Back-up Greeter" and simply have two "Greeters," and the two Greeters will have the autonomy to determine what works best for their schedules to rotate and provide adequate coverage for the group.
6.1 Proposal : Eliminate the position of Back-up Greeter. This position does not rotate into the Greeter's job and, according to the job descriptions for both, shares the job responsibilities of the Greeter. This would mean that we need two volunteers as Greeters - not as Back-up or Co-Greeters.
The Chair recognizes that this Proposal presents an "alternative" or "expansion" to Proposal 4.1, previously submitted for discussion:
4.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision that we change the titles of Greeter and Back-up Greeter to "Co-Greeters". It is proposed that the two "Co-Greeters" will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
There appeared to be a consensus that we eliminate the position of "Back-up Greeter" and simply have two "Greeters." Further, there appears to be consensus that the two Greeters will have the autonomy to determine what works best for their schedules to rotate and provide adequate coverage for the group.
******* To make sure we have consensus, I will open the floor for the next four days for "HEAD-NOD" to accept the proposal -- or "HEAD-SHAKE" to reject the proposal -- to eliminate the position of "Back-up Greeter" and simply have two "Greeters," and that the Greeters can work among themselves to determine what works best for their schedules to rotate and provide adequate coverage for the group.
******* Please refrain from further discussion regarding this issue -- simply indicate "HEAD-NOD" if you approve or "HEAD-SHAKE" if you do not approve. If we don't have consensus at the end of the four day session, we will re-open the topic for further discussion.
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We did have unanimous "Head Nods" for this proposal, as clarified:
Proposal 7.2 : It is proposed that the Weekly Leader Listkeeper (WLL) maintain a "back-up" list of ladies who have requested to lead a meeting but were not able to be scheduled (because of lack of available openings), so that persons on the "back-up" list can be contacted first when the next available month is being scheduled, prior to calling for volunteers from the group, while giving preference to those members who request to lead at or around their sobriety birthday. The consensus seems to be that the WLLs have already been doing these things and that no changes in the job description are indicated at this time.
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Proposal 8.3 : It is proposed that the Weekly Leader Listkeeper (WLL) send to the group on a monthly basis the 3-month schedule of meeting chair dates and corresponding chair women. When one month has been completed, the dates and people for the third month can be posted. This will serve as a reminder to those who are scheduled to chair on a particular date. The Weekly Chair Schedule is prepared 3 months in advance so it may be easy to forget the date we have committed to chair a meeting, or the date on which we've been put on the Back-up List. The weekly reminder and meeting format that are now sent to the scheduled chairperson for the upcoming Saturday will still, of course, be required.
We did not reach consensus on this proposal. Many expressed that they could see the benefit of posting the WLL schedule in advance, however, all were not in favor of the proposal.
Inasmuch, as this is the only remaining proposal on the agenda, it is respectfully suggested that we table this discussion and revisit this topic in the next Business Meeting (April 2013).
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3.4 Proposal - that we change the title of Back-up Listkeeper to Alternate Listkeeper, and that the Listkeeper and Alternate Listkeeper will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
All who responded, except for two abstaining, were in agreement to accept this proposal.
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4th 4-Day Period
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2.4 Proposal for a decision concerning whether the GROW literature should be changed to specify that our meetings are posted on "Saturday, no later than Sunday morning".
All except one who responded were AGAINST changing the GROW literature to specify when our meetings are posted. Therefore, this proposal is rejected ~ that is, there will NOT be any change made to the GROW literature at this time.
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3.4 Proposal - that we change the title of Back-up Listkeeper to Alternate Listkeeper, and that the Listkeeper and Alternate Listkeeper will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other.
All who responded, except for two abstaining, were in agreement to accept this proposal.
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Business Meeting Summary
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1. Proposal for a decision concerning what modifications / changes, if any, should be made to our GROW website regarding our recently approved (in April 2012 Business Meeting) practice of posting the weekly meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning. All who responded were in agreement to NOT make any changes on the website re: when our meetings are posted.
2. Proposal for a decision concerning whether the GROW literature should be changed to specify that our meetings are posted on "Saturday, no later than Sunday morning". The majority of those responding decided to NOT make any changes in our literature re: when our meetings are posted.
3. Proposal - that we change the title of Back-up Listkeeper to Alternate Listkeeper, and that the Listkeeper and Alternate Listkeeper will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties, with one handling primary responsibility for a designated period of time and then rotating with the other. All who responded, except for two abstaining, were in agreement to ACCEPT this proposal.
4. and 6. Proposals for a decision about whether to change the titles of Greeter and Back-up Greeter to "Co-Greeters," and that those two individuals will work out a schedule of shared responsibility for their duties. (These two proposals were combined because of similarity in the topics and discussions.) After considerable discussion, it was AGREED that we will call both positions "Greeter" and those two individuals will have the autonomy to determine what works best for their schedules to rotate and provide adequate coverage for the group.
5. Modified Proposal
It was agreed to modify the current Sponsor Listkeeper and 12th Step Volunteer job descriptions as follows:
Sponsor Listkeeper:
The Sponsor Listkeeper will check monthly with each member of the Sponsor list to ensure they continue to want to sponsor, to ensure that newcomers are not given names of individuals who may not be responsive to their request for sponsorship. The Listkeeper and Sponsor Listkeeper will coordinate to ensure that when someone unsubs, if that person is listed on the Sponsor List, her name will be deleted from the list of available sponsors well.
12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper:
Once a month, verifies that members of the 12th Step Committee are current GROW members and wish to continue their membership on the 12th Step Committee.
Proposal 7.: After discussion, it was determined that the consensus seems to be that the Weekly Leader Listkeepers (WLL) have already been maintaining a back-up list of ladies who have requested to lead a meeting, but were not able to be scheduled (because of lack of available openings), so that persons on the "back-up" list can be contacted first when the next available month is being scheduled, prior to calling for volunteers from the group, while giving preference to those members who request to lead at or around their sobriety birthday. Therefore, no changes in the job description are indicated at this time.
8. Proposal It was proposed that the Weekly Leader Listkeeper (WLL) send to the group on a monthly basis the 3-month schedule of meeting chair dates and corresponding chair women. When one month has been completed, the dates and people for the third month can be posted. This will serve as a reminder to those who are scheduled to chair on a particular date. The Weekly Chair Schedule is prepared 3 months in advance so it may be easy to forget the date we have committed to chair a meeting, or the date on which we've been put on the Back-up List. The weekly reminder and meeting format that are now sent to the scheduled chair person for the upcoming Saturday will still, of course, be required.
We did not reach consensus on this proposal, and, inasmuch, as we were nearing the end of this business meeting, it was agreed that we will table this discussion and revisit this topic in the next Business Meeting (April 2013).
It has been an honor to serve as your Business Chair for the past two years. Many thanks to all who participated in the meetings and to those who supported me in this position. This meeting is now adjourned.
I now "pass the gavel" to Laura G, our incoming Business Chair!
Respectfully submitted,
Susan G
Outgoing Business Chair
GROW BUSINESS MEETING: April 2012
- Business Meeting Agenda
- Treasurer's Report
- Secretary's Report
- Listkeeper's Report
- Greeter's Report
- Temporary Mentor's Report
- Summary of 1st 4-day Session (ending April 13)
- Summary of 2nd 4-day Session (ending April 18)
- FINAL Summary and Adjournment (April 23)
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GROW BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA: April 2012
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- Trusted Servant (TS) Positions - Incoming TS identified.
- Semi-Annual Reports (posted separately)
- Business Items (each will be posted separately to facilitate discussion and voting)
1.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision concerning information provided by our Treasurer, Lori, concerning a monthly service charge which has been added to GROW's checking account.
2.1 Proposal to combine the General Service Representative (GSR) and Online Intergroup Alcoholics Anonymous Representative (OIAA) positions which would then be handled by one person.
3.1 Proposal to accept or amend the format (created by our outgoing Weekly Leader Listkeeper, Laura B) which will include the particular Step and Tradition topic for each month and will be sent out each month by the Weekly Leader Listkeeper. In our October 2011 Business Meeting, it was approved that Laura B would prepare formats for each of the Steps and Traditions which will be combined into one email, and we will now consider the formats that have been prepared, and approve or amend same for our use.
4.1 Proposal that the Secretary send private reminder message(s) to members who do not comply with the Mail List Etiquette when sending messages to the group; i.e. Email programs should be set to send and receive plain text -- not html." This is proposed because it can be very difficult to read emails that are sent in 5.5 or 8.0 fonts and/or in color.
5.1 Proposal to verify that volunteers for TS positions meet the minimum sobriety requirements as posted in the Job Descriptions for the various positions.
6.1 Proposal to begin posting the meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday.
If you have an Agenda item you would like to have addressed, or if I have not accurately represented an item that you recommended, please email me privately and I will add it to the Business Meeting Agenda.
Beginning Balance = $ 380.70 (a)
Deposits:
- Contributions October = $18.86
- Contributions November = $77.27
- Contributions December = $91.68
- Contributions January = $119.07
- Contributions February = $77.98
- Contributions March = $42.69
Total Contributions = $427.55 (b)
Expenses:
- October : $5.00 - Checking account service fee
- November : $357.70 - Contributions to GSO, OIAA, OSO-AA, service fee
- December : $5.00 - Service Fee
- January : $5.00 - Service Fee
- February : $5.00 - Service Fee
- March : $5.00 - Service Fee
Total Expenses = $382.7 (c)
Current Balance = $425.55 (d)
Formula : (a + b - c = d)
($380.70 + $427.55 - $382.70 = $425.55)
Contributions to GSO, OIAA and OSO-AA will be drawn from the current balance, less the $100.00 prudent reserve.
It has been my great pleasure serving our group, thank you.
Sincerely,
Lori Williams
GROW Treasurer
In accordance with a decision made by this group in our October 2011 Business Meeting, we are posting a list of the incoming Trusted Servants (TS).
Many thanks to our Secretary, Colleen, for her service and the GREAT job she did in assembling the following wonderful volunteers to carry on the vital "behind-the-scenes" work of our GROW group.
And, many thanks as well, to those listed below who have volunteered to provide service to our group!!
- 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper
Michele K
*6 month term (4/12 - 10/12)
*6 months sobriety
- Birthday Listkeeper
Lisa H
* 6 month term (4/12 - 10/12)
* 6 months sobriety
- Greeter
Louise H
*1 Year Term (4/12 - 4/13)
* 1 Year Sobriety
- Back-up Greeter
Barb G
*1 year term (4/12 - 4/13)
*1 year sobriety
- Listkeeper
Gigi D
*2 year term (1 year as back-up; 1 year as primary listkeeper) (4/12 - 4/13)
*2 year sobriety
- Back-up Listkeeper
Laura Brendon
* 2 year term (1 year as back-up; 1 year as primary listkeeper) (4/12 - 4/14)
* 2 years sobriety
- Weekly Leader Listkeeper
Nancy C
*1 year term (4/12 - 4/13)
*6 months sobriety
- Temporary Mentor
Lisa J
*1 year term
*1 year sobriety
All position guidelines can be found on the GROW website at http://www.g-r-o-w.com in the *members section*
Username: sobertoday
Password: how2484
Upper right side "Trusted Servants" click on "Descriptions of trusted servants position".
Per the Membership List, we currently have 286 members, up from 276 in October, and 269 in April 2011. Since October, 93 members have been unsubscribed from the group (a total of 163 for the year).
The only real problem we encountered was that in December, I experienced ISP problems for what seemed like an eternity. Gigi handled my duties admirably and efficiently while I was helpless to deal with GROW mail. We had no mail problems with our List Service.
I feel very confident about turning the reins over to Gigi as Listkeeper. She is an excellent communicator, very positive, dedicated to GROW, and knows the job very well. (We took turns handling the Listkeeper's job week-about as part of her training and that worked out very well for the both of us). I know you will give Gigi the same kind of love, help, support and encouragement that you have shown me.
I'd like to thank our great Team of Greeters - Laurie C., & Melanye C. - for all their work done during the past year. We worked very well together without any hitches and I am going to miss dealing with them on an almost-daily basis.
It's been a pleasure and honour to have served you for the last 2 years as Back-up Listkeeper and Listkeeper. Thank you all for this opportunity and your faith and trust in me to perform the jobs.
Hugs,
Laura G.
Outgoing Listkeeper
We have had a busy six months!!
| Month | Prospects | Subs |
| Oct | 16 | 12 |
| Nov | 23 | 18 |
| Dec | 18 | 12 |
| Jan | 28 | 22 |
| Feb | 16 | 10 |
| Mar | 31 | 17 |
| Total | 129 | 91 |
submitted by Greeters Melanye C and Laurie C
This was the first year for this position and in my opinion it has been a great success. A mentor has two letters to send to the new member. One a day or so after she first joins and then if there is no response a week letter send letter #2. I have only rarely had to send the 2nd letter. I have had great response to the first letter and have built rapport with new members and I truly believe that it was a great idea to implement this service position.
Respectfully submitted
Jean L.
Temporary Mentor
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Summary of 1st 4-day Session (ending April 13)
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1.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision concerning information provided by our Treasurer, Lori, concerning a monthly service charge which has been added to GROW's checking account.
The consensus from the group was that paying a $5.00 monthly service charge is reasonable to maintain a checking account for GROW. However, our Treasurer, (who has been in the process of moving to a new home) had very recently moved her own checking account to a credit union, and moved the GROW account, as well, and there is no monthly service charge at this institution. All who expressed an opinion were in agreement with this change.
The Proposal to pay (if needed) a monthly service fee on the GROW checking account is APPROVED.
2.1 Proposal to combine the General Service Representative (GSR) and Online Intergroup Alcoholics Anonymous Representative (OIAA) positions which would then be handled by one person.
We did NOT reach consensus on this Proposal.
- Some members who had held one or both of these positions responded that it is a good idea to have one volunteer cover both positions, unless we have ample volunteers in which case each position could be handled individually.
- Several members responded that they had never held these positions and could not comment about whether they should be handled by one person.
- One member felt that a Trusted Servant should not hold two positions at the same time, as it is not fair to the membership as a whole.
- Our current OIAA rep says that she has held each position at different times and both at the same time (to fill in) and feels that one person can easily handle both.
- Our current GSR indicated she is willing to give it a try if we can "revisit" the topic if the task becomes too much for one person to handle.
Since we did not arrive at consensus on this Proposal, the Chair suggests that we REPHRASE the Proposal and see if we can get complete agreement.
The new Proposal will be listed as: "Proposal 2.2 - If it is found that the group does not have sufficient volunteers for all open Trusted Servant positions, one person may handle the General Service Representative (GSR) and Online Intergroup Alcoholics Anonymous Representative (OIAA) positions at the same time."
3.1 Proposal to accept or amend the format (created by our outgoing Weekly Leader Listkeeper, Laura B) which will include the particular Step and Tradition topic for each month and will be sent out each month by the Weekly Leader Listkeeper.
In our October 2011 Business Meeting, it was approved that Laura B would prepare formats for each of the Steps and Traditions which will be combined into one email, and we will now consider the formats that have been prepared, and approve or amend same for our use.
We have consensus that this Proposal be APPROVED, as amended (with typos* corrected and a minor rephrase**), to be used by our Weekly Leader Listkeepers. Everyone extended thanks to Laura B for her fine work in the preparation of these formats.
Typos: ~~ Correct Spelling ~~
- In Tradition 3 . in the phrase "Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse non." ~~ replace word with "none". In the same paragraph, the word "provide" should be changed to "provided".
- In Tradition 9 . in the phrase . "They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the receives ." ~~ replace word with "receivers". Further research about the third suggested spelling correction revealed that the original spelling was correct (i.e. principle vs principal).
- Step 1 . eliminate the words "I think" in the phrase: . "found that he was powerless over alcohol and that his life was unmanageable and ***I think***
- Chapter 3, `More About Alcoholism'.."It was also suggested that the corresponding page numbers in the 12 & 12 (where the Step or Tradition begins) be included in the formats.
4.1 Proposal that the Secretary send private reminder message(s) to members who do not comply with the Mail List Etiquette when sending messages to the group; i.e. Email programs should be set to send and receive plain text - not html.
This is proposed because it can be very difficult to read emails that are sent in 5.5 or 8.0 fonts and/or in color.
We did NOT reach consensus on this Proposal.
- Though some members were in agreement that the Secretary should send reminder messages to members as described above, several members expressed that they (1) did not know how to change the format of their email, (2) preferred to use color and symbols to express themselves in their share, (3) preferred to use html format and did not want to have to go to the trouble to, or did not remember to, change to plain text format before sending something to GROW.
- It was also suggested that if we are not going to insist on plain text formatting, the Mail List Etiquette message to the group should be changed.
- Laura G and Paige provided instructions for changing the email formats.
- Lisa J suggested a "middle way" ~ "Could we ask posters to try to keep the format of their messages as simple as possible (i.e., avoid colors, unusual fonts, emoticons, etc.)?"
Since we did not reach consensus on Proposal 4.1, we will have an additional four (4) days of discussion to try to reach agreement.
5.1 Proposal to verify that volunteers for TS positions meet the minimum sobriety requirements as posted in the Job Descriptions for the various positions.
We have consensus on NOT accepting this Proposal and it is DECLINED.
The overwhelming response was that in AA we are on the honor system, and no attempt to "verify" or "enforce" minimum sobriety requirements should be made.
6.1 Proposal to begin posting the meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday.
We have consensus on this Proposal and it is APPROVED that we begin posting the meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning.
7.1 Proposal It is proposed that GROW require/suggest that new comers participate in sharing at our meetings. This Proposal is based on the observation that there are many who join our group and do not participate by sharing, and that perhaps these members should be contacted and if there is no response, their names should be removed from the group roster.
We have consensus on NOT accepting this Proposal and it is DECLINED.
- Many expressed sadness that more people in our group do not regularly share, however everyone felt that a Proposal such as this would violate AA Traditions.
- It was suggested that if a newcomer has not shared in about a month, perhaps the Temporary Mentor (if this is not already being done) could contact her to encourage her to share and see if she needs assistance.
- Additionally, one of our Greeters reminded us that when they send out the first GROW Meeting to a newcomer, the letter encourages her to "Please feel free to share on it [the topic] or on anything that you would like to share with us, or you may choose to just `listen' .."
8.1 Proposal It is proposed that the Sponsor Listkeeper contact each member on the list of individuals who are willing to sponsor, to ensure that each individual is still "active" in GROW and interested in and willing to participate in our group.
This Proposal is suggested because there are individuals included on the sponsor list who do not seem to participate in weekly discussions. Such contact by the Sponsor Listkeeper would be done only for those individuals who do not participate. The intent of the Proposal is to ensure that a sponsor list that is put out by GROW does, to the best of our ability, contain individuals who are familiar with, supportive of, and compliant with GROW guidelines.
We do NOT have complete consensus on this Proposal.
- Though the Proposal was generally accepted, there were some suggestions that we may want to incorporate in appropriate Job Descriptions.
- Everyone thought it was a good idea for the Sponsor Listkeeper to periodically check with the ladies on the Sponsor List to ensure they want to continue offering that service, especially if they do not share on a regular basis.
- Though some agreed that if someone wants to sponsor, they should be regularly sharing in the group meetings, others expressed that they personally read all the emails and may not share, but they still consider that they are participating in GROW ~ that is, it should not matter if someone participates regularly or not.
- It was suggested that when the Listkeeper unsubs someone, she should also check the Sponsor List to see if that person happens to be listed there, so the name can be deleted there, as well.
Since we did not reach consensus on Proposal 8.1, we will have an additional four (4) days of discussion to try to reach agreement.
If you have additions or corrections to this Summary, please email me privately at your earliest convenience, so I can share that with the group.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan G
Business Chair
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Summary of 2nd 4-day Session
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Thank you for your continued participation in this important work for our GROW group! You have been very responsive and efficient in handling the business before us.
What follows is a summary of the comments regarding each Proposal that was discussed in the 2nd 4-day Session. If you feel that I have not accurately summarized any of the discussions, please advise me privately as soon as practical.
Proposal 2.2 - If it is found that the group does not have sufficient volunteers for all open Trusted Servant positions, one person may handle the General Service Representative (GSR) and Online Intergroup Alcoholics Anonymous Representative (OIAA) positions at the same time."
The consensus of the group was in favor of this Proposal, as stated -- that is, if we do not have enough volunteers to cover both positions, we can have one volunteer handle both GSR and OIAA positions. There were no opinions expressed against this Proposal.
Four ladies commented that we should combine the two positions (GSR & OIAA Rep) permanently. It is suggested that, if desired, this be raised as a Proposal at the October 2012 Business Meeting.
Though a suggestion was made that our Rotating Back-Up (RBU) could cover one of these positions, if needed, our present RBU clarified that these positions are not covered by the RBU.
4.1 Proposal that the Secretary send private reminder message(s) to members who do not comply with the Mail List Etiquette when sending messages to the group; i.e. Email programs should be set to send and receive plain text -- not html." This is proposed because it can be very difficult to read emails that are sent in 5.5 or 8.0 fonts and/or in color.
We were provided with a history lesson about the origins of our Mail List Etiquette which requests that messages be sent in "plain text" and, it was concluded that those software and email program constraints no longer exist, and that we should adapt our guidelines accordingly. Ten of eighteen respondents suggested lifting the requirement to use plain text, and the other eight respondents were in agreement to have the Mail List Etiquette request a "middle ground" -- that is, request that members use a conservative font in size 12 or 14 in either black or blue color. Quite a few members suggested that the plain text requirement be lifted. One member asked if "readability" had been raised as an issue.
We have consensus that the Mail List Etiquette and the Greeter # 1 letter be revised to remove the requirement of the use of plain text in messages. Rather, we should include language that requests that members use a conservative font in a size 12 or 14, in black or blue color.
8.1 Proposal It is proposed that the Sponsor Listkeeper contact each member on the list of individuals who are willing to sponsor, to ensure that each individual is still "active" in GROW and interested in and willing to participate in our group. This Proposal is suggested because there are individuals included on the sponsor list who do not seem to participate in weekly discussions. Such contact by the Sponsor Listkeeper would be done only for those individuals who do not participate. The intent of the Proposal is to ensure that a sponsor list that is put out by GROW does, to the best of our ability, contain individuals who are familiar with, supportive of, and compliant with GROW guidelines.
We have consensus on the Proposal that the Sponsor Listkeeper periodically check with members on the list to ensure they are still active in GROW and available to sponsor.
Though some shared the opinion that if someone wants to sponsor, they should be regularly sharing in the group meetings, others expressed that they personally read all the emails and may not share, but they still consider that they are participating in GROW ~ that is, it should not matter if someone participates regularly or not. Though it was acknowledged that members might be more likely to select a Sponsor based on her shares, many expressed that we should not be involved with "policing" how much or how often anyone shares. If a member wants to have this issue addressed further, it can be brought up in the October 2012 Business Meeting.
It was suggested that when the Listkeeper unsubs someone, she should also check the Sponsor List to see if that person happens to be listed there, so she can advise the Sponsor Listkeeper to delete the name there, as well.
If there are no objections, it is recommended that this can be done informally for the next few months (as had been done by a previous Listkeeper), and if advisable, it can be set as an agenda item to formally modify the appropriate Job Description(s).
If you have additions or corrections to this Summary, please email me privately at your earliest convenience, so I can share that with the group.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan G
Business Chair
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FINAL Summary and Adjournment
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This Final Summary concludes the GROW April 2012 Business Meeting.
Thank you all again for your participation!! See you in October!
1.1 Proposal for discussion and a decision concerning information provided by our Treasurer, Lori, concerning a monthly service charge which has been added to GROW's checking account.
The Proposal to pay (if needed) a monthly service fee on the GROW checking account was APPROVED.
2.2 Proposal - If it is found that the group does not have sufficient volunteers for all open Trusted Servant positions, one person may handle the General Service Representative (GSR) and Online Intergroup Alcoholics Anonymous Representative (OIAA) positions at the same time."
The consensus of the group was in favor of this Proposal, as stated.
Four ladies commented that we should combine the two positions (GSR & OIAA Rep) permanently. It is suggested that, if desired, this be raised as a Proposal at the October 2012 Business Meeting.
Though a suggestion was made that our Rotating Back-Up (RBU) could cover one of these positions, if needed, our present RBU clarified that these positions are not covered by the RBU.
3.1 Proposal to accept or amend the format (created by our outgoing Weekly Leader Listkeeper, Laura B) which will include the particular Step and Tradition topic for each month and will be sent out each month by the Weekly Leader Listkeeper.
In our October 2011 Business Meeting, it was approved that Laura B would prepare formats for each of the Steps and Traditions which will be combined into one email, and we will now consider the formats that have been prepared, and approve or amend same for our use.
We have consensus that this Proposal be APPROVED, as amended (with typos* corrected and a minor rephrase**), to be used by our Weekly Leader Listkeepers. Everyone extended thanks to Laura B for her fine work in the preparation of these formats.
4.2 Proposal that the Secretary send private reminder message(s) to members who do not comply with the Mail List Etiquette when sending messages to the group; i.e. Email programs should be set to send and receive plain text -- not html."
This is proposed because it can be very difficult to read emails that are sent in 5.5 or 8.0 fonts and/or in color.
We did have consensus that, given that email programs have changed considerably since those guidelines were put into effect, we should drop the requirement for "plain text" in emails and eliminate the requirement that line length be set to no more than 80 characters. Rather, we will request (in our Mail List Etiquette guidelines) that members use conservative fonts, in a size 12 or 14, in black or blue color. Our Greeter # 1 Letter will be modified in the same manner.
5.1 Proposal to verify that volunteers for TS positions meet the minimum sobriety requirements as posted in the Job Descriptions for the various positions.
We have consensus on NOT accepting this Proposal and it is DECLINED. The overwhelming response was that in AA we are on the honor system, and no attempt to "verify" or "enforce" minimum sobriety requirements should be made.
6.1 Proposal to begin posting the meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday.
We have consensus on this Proposal and it is APPROVED that we begin posting the meeting on Saturday, no later than Sunday morning.
We will "revisit" this topic in our October 2012 Business Meeting to discuss possible modification of our website and literature to reflect this change.
7.1 Proposal It is proposed that GROW require/suggest that new comers participate in sharing at our meetings.
This Proposal is based on the observation that there are many who join our group and do not participate by sharing, and that perhaps these members should be contacted and if there is no response, their names should be removed from the group roster.
We have consensus on NOT accepting this Proposal and it is DECLINED.
8.2 Proposal It is proposed that the Sponsor Listkeeper contact each member on the list of individuals who are willing to sponsor, to ensure that each individual is still "active" in GROW and interested in and willing to participate in our group.
This Proposal is suggested because there are individuals included on the sponsor list who do not seem to participate in weekly discussions. Such contact by the Sponsor Listkeeper would be done only for those individuals who do not participate. The intent of the Proposal is to ensure that a sponsor list that is put out by GROW does, to the best of our ability, contain individuals who are familiar with, supportive of, and compliant with GROW guidelines.
We did have consensus that the Sponsor Listkeeper should periodically check with each member of the Sponsor list to ensure they continue to want to sponsor, to ensure that newcomers are not given names of individuals who may not be responsive to their request for sponsorship.
It was agreed that the Listkeeper and Sponsor Listkeeper will coordinate to ensure that when someone unsubs, if that person is listed on the Sponsor List, her name will be deleted there, as well.
The GROW Business Meeting for April 2012 is hereby adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan G
Business Chair