Results of Voting on Proposal 6 (change “URLs” to “links”)
Ten people voted on Proposal 6.5, all of them supporting the proposal. The vote was unanimous.
Therefore, Proposal 6 is adopted as a Group Conscience decision.
Group Conscience decision:
Change the reference to “URLs” in the Weekly Lead Format letter and the GROW Mail List Guidelines to “links.”
Results of Voting on Proposal 7 (Webkeeper Exemption)
Twelve people voted on Proposal 7, all of them supporting the proposal. The vote was unanimous.
Therefore, Proposal 7 is adopted as a Group Conscience decision.
Group Conscience decision: For the Webkeeper position, approve in advance a one-time exemption from the requirement for having served a full term as Webkeeper Backup when a volunteer meets all other requirements for the position.
Summary of Discussions on Proposal 5 (links to AA meetings on Zoom)
In addition to comments made during the third 3-day session, seven (7) participants commented during our second three days on Proposal 5 that would allow links to AA meetings on Zoom. One member suggested forming an Ad Hoc group that might post Off Topic messages about Zoom meetings to get a sense of how members would respond or to act as an example to members of how to do it. A few members supported this suggestion; however, no proposal was offered to establish such a group. Certainly, participants in this business meeting are encouraged to share Zoom meetings (meeting name, ID, password) as off topic messages at any time.
One participant asked if GROW members have asked for this information and observed it was more likely that GROW members want to share the information on groups they like – recommend them to GROW members. She pointed out that OIAA has a huge directory of online meetings and that OIAA invests a huge effort in keeping that listing updated. She suggested that there may not be a need for GROW to duplicate the information available elsewhere but that we might refer members to the OIAA listing or other sources. She did not think a new webpage was needed since there are already pages that offer information and “who to contact” help in both the members’ section and the About AA page in the public area. She also suggested that our 12th Step Volunteers might be a valuable resource of this information for those who share about wanting info on Zoom AA meetings.
Another participant suggested that a short and simple monthly reminder might been good to remind our members that they can share information about AA meetings on Zoom and what form that information should take.
There seemed to be general agreement that we should postpone posting the information on the website at this time. Several felt that we may know more in April 2021 about our members’ needs and whether to post this information on our website.
There was not a general consensus about whether the FYI Letter is a proper vehicle for letting members know they can post Off Topic messages referring AA meetings on Zoom by presenting the group name and the Zoom ID and password. Several members felt the FYI Letter was not the appropriate place. However, there did seem to be a consensus that Off Topic posts about AA meetings on Zoom are acceptable.
In order to bring this proposal to a vote, it should be revised to reflect all comments. Our Business Meeting Guidelines state that “If any item on the agenda has not reached a 2/3 majority vote by the 17th day of the business meeting, the item is tabled and held over to the next scheduled business meeting.” There is not enough time left in this meeting to complete the process (of discussing a revised proposal, voting on it, entertaining a Minority Opinion, holding a re-vote, and finalizing the Group Conscience) before or on the 17th day of our meeting.
Therefore, the Chair will table this proposal and hold it for consideration in the April 2021 business meeting.
In the meeting summary that goes to the GROW mail list and in a separate message, the Chair will highlight our consensus that members should be able to post their recommendations for AA meetings on Zoom, emphasizing that links are prohibited but that posting the name of the meeting and the ID and password are acceptable.
This was the fifth and last 3-day session of our business meeting. Thank you all for participating in our October 2020 business meeting. YOU have made it a productive smooth-running meeting! Your comments were insightful and very helpful for our decision-making.