Brief Descriptions of Trusted Servant Positions

Brief Descriptions of Trusted Servant Positions

(to be used instead of position descriptions when announcing vacancies)

Links to Text:
12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper
Birthday Listkeeper
Sponsor Listkeeper
Business Meeting Chair
General Services Rep (GSR)
Grapevine Rep (GVR)
Greeters
Listkeepers
OIAA Rep
Secretary
Temporary Mentor
Topic Archivist
Treasurer
Website Administrator
Webkeeper
Weekly Meeting Listkeeper

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Full Text of Brief Descriptions

12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper

GROW’s 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper is a member with at least one of sobriety and has been a member of GROW for at least a year. She serves a six-month term. The 12th Step Listkeeper assures that members who are struggling in sobriety have support from our members. Her primary duties include reading all emails, determining who may need extra support, and forwarding the emails as a “12th Step Call” to the 12th Step volunteers. Each month, she verifies that volunteers want to continue in that role and sends the “12th Step Opportunity Letter” to ask for more volunteers.

From a previous 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper

Serving in this position has been an honor and a joy. This is one of the few Trusted Servant positions that focuses on our new members, especially those who are also new to sobriety. When a member’s share reveals that she is struggling with picking up a drink or with another issue that threatens her sobriety, the 12th Step Listkeeper sends a “12th Step Call” note to women on her volunteer list to assure that the member gets support. It takes less than a minute to send out that notice. The greatest workload comes with reading the daily messages through GROW’s mailing list. I didn’t have to follow up to be sure the volunteers acted on the notice. I am grateful that I was able to be of service in this position and would cheerfully do it again.

You can write to Julie K, the current 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper, with questions about this position.


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Birthday Listkeeper

GROW’s Birthday Listkeeper lets our membership know when someone is celebrating their sober anniversary. Members who have six months or more of sobriety can serve as Birthday Listkeeper for a six-month term. Each month, she invites members to submit their date of sobriety for the coming month. Then, on the day of a member’s anniversary, she announces the birthday, giving the celebrant’s sober age and e-mail address so that members can send private greetings. She also invites the birthday girl to share her personal story with GROW. At the end of the month, the Birthday Listkeeper sends a message listing all celebrants for that month and the total amount of sobriety their anniversaries represent. The person serving in this role should be able to use e-mail and maintain current lists of celebrants.

From a former Trusted Servant:

If you are looking for a way to be of service but do not have a lot of free time to give, then the birthday list keeper is a great position. I have enjoyed seeing each lady celebrate another sobriety birthday. This disease wins too many times. When I have an opportunity to share another person’s sobriety birthday, I am reminded that the disease of addiction can be managed and I am so blessed to be a recovering alcoholic.

You can write to Susie J, the current Birthday Listkeeper, with questions about this position.


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Sponsor Listkeeper

The Sponsor Listkeeper position requires one year of sobriety and is a one-year term. She must also have been a member of GROW for at least six months. Her duties include maintaining a list of GROW members willing to be sponsors, updating the list as needed (adding and/or deleting names), sending the list to a member who requests one. She also asks Grow each month if anyone is interested in becoming a sponsor or would like to be taken off the sponsor list. This position requires access to GROW email on a daily basis and email proficiency.

From the current Trusted Servant:

I send out a prewritten form four times a month, each is different. I maintain the list of women who are willing to sponsor, solicit new volunteers, confirm who would like to stay on the list monthly and send out the list to the membership. I get requests from new members for the list which I send back to them.

This is a very easy way to perform service to the group. Takes very minimal time weekly.

If you have questions about this position, you can write to  Lynn H to get more information.


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Business Meeting Chair

GROW’s Business Meeting Chair moderates our biannual business meetings in April and October. The person serving in this two-year position must have five years of sobriety and one year membership in GROW. She prepares the agenda based on input from our members and is expected to keep members focused on agenda items and assures that business adheres to a schedule of 3-day sessions.

The Business Chair invites GROW members to submit their ideas for ways to improve our e-mail AA meeting and assists in preparing proposals to implement those ideas. She is responsible for presenting, facilitating discussions, calling for votes, announcing the voting results for each proposal as well as preparing summaries for each 3-day session. She also calls for reports by Trusted Servants that are presented at the beginning of each meeting. The Business Chair works closely with the webkeepers to assure that our website documents our meetings by posting reports, notes on each 3-day session, and final group conscience decisions. She is also a member of the “Mini” Steering Committee that handles issues that arise between business meetings.

The workload for the Business Meeting Chair is intense during the April and October meetings and moderate in the month before the meeting. Her workload is very light the rest of the year.

From the outgoing Trusted Servant:

Having served as Business Meeting Chair for two two-year terms, I have to admit that it’s a mix of very hard work and tremendous personal rewards. During the two business meetings each year, I’ve struggled to manage the workload while also living my life. Based on my experience, it’s not for people who have young families or demanding jobs. It can be stressful. Having said that, the Business Chair has little to do most of the year, with the workload peak coming in March and April and then September and October. Serving in this position has brought personal growth because I’ve learned how to remain neutral even when I have strong personal opinions, to respect others’ opinions, and to trust a Higher Power to guide our group decisions. There is a tremendous feeling of satisfaction in managing a successful business meeting that supports all of our members’ sobriety.

You can contact danna M if you have questions or want to learn more about the position.


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Grapevine Representative

The Grapevine Representative serves a one-year term after having one year of sobriety and having been a member of GROW for one year. Among her duties are leading one meeting per month on a taken from the Grapevine magazine. She also posts a form letter each month to GROW’s members outlining useful tools and tips from the Grapevine and a link to the magazine’s calendar. The Grapevine Rep is provided with a one-year subscription to the Grapevine in order to fulfill these duties.


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Greeters

GROW’s Greeter has at least one year of sobriety and serves a two-year term; the first year being trained by the previous Greeter and the second year training the incoming Greeter. The length of time in GROW needed to qualify for this position has not been specified. The workload of a Greeter cannot be determined beforehand, other than that she must be able to read GROW email daily and respond accordingly, i.e.., respond to inquiries, notify Listkeepers of new members, introduce a new member to GROW, respond to new members’ queries, and inform the 12th Step Listkeeper when a new member needs support.

From the current Trusted Servant:

We send information to prospective members who have inquired about GROW. When they provide a little information about themselves, we send an introductory a welcome letter and the current topic to them. Then we introduce the new member to the group. For each new member, we send a total of four emails. 

In order to do this job, you should be familiar with how to use email and how to cut and paste text between documents. It takes about five minutes to handle a request, although the number of requests can vary from day to day. We normally check our email about two or three times a day to be sure all inquiries are handled promptly. Being a Greeter for GROW is a great way of being of service to our group.

You can contact Diane L or De W for more information about these positions.


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General Services Representative (GSR)

GROW’s General Service Representative (GSR) is our contact person with AA’s General Service Office (GSO) and for the International Meeting Directory. Serving a two-year term, members who have two years of sobriety qualify for this Trusted Servant position. She provides information about GROW as requested by the GSO. She also keeps GROW members informed about GSO activities, AA conferences and conventions, and the GSO’s newsletter (Box 4-5-9). She is GROW’s reference source for information and guidance about applying the 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts in our meeting.

From a previous Trusted Servant:

I served GROW as the General Service Representative from October 2020 to October 2021. GSRs are encouraged to attend Area Assemblies, their county general service meeting, their district meeting and, of course, their home group’s business meeting.

The GSR is perhaps the most important role in AA. Through their GSR, each group has a voice and a vote in larger AA matters. This connection helps keep AA unified, both in practically and spiritually.

AA’s triangle represents recovery (12 steps), service (12 concepts), and unity (12 traditions). In our area, we often wear a pin that says, “service is the secret”. Service has saved my life when the other two legacies were suffering. I encourage group members to consider taking this position.

It’s a little confusing at first because it’s a different aspect of Alcoholics Anonymous. Have you ever wondered where your dollar goes or how changes in the books come about? Feel free to reply with any questions. I am more than happy to connect you with your local district & area and guide you through the process. Who knows?! You may even find a service sponsor through this commitment.

You can write to Theresa B, the previous GSR, with questions about this position.


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Greeters
Each of GROW’s Greeters have at least one year of sobriety and serve a two-year term: the first year being trained by the previous Greeter and the second year training the incoming Greeter. The length of time in GROW needed to qualify for this position has not been specified. The workload of a Greeter cannot be determined beforehand, other than that she must be able to read GROW email daily and respond accordingly, i.e.., respond to inquiries, notify Listkeepers of new members, introduce a new member to GROW, respond to new members’ queries, and inform the 12th Step Listkeeper when a new member needs support.

From the current Trusted Servant

We send information to prospective members who have inquired about GROW. When they provide a little information about themselves, we send an introductory a welcome letter and the current topic to them. Then we introduce the new member to the group. For each new member, we send a total of four emails.

In order to do this job, you should be familiar with how to use email and how to cut and paste text between documents. It takes about five minutes to handle a request, although the number of requests can vary from day to day. We normally check our email about two or three times a day to be sure all inquiries are handled promptly. Being a Greeter for GROW is a great way of being of service to our group.

You can contact Diane L or De W for more information about this position.


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Listkeepers

GROW’s Listkeeper(s) must have two years of sobriety and at least one year membership in GROW. Each serves a two-year term: the first year being trained and the second year training the Listkeeper Alternate. Our Listkeepers have used a job-sharing approach where they alternate responsibility for the job for a week on and a week off.

The Listkeepers handle an average of four to five requests per week from potential new members. They also work closely with the Greeters to assure new members are introduced to GROW promptly. They handle occasional requests to unsubscribe and change email addresses of existing members and troubleshoot technical issues like ‘bounced’ emails.

The Listkeepers are Grow’s liaison with the service that hosts our mailing list. They send a monthly letter to Grow that gives information on how members can manage their own Grow accounts as well as the number of members and subscribes/unsubscribes there have been that month. The Listkeepers also manage the mailing list for our bi-annual business meetings each April and October.

Working with the Business Meeting Chair and Secretary, they are also members of the “Mini-Steering Committee” that addresses issues that arise between business meetings. The Listkeepers must read Grow email every day and have experience with managing Internet mailing lists.

From the current Trusted Servant:

I have found being part of the Listkeeper Greeter team to be hugely rewarding, doing service at the coalface of Grow and feeling the connection of serving alongside others. There is always someone experienced within the team of 4 (2 Listkeepers, 2 Greeters) so you’re never on your own.

Serving in this role has meant I check my emails at least once each morning and each evening on my week on, but processing anything takes a few seconds. The only skills needed are to be able to type and to move between a website and your email. It’s possible to do the entire role from a smartphone or device but of course can be done on a PC or laptop.

Every new inquiry reminds me of where I was at the beginning of this journey, increasing my desire to help newcomers.

If you have questions about this position, you can write Sophie F (Listkeeper) or Susan P (Listkeeper Alternate) for more information.


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OIAA Representative

GROW’s representative to the Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA) is our link to AA’s online community. Members with two years of sobriety are qualified to serve in this one-year position. She casts GROW’s vote in OIAA’s elections and represents GROW’s interests in their business meetings. Working through the Steering Committee and in our biannual business meetings, she keeps the group informed of discussions that could affect GROW or the online AA community. Through our business meetings, she also gets feedback on issues that she then presents to OIAA. The OIAA Rep submits reports on OIAA activities at each GROW business meeting.

The OIAA Representative’s workload is light but may vary depending on her desire to participate in OIAA activities. She should have reliable Internet access and computer skills sufficient to fulfill her duties.

From the Current Trusted Servant:

Being the OIAA Rep does not take up a lot of time. The main requirement is sending a list of members at the end of each month. A lot of the correspondence is welcoming new members to OIAA and some emails about OIAA members wanting clarity on something. OIAA recently sent out the budget for 2022 (what’s needed to keep going, donations, etc.). I applied to be on the finance committee. There is always something more to do if you want to do more.

You can write to Theresa B, the previous OIAA Rep, with questions about this position.


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Secretary

Members who have two years of sobriety and one year of membership in Grow qualify to serve in this one-year term as Secretary. The Secretary has three primary roles. Her major duty is announcing vacancies and maintaining the current list of Trusted Servants. She is also the focal point when Grow members have complaints about the e-mail meeting or other members’ conduct. She is also the contact point and lead for actions to address issues when a Trusted Servant does not fulfill the duties in her position description. Every other year, the Secretary conducts a Group Inventory as outlined in AA’s guidelines.

Each month, the Secretary sends the FYI Letter and GROW Mail List Guidelines to assure members are aware of our policies and know how to reach our Trusted Servants. At the beginning of each Grow Business Meeting in April and October, she notifies members of outgoing and incoming Trusted Servants and provides an updated list of all Trusted Servants. The Secretary is also a member of the “Mini” Steering Committee that handles issues that arise between business meetings.

The Secretary’s workload is light most of the year but heavy in the months before the April and October business meetings. Her skills should include being organized, timely in carrying out her duties, and proficient in using email.

From a prior Trusted Servant:

As GROW’s Secretary, I was primarily responsible for assuring our Trusted Servant positions were filled and for keeping an up-to-date list of current Trusted Servants. This involved announcing vacancies and then announcing when those vacancies were filled. Part of this included working with Trusted Servants and Grow members to fill the vacancies. While I had other duties, managing Trusted Servant positions was by far the most demanding. My workload was greater during the months of March and September. I hesitated in volunteering for this job because I feared it would be too demanding, but I’ve found that the workload is usually light. When it’s heavier before the business meetings, other Trusted Servants have been willing to offer their help. Serving as GROW’s Secretary was a rewarding experience and helped me get to know many of our members better. It gave me a better understanding of how both our group and AA in general work. I would be happy to serve in this position again.

If you have questions about this position, you can write to Mary O, our current Secretary.


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Temporary Mentor

The Temporary Mentor will have one year of sobriety, be a member of GROW for at least one year, and serve a one-year term. She works with members new to sobriety to assure they have support from at least one recovering alcoholic. She contacts new members with information about available AA resources and offers her personal assistance and guidance, including helping them find a sponsor and how GROW works. Her workload will vary depending on the amount of support new members request and is not predictable. She is required to be able to read GROW email on a daily basis to assure her support is timely. Once a month she’ll send an email to all members reminding them of available AA resources. The skills needed for this position include email proficiency and the ability to access AA information as needed.

From a previous Temporary Mentor:

I found serving as Temporary Mentor to be a fun, satisfying job. Although we’re an online meeting, I thought of myself as the person at a face-to-face meeting who the greeter would point to and say, “That’s Julie. She’ll be happy to give you the lay of the land, answer any questions you have, and help you settle in comfortably.” This was the perfect vehicle to become more involved at GROW, and to let newcomers know they are welcomed, the way that I was. Temporary Mentor was the perfect amount of service stretch for me. Everything I needed was provided, even including letter templates, and the workload was light, perhaps half an hour a day and not even that most days, and it easily flexed into my daily plans. Honestly, I got at least as much out of it as I hope our newcomers did.

You can contact Julie K if you have questions or want to hear more about her experience.


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Treasurer

The Treasurer’s position is a two-year term with a light workload throughout the year. The Treasurer must be a member of GROW for a minimum of two years and have at least two years of sobriety. Duties include maintaining GROW’s checking and PayPal accounts, sending out a weekly ‘pass the basket/7th tradition’ email requesting contributions of all members, reporting Treasury status at the April and October business meetings, paying group expenses, and making contributions in GROW’s name to GSO and OIAA. This position requires experience managing a checking account, knowledge of PayPal and how to transfer money online, email proficiency, and the ability to provide a bi-annual Treasury report.

From the current Trusted Servant

The treasurer’s position to me is pretty light. The work comes intermittently.

I send out the Pass the Basket Letter every Sunday. The first time I was Treasurer, I opened a Paypal account and an online bank account that is dormant I until am Treasurer again. I deposit checks to the bank as they come in. With Paypal, I don’t have to do anything until it’s time for the Business Meeting. Before the Business Meetings, I calculate a monthly total for GROW’s deposits. I pay our bills and then set aside $122 for our Prudent Reserve. Of what remains, 80% goes to GSO and 20% to OIAA. I prepare a brief Treasurers report for the Business Meeting, which is the busiest this position gets. It takes about an hour, but you could probably reduce that time by calculating totals every month instead of doing it all at one time for the Business Meeting.

As I’m writing this out it sounds much more labor-intensive than it actually is. Of all the service positions there are in GROW, it is one of the most flexible. Because my husband and I RV full-time, there are times I have no or limited internet. The flexibility of this position allows me to hold a service position for GROW. Being of Service has always been important to me. I know that any AA group cannot survive without people volunteering to serve. I also know that being of service helps keep my ego in check and reminds me of how much I owe my sobriety to AA and all of the alcoholics that have gone before me. Giving a small amount of my time is such a small price to pay for the life AA affords me today!

You can contact Cheryl B if you have questions or want more information on this position.


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Website Administrator

GROW’s website administrator serves a five-year term. In order to qualify for this position, she should have served one full term as Webkeeper of the GROW website. She should have been a member of GROW for four years and have at least four years of sobriety. The Website Administrator manages the WordPress database underlying our website and oversees and assists the Webkeeper and Topic Archivist in populating the website. She is our main contact with oso-aa.org, which hosts both our mailing list and website.

The Web Admin is co-owner of the GROW website along with the Webkeeper. She works with the Treasurer to ensure website fees are paid. She oversees and provides technical support to the Webkeeper to assure that Group Conscience decisions are posted to our website. She also maintains a back-up of the website.

Due to our business meetings, the Web Admin’s busiest times are during April and October, although most of her duties are ongoing. The Website Administrator should be experienced with the WordPress software, including managing a WordPress database and additional plug-ins. She should also be familiar with HTML coding. Being effective in this position will require that she be well-organized and able to respond promptly to requests for website changes.

From the current Trusted Servant:

The current Website Administrator’s term will end in October 2027 (five-year term). If you are interested in learning more about this position, or you would like to be trained to serve in this position, you can contact Cheryl D for more information.


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Webkeeper

GROW’s Webkeeper should have been a member of group and have at least one year of sobriety. She serves a term of five years. Our Webkeeper is responsible for maintaining the public and private sections of our website consistent with the specific topics outlined by Group Conscience for each section. She works closely with the Business Meeting Chair and Steering Committee to ensure that our group history is preserved in the private members’ section and is accessible to all GROW members.

She works with the Steering Committee when substantial changes to the website are being considered, including presenting needed changes and getting approval through the process for group conscience decisions at our business meeting. The Webkeeper posts all information related to our business meetings including Trusted Servant Reports, proposals, group conscience decisions, and meeting notes and minutes. Updates on business meetings are posted during and immediately after the meeting. The Webkeeper also ensures member anonymity throughout the website.

Workload ranges from light most of the year to heavy before and during business meetings. She should have some experience with WordPress and basic knowledge of HTML coding. In addition to having reliable Internet access, the Webkeeper should also be organized and timely in carrying out her duties.

From the current Trusted Servant:

Having been GROW’s Webkeeper in the past, I have to say that I love the new website and the WordPress software. It makes adding new information and editing existing text very easy, although it did take some time to learn how to use WordPress. Being somewhat of a computer geek, I’ve had fun being on the website team and updating my skills. The workload is light to moderate most of the year; however, before and during business meetings, it can get hectic to keep the information current. While experience with WordPress is a plus, I’ve found knowing HTML necessary for the job. For anyone with experience with websites, this is a great job!

The current Webkeeper’s term will end in October 2027 (five-year term). If you are interested in learning more about this position, or you would like to be trained to serve in this position, you can contact danna M for more information.


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Topic Archivist

The Topic Archivist is on the website team. Having been sober and a member of GROW for at least a year, she maintains the listing of Weekly Meeting Topics in the members’ section of the GROW website. She posts the meeting leader’s share each Sunday. Her workload is very light. The Topic Archivist should know how to use e-mail and will be trained at how to copy and paste text into our WordPress software.

From the current Trusted Servant:

Once I got the hang of doing this, I have found it quite easy to do.  Each week, normally Saturday evening or Sunday sometime, I locate the Welcome to the weekly meeting of GROW email, cut-and-paste the section with the meeting lead, then open the GROW WordPress website to make the weekly changes. I create a new topic posting using the meeting lead, and update the website.  From the time I have read through the meeting lead to completion of task and closing my window to the website takes less than fifteen minutes.

I enjoy doing this, it engages me regularly in the group, even if I have a lot of other things that may distract me from keeping up with the messages.  I find it pulls me back into reading the various shares from GROW members and finding more ways that this program can change me for the better.  I really do find that I grow with GROW.

You can contact Pat S with questions and to get more information on this position.


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Weekly Meeting Listkeeper

GROW’s Weekly Leader Listkeeper manages the process for getting out our weekly meeting lead each Sunday. Serving a one-year term, the person filling this role will have one year membership in Grow and at least six months of sobriety. Each month, she calls for volunteers to lead our meeting and publishes the list of upcoming leaders to our mailing list. Each week, she sends the meeting format to that week’s volunteer leader and gets their confirmation that they will get the meeting out timely.

She also maintains a list of women who will step in on short notice if the meeting is not published on time. The Weekly Leader Listkeeper assures that the first meeting topic/lead each month is for the appropriate Step and calls for shares on the appropriate Tradition during the month. The only specific skill needed is ability to use e-mail, but it is helpful if the person has strong organization skills since she manages a lot of information that changes often.

From the Current Trusted Servant:

This service position takes about 15 minutes to half an hour most weeks. At the beginning of the month, it may take up to an hour to organize the volunteers for meetings and send out confirmation emails. The biggest thing is to keep some sort of calendar or chart of upcoming leaders with dates and email addresses. Aside from that, most everything just involves cutting and pasting templates and then filling them in each week.

Working in this position has kept me closer to GROW and more actively involved in reading and sharing at meetings. I have also gotten to interact with members that I didn’t know before doing this position.

This service position, and service work in general, has helped me grow as far as finding ways to be useful and also to be able to stick with a commitment. It also brings me humility to know I’m helping the group in a behind the scenes way and not all out in the spotlight. It helps build my self-confidence and my communication skills. It also helps me to feel a part of the group instead of just a visitor or outsider.

As far as learning about myself, I’ve learned that it’s ok to be behind the scenes, I’ve learned that a lot of times fear really is “false evidence appearing real”, and I’ve learned that we have a really great group of women all with their own unique ESH to share. 

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2022 Group Inventory

2022 Group Inventory

November 2022

Questions
Summaries of Responses to Questions
Responses to Questions

Questions (links take you to responses)
Question 1: What is the basic purpose of the group?
Question 2: What more can the group do to carry the message?
Question 3: Do new members stick with us, or does the turnover seem excessive?
Question 4: Do we emphasize the importance of sponsorship? How effectively? How can we do better?
Question 5: Are we careful to preserve the anonymity of our group members and other A.A.’s outside the meeting rooms? Do we leave the confidences they share at meetings behind?
Question 6: Do we take the time to explain to all members the value to the group of following our guidelines of e-mail etiquette? As a member, am I familiar with and do I follow these guidelines?
Question 7: Are all members given the opportunity to speak at meetings and to participate in other group activities?
Question 8: Are we mindful that holding office is a great responsibility not to be viewed as the outcome of a popularity contest; are we choosing our officers with care?
Question 9: Does the group do its fair share toward participating in the purpose of A.A. – as it relates to our “Three Legacies” of Recovery, Unity and Service?
Question 10: As a group, do we remain informed about AA as a whole? Do we support, in every way we can AA as a whole or just the parts we understand and approve of?
Question 11: Are we considerate of all our members?
Question 12: As a group, have we done a thorough and fearless inventory, or have we missed an important element?

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Summaries of Responses to each Question

 

Summary of Responses to Question 1: What is the basic purpose of the group?

  • 23 GROW members responded to this question.
  • The majority (16 of the responses) gave an answer that reflected the AA Traditions and talked about our Primary Purpose, carrying the message and recovering from the disease of alcoholism.
  • Two members replied with additional ideas about the context of us being an email online group.
  • There were an additional number of thoughts shared that fell into a different category; these conveyed similar ideas to carrying the message and helping others achieve sobriety but were expressed in layman’s terms rather than AA language. These talked about our group and meeting as a “safe place” and a place offering support.
  • There was one response that directly suggested GROW create a mission statement to offer clarity to the new member, to help provide additional focus and unity for the group.

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Summary of Responses to Question 2: What more can the group do to carry the message?

  • 23 GROW members responded to this question.
  • Responses fell into four main groups of ideas:
  • Discussion about low participation in both service posts and sharing in the meetings.
  • Alternate meeting formats.
  • Praise for what GROW does well.
  • Word of mouth.
  • Just over half the responses praised GROW with many responding they felt we do enough and there’s not any more they could think of to do in carrying the message more. Many were specific in naming the things that GROW does well
  • Several ideas were put forward regarding the meeting format. One idea is to have literature based meetings (Big Book and Step) more regularly in lieu of the current general topic format. Another ideas was to limit the number of announcements and simplify the ones that are being sent out but also recognised the importance of them in keeping GROW free from mean or inappropriate sharing. A further idea shared was to offer more than one meeting a week or to offer a monthly zoom meeting.
  • A couple of responses questioned how we support new members and newcomers in GROW, asking if we do enough to carry the message of sponsorship, steps, recovery to this group of our membership.
  • There were several different ideas that questioned how proactive individual members and specific Trusted Servants are in their approach to getting alongside individuals who are new or in need of support.
  • There were a couple of mentions of lack of participation in terms of sharing, one idea was to ask the Weekly Lead Listkeeper to write and ask members to share in a similar way that operates in some face-to-face meetings where the Chair calls on individuals to share. Another response asked if we can individually do more to reach out or build connections, “proactively encouraging our accountability partners” and be better at reaching out with our “appreciation and kudos to those who’ve shared”. Another idea talked about carrying the message of the importance of service work more.
  • The word-of-mouth response talked to the idea of recommending GROW as a resource to women in their world.

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Summary of Responses to Question 3: Do new members stick with us, or does the turnover seem excessive?

  • In total 21 members responded.
  • Many comments covered the idea that they had no idea of knowing the turnover rate of members in GROW but also commenting on the low participation in GROW. Many members responded that turnover in any AA group is normal and that GROW’s turnover falls into this category, with a few members also commenting on the idea of “fitability” and the idea that we find groups and formats and meetings that work for the individual so members leaving isn’t necessarily a negative reflection on GROW, rather just personal choice.
  • The general consensus in ideas shared around participation was that there wasn’t a problem in retention but the question was really around how to increase participation. A couple of members talked directly to why they no longer wrote very often, one due to illness and another due to increased participation in other online meeting formats.
  • One response reflected on the low participation in sharing from members newly joined.
  • One response around lack of participation talked specifically about what the last Roll Call showed; that many of the membership appeared not to read their GROW emails at all frequently having missed several weeks of announcements about responding to the Roll Call but wished to be resubscribed after they were eventually removed after their lack of response to the Roll Call. Another response suggested a Roll Call now, to help us have a list of women who actively reaffirm their desire to be part of GROW.
  • One response reflected on the numbers of inquiries into joining and the low responses once they receive the information about GROW.
    There was a comment also about the only requirement for membership; that we can’t compel anyone to participate and that we don’t always do what’s in our best interests.

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Summary of Responses to Question 4: Part I: Do we emphasize the importance of sponsorship?

  • Yes: 12 Not sure: 2 No answer: 1
  • Part II: How effectively?  Effective: 5 Not sure: 5 No answer: 5
  • Part III: How can we do better? (see Responses section)
  • Not sure or no comment: 10

Summary of Responses to Question 5: Are we careful to preserve the anonymity of our group members and other A.A.’s outside the meeting rooms? Do we leave the confidences they share at meetings behind?
Yes: 15 (only two members commented specifically on part II but in general, members felt very safe regarding their anonymity and comments not being shared)

Summary of Responses to Question 6, Part I: Do we take the time to explain to all members the value to the group of following our guidelines of e-mail etiquette?
Yes: 15
Part II: As a member, am I familiar with and do I follow these guidelines? Yes: 15

Summary of Responses to Question 7:  Are all members given the opportunity to speak at meetings and to participate in other group activities?
There were 12 respondents to this group of questions. The universal consensus is that yes, GROW does a good job of presenting opportunities to participate in meetings, as well as good participation.

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Summary of Responses to Question 8: Are we mindful that holding office is a great responsibility not to be viewed as the outcome of a popularity contest; are we choosing our officers with care?
Of the 11 respondents, all agreed that those who hold office do so with a sense of responsibility. Three women noted that the pool of volunteers for TS positions is a small one, with one person summarizing: We do not really choose our officers. Rather, we encourage people to volunteer for Trusted Servant positions. For several years, we’ve struggled to fill all of the positions. So, we are grateful to accept those who do volunteer to serve GROW.

Summary of Responses to Question 9: Does the group do its fair share toward participating in the purpose of A.A. – as it relates to our “Three Legacies” of Recovery, Unity and Service?
Ten respondents agreed that GROW does do its fair share in focusing on the primary goal of Recovery. One person was uncertain as to how we support Unity & notes an emphasis on Service over the last several years in light of the challenge of filling all TS positions consistently.

Summary of Responses to Question 10: As a group, do we remain informed about AA as a whole? Do we support, in every way we can AA as a whole or just the parts we understand and approve of?
Seven women responded. For the most part, respondents think that GROW does a good job with remaining informed and supporting AA. However, one GROW member reported spotty interest in connecting with OIAA (Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous), pointing out that many GROW members are connected and knowledgeable about how AA works. Another comment reported that the General Services Representative (GSR) job was vacant for a year (October ’21-’22), making our connection with AA problematic. She also said that both the GSR and OIAA positions are filled for the October ’22-’23 term.

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Summary of Responses to Question 11: Are we considerate of all our members?
Seven women responded. They agreed that the GROW meeting is consistently free of conflict or subjects outside of the AA program. One respondent pointed out that one of our founding principles is to avoid open conflict in our meeting and that there are procedures in place to ensure that all GROW members are treated with respect.

Summary of Responses to Question 12: As a group, have we done a thorough and fearless inventory, or have we missed an important element?
Seven women responded. Everyone who responded to this question felt that GROW does a fearless and thorough Group Inventory and that the questions cover the most important elements of an AA group. One woman reported that we failed to conduct an inventory in 2018, as called for by Group Conscience Decision (every two years). She also said that how thorough the inventory is depends on the number of members who respond to the 12 questions, potentially limiting the effectiveness of the inventory.

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Responses to Questions

 

Question 1: What is the basic purpose of the group?

  • The purpose of this group is to support alcoholic women who are searching for sobriety, & to help us all maintain our sobriety. Be a safe place for alcoholic women to express their feelings, & for others to reply compassionately from their experience, strength, & hope. Provide non-judgmental support for all.
  • To function as other AA meetings, helping to carry the message of AA to alcoholics, helping alcoholics reach and maintain sobriety.
  • To carry the message to the still suffering alcoholic and to provide a place to renew our commitment to sobriety through service and sharing.
  • To carry the message and help other alcoholic women get and stay sober. This includes addressing the quality of sobriety by helping them understand and work the program.
  • To bring the AA message to all people who want to stop drinking in an online format making it accessible to those who may find other meetings difficult to attend, or to supplement them. In the process, GROW will help members maintain sobriety one day at a time.
  • To provide a safe place for women alcoholics to meet, support and share their experience, strength and hope to achieve and maintain their own sobriety and to pass the message along to those still suffering.
  • This is a forum of women recovering from alcoholism who share their experience, strength and hope with one another on a weekly basis. We are here to support one another in our recovery.
  • The purpose of any AA group is to be there for the alcoholic who still suffers from this dreaded disease of Alcoholism. In GROW we are given a safe space to do the work of maintaining our own sobriety by doing service work, sharing, and reaching out to other alcoholics.
  • To carry the AA message to alcoholics who adhere to the Third Tradition.
  • to carry the message to the suffering alcoholic.
  • To carry the message of AA… To help women recover from a hopeless state of mind.
  • To carry the AA message to all alcoholics. Our primary purpose is to stay sober ( one day at the time ) and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
  • Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
  • Our primary purpose is to provide a safe and welcoming place to recover and, because this is a “we” program, connect with other alcoholics.
  • The purpose of this group and meeting is to help other alcoholics to stay sober and to be able to share their thoughts and feelings on things helping them to stay sober.
  • It is to help women stay sober. Speaking from my personal experience, GROW was the first place I turned when I thought I might have a drinking problem but was intimidated to go to a meeting because I was afraid of being branded one (clearly, I know better now). It is also helpful for me as an introvert to collect my thoughts and share them with you in writing.
  • To support women who are looking for a solution to their problem with alcohol. For me, this was a group that I found when living and working in China. I did not have access to skype meetings or in person meetings where I was living. This email format was a lifesaver for me. As a sober member it allowed me to stay connected to AA! This format for AA is also a lifeline for those who are physically unable to easily access meetings. Congratulations to the founders for the wonder of it all!
  • To carry the message.
  • To collectively share experience, strength and hope in meetings and to share and use program steps, traditions, and literature to recover from our common disease of alcoholism.
  • To virtually carry the message of recovery to the still suffering alcoholic.
  • That being said, I am wondering if a Mission Statement for GROW might be appropriate as this time and going forward. I say this because I believe it would provide clarity not only to the new member but would provide additional focus and expanded unity for the GROW community.
  • To share our ESH with other alcoholics that we may recover from our common disease of alcoholism.
  • To carry the message of Alcoholics Anonymous; to help another alcoholic to achieve sobriety.

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Question 2: What more can the group do to carry the message?

  • I personally am satisfied with how our group functions, although GROW is in need of more participation in the weekly shares as well as trusted servant volunteers.
  • message?
  • I believe we do an excellent job. We provide a working structure within the AA program, reach out to newcomers, provide AA literature opportunities and have a good process for deciding things within the group.
  • Honestly, I think we do an awful lot to carry the message. If there is more we could do, it would probably be limited by the lack of people willing to become Trusted Servants. Several TSs have direct contact with women who needs support – whether through sponsorship, recognizing anniversaries, or immediate support in specific circumstances. If we created another Trusted Servant position to support our members directly, I fear no one would volunteer for it.
  • I have thought a lot about this and am not sure. Word of mouth has been one reliable source as well as knowledge of GROW on the internet. It may well be that we can make this group more visible to the now AAers who also use Zoom. To clarify these 2 groups are not mutually exclusive.
  • I can’t think of anything. This group has many topics from general topics to steps or traditions and there is the invitation to share whatever is on one’s mind.
  • Sponsors are listed. Friendships and connections are available and made.
  • Don’t think anything further is needed, there is a webpage from which new members can join. Personally, I told many women about the group. We are after all, a program of attraction, not promotion.
  • I think we do an excellent job of carrying the message. Our meetings are regular, we offer other topics like the Steps, the Traditions, and the Grapevine to share on. Our members are kind and polite to one another and we have regular business meetings to discuss ways GROW is or isn’t working and we abide by the group conscience.
  • I don’t believe there is anything more we can do as it’s a program of attraction, not promotion. As another member stated, women/those identifying as women will find us through word-of-mouth or an online search if they want to be part of an online AA group. As for carrying the message to members, we do that through our shares, notifying members of our sponsor list, welcoming newcomers, holding business meetings, and so on.
  • I believe the group does a great job of making it possible to carry the message, as evidenced by “group etiquette” reminders, mentors, adhering to 3rd tradition, spirit of rotation, business meetings, and online presence (Intergroup/website).
  • I think for this format, we truly are doing all we can. It’s a program of attraction, not promotion.
  • Since I am new to this group I can only share my short time experience.
  • From where I am standing this group is very structured, clear, supportive and welcoming.
  • Thanks to all trusted servants, who have freely given their sobriety, time and energy to serve this group. And thanks to all of you who frequently share.
  • I believe we do all that we can, at least in my limited experience, to carry the message. I regularly attend two online meetings & they both seem to operate in a similar fashion.
  • Of the two meetings, this one does have a more limited participation rate. Could sponsors more proactively encourage their sponsees to share? or serve?
  • Or each of us more proactively encourage our accountability partners, women with whom we exchange gratitude lists, or something similar? Can we do a better job of reaching out with our appreciation & kudos to those who have shared?
  • I ditto the thoughts shared…
  • I would like to see more sharing from more members. Some weeks there are days when not a single share is posted, or at the end of the week there’s been maybe 10 or 15 shares. From over 300 members. I realise personal circumstances may prevent some from sharing but it takes a lot of service work to keep the wheels of GROW turning and sharing the message is about ensuring AA is there for the next person, and is a way of practicing gratitude for my sobriety.
  • Carrying the message happens through hearing others share and through sponsorship. Anyone is welcome to listen but I wouldn’t be here today sober if I had gone to meetings where 95% of the group sat and listened.
  • Is the Sponsor List, the Temporary Mentor and the 12th Step List proactive enough in getting alongside newcomers in GROW and actively sharing the message of the program and the actions it involves in beginning the program and staying sober a day at a time with AA?
  • Keeping it simple. Maybe simple-er. Fewer or shorter monthly emails from trusted servants. We have very few issues with people being mean or inappropriate. This is a strength! How can we maintain this? For me this is the reason GROW feels so safe.
  • Personally a I have been with this group many years and I have learned so very much from their shares to a the group I don’t know anymore they could do.
  • I really don’t know the answer to that. That said, I know that on a personal level, there is more I can do to recommend GROW as a resource to women in my world (family, friends, neighbors) who believe they might have a drinking problem. I live in a small town and one of the issues I faced early in my recovery is going to a meeting where I would encounter someone I know — what would I do? Would they “out” me? Would I be able to share authentically with someone
  • I knew from outside the program? (Again, I know better now but these were some barriers I put in the way of my recovery.)
  • Well, perhaps we are not conveying enough information regarding the importance of service work. And maybe, just maybe that is why we are having difficulty fill service positions. I am not sure of this, but I see it in Zoom meetings as well (As for recovery, I believe this group does a terrific job in giving hope to the new members.
  • I think that Step Study Meetings and Big Book Meetings as opposed to random general topics would help us to get back to basics and be more effective in carrying the message. If I were new to this group I wouldn’t even know where to start. So maybe even assigning new people a welcome sponsor, or a big sister to give them more information about actually working the program.
  • The only thing I can think of is hold more than one meeting a week or perhaps offer a monthly zoom meeting.
  • Additionally; more people could choose to participate but that is voluntary.

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Question 3: Do new members stick with us, or does the turnover seem excessive?

  • This is hard to answer because I don’t know what the turnover rate is. I do notice when newcomers stick around, but it’s possible many have left and I’m not aware. Our membership number fluctuates up and down a bit but overall seems to be steady in the last few months.
  • Turnover is the sad truth of this program. This is a self diagnosed disease and people aren’t ready until they are ready. We plant the seed and are here for them if they want what we have. We provide a safe and loving place here at GROW.
  • I don’t know whether members generally stick with us or leave us soon after signing up. I do see messages asking to be taken off the list from time to time, but I can’t know when someone just stops sharing or writing to the group. I can see people who stay with us, and I think a lot of our new members do stay.
  • I’m assuming those women get what they need from GROW. There are a lot of women in GROW who never share and seldom write to the group. While I’d love to change that, I don’t know how. I think we’d help more alcoholic women if more of us were visible, but I can’t make that happen on my own.
  • I really do not have a good sense for the turnover rate though I do notice that so many members are not participating regularly. I am wondering if directing a question to all members asking what is the biggest reason(s) standing in the way of participation? It is essential, in my view, that we increase participation.
  • I don’t see how many people unsubscribe from GROW. It seems that for the number of members – not a very high percentage share. I don’t know if they are still members and just read the shares or left the group.
  • I was shocked when I learned recently that there are nearly 300 members. Out of that only 12-25 share on a regular basis. Seems to me a better question would be to figure out how to get more members involved.
  • This is a question that is difficult to answer. I’m not sure it is even one we should be asking. The turnover of new members in any AA group is such a volatile number. I know from personal experience, I tried many different groups in the beginning before I found what I was looking for. Even today, when I attend a ‘new to me meeting, I may or may not continue with that group. All groups are not a good fit for every AA member.
  • I think the more important question might be is the turnover of long-term members of GROW excessive? Even that would be difficult to determine. People leave for a myriad of reasons. If we are doing a good job of carrying the message and making new members feel welcome I think we are accomplishing our purpose.
  • As others have noted, I don’t know what the turnover is so I can’t comment on this. But my feeling is that we can’t compel anyone to remain a member; they either want to stay or want to leave the group. And who’s to say leaving our group is a bad decision for anyone? Leaving the group doesn’t necessarily mean leaving AA and even if it did, we have no control over what another person chooses to do. The issue for me, and others it would seem, is increasing members’ participation. Although as with members leaving the group, we cannot compel anyone to share or volunteer to be a Trusted Servant – we have to want to do those things. It’s in our best interests to do these things, but how many of us always do what’s in our best interests? I know I don’t. Turnover in AA is huge – we know this – so it’s no surprise if/that our membership constantly fluctuates. Participation is what’s key, for me, but I really don’t know that we can do anything more than what we’ve already tried as far as getting more members to participate. A member either wants to or she doesn’t, it’s that simple. After all, the only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking.
  • Unsure about this question. I like [this] response [below]…
  • Like others said, I don’t know there’s any way to answer this accurately, so I’ll share my thoughts…. There have been a lot of women join and I know there’s a hundreds on the “list.” I’m happy to hear from those that choose to participate. I’m grateful for the people that stick and stay and all who share.
    Again, since I am new to this group I can only draw form own ( short time ) experiences.
  • Shortly after I joined grow, I found a sponsor in this lovely group of women.
  • An accountability partner and a group whit whom I can share my daily gratitude list.
  • I started off with finding a sponsor, daily handing in step 1 work, with following my sponsor’s suggestions, reading all incoming grow shares and attending frequently face to face meetings in my area.
  • Thanks to all incoming answers to these three questions, have made me all the more aware of how important it is that I participate more often.
  • I don’t know if or how we can gather this data. We only know they’ve left when women ask to be removed from the list. Those who simply ghost, how are we to know? How is this managed in a traditional f2f group?
  • I see a lot of new members coming in and then don’t hear from them in the meeting. It seems less of a problem with retention and more of a problem with participation.
  • I honestly don’t know if new members stay with us or for how long if they do but I agree that not that many share and I can be one of them but only because
  • I am going through medical issues.
  • Being a data nerd, I am confident we can answer that data by looking at our overall membership, the number of women who request information in a given month, and if they participate in a month. But that type of analysis might feel “big motherly.” That said, as someone who has had the privilege of serving as a greeter for the past few months, I note that there are certainly more women to whom I send an introductory message each week than those who end up responding to that message.
  • I have never thought turnover was excessive, and as others have mentioned I really don’t know how to measure this. In fact, it seems like we have more new members sharing since the Covid lock downs than we did before. As many others have shared it would be nice to have more women share. I live where I have access to lots of women’s meetings, and I participate in Zoom meetings 5-6 days a week and just don’t write as much as I used to.
  • I have no idea.
  • I do not find turnover excessive. I do find it perplexing how many subscribers we have versus active participants in the group.
  • I ditto the comment above, turnover seems normal compared to f2f groups I’ve had as my home group in the past, but I find it a mystery why we have such a large membership and so few active participants sharing and doing service work. I respect the Third Tradition that says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stay sober, however I’ve been shown to give back to AA what was freely given to me so that it’s here for the next new person coming in. I’ve been taught in AA that gratitude is an action so for me, when I’m grateful to read someone’s share I try to share also and include my note of thanks in my share. We could do a roll call? That way we’d know the current list contains members who still actively want to remain part of GROW?
  • I think by its very nature all forums of recovery are pretty transient. I don’t think this has to do with GROW per se, this is more an individual process of finding what meetings resonate with each of us. Additionally, not everyone who comes to meetings stays sober. I do think GROW does well on the welcoming side. So if there is a high turnover it would be more that it’s not a good fit for whatever reason. For example, someone might come here, find out about meetings and how they operate, and then decide they are ready to try face-to-face meetings.
  • Even though it’s hard to accurately gather information on AA rates of retention and “staying sober” I’ve read estimates and it’s just not a very high number of people that stick with AA and/or stay sober. Perhaps GROW retention rates are reflective of AA in general. I know when Nancy and I did the last recall the numbers of members that never responded and were unsubscribed was astonishing to us. There were also a large group of ladies that were unsubscribed and then emailed and asked to be resubscribed. That would indicate that they don’t read GROW emails regularly and thus missed the several notices of the Roll Call but still wanted to be part of the group. I’m not sure that this is helpful; I’m just guessing that we’re not all that different than AA writ large. Perhaps it’s just more noticeable because we have these “stats” that you don’t have with the traditional meeting formats.

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Question 4: Do we emphasize the importance of sponsorship? How effectively? How can we do better?

    • Part I: Do we emphasize the importance of sponsorship? Yes: 12 Not sure: 2 No answer: 1
    • Part II: How effectively? Effective: 5 Not sure: 5 No answer: 5
    • Part III: How can we do better?
      • Perhaps more members can include in their shares the ways we utilize our sponsors or ways we work with our sponsees and how this benefits us.
      • Letting members know (especially AA newcomers) that sponsors get as much out of sponsoring as the sponsees do. This might help members who are hesitant to ask someone to sponsor them.
      • Collectively try to be more mindful that we’re living road maps that a sick and suffering woman needs help to navigate through AA and through the Steps.
      • I believe we should send a monthly or bimonthly email outlining the importance of sponsorship with a link to the pamphlet and possibly highlighting pertinent information from the reading.
      • Perhaps mention in our weekly meeting script that sponsors are available
      • Not sure or no comment: 10

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Question 5: Are we careful to preserve the anonymity of our group members and other A.A.’s outside the meeting rooms? Do we leave the confidences they share at meetings behind?
Yes: 15 (only two members commented specifically on Part II but in general, members felt very safe regarding their anonymity and comments not being shared)

Question 6, Part I: Do we take the time to explain to all members the value to the group of following our guidelines of e-mail etiquette? As a member, am I familiar with and do I follow these guidelines?

      • Explain to all members value of our guidelines: Yes: 15
      • Members familiar with and follow the guidelines: Yes: 15

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Question 7: Are all members given the opportunity to speak at meetings and to participate in other group activities?

  • GROW does an amazing job encouraging participation by all in sharing and joining in any and all activities and roles in the group.
    I think GROW is doing fine in all these areas.
  • Being an online meeting everyone is encouraged to share their ESH on any of the topics, or to create their own (off topic) conversation.
  • Grow does an excellent job of this in my opinion. No one is excluded and everyone has the opportunity to be heard.
  • Yes
  • Yes, all members are given the opportunity to speak and participate.
  • Yes. And it’s encouraged.
  • Yes. Members are encouraged to share.
  • Even with the shortage of volunteers, I think we still do a good job of choosing officers (Trusted Servants) with care.
  • I would say yes, definitely, with the email format all members are encouraged to share and participate.
  • Yes. We encourage our members to share on topic, about the Tradition of the month, about the Grapevine featured article, and off topic when they need to.
  • We also encourage members to participate in our business meetings and to lead weekly meetings.

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Question 8: Are we mindful that holding office is a great responsibility not to be viewed as the outcome of a popularity contest; are we choosing our officers with care?

  • Holding the office of Trust Servant in GROW is the most a-political process I have ever encountered. It is a major motivation for us to step up and become part of this service opportunity.
  • I think GROW is doing fine in all these areas.
  • It took me 30 years to be willing but I am trying to do my part now. Since we don’t have group conscience meetings there are no electors to choose from. At
  • Grow it is purely a question of whether someone is willing to accept the responsibilities. No popularity contest here.
  • The people who serve seem to grasp the importance of these positions and the AA purpose. I can honestly say I have not seen any significant issues.
  • Unfortunately where we seem to have an issue is that only a small pool of members are volunteering.
  • Thus far the women I’ve worked with and observed do take the responsibility of holding a TS position seriously. Since we currently experience a shortage of volunteers to fill some positions, it doesn’t seem we have the luxury to be choosey of officers. But I don’t see a negative impact, those doing the work appear to get the job done.
  • Yes, we have a spirit of rotation and group of women who volunteer for positions. I joined the group in 2010 and have never noticed any preference in service work.
  • I think all members who take office positions are aware of the responsibility of that position. All are encouraged to consider taking a service position and are well supported in that position.
  • Yes. Also encouraged. I know for me that the more I’m of service here at grow or in my other group, the less likely I am to leave. Perhaps some ladies here feel they’re not qualified or equipped to take on a service position… but that’s your lower power talking. For sure. There’s always someone here to help. I believe we do.
  • Yes, I believe the process GROW uses makes sure the trusted servants are selected with care. They are all volunteers and do a wonderful job.
  • We do not really choose our officers. Rather, we encourage people to volunteer for Trusted Servant positions. For several years, we’ve struggled to fill all of the positions. So, we are grateful to accept those who do volunteer to serve GROW.

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Question 9: Does the group do its fair share toward participating in the purpose of A.A. – as it relates to our “Three Legacies” of Recovery, Unity and Service?

  • GROW goes to great lengths to be active in the whole of AA. It is a carefully crafted group touching on all aspects of AA and its worldwide message. I have been around a long time but I have never experienced a group doing a group inventory because it so often got sidelined by personalities who saw it as a blame game. I am so very proud of GROW.
  • I think GROW is doing fine in all these areas.
  • I would say that Grow does a nice job of fulfilling the 3 legacies.
  • I think Grow does an excellent job. Our main goal is to help other alcoholics and we are organized in such a way that this is done without distraction.
  • Yes
  • Yes. Very much so. I’m so grateful for this group.
  • Our group does its fair share toward participating in the purpose of A.A. through an informed group conscience, adherence to step and service work, GSR participation to remain informed, and having a voice in the service structure through online Intergroup.
  • I believe yes, we offer sponsorship, we cover the steps and traditions and service in our meetings, we offer opportunities to be of service, we have OIAA and GSR activity.
  • I believe that GROW is committed to fulfilling AA’s purpose. Our primary focus is that of Recovery. We have Trusted Servant positions designed to support every member in their recovery, and our meeting topics deal with all aspects of recovery. I’m not sure how we support Unity, but I know that we adhere to the 12 Traditions. Especially in the last few years, we have focused more on Service because we haven’t filled all Trusted Servant positions. We devote a weekly meeting to service twice a year and emphasize how service is an important part of recovery.

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Question 10: As a group, do we remain informed about AA as a whole? Do we support, in every way we can AA as a whole or just the parts we understand and approve of?

  • I believe that we are in full compliance with all of AA’s guidelines and keep up to date on AA compliance, this group survey being one of the issues.
  • I believe that as a group we strive to support AA as a whole, as best as our group consciousness allows.
  • We have had spotty interest in connecting with AA online inter group: however many of the women here are connected and certainly knowledgeable about how AA works.
  • Yes
  • I believe we do. We have service positions to keep us in touch with AA as a whole – GSR, OIAA Rep, Grapevine Rep. We also financially support AA by way of our bi-annual donations to GSO and OIAA!
  • I see no issues here, GROW does an excellent job in this regard.
  • Because our GSR position was vacant from October 2021 through October 2022, we did not have the usual connection to AA’s General Services Office.
  • Our OIAA Representative has agreed to cover the GSR position, as approved in our 2012 Group Conscience decision. So, while we had a period with very limited contact with GSO, that problem is solved for the 2022-2023 term. Otherwise, GROW adheres faithfully to AA’s 12 Traditions.

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Question 11: Are we considerate of all our members?

  • In my view, GROW is exceptional in its consideration of all members and that is a major reason I continue as a member and value it so much.
  • Speaking for myself, absolutely, & I believe that’s our goal as a group, as well.
  • We’ve had so few problems with disruptive or disrespectful behavior in this meeting—as far as I can tell. I imagine this implies we’re considerate of all—there are so many ways to connect and good adherence to boundaries, which are clear, etc.
  • Yes
  • Absolutely. I am always impressed with how rare it is to see/read something out of line with the spirit of AA in our group. When there is an occurrence, it is taken care of behind the scenes without drama.
  • Yes. I have been a member of other groups where quite frankly, this was an ongoing issue. We are conducted in a respectful manner toward all.
  • One of GROW’s founding principles is to avoid open conflict in our weekly meeting. There are procedures in place for addressing conflicts that might arise. I believe we have done everything we can to ensure that each individual member of GROW is treated with respect. We have also created several Trusted Servant positions that directly support our members, particularly members new to AA.

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Question 12: As a group, have we done a thorough and fearless inventory, or have we missed an important element?

  • I can only congratulate GROW on its thorough group inventory and the willingness to participate in its own self-analysis. This can only result in making GROW even better over time.
  • We’re doin’ it!
  • I can’t think of anything we missed in this inventory.
  • I have questions about what is meant by ‘element’, but I do believe GROW is honest and thorough in keeping with AA traditions.
  • I believe our inventory covers the most important elements of an AA group.
  • This survey is an excellent example, we are doing everything possible. Everyone has a voice should they wish to express their opinion.
  • In 2018, GROW failed to conduct a Group Inventory as called for in a 2014 Group Conscience Decision. So, I don’t think we can give ourselves an “A” on this item.
  • For 2022, we have done as fearless and thorough group inventory as is possible. Thoroughness, however, is dependent on our members’ participation in the process. When few people respond to the inventory questions, the results of the inventory may be limited.

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Trusted Servants 10/2022

Trusted Servants – October 2022
(updated 2/1/2023)

  • 12 Step Volunteer Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Julie K
  • Birthday Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Susie J
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Lynn H

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Business Meeting Chair (10/22-10/24): VACANT
  • GSR (10/22-10/23): VACANT
  • GVR (10/22-10/23): Amy N
  • Greeter (10/22 – 10/23): Diane L
  • Greeter (4/22 – 4/23): De W
  • Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Sophie R
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/22 – 4/23): Susan P
  • OIAA Rep (10/22 – 10/23): Theresa B
  • Secretary (10/22-10/23): Mary O
  • Temporary Mentor (4/22 – 4/23): Julie K
  • Treasurer (10/22-10/23): Cheryl B
  • Website Administrator (10/22-10/27): Cheryl D
  • Webkeeper (10/22-10/27): Danna M.
  • Topic Archivist (10/22-10/23): Pat S
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Emily M
  • Immediate Past Business Meeting Chair: Danna M.
  • Immediate Past GSR: VACANT
  • Immediate Past OIAA Rep: VACANT
  • Immediate Past Secretary: Michele R.

1022 – Minutes of the Fourth 3-day Session

Minutes of fourth 3-day Session

During the fourth 3-day session of GROW’s October 2022 Business Meeting, participants voted on Proposal 7, which called for a Working Group to explore and identify alternatives to address vacancies in Trusted Servant positions.

In October 2022, three Trusted Servant positions remained unfilled: GSR, Secretary, and Business Meeting Chair. All of those positions are important to making GROW an effective e-mail meeting. The Secretary and Business Meeting Chair positions have duties that are critical to our email AA meeting. Before every business meeting, the Secretary announces open positions and publishes the list of Trusted Servants. The Business Meeting Chair facilitates the Group Conscience process for GROW. The Working Group would look at a variety of topics that include ways to change the way GROW does business to assure that our email meeting continues to support the sobriety of each of its members.

Eight women voted “I agree” on the proposal, and no one voted “I disagree.” Therefore, the proposal is adopted as a Group Conscience Decision.

During this meeting, our OIAA Representative offered to take on the GSR position as well. This is consistent with an April 2012 Group Conscience decision: If 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. Our thanks go to Theresa B for taking on this additional service.

There are no more proposals on the table. The Chair will adjourn the meeting on Sunday, October 16, after identifying the women who have volunteered for several different activity areas and calling for additional volunteers:

  • Covering GSR duties
  • Covering Secretary duties
  • Group Inventory
  • Working Group

You can find Trusted Servant reports and detailed information on the proposals considered on the members’ section of GROW’s website. You will need a password to access this information (sobertodayhow2484).

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

1022 – Minutes of the third 3-day session

Minutes of the third 3-day session

During this session, we voted on Proposal 4 authorizing Cheryl be to identify GROW members who plan to attend the 2024 International Women’s Conference in Washington DC and to represent GROW in contacting the IWC to learn about opportunities for GROW to be of some service at the Conference.

We also considered a new Proposal 7 that establishes a working group to identify opportunities for GROW to make changes that would, in the long run, encourage more people to volunteer for Trusted Servant positions.

Results of Voting on Proposal 4 (IWC)

Nine participants voted on the proposal. All of them voted “I agree;” therefore the proposal is adopted as a Group Conscience Decision: GROW authorizes Cheryl B to poll our membership to identify women who are interested in attending the 2024 International Women’s Conference (IWC) in Washington DC and to represent GROW in contacting the IWC to explore opportunities to participate by staffing a booth, either separately or in cooperation with other online AA groups, or volunteering for other service opportunities. She will report her findings in the April 2023 Business Meeting and seek approval for further action.

Discussion of Proposal 7 (Working Group)

Proposal 7: GROW will create a working group to explore the Alternatives to Address Vacancies. The working group will take a closer look at the issues to identify ways in which we can focus on supporting our online AA women’s meeting while hopefully still providing support to individual GROW members.

To accomplish this, we would:

  • keep grow-business active for at least six months,
  • seek volunteers to form a working group that would propose changes to “the way GROW operates,”
  • allow the working group to make specific proposals that would be considered outside of our scheduled business meeting, and offer specific issue areas to be addressed based on comments.

Three people submitted comments on the proposal, all of which were supportive.

Next Steps

There are no more proposals on the table for the October 2022 business meeting. We will continue to discuss Proposal 7 during the fourth 3-day session.

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

 

 

1022 – Minutes of second 3-day session

Minutes for the second 3-day Session

During the second 3-day session of GROW’s October 2022 business meeting, we voted on three proposals, discussed three proposals, began to consider a discussion document “Alternatives to Address Vacancies.”

Results of Voting

Ten women voted on Proposal 1, which would add a recommendation that the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper will send out “12th Step Call” notices within 48 hours after the message was posted on GROW’s mailing list. Nine (90% of those voting) women voted “I agree;” therefore the proposal is approved is adopted a Group Conscience Decision. Group Conscience Decision: Edit the position description for the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper to assure that notices of “12th Step Calls” go out to the volunteers within 48 hours that a message is received by GROW.

Eleven women voted on Proposal 2, which recognizes that the Business Meeting Chair works closely with the Webkeeper to assure meeting notes on our website are accurate and timely. All of the women voted “I agree;” therefore the proposal is approved and becomes a Group Conscience Decision. Group Conscience Decision: Amend the position description for the Business Meeting Chair to add working with the Webkeeper to assure meeting materials are posted to the website as soon as possible.

Ten women voted on Proposal 3, which seeks a Trusted Servant volunteer to GROW approve asking for a volunteer from the current Trusted Servants who will receive and forward AA’s quarterly Newsletter Box 4-5-9 and highlight the Calendar Page. Those who voted were unanimous in voting “I agree;” therefore, the proposal is approved and becomes a Group Conscience Decision. Group Conscience Decision: To assist GROW to be better informed about AA as a whole in the case of a vacant GSR post; at the Business Meeting we ask for a TS to volunteer to receive and forward the quarterly AA Newsletter Box 4-5-9 and to highlight the Calendar page as per our Group Conscience October 2018.

Summary of Comments

Three women commented on Proposal 4, which would authorize Cheryl B to identify GROW members who plan to attend the 2024 International Women’s Conference and to act as contact for GROW with the IWC organization to explore ways we could be of service at the conference. All of those who commented enthusiastically supported the proposal.

One participant privately raised the question of why we have nothing going on the 2022 IWC Conference to be held in Dallas, TX in mid-February 2023. Participants are invited to discuss this issue and perhaps follow up with efforts to coordinate the attendance of GROW members at the 2023 IWC. We will vote on this Proposal during the third 3-day session.

Summary of Comments on Proposals 5 and 6

Two women commented on Proposal 5 (Secretary’s Duties), and no one commented on Proposal 6 (Business Meeting Chair’s Duties). Each proposal called for GROW to develop a plan for assuring the duties for each of our three vacancies are performed while the positions are vacant. Both proposals included lists of duties that could be performed by existing Trusted Servants and called for volunteers.

“Alternatives to Address Vacancies”

During the 3-day session, the Chair called for comments on a Discussion document “Alternatives to Address Vacancies” that explored ways to cover the duties of the three current vacancies: GSR, Secretary, and Business Meeting Chair. There was no deadline for comments, however, six participants have commented on how GROW can make changes that respond to those vacancies.

During the third 3-day session, we will vote on Proposal 4 (IWC) and discuss the Discussion document “Alternatives to address Trusted Servant vacancies.”

You can find information about the October 2022 meeting on GROW’s website.

If you would like to participate in the meeting, send your request to our listkeepers. They will add you to the mailing list.

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

1022 – Summary of Discussion on “Alternatives to address Trusted Servant (TS) vacancies”

Summary of Discussion on “Alternatives to address Trusted Servant (TS) vacancies”

Thus far, seven women have commented on the discussion document. The comments were diverse, touching on many of the ideas presented in the document. Comments can be grouped into six areas.

Specific duties of the Secretary position (& volunteers)

Our listkeepers have volunteered to cover several of the Secretary’s duties. However, others felt that the duties should be distributed more evenly across all Trusted Servants. Here are the duties and the TSs volunteering to cover them:

post form letters, …………………………………………… Sophie & Susan, danna
contact, Trusted Servant issues, ……………………… Sophie & Susan
contact, GROW member issues,
list of emergency phone numbers, …………………… Sophie & Susan, danna (website)
Mini Steering Committee
announcing vacancies monthly………………………… danna
recruiting & reporting
Group Inventory…………………………………………….. Sophie, danna

This assumes that Group Inventory tasks would be divided by week for the one-month exercise. This means that two weeks are covered, but the other two weeks are still orphans.

Frequency of GROW business meetings

The Discussion document suggested that our business meeting schedule could be changed to encourage participation. There was also a suggestion that the business meeting schedule be cancelled, with business matters handled by the Steering Committee on an ad hoc basis using the grow-business mailing list to communicate. One commenter felt that it was acceptable for the meeting schedule to change to no more frequent than quarterly.

Note: In its first year, GROW business was handled ad hoc by the Steering Committee without a mailing list. In 1998, a Group Conscience decision was approved to hold meetings quarterly on a business list. In 2008, a Group Conscience decision changed that schedule to twice a year to coincide with TS terms of office.

The women commenting on this idea rejected cancelling our April and October schedule. Some reported that GROW business and decision-making is superior to other online meetings.

Using grow-business all the time, not just during meetings

The most popular suggestion was to keep grow-business active throughout the year, not just in April and October. Commenters felt it would allow us to address issues more timely.

Commenters did not agree that the full-time business list was an appropriate substitute for regularly scheduled business meetings, confirming that they support the current April and October schedule.

One commenter felt that the full-time grow-business would still need a lead or chairperson to assure the Steering Committee was focused, that proposals go through the process outlined in our Business Meeting Guidelines, and to document discussions, votes, and Group Conscience decisions.

Eliminating Trusted Servant positions

The Discussion document suggested eliminating the “service” positions that are not essential to directly supporting our ongoing email meeting. Almost all commenters rejected this idea. One commenter felt that eliminating roles that are not essential seems like a good idea but that each of us would have a different view of what constitutes “essential.”

The document also suggested that TS positions be eliminated and the duties be transferred to other TS positions. One commenter felt that doing this might make the existing TS positions seem more complex or time-consuming, discouraging volunteers even more.

Suggesting a less radical approach, one commenter felt that discontinuing the services that a vacant TS position provides might make consequences of the vacancy clearer to our members and encourage more people to volunteer.

Recruiting Trusted Servants

Commenters generally felt that, with the changes made in the recruitment process, GROW is doing all it can to encourage volunteering. One commenter suggested that current TSs could personally identify and contact GROW members that are good candidates (a suggestion that was rejected in October 2021). She also thought that we might nominate GROW members to fill positions rather than waiting for them to volunteer.

The Discussion document also suggested changing the order in which vacancies are announced. By this scheme, TS positions that directly support the email meeting would be announced first, and announcements for other positions would be deferred until the most essential positions have been filled. (The Chair muses: what happens if no one volunteers for those essential positions?)

The Chair points out that no one commented on Proposal 6 to cover duties of the business chair. While many of the duties in this position are not easily broken down into discrete activities, there are areas where individuals could be of significant help. This would be particularly important if we decide to keep grow-business active all year and make Group Conscience decisions on an ad hoc basis.

preparing opening documents and sending the emails;………..
working with members on Proposals;………………………… danna
preparing minutes and summaries………………………………………
        (The Chair recommends letting Minutes serve as the only record for the meeting); and
recording and counting votes……………………………………………..

We will continue commenting through the end of this meeting on the ideas presented in the Discussion document.

You can find the Discussion document on our website.

The Chair points out that Proposal 7 has been submitted to create a working group that will follow-through with the issues and, where appropriate, prepare proposals that would accomplish our goals. There have been no comments on the proposal thus far.

This is to encourage you to comment before midnight (your time) on Sunday, October 9.

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

1022 – Summary of Comments on Proposal 4 (IWC)

Summary of Comments on Proposal 4 (IWC)

Three women commented on Proposal 4, which would authorize Cheryl B to identify GROW members who plan to attend the 2024 International Women’s Conference and to act as contact for GROW with the IWC organization to explore ways we could be of service at the conference. All of those who commented enthusiastically supported the proposal.

1022 – Trusted Servants – October 2022

Trusted Servants – October 2022
(as of 2/13/2023)

  • 12 Step Volunteer Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Julie K
  • Birthday Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Susie J
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Lynn H

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Business Meeting Chair (10/22-10/24): VACANT
  • General Services Rep (GSR) (10/22-10/23): Anita F
  • Grapevine Rep (GVR) (10/22-10/23): VACANT
  • Greeter (10/22 – 10/23): Diane L
  • Greeter (4/22 – 4/23): De W
  • Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Sophie R
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/22 – 4/23): Susan P
  • OIAA Rep (10/22 – 10/23): VACANT
  • Secretary (10/22-10/23): Mary O
  • Temporary Mentor (4/22 – 4/23): Julie K
  • Treasurer (10/22-10/23): Cheryl B
  • Website Administrator (10/22-10/27): Cheryl D
  • Webkeeper (10/22-10/27): Danna M.
  • Topic Archivist (10/22-10/23): Pat S
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Emily M
  • Immediate Past Business Meeting Chair: Danna M.
  • Immediate Past GSR: VACANT
  • Immediate Past OIAA Rep: VACANT
  • Immediate Past Secretary: Michele R.

1022 – Discussion: Alternatives to Address Trusted Servant Vacancies

Discussion: What are our alternatives for managing GROW activities when Trusted Servant positions remain vacant?

This document is a one-person brainstorm. I have not asked anyone to review it.  Any additional alternatives are welcomed. Thank you in advance for considering and contributing to the topic.

During this business meeting, half of the proposals presented for decision-making arose because no one volunteered for three Trusted Servant positions (GSR, Secretary, Business Chair). During the April 2022 business meeting, three vacant TS positions were never filled (GSR, OIAA Rep, Webkeeper). The GSR position has been vacant since October 2021. The Webkeeper position has been vacant since October 2020, when Cheryl assumed the duties of both Website Administrator and Webkeeper.

GROW has 18 Trusted Servant positions, representing 6% of our membership as of October 1st. No one knows if this is a trend – whether these vacancies will continue to be a problem in the future. But in this particular business cycle, two important positions have not been filled: Secretary and Business Meeting Chair. The Secretary position is more the ‘public face’ of GROW’s support team and the focal point for issues that arise anytime, not just during business meetings. It is hard to imagine how we will conduct Group Consciences without a Business Meeting Chair.

The proposals presented to this meeting addressed the three current vacancies only. Last April, we discussed recruitment issues and took several actions to attract volunteers: moved from the text of position descriptions to brief paragraphs describing TS jobs in the Secretary’s announcements, dedicating a weekly meeting to the topic of service prior to recruitment efforts, and creating a comparison chart comparing duties, workload, and qualifications for all TS positions. We tried, but we didn’t get the results we hoped for. So, now, what do we do?

I’ve attended many f2f AA groups that did not have a GSR, so I guess it boils down to how important it is to our group to have a representative for this AA function (and for the OIAA Rep, since they serve the same purpose).

Is it time to rethink how we staff GROW’s email meeting?

In April, we discussed job-sharing. After studying the idea, our Listkeepers and Greeters concluded that few positions would really benefit from job-sharing. It may be time to revisit that question. But job-sharing would require more, not fewer, volunteers.

Another approach might be to eliminate some Trusted Servant positions and transfer duties to other positions, seeking to continue current practices with fewer people. (As we said at budget time in the Federal government, getting more “bang for the buck.”)

To take it a step further, we might eliminate Trusted Servant positions and the services the positions were designed to fulfill. We offer a lot of support to our members that might be a luxury in times when we can’t get volunteers. Potential positions to eliminate might include those that do not directly support the ongoing email meeting:

  • 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper
  • Sponsor Listkeeper
  • Temporary Mentor
  • Birthday Listkeeper
  • GSR (only because it appears no one wants to do it)

To take it even further, I’m wondering if the way we’ve done business in the past is written in stone. Do we really need to have business meetings twice a year? Do we need business meetings at all? Has our business meeting process gotten too burdensome for participants? Is chairing the business meeting too much to ask of any individual? Without sincerely committed Trusted Servants, can we really expect to cover duties attached to positions that don’t get filled?

I’m asking you to think about this and to participate in a discussion of our options. As a starting point, I list some possible options below. I sincerely hope that the participants in this meeting have more and better ideas.

Some possible alternatives to the way we handle long-term Trusted Servant vacancies:

  • Establish job-sharing and allow current TSs to perform in more than one position.
  • Dispense with the concept of rotation and allow TSs to serve in the same position in consecutive terms (this is being done this term with little discussion).
  • Revisit the terms of office for all TS positions and shorten the terms to make them more attractive to potential volunteers.
  • Identify critical duties for a vacant position and distribute them to TS positions that are not vacant, continuing to recruit for people to fill the vacant position and assuming that a current TS will volunteer to take on additional duties not related to their job.
  • Assign critical duties for vacant positions to other TSs without waiting for current TSs to volunteer to take them on. Reassign duties to positions that are in related in some way to the duties not being done. Continue to recruit for the vacant position.
  • Delay recruiting for positions that do not directly support the ongoing email meeting until all other TS positions have been filled. Recruit for these ‘service positions’ only when the email meeting is fully staffed.
  • Determine whether a TS position is critical to the ongoing email meeting, regardless of its value in helping alcoholic women who are struggling. If not critical to the meeting, eliminate the service it provides until the position can be filled. Continue to recruit for the vacant position.
  • Determine whether a TS position is critical to the ongoing email meeting, regardless of its value in helping alcoholic women who are struggling. If not critical to the ongoing meeting, eliminate the position and discontinue the service it provides. Stop recruiting for the vacant position.
  • Assess the relative contribution of every Trusted Servant position in supporting our ongoing email meeting and recruit for positions in the order of their contribution to the functioning of the email meeting. Recruit for the most critical positions before opening any other position to volunteers.
  • Discontinue our Business Meetings but keep the grow-business mailing list permanently. When issues arise that need action, have the Steering Committee address them using the business mailing list to communicate. Figure out how to do a group conscience on an as-needed basis.

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We will now discuss this issue.
The discussion is not constrained by the 3-day session limit for Proposals.
However, your prompt attention and comment on the issue will help us make better progress.
We may not have the option to table the discussion until the next business meeting.
Hopefully, the discussion will generate a Proposal that will need to be decided before the mandatory cut-off on the 17th day of the meeting.
I look forward to your comments.
Regards,
danna M.
GROW Business Chair
dmcd9999.grow@gmail.com

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1022 – Minutes of the first 3-day session

Minutes of the first 3-day session

A total of 30 women from GROW have registered to participate in GROW’ssssss October 2022 Business Meeting

Trusted Servant Reports

During the first 3-day session of the October 2022 business meeting, we received the Reports of some Trusted Servants: Secretary, Treasurer, Listkeeper, and Mini Steering Committee.

  • The Secretary’s Report covers our Trusted Servant (TS) positions and listed the Outgoing and Incoming TSs and the complete list of current TSs for October 2022. Three TS positions remain vacant: GSR, Secretary, and Business Meeting Chair.
  • For the six-month period from April thru September, the Treasurer reported $780.67 in donations (including our Prudent Reserve) and $266.00 in expenses paid, leaving a balance of $514.67. That balance will be distributed to GSO ($411.76) and OIAA (102.91).
  • Our Listkeepers report that GROW had 298 members as of 10/1/2022.
  • The Mini Steering Committee did not have to address any issues in the same six-month period.

Proposals

Three proposals were presented for discussion. They included:

  • Proposal 1: 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper position description. It is proposed that this TS position description be amended to state that that the 12th Step Listkeeper send out “12th Step Call” notices to the volunteers within a 48-hour time period after a share is posted that reveals a member is struggling.
  • Proposal 2: Business Meeting Chair position description. It is proposed that a bullet be added to this TS position description that recognizes the Chair will work closely with the Webkeeper to assure meeting contents are posted timely and accurately to our website.
  • Proposal 3: General Services Representative. It is proposed that meeting participants ask a volunteer among current Trusted Servants to post AA’s Box 4-5-9 newsletter to our mailing list, highlighting the calendar from that newsletter for members.

During this 3-day session, meeting participants discussed the three proposals. As many as seven people commented.

Next Steps

During the second 3-day session, the Chair will provide a summary of the comments, and participants will vote on the three proposals on the table. Three more proposals will be presented for discussion:

  • Proposal 4: 2024 IWC Conference. A member seeks authorization from GROW to identify women who may want to attend the 2024 International Women’s Conference to be held in Washington DC. She would also be GROW’s representative to the IWC, seeking information on possible opportunities for us to support the conference.
  • Proposal 5: Secretary’s Duties. This proposal seeks guidance from meeting participants on how to assure that the duties for this TS position are carried out despite the position being vacant.
  • Proposal 6: Business Meeting Chair’s Duties. This proposal seeks guidance from meeting participants on how to assure that the duties for this TS position are carried out despite the position being vacant.

A Discussion document will also be presented for discussion that considers possible ways to approach ongoing Trusted Servant vacancies. It includes a range of options from having current TSs volunteer to cover those duties to eliminating the positions and the services they provide to GROW. Participants will discuss the issues and our options.

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

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1022 – Proposal 7: Working Group

Proposal 7: GROW will create a working group to address the Alternatives to Address Vacancies. The working group will take a closer look at the issues to identify ways in which we can focus on supporting our online AA women’s meeting while hopefully still providing support to individual GROW members.

Rationale: Much of our October 2022 business meeting has been devoted to covering duties that will not be performed due to vacancies the GSR, Secretary, and Business Meeting Chair Trusted Servant positions. The subject is broad and complex, and we are not able to find solutions and propose those solutions in the timeframe of the October business meeting. With the Secretary and Chair positions vacant, it will be difficult to address filling and rotating Trusted Servant positions and set up and execute the April 2023 business meeting. In order that GROW makes progress on the issues, the Chair is recommending that a working group be established to come up with some viable solutions.

To support effective action, this proposal includes several measures to facilitate communication and maximum participation in the working group. These include:

  • keep grow-business active for at least six months (until the next scheduled business meeting), during which all current Trusted Servants would be subscribed automatically,
  • issue a call to current Trusted Servants for volunteers to form a working group that would identify the priorities and major issues and propose alternatives for changes to “the way GROW operates,”
  • invite interested GROW members who are not Trusted Servants to subscribe to the business-grow mailing list to participate in the working group,
  • temporarily suspend some GROW Business Guidelines to allow the working group to make specific proposals that would be discussed and voted on grow-business outside of our scheduled business meeting process (while still adhering to the existing Business Meeting Guidelines process for proposals – reaching Group Conscience decisions), and
  • offer specific issue areas to be addressed based on the comments made to date.

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Summary of Comments

Nine women commented on the proposal. All of the comments supported the Working Group, and several of them included a commitment to join the Working Group.

Results of Voting

Eight women voted “I agree” on Proposal 7, and no one voted “I disagree.” Therefore, the proposal is adopted as a Group Conscience Decision.

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1022 – Proposal 6: Business Meeting Chair’s Duties

Proposal 6: GROW will develop a plan for covering the duties of the Business Meeting Chair while that position is vacant.

Rationale: As the group is aware, we repeatedly struggle to fill a small number of key TS positions. This time, the Business Meeting Chair position is vacant, and some of her duties are critical to GROW’s performance. While the position has a very light workload most of the time, it is a demanding job during business meetings and in the weeks preceding the business meeting.

The Business Meeting Chair’s main duties include:

  • moderating the business meeting and keeping attention focused on the business at hand;
  • monitoring and reporting on all discussions;
  • tracking, recording, and reporting the results of all votes;
  • assuring clarity for proposals and motions, assuring they are stated clearly for participants;
  • setting the meeting agenda;
  • providing minutes for the business meeting and summaries for GROW membership after each 3-day session;
  • working closely with the Secretary and Webkeeper;
  • participating in the “Mini Steering Committee” and reporting their activities to the business meeting;
  • being knowledgeable about AA’s Traditions and Concepts; and
  • understanding GROW’s Group Conscience Guidelines and AA Guidelines on the Group Conscience.

The Chair’s duties are focused on facilitating group decision-making and fall within a two-month period twice a year in March-April and September-October (except for Mini Steering Committee efforts that arise between meetings). In the month preceding a business meeting, the Chair reminds and, if necessary, supports the Secretary in announcing Trusted Servant vacancies. She also sends out invitations to the GROW membership each week before the meeting, including outlining the Agenda as it develops.

In the week before the meeting begins, the Chair will likely be busy preparing documents that open the meeting, assuring that TS reports are formatted properly for email. She may also provide the documents to the Webkeeper so they can be posted timely on our website.

During the business meeting, she must review all emails to the grow-business mailing list and take appropriate action, which might include revising proposals being discussed. On the first day of every 3-day session, she presents a new set of documents (minutes, revised proposals, summaries of discussions, and results of voting).

I have prepared two documents in Microsoft Word. One contains notes on each phase of the process for proposals, from introduction to final decisions based on participants’ votes. The second contains templates and samples of documents, including proposals, summaries, and announcements of results. I plan to put these on the website in the position description and make them available for download.

There are probably several ways to see that these duties are covered by our current Trusted Servants; but we need to have a plan for fulfilling the Business Chair’s role if no one has volunteered by early March 2023. It’s assumed that we will continue to announce the vacancy every month until it is filled or the next business meeting come along.

Unfortunately, these duties are not as discreet as those of the Secretary. I couldn’t break them down into separate areas that individuals could cover, although that might be possible to some degree. For example:

  • preparing opening documents and sending the emails;
  • working with members on Proposals;
  • preparing minutes and summaries; and
  • recording and counting votes.

This would require, I think, that one person be responsible for coordinating everyone, making sure that tasks are done within 3-day session process, and being the contact point for the activities.

Fortunately, working with the Webkeeper will not be a significant issues since I am now the Webkeeper. I can copy emails, format them, and post them on our website without having to rely on the ‘team’ to provide it to me – as long as they get the needed documents out timely.
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We will now have 3 days to discuss this Proposal.

Please click “Reply to All” to post your comments on this Proposal.
Be sure your response is addressed to: grow-business@oso-aa.org.
The comment period closes at midnight (your time) on Thursday, October 6th.

I look forward to your comments.

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Chair
dmcd9999@gmail.com

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1022 – Proposal 5: Secretary’s Duties

Proposal 5: The GROW Steering Committee will develop a plan for assuring the Secretary’s duties are performed while the position is vacant.

Rationale: As the group is aware we repeatedly struggle to fill a small number of key TS positions. This time, the Secretary position is vacant, and some of her duties are critical to GROW’s performance.

The Secretary is responsible for these key duties:

  • sending out two form letters each month (FYI Letter, GROW Mail List Guidelines);
  • acting as the contact for Trusted Servant positions, whether it be when filling vacancies or when an existing Trusted Servant is struggling to handle her duties;
  • maintaining a list of emergency contact numbers for all Trusted Servants;
  • with the Mini Steering Committee, addresses questions/concerns/issues from any GROW member and privately and discreetly informing members who stray from the guidelines;
  • announcing Trusted Servant position vacancies, confirming nominees, and announcing new Trusted Servants;
  • conducting a biennial Group Inventory (in even-numbered years), posting the questions to GROW (3 per week) and posting each week’s responses to the group.

There are probably several ways to see that these duties are covered by our current Trusted Servants; but we need to have a plan for fulfilling the Secretary’s role while the position is vacant. I’m assuming we will continue to announce the vacancy every month until it is filled or the next business meeting come along.

One way to do this would be for individuals to assume one of the following four discrete and straight-forward activities:

  • posting the form letters,
  • being contact for Trusted Servant issues,
  • maintaining a list of emergency phone numbers,
  • being a member of the Mini Steering Committee (we’ve had little to do for over a year).
  • Being a contact for Trusted Servants would be the most difficult of these, particularly in the month preceding the April 2023 business meeting. The activity may be a good candidate for a job-sharing approach if we can work out how to do that.

The Group Inventory should be conducted in 2020. It plays out over a month-long period. Three questions are posted each week, and then the responses are published to the mailing list (and the website). One person could agree to do the whole inventory, or we could separate it into the weekly segments, creating a need for four people and one to coordinate the overall effort.

You may have different and better ideas about how to accomplish this, but GROW needs those duties to be fulfilled whether there is a person in the position or not.
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We will now have 3 days to discuss this Proposal.
Please click “Reply to All” to post your comments on this Proposal.
Be sure your response is addressed to: grow-business@oso-aa.org.
The comment period closes at midnight (your time) on Thursday, October 6th.

I look forward to your comments.

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Chair
dmcd9999@gmail.com

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1022 – Proposal 4: 2024 IWC

Proposal 4: GROW authorizes Cheryl B to poll our membership to identify women who are interested in attending the 2024 International Women’s Conference (IWC) in Washington DC and to represent GROW in contacting the IWC to explore opportunities to participate by staffing a booth, either separately or in cooperation with other online AA groups, or volunteering for other service opportunities. She will report her findings in the April 2023 Business Meeting and seek approval for further action.

Rationale: Members of GROW attending the 60th IWC in February 2024 together would strengthen relationships between our members. It would give us an opportunity to share about things not directly related to our sobriety, allowing members to get to know one another on a level not possible in our online meetings. It would offer an opportunity to be of service as a group, supporting one another while having fun and introducing other AA’s to GROW.

Cheryl B would volunteer to be the contact person with the IWC committee. She would keep GROW members that wish to participate informed of dates/deadlines for registration, hotel reservations and details regarding a service position.

When we have information on GROW members attending the IWC and an understanding of how GROW could participate in the Conference, Cheryl will present a proposal on GROW’s role and possible funding needs to the April 2023 GROW Business Meeting.


Summary of Comments

Three women commented on Proposal 4, which would authorize Cheryl B to identify GROW members who plan to attend the 2024 International Women’s Conference and to act as contact for GROW with the IWC organization to explore ways we could be of service at the conference. All of those who commented enthusiastically supported the proposal.

We will vote on this proposal in the third 3-day session.

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1022 – Proposal 3: GSR Duties

Proposal 3: To assist GROW to be better informed about AA as a whole in the case of a vacant GSR post; at the Business Meeting we ask for a TS to volunteer to receive and forward the quarterly AA Newsletter Box 4-5-9 and to highlight the Calendar page as per our Group Conscience October 2018. 

Rationale: As the group are aware we repeatedly struggle to fill a small number of key TS positions. One part of the GSR role in helping keep our group informed about AA as a whole is the forwarding of Box 4-5-9. We voted on this becoming part of the GSR role four years ago yet have been without an active GSR for much of this time.Follow the link to read our original discussion to receive the newsletter: http://g-r-o-w.com/1018-proposal-11-gsr-459-calendar/

As a measure to help us as a group be better informed would the group consider allowing a TS to volunteer to carry out this bullet point until the next Business Meeting.

Rationale
Summary of Comments
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1022 – Proposal 2: Business Meeting Chair Position Description

Proposal 2: Amend the position description for the Business Meeting Chair to add working with the Webkeeper to assure meeting materials are posted to the website as soon as possible.

Rationale: Business Meeting Chairs have always worked with the Webkeeper, providing documents that include anything related to Proposals, Trusted Servant reports, and lists of Group Conscience Decisions. However, this important function is not addressed in the current position description.

Recommended Language:

Amend the tenth bullet in the Business Meeting Chair position description:

  • Work closely with other trusted servants, especially the Secretary and Webkeeper.

Add a new twelfth bullet as shown below:

  • Work closely with the Webkeeper to assure meeting documents are posted to the website as quickly as possible. Give the Webkeeper documents that include:
    • all reports and proposals, Minutes, and Summary documents
    • Summaries for each phase for Proposals (discussion, voting, and final outcome (is or is not adopted as a Group Conscience Decision).

Rationale
Summary of Comments
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Summary of Comments

Three participants made four comments on this proposal that adds recognition of the need for the Business Chair to work closely with the Webkeeper to see that the information about the business meeting is posted accurately and timely. All of the comments supported the proposal, agreeing that it is important that the position description should be accurate and thorough. One woman asked if it might not be wise to include a more specific timeframe than “as quickly as possible.” Another responded that the current situation does not call for a deadline and that if it should become necessary, we can address it at that time.

During the second 3-day session, we will vote on this proposal.
PLEASE DO NOT VOTE UNTIL THE “CALL FOR VOTES” YOU RECEIVE THE “CALL FOR VOTES” MESSAGE.

Also during the second 3-day session, we will consider three more proposals:

  • Proposal 4: 2024 International Women’s Conference
  • Proposal 5: Secretary’s Duties
  • Proposal 6: Business Meeting Chair’s Duties

I will also send out a discussion document addressing alternatives for addressing GROW’s continuing vacancies in Trusted Servant positions. You will be asked to review the document and provide your opinions and ideas on possible options for handling Trusted Servant vacancies in the longer term.

You can review all documents that have been published to the Business Meeting on GROW’s website at Business Meetings – GROW (g-r-o-w.com). Remember that the password to enter the Members’ section is sobertodayhow2484.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Regards,

danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.growmail@gmail.com

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1022 – Proposal 1: 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper Position Description

Proposal 1: Edit the position description for the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper to assure that notices of “12th Step Calls” go out to the volunteers within 48 hours that a message is received by GROW.

Rationale: GROW did not set a standard for the amount of time that passes before the Listkeeper sends out a notice to the women who’ve volunteered to offer their support to members who are struggling. Since the position was established, the amount of time for notices (subject: “12th Step Call”) to go to the volunteers has varied significantly. This proposal would establish formally GROW’s expectation these notices be sent as soon as possible after the message they’re responding to was sent to the mailing list.

Recommended Language: Edit the seventh bullet in the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper’s position description as shown below:

  • Forwards those letters to the 12th Step CommitteeVolunteers within 48 hours after the subject message appeared in GROW.

Rationale
Summary of Comments


Summary of Comments

Seven participants commented on the proposal to amend the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper’s [Listkeeper] position description. The change would add the expectation that the Listkeeper send the “12th Step Call” notices within 48 hours after the message was posted on GROW’s mailing list.

All of the participants supported the proposal. One thought it would be reasonable to extend the 48-hour timeframe to 72 hours. Another suggested that the 12th Step Volunteers should be asked to respond within 12 hours of receiving the notice. The Chair pointed out that we do not ask the volunteers to report back that they’ve responded and there is no way for the Listkeeper to check it, pointing out that we trust the volunteers to follow-through timely. Another participant felt that the 48-hour expectation be a suggestion rather than a requirement and that we should not specify a timeframe for the volunteers. She pointed to the danger of micromanaging our Trusted Servants, reminding us that we assume our Trusted Servants do their jobs to the best of their ability.

During the second 3-day session, we will vote on this proposal.
PLEASE DO NOT VOTE UNTIL THE “CALL FOR VOTES” YOU RECEIVE THE “CALL FOR VOTES” MESSAGE.

Also during the second 3-day session, we will consider three more proposals:

  • Proposal 4: 2024 International Women’s Conference
  • Proposal 5: Secretary’s Duties
  • Proposal 6: Business Meeting Chair’s Duties

I will also send out a discussion document addressing alternatives for addressing GROW’s continuing vacancies in Trusted Servant positions. You will be asked to review the document and provide your opinions and ideas on possible options for handling Trusted Servant vacancies in the longer term.

You can review all documents that have been published to the Business Meeting on GROW’s website at Business Meetings – GROW (g-r-o-w.com). Remember that the password to enter the Members’ section is sobertodayhow2484.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Regards,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.growmail@gmail.com

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1022 – Mini Steering Committee Report

Mini Steering Committee Activities

(from April 1, 2022 until October 1, 2022)

The Mini Steering Committee includes the Business Meeting Chair, the Secretary, and the Listkeepers. It was created to handle issues that arise between meetings that do not rise to the level of the whole Steering Committee.

As in the last report, nothing came up during this period. The Mini committee did not to meet.

Respectfully,
danna M
Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

1022 – Listkeepers Report

Listkeepers’ Report – October 2022

 

This is our report for the October 2022 GROW Business Meeting. Listkeeping is much less complicated than I imagined before I became a Listkeeper. We work in a team of 4, two Greeters and two Listkeepers. A pair comprising one Greeter and one Listkeeper serve together one week on, one week off.

Our main function is to promptly serve new ladies enquiring about joining GROW. We do this with the Greeters. There is a very simple-to-use website that allows us to subscribe a new lady or help with unsubscribing. We can also help ladies select the Digest version or help with other email/sharing related queries.

As of 29th September 2022, we have 298 ladies’ email addresses subscribed and receiving the GROW shares. I estimate approximately 20-30 individual shares on topic are sent to GROW each week. We have 18 serving GROW in Trusted Servant roles (with three vacant or about to be vacant – Biz Chair, Secretary & GSR).

We had a busy time recently with slightly higher than previous with enquiries about joining. Many have joined but equally quite a few seemed to realise it wasn’t for them and didn’t remain. Usually, we’d only seen that kind of busy-ness around holiday periods, particularly the Christmas/New Year time. There are many more online options accessible nowadays than even three years ago, but my personal view is that there will always be those for whom an email AA meeting and an email AA group is just what’s needed. Certainly true for myself and has been for the past six years.

Currently the Listkeepers’ role is also about subscribing members to the separate Business Meeting List in readiness for the October 1st opening of this bi-annual Business Meeting, and we currently have a total of 25 ladies signed up. It’s lovely to know there are several newer members amongst that list this time – welcome!

Listkeeping is a really good example of how GROW members have supported each other as they’ve learned the ropes. Susan P is serving as the other Listkeeper and had previously done a term as a Greeter and so had an inside view of how the role worked. I, on the other hand, hadn’t had the experience of being a Greeter, but my team when I became Listkeeper included two who had experience and another newbie to it like me. It meant the two with experience could walk us through everything gently the first few weeks until we were confident to take off the training wheels.

Our current team is working well and we’ve had no difficulties. We’ve had some holiday times and personal circumstances occur that have easily and willingly been covered by one of the team as needed. It’s a pleasure to serve with them.

Any questions about Listkeeping or membership we’re happy to try to answer.

Thank you to those present and past who’ve served as Listkeepers and Greeters. And especially those who helped outline the roles and the tasks.

Sophie F & Susan P
Listkeepers to GROW

1022 – Treasurers Report

Treasurer’s Report – October 2022

(for the period from 4/1/2022 thru 9/29/2022)

Paypal donations:

April $143.16
May $5.00
June $20.88
July $14.08
Aug $105.07
Sept $98.35
Total $386.54

Ally donations/interest:

April $50.07
May $0.02
June $0.01
July $0.01
Aug $0.01
Sept $100.01
Total $272.13

Deposits + Prudent Reserve:

Prudent Reserve $122.00
Paypal $386.54
Ally $272.13
Total $780.67

Bills Paid:

Dean Collins $144
Prudent Reserve $122
Total $266

Balance:

Donations: $ 780.67
Bills Paid $-266.00
Balance $ 514.67

Distributions:

GSO (80% of Balance) $411.76
OIAA (20% of Balance) $102.91

Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl Baughman
GROW Treasurer

1022 – Secretary’s Report (Trusted Servants)

Secretary’s Report (Trusted Servants) – October 2022

Outgoing Trusted Servants

Incoming Trusted Servants

Trusted Servants – October 2022

  • 12 Step Volunteer Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Julie K
  • Birthday Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Susie J
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (10/22 – 4/23): Lynn H

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Business Meeting Chair (10/22-10/24): VACANT
  • GSR (10/22-10/23): VACANT
  • GVR (10/22-10/23): Amy N
  • Greeter (10/22 – 10/23): Diane L
  • Greeter (4/22 – 4/23): De W
  • Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Sophie R
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/22 – 4/23): Susan P
  • OIAA Rep (10/22 – 10/23): Theresa B
  • Secretary (10/22-10/23): VACANT
  • Temporary Mentor (4/22 – 4/23): Becky L
  • Treasurer (10/22-10/23): Cheryl B
  • Website Administrator (10/22-10/27): Cheryl D
  • Webkeeper (10/22-10/27): Danna M.
  • Topic Archivist (10/22-10/23): Pat S
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Emily M
  • Immediate Past Business Meeting Chair: Danna M.
  • Immediate Past GSR: VACANT
  • Immediate Past OIAA Rep: VACANT
  • Immediate Past Secretary: Michele R.

1022 – Business Meeting Agenda

***IMPORTANT NOTE: Please DO NOT respond to this message.
Additional individual emails will be coming, to which you can respond.

=============================================

GROW BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA: October 2022

=============================================

– Trusted Servant (TS) Positions – Incoming & Outgoing TS identified (posted separately)
– Semi-Annual Reports: GSR, OIAA, Treasurer, Listkeeper, Secretary (posted separately)
– Business Items (each will be posted separately to facilitate discussion and voting).

We will discuss these proposals during the Business Meeting. If you have an item that 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 Agenda.

Proposals

  • Proposal 1: 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper Position Description
  • Proposal 2: Business Meeting Chair Position Description
  • Proposal 3: GSR Duties
  • Proposal 4: 2024 International Women’s Conference
  • Proposal 5: Secretary Duties

Regards,
danna M.
GROW Business Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

1022 – AA’s Perspective on the Group Conscience

AA’s Perspective on the Group Conscience

 

The following is an excerpt from the pamphlet, “The AA Group:”

How does an informed group conscience differ from a group opinion or a majority vote? The group conscience is the collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial unanimity on an issue before definitive action is taken. This is achieved by the group members through the sharing of full information, individual points of view, and practice of A.A. principles.

To be fully informed requires a willingness to listen to minority opinions with an open mind.

On sensitive issues, the group works slowly – discouraging formal motions until a clear sense of its collective view emerges.

Placing principles before personalities, the membership is wary of dominant opinions. Its voice is heard when a well-informed group arrives at a decision. The result rests on more than a “Yes” or “No” count – precisely because it is the spiritual expression of the group conscience.

The term “informed group conscience” implies that pertinent information has been studied and all views have been heard before the group votes.

The difference between a group conscience and a majority vote, or group opinion, is that one or more of the elements described above is missing.

A.A. experience has taught that:

Tradition 2: For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.

Tradition 4: With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And no group, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation.* On such issues our common welfare is paramount.

*Now called The General Service Board of A.A. Inc.

Regards,
danna M.
GROW Business Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

1022 – Business Meeting Guidelines

Business Meeting Guidelines

 

The following are the GROW Guidelines for conducting business:

  1. Proposals to be considered during GROW business meetings should include the following:
    1. A clear brief statement that summarizes the proposal;
    2. A rationale that describes why the group conscience decision is needed; and
    3. Specific language to be presented for discussion and voting in the business meeting (including, as appropriate, language for a job description, form letter, or GROW policy or guideline). This language may need to be modified by the Trusted Servant responsible for the area to reflect the group’s discussions.
    4. Before submitting a proposal, meeting participants are encouraged to consult with the Business Chair, Secretary, or Steering Committee members to formulate their proposals if they need help. They should also review past Group Conscience Decisions related to the proposal.
  2. We allow a minimum of three days for discussion, more when warranted.
  3. At the end of the three-day discussion period, the Chair calls for a vote. Three days are allowed for voting, which can be done either publicly on the list, or privately by sending votes to the Chair. The Chair counts the votes.
  4. The voting is done by: I agree or I disagree.
  5. At the end of the voting period, the Chair announces the results of the vote. The group holds to a 2/3 majority to pass or fail any group conscience decision.
  6. Following the announcement of results, the Chair will ask if the minority wants three days to discuss their minority opinion.
    1. If yes, then three days of discussion will begin. At the end of the three days of discussion, the Chair will ask if anyone who originally voted for the Proposal (a majority voter) has been persuaded by this discussion to change her opinion. If yes, the Chair then calls for another 3-day voting period. The outcome of the second vote is the determining vote. As in the first vote, the 2/3 majority vote will be observed. If no majority voters have been persuaded to change their opinion, there will not be another vote.
    2. If the minority does not want three days to express their opinion, there will be no further discussion and there will not be another vote.
  7. At the end of the voting period, the Business Chair announces the final results of the vote.
  8. Note: 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.
  9. When a Trusted Servant (TS-A) feels that another Trusted Servant (TS-B) is not meeting the requirements of her position description, TS-A will take her issues to the small Steering Committee (made up of the Business Chair, Secretary, and Listkeepers) for consideration. She should not engage with or confront TS-B. The small Steering Committee can choose to bring the issue to the full Steering Committee. The review of TS-B’s performance should be based only on the duties outlined in the position description. If it is found that the complaint is based on different personal working styles, preferences, or infrequent mistakes – and TS-B is otherwise meeting the requirements of her job description, the complaint will be dismissed without informing or involving TS-B. If it is established that one or more of the duties assigned to TS-B is not being met, the small Steering Committee will:
    1. Assure that TS-B is aware of and allowed to respond to the complaints and, if appropriate, to propose remedial actions to correct problems.
    2. If TS-B does not propose remedial actions, the small Steering Committee will establish appropriate remedial actions that TS-B can take to correct the problems;
    3. Establish a timeframe and deadline for remedial actions to be taken and documented;
    4. If the small Steering Committee has not already elevated the issue to the full Steering Committee, they will inform the larger Steering Committee of the findings, remedial actions, and timeframe;
    5. The full Steering Committee will decide whether TS-B can remain in the position or should be removed;
    6. If the Steering Committee decides that TS-B should be removed from the position, they will inform her in writing of their decision. The Secretary will deliver the documented decision to TS-B and call for volunteers to fill the position to the end of the current term.

Respectfully,
danna M.
GROW Business Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail. com

1022 – Business Meeting Welcome

Welcome to the Business Meeting

 

Welcome to the October 2022 Business Meeting of Grateful Recovering Online Women (GROW). I am danna, a recovering alcoholic, and your Business Chair for this meeting. Thank you for participating!

This is a closed meeting, open only to members of GROW, for the discussion of business as it relates to our group. Our business meetings run in four-day segments and last no more than 29 days.

I will post each Agenda item, one by one, in separate emails, **asking that you respond to each accordingly.** This makes it easier to “tally” the responses and suggestions to each item. We will have three-day periods during which we’ll discuss each Agenda item. This will allow all members – regardless of work schedules, time zones, etc. – to participate. At the beginning of the 4th day, I will post the results/consensus of our discussions or votes.

Before we begin, let’s have a moment of silence to reflect on why we are here, followed by the Serenity Prayer.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

In this Business Meeting, let us be guided by The Twelve Traditions:

  1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
  2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
  3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
  4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
  5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
  6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
  7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
  8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
  9. A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
  10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
  11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.
  12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

Let us all keep in mind our Unity of Service statement from the Grapevine of September 1998:

“Unity seldom means that we all agree on everything. Nor is unity served by setting aside our concerns and conforming to the majority opinion (or the vocal minority) . . . Unity is best achieved by a full hearing of all points of view . . . time for all of those involved to step back from emotional responses . . . as well as careful consideration and prayer for that which will best serve the group or AA as a whole.”

Thank you for being here and for your dedication to GROW.

Regards,
danna M.
GROW Business Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

PS: Please note that I use a different email address for this meeting. If you send your comments or votes to my regular GROW email, I may not see them.

2022 Business Meeting – April

2022 Business Meeting – April

(topics are listed below are in order of presentation)

2022 Business Meeting – October

2022 Business Meeting – October

(topics are listed below are in order of presentation)

2022 – Group Conscience Decisions

2022 Group Conscience Decisions

 

April 2022

 

  • Group Conscience Decision: Assign “qualifying GROW membership” to TS positions for which this requirement has not been specified. Required membership in GROW will be equal to the length of the term of office.
    Requirement for membership in GROW equal to the term of office will be assigned to the following Trusted Servant Position Descriptions:
    • 12th Step Listkeeper – 6 months
    • Birthday Listkeeper – 6 months
    • Sponsor Listkeeper – 6 months
    • General Service Representative (GSR) – 1 year
    • Grapevine Representative (GVR) – 1 year
    • Greeter – 1 year
    • OIAA Representative – 1 year

For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 1 from the April 2022 business meeting.

  • Group Conscience Decision: Revise the Secretary’s position description to delete contradictory, ambiguous, or unreasonable expectations. The bullet referring to the “Mini-Steering Committee” will also apply to the Business Meeting Chair and Listkeepers position descriptions.
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 2 from the April 2022 business meeting.

Secretary

    • 1-year term
    • 2 years sobriety
    • One-year membership in GROW
    • Must be member of Business List
    • Adheres to confidentiality of private emails
    • Serves on the Steering Committee
    • Works closely with the other Trusted Servants including privately and discreetly informing members who stray from the guidelines
    • Maintains a current list of trusted servants and term dates
    • Serves on GROW’s Mini-Steering Committee with the Business Meeting Chair and Listkeepers to address questions/concerns/issues from any member of GROW
    • Maintains a list of emergency contact phone numbers of all trusted servants for use by trusted servants, not for general distribution
    • Calls for nominations/volunteers
    • Confirms nominees will accept and serve
    • Announces new trusted servants
    • Sends Steering Committee Welcome Letter to all new trusted servants
      Informs the business chair if elections are needed for trusted servants
    • Sends FYI Letter and GROW Mail List Guidelines monthly to GROW membership
    • Acts as a focal point to receive complaints when Trusted Servant(s) do not fulfill responsibilities, and works with the Steering Committee and the Trusted Servant to resolve performance issues
    • When a Trusted Servant becomes unavailable or unwilling to fulfill her duties, works with the Steering Committee to fill the position
    • Conducts a Group Inventory every 2 years (in even-numbered years) between the Business Meetings of April and October by sending out the 12 Questions on our website. Three questions will be sent to the group each week over a 4-week period. Each week’s responses will be summarized, posted back to the group, and the results discussed and reviewed by members at the next Business Meeting to determine if action needs to be taken. These will be posted in addition to the Weekly Topics.
    • In the event that the current Greeter and / or Listkeeper is unable to complete the task of their respected positions, the Secretary will put out a call to the membership for help to fulfill those tasks needed until the current Greeter and / or Listkeeper issue is resolved. The Secretary’s call to the membership would include a prerequisite of having served in those requested positions so that they may assume those duties quickly and efficiently.
    • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions are described here
    • Wording for letters commonly used are provided in the links below:
      • FYI Letter
      • GROW Mail List Guidelines
      • New Trusted Servant Letter
    • List of other Trusted Servant letter templates are provided here
  • Group Conscience Decision: Revise the AA Preamble wherever it appears in our form letters and on our website to reflect the October 2021 General Service Conference decision to change the wording in AA’s Preamble from “men and women” to “people.”
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 3 from the April 2022 business meeting.
  • Group Conscience Decision: GROW approves the expenditure of funds to acquire support services from Dean Collins (oso-aa.org) or other professionals in managing the GROW website. GROW therefore authorizes the Website Administrator to incur expenses up to $300 per year to secure the needed support.Recommended Language: Add fifth bullet to the “Pay all group expenses…” section of the Treasurer’s position description: “Up to $300 per year to Dean Collins dba Insight Planners, or other professionals, for consulting services on GROW’s WordPress-based website. Add a tenth bullet to the Website Administrator’s revised position description: “May seek professional services to resolve technical issues up to an annual limit of $300.”
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 4 from the April 2022 business meeting.
  • Group Conscience Decision: GROW approves a new form letter that the Temporary Mentor can send to the group each month, as required in her position description.< br/>
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 5 from the April 2022 business meeting.

Recommended Language:

Temporary Mentor Letter #3
“Hello, GROW members. As Temporary Mentor, I work with new members who often do not know how to find more information about AA. I provide this to our new members in my first message to them, but all GROW members might also benefit from visiting AA’s main websites. This is just a reminder that you can learn more about AA by visiting one of these links:

  • The Alcoholics Anonymous general services office and information such as the AA Big Book (titled “Alcoholics Anonymous”) or the “12 Steps and 12 Traditions,” along with many pamphlets as well as links to local resources for AA.
  • AA’s Online Intergroup (OIAA) where you can find meeting lists as well as real-time phone numbers and other Internet types of meetings.
  • AA’s Grapevine magazine with stories and audio stories and Grapevine subscription options.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

[ Name ]
Temporary Mentor

  • Group Conscience Decision: GROW modifies the current web keeping-related trusted servant positions, eliminating the webkeeper backup position, adding a ‘Topic Archivist’ position, and assigning 5-year terms for the Website Administrator and Webkeeper positions.
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 6 from the April 2022 business meeting.

 

Recommended Language:

Website Administrator

  • 5 year term
  • 4 years sobriety
  • 4 years GROW membership
  • Must be familiar with WordPress and the administration of Websites
  • Member of Business List
  • Non-voting member of the Steering Committee
  • Maintains GROW Server account
  • Maintains a periodic backup of the GROW database
  • Maintains GROW website updates (WordPress, theme, and plugins)
    May seek professional services to resolve technical issues up to an annual limit of $300
  • Consults with Steering Committee before making substantial design or content changes to GROW website
  • Supports Web-keeper and Topic Archivist on WordPress site issues
    Provides Web-keeper and Topic Archivist with all necessary information and passwords to access all web accounts and web server
  • Provides the Webkeeper’s email address to the web hosting service and designate her as co-owner
  • As owner of the g-r-o-w web account, helps ensure that the annual service fee is paid. If necessary, provide copies of invoice/receipt to GROW Treasurer for reimbursement
  • Upon retirement, transfers website account to successor, provide successor with all necessary information, including job guidelines, and serve as a mentor during the transition to ensure continuity of service.
  • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here

Webkeeper

  • 5 year term
  • 2 years sobriety
  • 2 years GROW membership
  • Must be member of Business List
  • Non-voting member of the Steering Committee
  • Should be familiar with WordPress and website management
  • Maintains public website (g-r-o-w.com) for GROW to provide information about Alcoholics Anonymous and for the purpose of attracting new members. Information should include:
    • Info about Alcoholics Anonymous
    • Info about GROW
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Our Guiding Philosophy
    • Guide for Email Etiquette
    • Traditions in Cyberspace
    • How to become a member
  • Maintains the password-protected private section on g-r-o-w.com to provide GROW members with information about GROW, including:
    • List of trusted servants and job descriptions
    • Info about how we conduct business
    • Group conscience decisions
    • Common Welfare Guidelines
    • Archives in keeping with group conscience guidelines
    • Important Addresses
  • Works closely with the Business Meeting Chair and the Steering Committee to ensure that pertinent group history is preserved in the member’s section of the GROW website and that archived materials are accessible to GROW members
  • Consults with Steering Committee before making substantial design changes to GROW website that have not been dictated by group conscience decisions
  • Posts all business meetings and keep updated throughout the business meeting
  • Ensure that any material posted on g-r-o-w.com appropriately protects the anonymity of anyone mentioned
  • Upon retirement, transfers website account to successor, provide successor with all necessary information, including job guidelines, and serve as a mentor during the transition to ensure continuity of service
  • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here
  • Topic Archivist

October 2022

  • Group Conscience Decision: Edit the position description for the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper to assure that notices of “12th Step Calls” go out to the volunteers within 48 hours that a message is received by GROW.
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 1 from the October 2022 business meeting.
    Recommended Language: Edit the seventh bullet in the 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper’s position description as shown below:

    • Forwards those letters to the 12th Step CommitteeVolunteers within 48 hours after the subject message appeared in GROW.

  • Group Conscience Decision: Amend the position description for the Business Meeting Chair to add working with the Webkeeper to assure meeting materials are posted to the website as soon as possible.
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 2 from the October 2022 business meeting.

    Recommended Language: Amend the tenth bullet in the Business Meeting Chair position description:
    • Work closely with other trusted servants, especially the Secretary and Webkeeper.

Add a new twelfth bullet as shown below:

    • Work closely with the Webkeeper to assure meeting documents are posted to the website as quickly as possible. Give the Webkeeper documents that include:
    • all reports and proposals, Minutes, and Summary documents
    • Summaries for each phase for Proposals (discussion, voting, and final outcome (is or is not adopted as a Group Conscience Decision).

 

  • Group Conscience Decision: To assist GROW to be better informed about AA as a whole in the case of a vacant GSR post; at the Business Meeting we ask for a TS to volunteer to receive and forward the quarterly AA Newsletter Box 4-5-9 and to highlight the Calendar page as per our Group Conscience October 2018.
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 3 from the October 2022 business meeting.
    Note: During the meeting, the current OIAA Representative agreed to take on the GSR position as well, consistent with the April 2012 Group Conscience Decision (If we do not have enough volunteers to cover both positions, we can have one volunteer handle both GSR and OIAA positions.)

 

  • Group Conscience Decision: GROW authorizes Cheryl B to poll our membership to identify women who are interested in attending the 2024 International Women’s Conference (IWC) in Washington DC and to represent GROW in contacting the IWC to explore opportunities to participate by staffing a booth, either separately or in cooperation with other online AA groups, or volunteering for other service opportunities. She will report her findings in the April 2023 Business Meeting and seek approval for further action.
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 4 from the October 2022 business meeting.

 

  • Group Conscience Decision: GROW will create a working group to address the Alternatives to Address Vacancies. The working group will take a closer look at the issues to identify ways in which we can focus on supporting our online AA women’s meeting while hopefully still providing support to individual GROW members.
    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 4 from the October 2022 business meeting.

To support effective action, this proposal includes several measures to facilitate communication and maximum participation in the working group. These include:

    • keep grow-business active for at least six months (until the next scheduled business meeting), during which all current Trusted Servants would be subscribed automatically,
    • issue a call to current Trusted Servants for volunteers to form a working group that would identify the priorities and major issues and propose alternatives for changes to “the way GROW operates,”
    • invite interested GROW members who are not Trusted Servants to subscribe to the business-grow mailing list to participate in the working group,
    • temporarily suspend some GROW Business Guidelines to allow the working group to make specific proposals that would be discussed and voted on grow-business outside of our scheduled business meeting process (while still adhering to the existing Business Meeting Guidelines process for proposals – reaching Group Conscience decisions), and
    • offer specific issue areas to be addressed based on the comments made to date.

Temporary Mentor Letter 3

Hello, GROW members. As Temporary Mentor, I work with new members who often do not know how to find more information about AA. I provide this to our new members in my first message to them, but all GROW members might also benefit from visiting AA’s main websites. This is just a reminder that you can learn more about AA by visiting one of these links:

  • The Alcoholics Anonymous general services office and information such as the AA Big Book (titled “Alcoholics Anonymous”) or the “12 Steps and 12 Traditions,” along with many pamphlets as well as links to local resources for AA.
  • AA’s Online Intergroup (OIAA) where you can find meeting lists as well as real-time phone numbers and other Internet types of meetings.
  • AA’s Grapevine magazine with stories and audio stories and Grapevine subscription options.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

[ Name ]
Temporary Mentor

0422 – Minutes for the third 3-day session

Minutes for the third 3-day session

During the third 3-day session of our meeting, we invited the Minority Opinion on one proposal and voted on four proposals.

Proposal 3 would change the language of the Preamble as it appears in our weekly meeting by replacing “men and women” with “people.” Sixteen people voted on the proposal. Eleven voted “I agree” (69%), and five voted “I disagree.” The vote exceeded the requirement for a two-thirds majority. During this session, we invited those who voted against the change to submit a Minority Opinion; however, no one chose to do so. Therefore, the proposal is accepted as a Group Conscience Decision.

Proposal 1 addressed GROW membership requirements for those Trusted Servant positions that had not contained the requirement. The discussion period was extended to allow us to consider each position separately. For all but one position, the required length of membership in GROW is equal to the term of office. However, most participants felt that a 2-year requirement for the GSR was too much. After this change was made, Fourteen participants voted unanimously to accept the proposed GROW Membership Requirements, and the proposal is accepted as a Group Conscience Decision.

Proposal 4 sought to authorize the Website Administrator to use professional website services to help resolve issues with WordPress and related plugin issues, with a spending limit of $300 per year. Fourteen participants voted unanimously to approve the expenditure of GROW funds for the service, and the proposal is accepted as a Group Conscience Decision. We will add a bullet to the Treasurer and Website Administrator positions to reflect this decision.

Proposal 5 would add a form letter for the Temporary Mentor position to facilitate the task of informing all GROW members of AA resources available to them. Temporary Mentor Form Letter #3 contains links to AA resources including GSO, OIAA, and the Grapevine. Fifteen participants voted unanimously to adopt the form letter, and the proposal is accepted as a Group Conscience Decision.

Proposal 6 offered revised website-related position descriptions for the Website Administrator and Webkeeper and replaced the Webkeeper Backup with the more accurate Topic Archivist position. Fourteen participants voted unanimously to adopt the new position descriptions, and the proposal is accepted as a Group Conscience Decision.

Most of the proposals considered during the meeting reflected topics that came up during the October 2021 meeting or in follow-up activities. One topic that had been raised was the idea of job-sharing of Trusted Servant positions, similar to what our Listkeepers and Greeters do now. The Listkeepers submitted a Statement on Job-Sharing that explained why they had decided against proposing further job-sharing arrangements. The statement is available on the website in the April 2022 business meeting.

In closing the meeting, the Chair asked Trusted Servants to review their position descriptions and to download their form letters at this time. She explained that these materials now include all Group Conscience Decisions made between April 2018 and October 2021 that had not been posted since 2018.

0422 – Minutes for the second 3-day session

Minutes for the second 3-day session

(Links to Proposals open a new page.)

During the second 3-day session of our business meeting, we voted on Proposal 2 (Revise Secretary’s Position Description) and Proposal 3 (Preamble Language).

We did not vote on Proposal 1 (assigning GROW membership requirements to Trusted Servant position descriptions that do not currently address this issue). The Chair extended discussion so that participants could discuss the requirement for specific positions. Two people submitted comments that did not change the proposed terms of service.

Sixteen people voted in favor of revising the Secretary’s position description and no one voted against it; therefore, Proposal 2 is adopted as a Group Conscience Decision.

Sixteen participants voted on Proposal 3 to change “men and women” in the Preamble to “people.” As background, this change was approved at the 71st General Service Conference annual meeting in April 2021 as a non-binding advisory action. By Tradition, each AA group is autonomous and can make its own decision about whether to change the Preamble it uses in its meetings. It’s impossible to know what decision the thousands of individual AA meetings are making for their own group. The change does not involve our basic text. It is not suggested that Big Book language should be changed. The Preamble was developed years after the BB’s first publication by people in the General Services Office.

Eleven (69%) voted in favor of making the change, and five voted against it. The majority vote is greater than the 66% required to carry the measure. During the third 3-day session, we invite those who voted “I disagree” to offer their minority opinion on the issue during the third 3-day session. If anyone changes their vote as a result, we will conduct a re-vote on Proposal 3. If no one changes their vote as a result, the proposal is accepted as a Group Conscience Decision.

During the second 3-day session, participants discussed Proposal 4 (Website Support Services), Proposal 5 (Temporary Mentor Letter #3), and Proposal 6 (Website Position Descriptions).

Six women commented on Proposal 4 which would authorize the expenditure of up to $300 per year for professional consulting services in support of our website. The consultant would help resolve issues related to WordPress plugins. All of the comments supported the proposal, but there were some questions. One participant wanted clarification on the relationship between support services for the mailing list and the website. The most likely candidate for providing these services also runs the oso-aa.org server, but this work would be completely independent of that activity. Another expressed concern about the amount of Prudent Reserve GROW should withhold but agreed that we could wait to see what impact this decision might have.

Seven participants commented on Proposal 5 to add Form Letter #3 to the Temporary Mentor’s position description. All of them supported the proposal. Several reported that our form letters are helpful to them in their own Trusted Servant positions.

Six women commented on Proposal 6 which presented new position descriptions (PD) for the Website Administrator, Webkeeper, and Webkeeper Backup (who would become the Topic Archivist). All of the comments were supportive of the proposal; however, there were questions. One participant asked for an explanation for setting the terms of office for Website Administrator and Webkeeper to five years. The primary reasons are how difficult it has been to fill the Webkeeper position and the level of skills necessary. One woman suggested adding a line to the Website Administrator’s position description about working with a professional(s) in support of website management. The Chair will add a bullet to the PD. Another wanted clarification of the PD item saying “Should be familiar with WordPress and website management,” suggesting that the words “should be familiar” do not clearly convey the demands of the position for someone considering volunteering.

During the third 3-day session, we will vote on Proposals 1, 4, 5, and 6 and consider any Minority Opinion on Proposal 3 that is submitted.

0422 – Minutes for the first 3-day session

Minutes for the first 3-day session

The Business Meeting has completed the first three-day session. Twenty-three GROW members are enrolled for the meeting. If you would like to participate, please send an e-mail to our listkeepers at grow-owner@oso-aa.org, and they’ll put you on our business mailing list. Trusted Servants provided reports at the beginning of the meeting.

Summary of Comments on Proposals 1-3

During the first session, we discussed three proposals. (The titles below are linked to the proposals on GROW’s website – password: sobertodayhow2484.)

Proposal 1 (GROW membership requirements): Eleven participants commented on Proposal 1. No one opposed the proposal, but more than half disagreed with the proposed requirement for length of membership in GROW for the General Services Representative. Feeling that a requirement for two years’ membership in GROW was unreasonable, they wanted to reduce that to one year. There was general agreement that the six-month requirement for the three six-month term Trusted Servants is appropriate. However, one person felt that 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper should have been in GROW for at least a year. There were a few participants who wanted to shorten the membership requirements proposed for the OIAA Rep, Grapevine Rep, and Greeter from one year to six months. Given the interest in addressing specific positions and the lack of general consensus for many of the positions, the Chair is extending the discussion period through the second 3-day period when we will discuss the preferred required length of GROW membership for specific positions.

Proposal 2 (Secretary’s position description): Eleven participants commented on Proposal 2, all of them supporting the revisions to the Secretary’s position description. One participant suggested that the language changes related to the Mini-Steering Committee should also be made to the position descriptions for the Business Chair and Listkeepers. The Chair has added this to the proposal.

Proposal 3 (Preamble language): Twelve people commented on Proposal 3 to change “men and women” to “people” in GROW’s Preamble. This change was approved at the 71st General Service Conference annual meeting in April 2021 as a non-binding advisory action. By Tradition, each AA group is autonomous and can make its own decision about whether to change the Preamble it uses in its meetings. It’s impossible to know what decision the thousands of individual AA meetings are making for their own group. The change does not involve our basic text. It is not suggested that Big Book language should be changed. The Preamble was developed years after the BB’s first publication by people in the General Services Office.

During the first days of commenting, there appeared to be consensus for approving the wording change. However, one participant submitted a persuasive argument that the language should not be changed based on, among other things, AA’s Traditions – specifically Tradition 3, Tradition 4, and Tradition 10 The commenter also cited language in the first paragraph of the Preamble, pointing out an inherent contradiction between the advisory action and the statement that “A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.” After reading the opposing viewpoint, several participants commented that they would not support the change, and discussion of this proposal continued late into the night.

We will vote on Proposal 3 to change the Preamble that GROW uses in its weekly meeting and wherever it appears on our website. Voting will end late on Thursday, April 7th. The Chair will report on the outcome in the summary of our second 3-day session.

During the second 3-day session, we will vote on Proposals 2 and 3. We will continue to discuss Proposal 1 to fine-tune the requirement for GROW membership for seven positions. We will also discuss the last three proposals:

Proposal 4: Website Support Services
Proposal 5: Temporary Mentor Letter #3
Proposal 6: Website Position Descriptions

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.growmail@gmail.com

Respectfully,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

0422 – Proposal 6: Website Position Descriptions

Proposal 6: GROW modifies the current web keeping-related trusted servant positions, eliminating the webkeeper backup position, adding a ‘Topic Archivist’ position, and establishing 5-year terms for the Website Administrator and Webkeeper positions. (See proposed Position Descriptions below.)

Recommended Language
Summary of Comments
Results of Voting

Rationale:

Since the current website administrator has been in her position, the webkeeper and webkeeper backup positions have not been filled at the same time.  In addition, the roles and responsibilities are not outlined correctly.

Our current Webkeeper Backup is really posting the weekly meeting topics and not maintaining any aspects of the website structure or design.  This position is necessary for the group and more accurately defined by the new position that is being proposed: Topic Archivist.  Posting the weekly meeting topics maintains an archive of topics that is available for all members to review.  Simplifying this position description will very likely result in more members being willing to volunteer for this position.

The Website Administrator and Webkeeper roles have been very hard to fill by volunteers and are key to maintaining the infrastructure for the group. The premise of this proposal is that by having these two positions with 5-year terms, we can a) better communicate our expectations to the members who fill these roles, b) ensure continuity of infrastructure for the group, and c) have more lead time to identify and train future volunteers.

We will discuss this proposal during the second 3-day session. Please send your comments to grow-business@oso-aa.org or to me privately before midnight (your time) on Thursday, April 7th.
Please remember to include the proposal number in the subject line of your message.

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The 3 positions are:

Website Administrator: Basically, our current web admin is doing both Web Administrator and Webkeeper jobs now. Main focus would be on keeping the plug-ins up-to-date, patched, maintaining security of the website, etc.

Webkeeper: Would manage the webpage structure (categories, menus, etc.), would make any adjustments to content based on group conscience decisions, and would maintain the business meeting content

Topic Archivist: Duties would be what our current webkeeper backup is doing now, posting the weekly topics to the webpage. The requirements for this position have been simplified.

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Recommended Language:

Website Administrator

  • 5 year term
  • 4 years sobriety
  • 4 years GROW membership
  • Must be familiar with WordPress and the administration of Websites
  • Member of Business List
  • Non-voting member of the Steering Committee
  • Maintains GROW Server account
  • Maintains a periodic backup of the GROW database
  • Maintains GROW website updates (WordPress, theme, and plugins)
  • May seek professional services to resolve technical issues up to an annual limit of $300.
  • Consults with Steering Committee before making substantial design or content changes to GROW website
  • Supports Web-keeper and Topic Archivist on WordPress site issues
  • Provides Web-keeper and Topic Archivist with all necessary information and passwords to access all web accounts and web server
  • Provides the Webkeeper’s email address to the web hosting service and designate her as co-owner
  • As owner of the g-r-o-w web account, helps ensure that the annual service fee is paid. If necessary, provide copies of invoice/receipt to GROW Treasurer for reimbursement
  • Upon retirement, transfers website account to successor, provide successor with all necessary information, including job guidelines, and serve as a mentor during the transition to ensure continuity of service.
  • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here.

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Webkeeper

  • 5 year term
  • 2 years sobriety
  • 2 years GROW membership
  • Must be member of Business List
  • Non-voting member of the Steering Committee
  • Should be familiar with WordPress and website management
  • Maintains public website (g-r-o-w.com) for GROW to provide information about Alcoholics Anonymous and for the purpose of attracting new members. Information should include:
    • Info about Alcoholics Anonymous
    • Info about GROW
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Our Guiding Philosophy
    • Guide for Email Etiquette
    • Traditions in Cyberspace
    • How to become a member
  • Maintains the password-protected private section on g-r-o-w.com to provide GROW members with information about GROW, including:
    • List of trusted servants and job descriptions
    • Info about how we conduct business
    • Group conscience decisions
    • Common Welfare Guidelines
    • Archives in keeping with group conscience guidelines
    • Important Addresses
  • Works closely with the Business Meeting Chair and the Steering Committee to ensure that pertinent group history is preserved in the member’s section of the GROW website and that archived materials are accessible to GROW members
  • Consults with Steering Committee before making substantial design changes to GROW website that have not been dictated by group conscience decisions
  • Posts all business meetings and keep updated throughout the business meeting
  • Ensure that any material posted on g-r-o-w.com appropriately protects the anonymity of anyone mentioned
  • Upon retirement, transfers website account to successor, provide successor with all necessary information, including job guidelines, and serve as a mentor during the transition to ensure continuity of service
  • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here.

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Webkeeper Backup Topic Archivist

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Summary of Comments

Six people commented on Proposal 6 which presented revised position descriptions for all of the website-related Trusted Servant positions. In addition, the proposal would abolish the position of Webkeeper Backup and create a new position of Topic Archivist. The comments supported the proposal; however, there were questions to which the Chair responded ‘publicly’ on the business list.

One commenter asked about the reasoning behind the proposed 5-year terms of office for the Website Administrator and Webkeeper. The proposal initially made both positions non-rotating; however, this was changed to five years to reflect AA’s principle of rotation. The 5-year term also recognizes the difficulty we’ve had in attracting volunteers.
Another commenter suggested that the Website Administrator’s position description should include a bullet authorizing her to use professional services to assist with website management. The Chair has added a bullet as suggested.

Finally, a commenter asked about the implications for getting volunteers of the language “should be familiar with WordPress and website management” in the Webkeeper’s position description. There is a clear but unavoidable tension between the need for volunteers and the skill levels necessary to perform the job.

In the third 3-day session, we will vote on Proposal 6.

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Results of Voting

0422 – Proposal 5: Temporary Mentor Letter #3

Proposal 5: GROW approves a new form letter that the Temporary Mentor can send to the group each month, as required in her position description.

Rationale
Recommended Language
Summary of Comments
Results of Voting

Rationale: The Temporary Mentor position descriptions calls for her to send a short letter each month reminding GROW members of AA resources (GSO, OIAA, and Grapevine) available to them. However, this hasn’t happened regularly in the past. Providing a form letter will be a reminder and will make it easier for the Temporary Mentor to fulfill this task.

During the second 3-day session, we will discuss Proposal 5. Please send your comments to grow-business@oso-aa.org before midnight (your time) on Thursday, April 7th.
Please remember to include the proposal number in the subject line of your message.

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Recommended Language: Temporary Mentor Letter #3

“Hello, GROW members. As Temporary Mentor, I work with new members who often do not know how to find more information about AA. I provide this to our new members in my first message to them, but all GROW members might also benefit from visiting AA’s main websites. This is just a reminder that you can learn more about AA by visiting one of these links:

  • The Alcoholics Anonymous general services office and information such as the AA Big Book (titled “Alcoholics Anonymous”) or the “12 Steps and 12 Traditions,” along with many pamphlets as well as links to local resources for AA.
  • AA’s Online Intergroup (OIAA) where you can find meeting lists as well as real-time phone numbers and other Internet types of meetings.
  • AA’s Grapevine magazine with stories and audio stories and Grapevine subscription options.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

[ Name ]
Temporary Mentor

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Summary of Comments

Six people commented on Proposal 5 adding a new form letter to the Temporary Mentor position description, all of them supporting the proposal. Several talked about how useful form letters have been to fulfilling their own duties. The letter facilitates the Trusted Servant in fulfilling a responsibility: “Each month, the Temporary Mentor will send a short letter reminding GROW members of AA resources available to them.” The letter mirrors form letter #1 but provides links to AA resources to all GROW members instead of just new members.”

In the third 3-day session of the meeting, we will vote on Proposal 5.

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Results of Voting

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0422 – Proposal 4: Website Support Services

Proposal 4: GROW approves the expenditure of funds to acquire support services from Dean Collins (oso-aa.org) or other professionals in managing the GROW website. For example, the Website Administrator will request help in better utilizing current 3rd-party applications that allow us to offer improved information access. GROW therefore authorizes the Website Administrator to incur expenses up to $300 per year to secure the needed support. Prior to enlisting the help of an IT professional, the Website Administrator will provide the Mini-Steering Committee and Treasurer a short summary of the tasks and an estimated cost.

Rationale
Recommended Language
Summary of Comments
Results of Voting

Rationale: Our Website Administrator is familiar with WordPress (the content management software that makes the site work); however, she is not as familiar with the many plug-ins that had been added to accomplish specific tasks (like creating sidebar menus and automatically-generated lists like the one for Trusted Servants and the table of contents for a meeting).

Another Trusted Servant is now training for the Webkeeper position and will volunteer for it in October. When this immediate problem is solved, our Website Administrator will be able to devote most of her time to website administration rather than content management. She will need ofessional technical support to accomplish needed website improvements.

Our current point of contact for the oso-aa.org domain, Dean Collins, has agreed to provide services at $20/hour with no monthly minimum, which is FAR less than his professional website pricing.

We will discuss this proposal during the second 3-day session. Please send your comments to grow-business@oso-aa.org or to me privately before midnight (your time) on Thursday, April 7th.
Please remember to include the proposal number in the subject line of your message.

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Recommended Language: Add a fifth bullet to the Treasurer’s position description under the bullet authorizing expenditures (“Pay all group expenses…”) to authorize the Treasurer to make payments to Dean Collins or reimburse the Website Administrator for consulting support on the Grow website.

  • Pay all group expenses per the distribution below and maintain a prudent reserve of $122.00:
    • Make bi-annual contributions before GROW Business Meetings, to GSO (The General Service Office, Grand Central Station, PO Box 459, New York, NY 10164-0423; Group Service # 633230).
    • Allocate 80% of the total available contribution amount to GSO
    • Allocate 20% of GROW’s total available contribution amount to OIAA
      $24.00 monthly to OSO-AA (PayPal: dean.collins@insightplanners.com) ($144 – 6 months expenses)
    • $50.00 annual subscription to Grapevine magazine
    • Up to $300 per year to Dean Collins dba Insight Planners, or other professionals, for consulting services on GROW’s WordPress-based website

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Summary of Comments

Six people commented on Proposal 4 authorizing the expenditure of up to $300 per year to secure professional website support services. All of the comments supported the proposal, although one participant had a question about whether the proposal applies to both the website and the mailing list. The Chair clarified that it applies only to the website.

In the third 3-day session of the meeting, we will vote on Proposal 4.

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Results of Voting

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0422 – Statement on Job-Sharing

The following summarizes conclusions made in considering how Trusted Servant job-sharing could be expanded. It is not a proposal, nor does it require any action on your part. However, if you want to make comments, please feel free to do so. Your input could influence our future discussions of job-sharing. There is no deadline for comments.


Statement on Job-Sharing

Our October 2021 Business Meeting ended with a list of four subjects that we wanted to follow up on this April.

Now, April is here. The side-by-side comparison is done and posted both to the group and on our website. There will be a proposal to make changes to the Secretary’s position description. Our Listkeepers have, with input from our greeters, decided not to submit a proposal for job-sharing at this time. There has been no follow-up on proposing a meeting on the 12 Concepts of World Service and, unless someone has a concrete proposal, the subject is tabled for now.

The idea of job-sharing had two major objectives: to make some Trusted Servant positions more appealing to potential volunteers and to ease workload burdens on people serving in TS positions. Underlying these objectives are the larger and over-riding goals of helping alcoholic women get and stay sober and ensuring the smooth operation of our e-mail meeting.

Keeping all of these objectives in mind, we have decided that it is not necessary at this time to propose job-sharing for other GROW TS positions. Many of our positions are complicated and involve one or more of the following demands:

  • maintaining a current list of a subset of members over time
  • following up on requests or correspondence over time
  • providing specific accurate and timely information to GROW members
  • being a focal point for GROW members on a specific topic or issue

Given the above, as we looked at various GROW TS positions, job-sharing had a real potential of causing confusion for GROW members and creating a heavier workload for the TS due to the extra communication that would be required with their job-share partner.

The Listkeeper and Greeter positions have been successful in job-sharing largely because their duties entail responding to specific requests and taking actions that do not require follow-up. The workload requires checking email several times each day; thus, the job-share approach gives team members a break. In addition, a listkeeper term is two years—a heavy daily workload without the team approach.

After reviewing all Trusted Servant positions, we found that one other position might benefit from job-sharing – that of 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper. However, because that workload is relatively light, we question the value of adding a second position to that function.

For these reasons, we do not think it is necessary to submit a proposal or change GROW’s positions at this time. However, if a Trusted Servant should find that their workload is unmanageable (due to their own schedule or volume of activity within GROW), we agree that it would be appropriate for that TS to request job-sharing.

Prepared by our Listkeepers with input from our Greeters 
and writing assistance from the Business Chair

0422 – Proposal 3: Preamble

Proposal 3: Revise the AA Preamble wherever it appears in our form letters and on our website to reflect the October 2021 General Service Conference decision to change the wording in AA’s Preamble from “men and women” to “people.”

Recommended Language
Summary of Comments
Results of Voting

Rationale: At the 71st General Service Conference annual meeting (April 2021), a revision to the AA Preamble was approved through advisory action. The change replaced the words “men and women” with the word “people” in the first sentence of the Preamble. The language has been changed on the AA website. GROW should reflect this decision in the Preamble where it appears in our correspondence and on our website.

In our October 2021 meeting, we discussed the change. Most of the comments expressed strong opposition to changing a word of the Big Book. However, the Preamble isn’t in the Big Book. The Big Book was published in 1939. The Preamble was written by Grapevine editors in 1947.

Each AA group is autonomous and should decide whether they want to adopt this change. No AA group is required to read the Preamble at its meetings. In fact, AA groups have adopted similar but different Preamble language in the past. For example, the Texas AA adopted a very long preamble, but individual AA groups in Texas choose whether to use it.

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Recommended Language: Change the first sentence in the Preamble included in the Weekly Format Letter (used by the Weekly Leader Listkeeper) as follows:

“Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.”

During the first 3-day session, we will discuss Proposal3. Please send your comments to grow-business@oso-aa.org before midnight (your time) on Monday, April 4th.

Please remember to include the proposal number in the subject line of your message.

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Summary of Comments

Twelve people commented on Proposal 3 to change “men and women” to “people” in GROW’s Preamble.

As background, this change was approved at the 71st General Service Conference annual meeting in April 2021 as a non-binding advisory action. By Tradition, each AA group is autonomous and can make its own decision about whether to change the Preamble it uses in its meetings. It’s impossible to know what decision the thousands of individual AA meetings are making for their own group. This is a Group Conscience decision at a profound level.

One writer commenting on the change in a white paper pointed out that many groups and AA organizations at higher levels have written their own preambles in the past, citing a state-level decision in Texas to create a much longer and more detailed Preamble. Living in Texas, I can testify that no group I’ve been to here uses the Texas version.

The change does not involve our basic text. It is not suggested that Big Book language should be changed. The Preamble was developed years after the BB’s first publication.

During the first days of commenting, there appeared to be consensus for approving the wording change. However, one participant submitted a persuasive argument that the language should not be changed based on, among other things, AA’s Traditions – specifically Tradition 3 (“The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.”), Tradition 4 (“Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or AA as a whole.”), and Tradition 10 (“Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.”).

The commenter also cited language in the first paragraph of the Preamble, pointing out an inherent contradiction between the advisory action and the claim that “A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.” After reading the opposing viewpoint, several participants commented that they would not support the change, and discussion of this proposal continued late into the night.

We will vote on Proposal 3 to change the Preamble that GROW uses in its weekly meeting and wherever it appears on our website. Voting will end late on Thursday, April 7th. The Chair will report on the outcome in the summary of our second 3-day session.

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Results of Voting

Sixteen (16) women (69%) voted on Proposal 3 to change the language in the Preamble contained in the Weekly Lead format letter and anywhere it appears on the website. Eleven (11) voted in favor of the change, and five (5) voted against it. The vote exceeds the requirement for a 2/3 majority.

During the third 3-day session, we invite those who voted against the proposal to submit a Minority Opinion explaining their position. If anyone changes their vote as a result of the Minority Opinion(s), we will have a re-vote. If no one changes their vote as a result, the vote stands and the proposal becomes a Group Conscience Decision.

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0422 – Proposal 2: Revise Secretary Position Description

Proposal 2: Revise the Secretary’s position description to delete contradictory, ambiguous, or unreasonable expectations.

Rationale: The Secretary’s current position description assigns duties to the Secretary that are not clearly articulated or that duplicate or contradict GROW policies contained in the Common Welfare Guidelines and Item #9 of the Business Meeting Guidelines. The suggested changes eliminate the contradictions and reflect existing GROW policies.

Recommended Language
Summary of Comments
Results of Voting

Secretary

  • 1 year term
  • 2 years sobriety
  • One year membership in GROW
  • Must be member of Business List
  • Should have completed AA Steps 1 – 12.
  • Adheres to confidentiality of private emails
  • Serves on the Steering Committee
  • Works closely with the other Trusted Servants including privately and discreetly informing members who stray from the guidelines
  • Serves on GROW’s “Mini-Steering Committee” Will be available, in conjunction with the Business Chairperson and Listkeepers, to answeraddress questions/concerns/issues from any member of GROW. These Trusted Servants will confer among each other to provide an appropriate answer or resolution based on prior Group Conscience guidelines, and will respond back to the inquiring member
  • Maintains a list of emergency contact phone numbers of all trusted servants for use by trusted servants, not for general distribution.
  • KeepsMaintains a current list of trusted servants and term dates
  • Calls for nominations/volunteers
  • Confirms nominees will accept and serve
  • Announces new trusted servants
  • Sends Steering Committee Welcome Letter to all new trusted servants
  • Fields questions sent both publicly and privately (This is too general to be useful. It should either be written more specifically or be removed.)
  • Serves as temporary back-up to the Business Meeting Chair
  • Does NOT handle anything related to the business meeting (These two lines are contradictory and unnecessary.)
  • Informs the business chair if elections are needed for trusted servants.
  • Reviews GROW mail daily. (Not necessary to the position.)
  • Has an understanding of the duties of each job. (There is no way to verify that the TS “understands” the duty of all jobs. Therefore, this line is meaningless. It is also unreasonable to expect one person to understand everyone else’s job.)
  • Sends FYI Letter and GROW Mail List Guidelines monthly to GROW membership
  • Knows how to access job descriptions and form letters (particularly the monthly FYI and GROW Guidelines letters) necessary to carry out the tasks. (This “duty” should be included in the Common Duties, not in this specific job. Every Trusted Servant should do this.)
  • Sends letter of introduction to new Temporary Mentor and the birthday, sponsor, weekly meeting lead, and 12th step listkeepers when they begin new term. (She already sends welcome letters to all new Trusted Servants. Delete this item.)
  • Is available to temporarily carry out the tasks of the Temporary Mentor and Birthday, Sponsor, Weekly Meeting Lead, and 12th Step Volunteer listkeepers, as necessary. (There is no reason to expect the Secretary to carry out the duties of other Trusted Servants. The Common Duties places responsibility for covering jobs on each Trusted Servant. They are supposed to contact the Secretary or Business Chair to work out solutions when they can’t carry out their duties temporarily or permanently.)
  • Maintains current copies of birthday, sponsor, weekly meeting lead, and 12th Step Volunteer lists. (It should not be the Secretary’s responsibility to maintain current lists. (At the most, the TSs should be responsible for providing her with copies of their current lists. There may be better ways to keep back-up copies of these lists – for example, on the website.)
  • Acts as a focal point to receive complaints when Trusted Servant(s) do not fulfill responsibilities and works with the Steering Committee and the Trusted Servant to resolve performance issues.
  • When a Trusted Servant becomes unavailable or unwilling to fulfill her duties, temporarily serves in that role and works with the Steering Committee to fill the position. Train the new volunteer who accepts the vacant position. (It is not appropriate to expect the Secretary to cover for every TS position. It is her job to work with – even lead – the Steering Committee to see that the job gets done, hopefully by someone who has been in the position before.)
  • Conducts a Group Inventory every 2 years (in even-numbered years) between the Business Meetings of April and October by sending out the 12 Questions on our website. 3 questions will be sent to the group each week over a 4-week period. Each week’s responses will be summarized, posted back to the group, and the results discussed and reviewed by members at the next Business Meeting to determine if action needs to be taken. These will be posted in addition to the Weekly Topics.
  • In the event that the current Greeter and / or Listkeeper is unable to complete the task of their respected positions, the Secretary can put out a call to the membership for help to fulfill those tasks needed until the current Greeter and / or Listkeeper issue is resolved. The Secretary’s call to the membership would include a prerequisite of having served in those requested positions so that they may assume those duties quickly and efficiently.
  • In 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper’s temporary absence, either alert 12th Step volunteers of a need for support or work with Steering Committee to assure these duties are covered. (There is a process for TSs who can’t do their job to work with the Secretary and Business Chair … and the Steering Committee … to fill the position temporarily or permanently.)
  • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here.
  • Wording for letters commonly used are provided in the links below:

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We will discuss this proposal during the first 3-day session. Please send your comments to grow-business@oso-aa.org or to me privately before midnight (your time) on Monday, April 4th.
Please remember to include the proposal number in the subject line of your message.

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Position Description as Revised:

Secretary

  • 1 year term
  • 2 years sobriety
  • One year membership in GROW
  • Must be member of Business List
  • Adheres to confidentiality of private emails
  • Serves on the Steering Committee
  • Works closely with the other Trusted Servants including privately and discreetly informing members who stray from the guidelines
  • Serves on GROW’s Mini-Steering Committee with the Business Chairperson and Listkeepers, to address questions/concerns/issues from any member of GROW
  • Maintains a list of emergency contact phone numbers of all trusted servants for use by trusted servants, not for general distribution
  • Maintains a current list of trusted servants and term dates
  • Calls for nominations/volunteers
  • Confirms nominees will accept and serve
  • Announces new trusted servants
  • Sends Steering Committee Welcome Letter to all new trusted servants.
  • Informs the business chair if elections are needed for trusted servants
  • Acts as a focal point to receive complaints when Trusted Servant(s) do not fulfill responsibilities and works with the Steering Committee and the Trusted Servant to resolve performance issues
  • When a Trusted Servant becomes unavailable or unwilling to fulfill her duties, works with the Steering Committee to fill the position
  • Conducts a Group Inventory every 2 years (in even-numbered years) between the Business Meetings of April and October by sending out the 12 Questions on our website. 3 questions will be sent to the group each week over a 4-week period. Each week’s responses will be summarized, posted back to the group, and the results discussed and reviewed by members at the next Business Meeting to determine if action needs to be taken. These will be posted in addition to the Weekly Topics
  • In the event that the current Greeter and / or Listkeeper is unable to complete the task of their respected positions, the Secretary can put out a call to the membership for help to fulfill those tasks needed until the current Greeter and / or Listkeeper issue is resolved. The Secretary’s call to the membership would include a prerequisite of having served in those requested positions so that they may assume those duties quickly and efficiently
  • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here
  • Wording for letters commonly used are provided in the links below:

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Summary of Comments

Eleven participants commented on Proposal 2, all of them supporting the revisions to the Secretary’s position description. One participant suggested that the language changes related to the Mini-Steering Committee should also be made to the position descriptions for the Business Chair and Listkeepers. The Chair has added this to the proposal.

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Results of Voting

Sixteen (16) women voted for, and no one voted against, Proposal 2 to revise the Secretary’s position description. The vote was unanimous and therefore becomes a Group Conscience Decision.

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0422 – Proposal 1: Trusted Servant Membership Requirements

Proposal 1: Assign “qualifying GROW membership” to TS positions for which this requirement has not been specified. Required membership in GROW will be equal to the length of the term of office.

Requirement for membership in GROW equal to the term of office will be assigned to the following Trusted Servant Position Descriptions:

  • 12th Step Listkeeper – 6 months
  • Birthday Listkeeper – 6 months
  • Sponsor Listkeeper – 6 months
  • General Service Representative (GSR) – 21 years
  • Grapevine Representative (GVR) – 1 year
  • Greeter – 1 year
  • OIAA Representative – 1 year

Rationale
Summary of Comments
Results of Voting

Rationale In compiling the “Comparison Chart,” we identified several positions for which no requirement for length of GROW membership had been assigned. To make all TS requirements consistent and reduce confusion about GROW membership requirements, this proposal corrects that omission by assigning a value equal to the term of office for each position.

We will discuss this proposal during the first 3-day session. Please send your comments to grow-business@oso-aa.org or to me privately before midnight (your time) on Monday, April 4th.

Respectfully,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

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Summary of Comments

Eleven participants commented on Proposal 1. No one opposed the proposal, but more than half disagreed with the proposed requirement for length of membership in GROW for the General Services Representative. Feeling that a requirement for two years’ membership in GROW was unreasonable, they wanted to reduce that to one year.

There seemed to be general agreement that the six-month requirement for the three six-month term Trusted Servants is appropriate. However, one person felt that 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper should have been in GROW for at least a year.

There were a few participants who wanted to shorten the membership requirements proposed for the OIAA Rep, Grapevine Rep, and Greeter from one year to six months.

Given the interest in addressing specific positions and the lack of general consensus for many of the positions, the Chair is extending the discussion period through the second 3-day period when we will discuss the preferred required length of GROW membership for specific positions.

Extended discussion:

During the second 3-day session, very few people commented on the proposed GROW membership requirement for Trusted Servant positions beyond the GSR. The two people that did comment supported the proposed terms of office.

In the third 3-day session of our meeting, we will vote on Proposal 1 which will reflect the GROW membership requirement for the GSR from at one year.

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Results of Voting

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0422 – Mini-Steering Committee Report

Mini-Steering Committee Report
Covering October 2021 to April 2022

The Mini-Steering Committee was established in 2018 to handle issues that arise between business meetings. The four-member panel includes the Business Meeting Chair, Secretary, and Listkeepers. They handle issues that come up that can be resolved quickly – based on AA’s Traditions, GROW Group Conscience Decisions, or common-sense solutions. The Committee takes more complex or difficult issues to the full Steering Committee for resolution.

In the period since the end of the October 2021 meeting, no issues have been presented.

Respectfully,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

0422 – OIAA Representative’s Report

OIAA Representative Report
April 2022

Being OIAA rep is not demanding at all. At the end of the month, I send GROW stats to OIAA. There are almost daily emails, mostly other groups asking for their details to be added and welcoming to new members. Also, OIAA sends emails about business meetings or anything new from GSO. Members are free to ask questions. Joining OIAA in other aspects is rewarding. I am currently on the finance committee and intend to stay with OIAA.

Rene G

0422 – Listkeepers’ Report

Listkeepers’ Report
April 2022 Business Meeting

Hello GROW

I’m Karen, alcoholic and one of your two Listkeepers.
Sophie R is our other Listkeeper.

Listkeepers work closely with the team of two Greeters, currently Amy N and Karrie C.
As a team of four we manage requests from new ladies interested in joining GROW. Karrie’s term ended in October 2021; however, our new Greeter was unable to fulfill her TS responsibilities and Karrie graciously agreed to step back in and serve until April. Thank you Karrie!

Karen H. has completed her term as listkeeper. Sophie R. will continue as listkeeper until April 2023 and work with Susan P., our incoming listkeeper alternate. Amy and Karrie will be stepping down as Greeters. Diane L and De W have volunteered to be of service as our new Greeters. Diane will serve until October 2022 and De until April 2023.

Our roles don’t take much time but do need us to check our GROW emails several times a day so that requests to join are responded to quickly. We work in pairs – one week on, one week off. Sophie, Amy, and Karrie have been great to work with and I appreciate how the four of us have functioned as a team to keep the list running smoothly and respond quickly to the new ladies.

At our last Business Meeting in October we had 284 members.
Today we currently have 284 members.
We are welcoming new ladies to GROW each month; however, we currently have members unsubscribing at about the same rate as our new subscribers. Thus, our membership has not increased overall in this six-month period.

Listkeepers also administer the Business List to ensure everyone who wants to be included is signed up. So far we have 23 ladies signed up to join the Business Meeting starting Friday, April 1.

In love and service
Karen H.
Co-Listkeeper

0422 – Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer’s Report – April 2022

Deposits
Paypal – Oct5 thru March 30, 2022 $227.28
Ally – Oct 5 thru March 30, 2022 $767.03
TOTAL = $994.31
Disbursements
Dean Collins $144.00
Prudent Reserve $122.00
TOTAL = $266.00
Total Deposits $994.31
Total Bills -266.00
BALANCE = $728.31
80% of $728.31 goes to GSO $582.65
and 20% goes to OIAA $145.66

Respectfully Submitted,

Cheryl Baughman
GROW Treasurer

0422 – Secretary’s Report (Trusted Servants)

Secretary’s Report (Trusted Servants)
April 2022

Outgoing Trusted Servants

Incoming Trusted Servants

  • 12 Step Volunteer Listkeeper – Mary O
  • Birthday Listkeeper – Rene G
  • Sponsor Listkeeper – Theresa B
  • Greeter (4/22 – 10/22) – Diane L
  • Greeter (4/22 – 4/23) – De W
  • Listkeeper (4/22-4/23 – Sophie R
  • Listkeeper Alternate – Susan P
  • Temporary Mentor – Becky L

Trusted Servants – April 2022

  • 12 Step Volunteer Listkeeper (4/22 – 10/22): Mary O
  • Birthday Listkeeper (4/22 – 10/22): Rene G
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (4/22 – 10/22): Theresa B

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Business Meeting Chair (10/20-10/22): Danna M
  • GSR (10/21-10/22): VACANT
  • GVR (10/21-10/22): Julie K
  • Greeter (4/22 – 10/22): Diane L
  • Greeter (4/22 – 4/23): De W
  • Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Sophie R
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/22 – 4/23): Susan P
  • OIAA Rep (4/22 – 4/23): VACANT
  • Secretary (10/21-10/22): Michele R
  • Temporary Mentor (4/22 – 4/23): Becky L
  • Treasurer (10/21-10/22): Cheryl B
  • Website Administrator (10/21-10/22): Cheryl D
  • Webkeeper (10/21-10/22): VACANT
  • Webkeeper Backup (10/21-10/22): Pat S
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Emily M
  • Immediate Past Business Meeting Chair: Joan B.
  • Immediate Past GSR: Nicole W
  • Immediate Past OIAA Rep: Lynn H & Kirsten V
  • Immediate Past Secretary: Nancy C (deceased)

Trusted Servants 04/2022

Trusted Servants – April 2022

as of April 1, 2022
 

  • 12 Step Volunteer Listkeeper (4/22 – 10/22): Mary O
  • Birthday Listkeeper (4/22 – 10/22): Rene G
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (4/22 – 10/22): Theresa B

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Business Meeting Chair (10/20-10/22): Danna M
  • GSR (10/21-10/22): VACANT
  • GVR (10/21-10/22): Julie K
  • Greeter (4/22 – 10/22): Diane L
  • Greeter (4/22 – 4/23): De W
  • Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Sophie R
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/22 – 4/23): Susan P
  • OIAA Rep (4/22 – 4/23): VACANT
  • Secretary (10/21-10/22): Michele R
  • Temporary Mentor (4/22 – 4/23): Becky L
  • Treasurer (10/21-10/23): Cheryl B
  • Website Administrator (10/21-10/22): Cheryl D
  • Webkeeper (10/21-10/22): VACANT
  • Webkeeper Backup (10/21-10/22): Pat S
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (4/22 – 4/23): Emily M
  • Immediate Past Business Meeting Chair: Joan B.
  • Immediate Past GSR: Nicole W
  • Immediate Past OIAA Rep: Lynn H & Kirsten V
  • Immediate Past Secretary: Nancy C (deceased)

0422 – Agenda

April 2022 Business Meeting Agenda

***IMPORTANT NOTE: Please DO NOT respond to this message.

Additional individual emails will be coming, to which you can respond.

=============================================
GROW BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA: April 2022
=============================================

– Trusted Servant (TS) Positions – Incoming & Outgoing Trusted Servants
– Semi-Annual Reports: Secretary (all Trusted Servants), Treasurer, Listkeeper, OIAA Representative, Mini-Steering Committee
– Business Items (each will be posted separately to facilitate discussion and voting)

We will consider the following proposals during our meeting. If you have an item that you would like to add, or if I have not accurately represented an item that you recommended, please email me privately and I will add it to the Agenda. Note that I use a different e-mail address (dmcd.grow@gmail.com) for the business meeting.

Proposal 1 – GROW TS Membership Requirements
Proposal 2 – Secretary Position Description
Proposal 3 – Preamble Language
Proposal 4 – Website Support
Proposal 5 – Temporary Mentor Form Letter
Proposal 6 – Website Position Descriptions

Respectfully,
danna M.
GROW Business Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

0422 – Excerpt from Pamphlet “The AA Group”

Excerpt from Pamphlet “The AA Group”

What is an Informed A.A. Group Conscience?

“The group conscience is the collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial unanimity on an issue before definitive action is taken. This is achieved by the group members through the sharing of full information, individual points of view, and the practice of A.A. principles. To be fully informed requires a willingness to listen to minority opinions with an open mind.

“On sensitive issues, the group works slowly discouraging formal motions until a clear sense of its collective view emerges. Placing principles before personalities, the membership is wary of dominant opinions. Its voice is heard when a well-informed group arrives at a decision. The result rests on more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ count precisely because it is the spiritual expression of the group conscience. The term “informed group conscience” implies that pertinent information has been studied and all views have been heard before the group votes.

– From the pamphlet,
The AA Group: Where it all begins. 2005, p. 26-77.

0422 – Business Meeting Guidelines

GROW Business Meeting Guidelines

  1. Proposals to be considered during GROW business meetings should include the following:
    1. A clear brief statement that summarizes the proposal;
    2. A rationale that describes why the group conscience decision is needed, and
    3. Specific language to be presented for discussion and voting in the business meeting (including, as appropriate, language for a job description, form letter, or GROW policy or guideline). This language may need to be modified by the Trusted Servant responsible for the area to reflect the group’s discussions.
    4. Before submitting a proposal, meeting participants are encouraged to consult with the Business Chair, Secretary, or Steering Committee members to formulate their proposals if they need help. They should also review past Group Conscience Decisions related to the proposal (see http://www.g-r-o-w.com/members/groupc/gctopics/gc_index.htm).
  2. We allow a minimum of 3 days for discussion, more when warranted.
  3. At the end of the 3-day discussion period, the Chair calls for a vote. 3 days are allowed for voting, which can be done either publicly on the list, or privately by sending votes to the Chair. The Chair counts the votes.
  4. The voting is done by: I agree or I disagree.
  5. At the end of the voting period, the Chair announces the results of the vote. The group holds to a 2/3 majority to pass or fail any group conscience decision.
  6. Following the announcement of results, the Chair will ask if the minority wants 3 days to discuss their minority opinion.
    1. If yes, then 3 days of discussion will begin.
    2. At the end of the 3 days of discussion, the Chair will ask if anyone who originally voted for the Proposal (a majority voter) has been persuaded by this discussion to change her opinion. If yes, the Chair then calls for another 3-day voting period. The outcome of the second vote is the determining vote. As in the first vote, the 2/3 majority vote will be observed. If no majority voters have been persuaded to change their opinion, there will not be another vote.
    3. If the minority does not want 3 days to express their opinion, there will be no further discussion and there will not be another vote.
  7. At the end of the voting period, the Business Chair announces the final results of the vote. The group holds to a 2/3 majority to pass or fail any group conscience decision.
  8. Note: if any item on the agenda has not reached a consensus or a motion by the 17th day of the Business Meeting, the item is tabled and held over to the next scheduled Business Meeting.

Please read the excerpt from the AA pamphlet “The AA Group” offering
Guidance About Informed Group Conscience Decisions.

0422 – Business Meeting Welcome

Welcome to the April 2022 Business Meeting

Welcome to the April 2022 Business Meeting of Grateful Recovering Online Women (GROW). I am danna, a recovering alcoholic, and your Business Chair for this meeting. Thank you for participating!

This is a closed meeting, open only to members of GROW, for the discussion of business as it relates to our group. Our business meetings run in three-day segments and run for about 17, depending on the volume of business we have.

I will post each Agenda item, one by one, in separate emails and **ask that you respond to each accordingly.** This makes it easier to “tally” the responses and suggestions to each item. We will have a three (3) day period of open discussion on each Agenda item. This, hopefully, will allow all members regardless of work schedules, time zones, etc. to participate and comment. At the beginning of the fourth day, I will post a summary of our discussions.

Before we begin, let’s have a moment of silence to reflect on why we are here, followed by the Serenity Prayer.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

In this Business Meeting, let us be guided by The Twelve Traditions:

  1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
  2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
  3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
  4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
  5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
  6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
  7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
  8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
  9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
  10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
  11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.
  12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

Let us all keep in mind our Unity of Service statement from the Grapevine of September 1998:

“Unity seldom means that we all agree on everything. Nor is unity served by setting aside our concerns and conforming to the majority opinion (or the vocal minority) . . . Unity is best achieved by a full hearing of all points of view . . . time for all of those involved to step back from emotional responses . . . as well as careful consideration and prayer for that which will best serve the group or AA as a whole.”

Thank you for being here and for your dedication to GROW.

Respectfully,
danna M.
GROW Business Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

2021 – Group Conscience Decisions

2021 – Group Conscience Decisions

April 2021

  1. Delete “Mailman Letter – Business List” and “Mailman Letter – Regular List” from the Trusted Servants/Letter Templates webpage

    Delete the references to the above two letters in the Listkeeper Position Description and replace with a reference to the Listkeeper Message letter template.

    Rationale: The two Mailman Letters currently listed on our website are no longer used, and the links are broken.

    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 1 from the April 2021 business meeting.

  2. GROW will maintain a page on its website that lists Group Conscience decisions.

    Rationale: GROW’s previous website contained a straightforward list of the specific language of Group Conscience decisions reached in our business meetings. On our new website, it is difficult to do research for proposals being developed and to support actions taken in response to queries or issues that come up in our e-mail meeting. The website is our archive for GROW. It is the only place where past decisions are documented, and it should provide easy access to Group Conscience decisions.

    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 2 from the April 2021 business meeting.

  3. Add to some position descriptions a bullet requiring that Trusted Servants have been a member of GROW for at least one year. The positions that would be subject to this requirement are: Business Meeting Chair, Listkeeper, Treasurer, Secretary, and Weekly Leader Listkeeper.

    Rationale: Some Trusted Servant positions demand that the person holding the position has a working knowledge about how GROW works. Position descriptions already include membership requirements for the Website Administrator and the Webkeeper and Webkeeper Backup (four, two, and one years respectively).

    In order to assure effective support for GROW’s continued successful operations, Trusted Servants in key positions should have been members of our group for least one year. The normal training by the outgoing Trusted Servant may not be adequate in situations where decisions and/or actions should reflect our historic approaches. Members who are new to GROW will not have the experience they would get from serving in other positions first and attending our business meetings.

    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 3 from the April 2021 business meeting.

  4. Given the improvement in OIAA operations and management, GROW will resume contributions to that organization by allocating 20% of our surplus to OIAA, with the remaining 80% continuing to go to GSO.

    Rationale: In October 2014, GROW decided to discontinue its contributions to OIAA because our OIAA Representatives had consistently reported ineffective operations and management in the organization. (To read about the decision-making process at that time, visit http://www.g-r-o-w.com/members/groupc/gctopics/gc_oiaa.htm#contributions). Our current OIAA Representative’s Report for April 2021 reveals significant improvement in the organization’s operations and more effective support of alcoholics who visit their website. Attendance at OIAA meetings has significantly increased, positivity has increased (as opposed to prior arguments and conflict), and accountability is now an important value of the organization.

    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 4 from the April 2021 business meeting.

    Recommended Language: Revise the following bullet in the Treasurer’s position description to reflect GROW’s decision to reinstate contributions to OIAA.

    • Pay all group expenses per the distribution below and maintain a prudent reserve of $122.00:
      • Make quarterly contributions, prior to each Business meeting, to GSO (The General Service Office, Grand Central Station, PO Box 459, New York, NY 10164-0423; Group Service # 633230). Allocate 80% of the total available contribution amount to GSO
      • Allocate 20% of GROW’s total available contribution amount to OIAA
      • $12.00 monthly to OSO-AA (PayPal: dean.collins@insightplanners.com) (6 months expenses)
      • $50.00 annual subscription to Grapevine magazine
  5. Amend the Treasurer’s position description to change the requirement to make quarterly distributions to bi-annually, prior to each business meeting.

    Rationale: The current position description requires the Treasurer to make quarterly distributions to GSO. This has not been done for some time, as distributions have actually been made once a year. Our Treasurer recommends that the distributions be done every six months when the Treasurer’s report is prepared for the business meeting. It takes us back to Prudent Reserve every six months and makes the bookkeeping much simpler.

    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 5 from the April 2021 business meeting.

    Recommended Language: Amend the sub-bullet under “Pay all group expenses per the distribution below and maintain a prudent reserve of $122.00:” as shown below. (Given the apparent approval of resuming OIAA contributions, I’m showing the two relevant sub-bullets for clarity.)

    • Pay all group expenses per the distribution below and maintain a prudent reserve of $122.00:
      • Make quarterlybiannual contributions prior to GROW’s business meetings to GSO (The General Service Office, Grand Central Station, PO Box 459, New York, NY 10164-0) and OIAA.  Allocate 80% of the total available contribution amount to GSO.
      • Allocate 20% of GROW’s total available contribution amount to OIAA
      • $12.00 monthly to OSO-AA (PayPal: dean.collins@insightplanners.com) (6 months expenses)
      • $50.00 annual subscription to Grapevine magazine

    October 2021

  6. GROW will devote one meeting to service in the last week of the month before recruitment begins (February and August). While the topic will not be limited to service within GROW, all current TSs are encouraged to share on their experience in the job to encourage GROW members to volunteer when recruitment begins. The Weekly Leader Listkeeper will reserve the last Sunday of February and September for the topic of Service.

    Rationale: The proposal reflects broad agreement in business meeting participants’ comments addressing the lack of volunteers for Trusted Servant (TS) positions. Comments broadly, but not unanimously, supported having a GROW meeting topic devoted to service before the recruitment process begins.

    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 2 from the October 2021 business meeting.

    Recommended Language: Add to the Weekly Leader Listkeeper’s position description an eleventh bullet:
    “Allocate the last meeting in February and August by identifying Service as the topic next to the date on the volunteer lead request message.”

  7. In the Secretary’s recruitment messages, rather than referring members to the position descriptions for Trusted Servants, provide a brief description of their job that includes its basic function and how it benefits GROW, the time required to do the job, workload intensity, and the busiest times. The descriptions will also include the name and email address of the person currently holding the position. The Business Meeting Chair and Secretary will work with Trusted Servants to develop the job descriptions before the March 2022 recruitment effort begins.

     Rationale: The proposal reflects broad agreement in business meeting participants’ comments addressing the lack of volunteers for Trusted Servant (TS) positions. Discussions revealed that GROW’s position descriptions are too long and to detailed to attract volunteers. There was near-unanimous agreement that hearing from the current TS about the position was much more effective. Because TSs change over time, and their experiences will be different, the Chair is proposing that a simple job description that can be used during every recruitment process would be more practical. This would not replace the individual TS shares about their experience in the position that TSs post during the Service topic GROW meeting.

    For more information on this Group Conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 3 from the October 2021 business meeting.

2020 – Group Conscience Decisions

2020 – Group Conscience Decisions


April 2020

  1. Edit Monthly Listkeeper Message and Greeter Letter #2 to address the problem of shares that bounce to the listkeepers because they are addressed to more recipients than GROW.  Further edit Greeter Letter #2 for clarity and brevity.

    Rationale: “Too many recipients” bounces require listkeepers to take several actions. Shares that bounce are delayed from reaching GROW. Some members do not resend, even after being notified by the listkeeper.

    For more information on this Group Conscience Decision, please refer to Proposal 4 from the April 2020 business meeting.

    Recommended Language:

    Monthly Listkeeper’s Message

    Important Addresses
    Listkeeper’s Address: grow-owner@oso-aa.org
    (Use this address to change your subscription, or to unsubscribe, resubscribe or ask questions about GROW-related email problems).

    Send shares to the List use this address: grow@oso-aa.org
    (Use this address for all your shares or posts of any sort to the regular list. Address your share to ONLY the grow@oso-aa.org address. If another address is included (even if in the ‘Cc or ‘Bcc field) the email will bounce).  The list is set up to accept messages that are addressed to Grow only. The individual(s) you send messages in addition to GROW will probably receive the message; however, the Grow list will not.
    NOTE: Please do not post subscription change requests to GROW because they are too easily overlooked.

    GROW Website:
    http://www.g-r-o-w.com
    To access the member’s section, you’ll need the following password:
    Password: sobertodayhow2484

    The GROW Website provides members with all of the information listed in this email, plus business meeting updates, and an archive section. Check the Website for what is happening in GROW.

    Personal Webpages
    Each member has a password protected personal webpage where she can make changes to her account, such as:
    -vacation (disable mail delivery)
    -unsubscribe
    -change her account from regular mail to digest or visa versa

    http://oso-aa.org/mailman/listinfo/grow_oso-aa.org
    If you lose your password, you can retrieve it here:
    http://oso-aa.org/mailman/options/grow_oso-aa.org

    Scroll down the page to the lower part, under the blue bar titled “Password Retrieval.” Click on “remind” and your password will immediately be sent to the email address you use for GROW.

    If you do not feel comfortable making your own changes, please address all such requests to the listkeeper’s email box, which is: grow-owner@oso-aa.org

    Greeter Letter #2

    Welcome to GROW! This is one of two emails you will receive from me with the information you need to start participating in our meeting right away. You might want to save these for future reference.

    Sharing with the Group

    Address your email to grow@oso-aa.organd your post will be sent to all members.

    • Do not add any other addresses to the email or it will bounce. This includes addresses in the ‘Cc or ‘Bcc address fields.

    Address your share to ONLY the grow@oso-aa.org address. If another address is included (even if in the ‘Cc or ‘Bcc field) the email will bounce).  The list is set up to accept messages that are addressed to Grow only. The individual(s) you send messages in addition to GROW will probably receive the message; however, the Grow list will not.

    Add grow@oso-aa.org to your Address Book to ensure GROW emails don’t go to your SPAM folder.

    Replying to a Post

    • Do not use the “Reply to All” option when you respond privately to another member’s post to GROW, as your personal message will also be directed to the GROW list and it will bounce to the Listkeepers.
    • For those using phones and tablets, be aware that the default reply option is often “Reply to All.” Please double-check.

    Email Volume
    The volume of mail through the GROW list can be overwhelming. If you experience this, you might find it very helpful to choose one or more of the following:

    • Create a separate email address to reduce the confusion of mixing GROW mail with your other email. Email the Listkeepers at grow-owner@oso-aa.orgwith your new address. As an FYI, AOL and Yahoo addresses have been problematic for some members with the GROW list.
    • If you use an existing email for GROW, you might create folders for your GROW email; filters can also be set up to direct GROW mail into the GROW folder.
    • Request the Digest Version (a file containing the day’s posts in a single email) by contacting the Listkeepers at grow-owner@oso-aa.org.

    Topics
    A new meeting topic is sent to everyone on the list each Sunday and we share throughout the week. On topic and Off topic shares are welcome.

    • Off topic posts should be appropriate for an AA meeting. Please note in your subject line if your share is Off topic (Off Topic: … )
    • On topic posts are your shares on the weekly meeting topic. Please note in your subject line if your share is On topic (On Topic: … )
    • Please do not type in all CAPS; this is considered to be yelling.

    Web Site and Password
    Visit the GROW web site for more information. The URL for GROW is: http://www.g-r-o-w.com. For the members only section you’ll need the password: sobertodayhow2484

    Other
    If you have questions not answered by our website information, please write to me and I’ll be sure to answer them or send your questions to someone who can.

    I hope Grateful Recovering Online Women is helpful to you in your journey and growth in sobriety.

    Again, welcome
    [ Greeter Name ]
    Grateful Recovering Online Women

  2. GROW adopts the following policy for addressing non-performance in a Trusted Servant position.

    Rationale:

    There have been several instances in the past where a Trusted Servant did not fulfill all the duties outlined in her position description.

    While this may have created problems, Trusted Servants who were aware of the problem did not have a formal process for bringing the problem to the attention of the Steering Committee, and their complaint was never raised. Therefore, no action was taken to correct the problem. In one instance, the issue was raised with some Trusted Servants, but there was no process for allowing the Trusted Servant to improve her performance or for making a decision on whether the Trusted Servant should be removed. This proposal provides a formal process that will make it easier to raise such problems to the Steering Committee, to allow the Trusted Servant to correct performance, and to remove the Trusted Servant if performance does not improve.

    For more information about this Group Conscience Decision, please refer to Proposal 6 from the April 2020 business meeting.

    Recommended Language: The following statement will be added as #9 to the Business Meeting Guidelines.

    When a Trusted Servant (TS-A) feels that another Trusted Servant (TS-B) is not meeting the requirements of her position description, TS-A will take her issues to the small Steering Committee (made up of the Business Chair, Secretary, and Listkeepers) for consideration. She should not engage with or confront TS-B. The small Steering Committee can choose to bring the issue to the full Steering Committee.

    The review of TS-B’s performance should be based only on the duties outlined in the position description. If it is found that the complaint is based on different personal working styles, preferences, or infrequent mistakes – and TS-B is otherwise meeting the requirements of her job description, the complaint will be dismissed without informing or involving TS-B. If it is established that one or more of the duties assigned to TS-B is not being met, the small Steering Committee will:

    1. Assure that TS-B is aware of and allowed to respond to the complaints and, if appropriate, to propose remedial actions to correct problems.
    2. If TS-B does not propose remedial actions, the small Steering Committee will establish appropriate remedial actions that TS-B can take to correct the problems;
    3. Establish a timeframe and deadline for remedial actions to be taken and documented;
    4. If the small Steering Committee has not already elevated the issue to the full Steering Committee, they will inform the larger Steering Committee of the findings, remedial actions, and timeframe;
    5. The full Steering Committee will decide whether TS-B can remain in the position or should be removed;
    6. If the Steering Committee decides that TS-B should be removed from the position, they will inform her in writing of their decision. The Secretary will deliver the documented decision to TS-B and call for volunteers to fill the position to the end of the current term.

    October 2020

    1. In the Weekly Leader Listkeeper’s job description, revise the existing bullet that mentions the monthly Tradition posting to make it clear that the tradition corresponding to the month will be posted twice each month, and the WLL will invite members to share on that Tradition.

      Rationale

      • Since we decided to devote the first meeting each month to the appropriate Step, posting and discussion of the Tradition has not happened. The tradition meeting has not been posted in over 6 months. It has been lost. When we discussed creating a Step meeting, there was a lot of discussion about whether it should be just the Step or the Step and Tradition. It was never the intent of the participants in the business meeting to drop the Traditions from our meetings.
      • Currently, these are the relevant bullets in the WLL job description:
      • Allocate the first meeting of each month to the corresponding Step by identifying the Step as the topic next to the date on the volunteer lead request message.
      • Post monthly Step and Tradition discussion topics to correspond with the month.
      • The existing bullet in the Weekly Leader Listkeeper’s job description is not clear and confuses the Step Meeting with the way it was done before that meeting was created. The recommended change clarifies GROW’s expectations for assuring the Tradition is highlighted each month.

      For more information about this Group Conscience Decision, please refer to Proposal 3 from the October 2020 business meeting.

      Recommended Language: Replace the existing bullet (“Post monthly Step and Tradition discussion topics to correspond with the month.”) with the following: “At the beginning and middle of each month, post the corresponding Tradition and invite members to share on that topic anytime during the month.”

    2. Add text of common duties as (shown at the end of this proposal) to the “New Trusted Servant Letter.”

      Rationale: There is no mention anywhere of the common duties that have developed from time and issues arising. Further, not all job descriptions contain a reference or link to the Common Duties. The welcome letter informs the new TS where they can find the job description, but unless they are curious and investigate the site, the common duties can be overlooked. I for one have found answers to many questions and a tried and true guideline in that piece of literature and would like to see it brought up to the awareness of the incoming Trusted Servant. It is as simple as adding it to the bottom of the letter already being sent out to new trusted servants.

      For more information about this Group Conscience Decision, please refer to Proposal 4 from the October 2020 business meeting.

      Recommended Language:

      Dear [ Name of New Trusted Servant ],

      Thank you for volunteering for the position of [ Trusted Servant Position ].

      You are replacing [name of past trusted servant] in this position. She will send you any up-to-date lists and/or letter templates you will need to fulfill your duties. She will also mentor you as you transition into your new job. Her email address is [email address of past trusted servant]. If you have not heard from her, we encourage you to contact her now.

      Please review your job description immediately. Each job description has been established by group conscience. If your job requires making periodic announcements to the group, please do so as outlined in your job description. Letters/announcements are also a matter of group conscience, developed to ensure a consistent message to all GROW members. Other than including your own name and contact information where appropriate, please do not change the text of the message.

      If you have not yet received information from the outgoing [ Trusted Servant Position ], you can access your job description and any letter templates needed for your job on the GROW website.

      Trusted Servant job descriptions are described here.
      List of Trusted Servant letter templates are here.

      Sometimes a job can feel a little scary. If you have *any* questions, please ask. Along with your mentor, the Steering Committee is here to answer questions and support you in your service to GROW. As GROW Secretary, I am the primary contact for trusted servants. You are also welcome to email any one of the Steering Committee members listed at the end of this email.

      If you find yourself unable to fulfill your obligations, temporarily or otherwise, please let me or another Steering Committee member know immediately. We will ensure that your tasks are carried out in your absence.

      Again, thank you for your service to GROW. Service work is important to individual recovery, and it is essential to the well-being of our group. We hope you find serving GROW to be a rewarding experience.

      Trusted Servant Common Duties

      The following describes duties that are common expectations for all Trusted Servants.

      • Must be a member of Business List
      • Smooth and uninterrupted volunteer service to GROW depends upon your ability to carry out your commitments. If a Trusted Servant finds that she cannot meet all the duties listed in her Job Description, she will inform the Secretary and/or Business Meeting Chair that she is unable to fulfill her responsibilities. Working with the Trusted Servant and the Steering Committee, the Secretary and/or Business Chair will then seek alternatives for assuring all duties are covered (including securing a temporary back-up or advertising the position on the main list). If a member of the Steering Committee is concerned that not all items in a job description are being met, she may bring her concern to Secretary and/or Business Meeting Chair, who will work with the Trusted Servant to assure their duties are covered.
      • Must be able to reply to business and steering committee email within 48 hours. If unable to do so, should inform the steering committee in advance, or in the case of a computer related problem, make every effort to telephone another group member who can let the Steering Committee know.
      • Lack of response to business, steering committee, or direct personal email by another trusted servant for a period of seven consecutive days will be reason for a temporary replacement chosen by the steering committee.
      • Lack of response to business, steering committee, or direct personal email by another trusted servant for a period of fourteen consecutive days will be reason for temporary replacement by steering committee until a permanent replacement can be chosen by the next business meeting.
      • Provide successor with all necessary information, including job guidelines and letter templates, and serve as a mentor for a period of time to ensure continuity of service.
      • Be able to cut, copy, paste, and save to a folder.
    3. Expand GROW’s statements about using URLs in message to allow links to AA meetings on Zoom.

      Rationale: With the pandemic, AA zoom meetings are taking place all over the world. They have quickly become an essential tool for many in recovery. Because our ESH is vital to AA meetings and our sobriety, sharing the Zoom ID and password (or the URL link) would be appropriate in these uncertain times.

      For more information about this Group Conscience Decision, please refer to Proposal 5 from the October 2020 business meeting.

      Recommended language:
      In Weekly Format Letter, “Topic for the week” section:
      [ Introduce the Topic of the Week – Remember that we do not include URLs to sites outside GROW except links to the AA, Grapevine, and GROW websites, and AA meetings on Zoom. ]

      In GROW Mail List Guidelines (5th bullet):
      We do not send attachments, chain letters, solicitations, virus alerts or announcements of non A.A. functions. We do not include URLs to sites outside GROW except links to the AA, Grapevine, and GROW websites, and AA meetings on Zoom.

    4. Change the reference to “URLs” in the Weekly Lead Format letter and the GROW Mail List Guidelines to “links.”

      Rationale:

      In discussing whether to allow links to AA meetings on Zoom, participants talked about the security issues that GROW members have experienced in the past when messages contained links to websites outside GROW or AA. To address that, in April 2019, the business meeting approved a Group Conscience decision to add a statement about not using URLs in the Topic section of the Weekly Lead Format letter and in the GROW Mail List Guidelines. The prohibition on URLs did not include the GROW website or AA websites.

      Our current discussion highlighted the point that the risk to GROW members does not result from the use of URLs in messages but from links based on those URLs. A member can type in a URL without linking to the questionable source. Then members can simply copy and paste the URL into their web browser without exposing the mailing list to viruses or malware.

      This proposal addresses the distinction between using URLs alone and creating links from those URLs to an outside source.

      For more information about this Group Conscience Decision, please refer to Proposal 6 from the October 2020 business meeting.

      Recommended Language:

      In the Topic section of the Weekly Lead Format letter, change “URLs” to “links” and include examples to help weekly leaders understand the difference.
      “[Introduce the Topic of the Week – Remember that we do not include  links to sites outside GROW except links to the AA, Grapevine, and GROW websites.]

      You may include URLs (e.g., http://www.g-r-o-w.com – no link – or http://www.aa.org/ – linked), but do not create the link that would automatically take the reader to that URL address. Some programs automatically create links when a URL is entered, so you will need to remove the link. If you need help with this, please contact a GROW Trusted Servant.”

      In the fifth bullet of the GROW Mail List Guidelines, change “URLs” to “links” and add a brief message about how to get help if you do not know how to prevent automatic links.
      “We do not send attachments, chain letters, solicitations, virus alerts or announcements of non A.A. functions. We do not include  links to sites outside GROW except links to the AA, Grapevine, and GROW websites. You can use URLs (e.g., http://www.aa.org/), but do not create a link that would automatically take the reader to that URL address. Some programs create links automatically, so if you need help with this, please contact a GROW Trusted Servant.”

2019 – Group Conscience Decisions

2019 – Group Conscience Decisions


April 2019

  1. Propose the launch of the new GROW website after the April 2019 Business Meeting for use by the membership. Place the current older GROW website in a subfolder within the GROW hosting structure to allow access for the ongoing transfer of GROW business archives to the new GROW website.
    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 1 from the April 2019 business meeting.
  2. Propose creating a 1-year rotating position of Website Administrator to maintain the functionality and server side of the website with a basic job description as follows:
  3. Website Administrator

    • 1-year term
    • 2 years sobriety
    • 2 years GROW membership
    • Served a full term as webkeeper of the GROW website
    • Member of Business List
    • Maintain a periodic backup of the GROW database
    • Maintain GROW website updates
    • Inform Steering Committee when updates are made to the website.
    • Consult with Steering Committee before making substantial design or content changes to GROW website.
    • Support Webkeeper and Backup Webkeeper on WordPress site issues.

    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 2 from the April 2019 business meeting.

  4. Use the current job descriptions of Backup Webkeeper, Webkeeper and Admin positions. Track the upcoming changes for review in October 2019 Business meeting. For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 3 from the April 2019 business meeting.
  5. Assign Allison M to the GROW Webkeeper position and assign Tanya C to the GROW Admin position, both positions commencing April 2019.
    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 4 from the April 2019 business meeting.
  6. Open the Backup Webkeeper position to the membership. This position will include maintaining the Weekly Meeting Topics on the new GROW website. For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 5 from the April 2019 business meeting.
  7. 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.
    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 9 from the April 2019 business meeting.
  8. Add language about an On-call Meeting Leader List to Weekly Topic Leader Message and make additional edits to the Weekly Leader Listkeeper responsibilities.
  9. Recommended Language:“If you would like to be added to the on-call meeting leader list, please reply and let me know. You will be added to a list of volunteers who are willing to quickly post a weekly topic when the scheduled chair is unavailable. The only requirement is that you are available to check your email every Saturday/Sunday and respond quickly to a request from the Weekly Leader Listkeeper, so she can find someone to chair in a timely manner.”
    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 10 from the April 2019 business meeting.

  10. Add form letter to GROW form letters page titled Weekly Leader Reminder Letter which is sent to the upcoming leader on Wednesday.
    Recommended Language: “If you would like to be added to the on-call meeting leader list, please reply and let me know. You will be added to a list of volunteers who are willing to quickly post a weekly topic when the scheduled chair is unavailable. The only requirement is that you are available to check your email every Saturday/Sunday and respond quickly to a request from the Weekly Leader Listkeeper, so she can find someone to chair in a timely manner.”
    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 10 from the April 2019 business meeting.
  11. Add form letter to GROW form letters page titled Weekly Leader Reminder Letter which is sent to the upcoming leader on Wednesday.
  12. Recommended Language:
    Dear [Name]:
    I’m sending you a friendly reminder that you are scheduled to chair this upcoming Sunday. I’ll be attaching a clean copy of the updated meeting format to this email. Let me know if you have trouble opening it or copying it to an email. Please remember not to add any urls in your post!

    **Please reply to this email to verify your availability to lead this Sunday. You must send your meeting lead email on Saturday night, no later than Sunday morning, to ensure that ladies in various time zones will receive the meeting on Sunday morning.
    If, for some reason you cannot chair the meeting this Sunday, please let me know before Saturday so I can find a replacement leader.

    *For a list of meeting topics that have been previously used, visit the following link on the GROW webpage Meeting Topics webpage at http://g-r-o-w.com/meeting-topics/

  13. The current Step language pertinent to each month will be inserted into the regular meeting format for the month indicated. It should be inserted at the start of the Lead section, and the Weekly Leader may add her lead immediately after that. The Tradition will continue to be sent at the start of each month.

    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 12 from the April 2019 business meeting.

  14. Add language about a On-call Meeting Leader List to Weekly Topic Leader Message and make additional edits to the Weekly Leader Listkeeper Responsibilities.

    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to
    Proposal 13 from the April 2019 business meeting.

    Recommended Language:

    “My name is [ Weekly Topic Leader Listkeeper Name ]. I am an alcoholic, and I’m also your
    Weekly Leader Listkeeper. I am taking volunteers for the [ time period ].
    Here is the calendar of our upcoming leaders scheduled to chair. A big GROW thank you to all
    who are committed to growing in service.

    Month: [ Month ]
    [ Date, Name ] Step Meeting
    [ Date, Name ]
    [ Date, Name ]
    [ Date, Name ]

    Here is your opportunity to volunteer to lead a weekly meeting, choosing a topic that relates to
    your individual experience, strength and hope or a topic you would like to hear about, that relates
    to alcoholism recovery. The requirements necessary to lead a meeting are 90 days of continuous
    sobriety and a member of GROW for more than 30 days.

    [The April 2019 GROW business meeting designated the first meeting of the month to be a
    STEP MEETING. Please limit your lead share to the step of the corresponding month.]

    If you would like to volunteer, just hit reply and let me know which available date you would be
    willing to lead. Here are the available dates:

    [ Month, Day ] Step Meeting
    [ Month, Day ]
    [ Month, Day ]
    [ Month, Day ]
    [ Month, Day ]

    We try to give thoughtful attention to those who would like to lead a meeting around their A. A.
    anniversary. If the date requested is already filled, you will be offered another available date.
    Around Wednesday or Thursday of the week before you’re set to chair, I’ll contact you and pass
    on the meeting format.

    If, for some reason you cannot do the meeting on your selected Sunday, please let me know as soon as possible so I can find a replacement leader.

    I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you. The topic meeting is a great way
    of saying “hi” and letting us all get to know you better.

    Thank you for your participation
    and thank you for letting me be of service.

    [ Name ]
    Weekly Leader Listkeeper

    P.S. As our membership is *growing*, we are getting duplicate names. When you respond
    please include your name and the first initial of your last name.”


  15. October 2019

  16. Adopt the new position descriptions for the Website Administrator, Webkeeper, and Webkeeper Backup.
    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to
    Proposal 1 from the October 2019 business meeting.

    Recommended Language:

    Website Administrator

    • 1-year term
    • 4 years of sobriety
    • 4 years in GROW membership
    • Served a full term as Webkeeper of the GROW website
    • Member of Business List
    • Voting member of the Steering Committee
    • Maintain GROW Server PLESK account
    • Maintain a periodic backup of the GROW database
    • Maintain GROW website updates (WordPress, theme and plugins)
    • Inform Steering Committee when updates are made to the website
    • Consult with Steering Committee before making substantial design or content changes to GROW website
    • Support Web-keeper and Backup Web-keeper on WordPress site issues
    • Provide Web-keeper and Backup Web-keeper with all necessary information and passwords to access all web accounts and web server
    • Provide the Web-keeper’s email address to the web hosting service and designate her as co-owner
    • As owner of the g-r-o-w web account, help ensure that the annual service fee is paid. If necessary, provide copies of invoice/receipt to GROW Treasurer for reimbursement
    • Upon retirement, transfer website account to successor, provide successor with all necessary information, including job guidelines, and serve as a mentor for a period of time to ensure continuity of service
    • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here.

    Webkeeper

    • 1-year term
    • 2 years of sobriety
    • 2 years in GROW membership
    • Served a full-term as Backup Web-keeper
    • Must be member of Business List
    • Voting member of the Steering Committee
    • Is second holder of the Treasurer’s passwords
    • Maintains public website (g-r-o-w.com) for GROW to provide information about Alcoholics Anonymous and for the purpose of attracting new members. Information should include:
      • Info about Alcoholics Anonymous
      • Info about GROW
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Our Guiding Philosophy
      • Guide for Email Etiquette
      • Traditions in Cyberspace
      • How to become a member
    • Maintain a password protected private section on g-r-o-w.com to provide GROW members with information about GROW, including:
      • List of trusted servants and job descriptions
      • Info about how we conduct business
      • Group conscience decisions
      • Common Welfare Guidelines
      • Important addresses
    • Work closely with the Business Meeting Chair and the Steering Committee to ensure that pertinent group history is preserved in the members’ section of the GROW website and that archived materials are accessible to GROW
    • Inform Steering Committee when updates are made to the website
    • Consult with Steering Committee before making substantial design or content changes to GROW website
    • Post all business meetings and keep updated throughout the business meeting
    • Ensure that any material posted on g-r-o-w.com appropriately protects the anonymity of anyone mentioned
    • Upon retirement, transfer website account to successor, provide successor with all necessary information, including job guidelines, and serve as a mentor for a period of time to ensure continuity of service
    • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here

    Webkeeper Back-up

    • 1-year term
    • 1 year of sobriety
    • 1 year in GROW membership
    • Member of Business List
    • Voting member of the Steering Committee
    • Maintains the Weekly Meeting Topics in the private section of g-r-o-w.com
    • Support Web-keeper in maintaining public website (g-r-o-w.com) for GROW to provide information about Alcoholics Anonymous and to for the purpose of attracting new members
      • Info about AA
      • Info about GROW
      • FAQs
      • Guideline for Email Etiquette
      • Traditions in Cyberspace
      • How to become a member
    • Support the Web-keeper in maintaining a password-protected private section on g-r-o-w.comto provide GROW members with information about GROW, including:
      • List of trusted servants and job descriptions
      • Info about how we conduct business
      • Group conscience decisions
      • Common welfare guidelines
      • Important addresses
    • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here.

    For more information on this decision, please see the summary for Proposal 1 from the October 2019 business meeting.

  17. The Sponsor Listkeeper job description is revised as shown, deleting bullets that have been struck out and adding the bullets shown in red.

    Rationale: During our discussions on the Temporary Mentor (newcomer committee and providing links to AA resources), it became clear that there are issues related to the Online Available Sponsors list/webpage because the people on that list do not always respond timely (or at all) to newcomers’ requests for help. Further, Available Online Sponsors do not rotate, and the only members that rotate on both the 12th Step List and the Sponsor List are the listkeepers. The Available Online Sponsor webpage creates the impression that only people on the sponsor list can sponsor, which in reality is not the case.

    For more information on this decision, please see the summary for Proposal 2.1 from the October 2019 business meeting.

    Recommended Language:

    Sponsor Listkeeper Job Description

    • 6 month term
    • 1 year sobriety
    • Must be member of Business List.
    • Maintains a list of group members who are willing to sponsor online, including: first name, last initial, DOS, email address, location of residence.
    • At the term’s beginning and midterm, confirms sponsor volunteers are still GROW members.
    • Twice each month sends reminders to the group that the list is available upon request.
    • Forwards sponsor list to members when requested.
    • At least once each month, mails sponsor list to the group (see
    • Sponsor List Announcement form letter). May want to resend if someone on the list drops out mid-month.
    • Each month, invites GROW members to volunteer to be online sponsors (see Sponsor List Invitation form letter).
    • Each month, verifies that each woman on the list of available online sponsors want to continue to serve as a temporary or permanent sponsor (see Sponsor List Confirmation form letter).
    • 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 as well.
    • The Sponsor Listkeeper will work with the Temporary Mentor to assure that newcomers who want a sponsor are assigned a temporary sponsor.
    • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here.
    • Wording for letter commonly used is provided in the link below:
      • Sponsor List Announcement
      • Sponsor List Invitation
      • Sponsor List Confirmation
  18. Revise the current form letters for the Sponsor Listkeeper so that they are easier to read and focus on only one idea. Separate the content into: (1) monthly mailing to GROW membership announcing the available online sponsees, (2) monthly invitation for GROW members to volunteer to be included on the Sponsor List, and (3) monthly confirmation that people on the sponsor list wish to remain there.

    For more information on this group conscience decision, please refer to Proposal 2.2 from the October 2019 business meeting.

    Recommended Language:

    Sponsor List Announcement:

    Dear Women of GROW,

    Grateful Recovering Online Women supports sponsorship. We offer this list to you of women who are willing to sponsor on-line. Many of us have found there is nothing like a live voice at the end of the phone, or a warm hug in a f2f contact when we are overwhelmed with a problem in our lives. On-line sponsorship can add another dimension to your recovery as on-line meetings. Please be aware that you can also ask anyone in GROW to be your sponsor. Online sponsors are not limited to this list. Know that it may take a few trials to find the right fit for you in a Sponsor.

    For more information about sponsorship, please visit our web page on sponsorship (g-r-o-w.com/member-welcome/trusted-servants/online-sponsors/) in GROW’s members only section (password: sobertodayhow2484). You can also find AA’s “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship” at www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p-15_Q&AonSpon.pdf.

    List of Available Sponsors:
    [list sponsor names and information]
    Phone numbers of many on the above list are available upon request.

    [Name]
    Sponsor Listkeeper

    Sponsor List Invitation [New Form Letter]

    Dear Women of GROW,

    You can enhance your sobriety by offering to sponsor other alcoholics and share what has been given to you with others. If you would like to offer your name as a potential online sponsor in this group, please review the GROW web page on Sponsorship at g-r-o-w.com/member-welcome/trusted-servants/online-sponsors/ (Password: sobertodayhow2484).

    You might also refer to AA’s pamphlet “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship” at aa.org/assets/en_US/p-15_Q&AonSpon.pdf.
    If after reviewing this information, you want to add your name to our list, please send me the following information:

    name
    · geographic location
    · sobriety date
    · telephone number (if you wish)
    · current e-mail address
    · whether you are interested in being a temporary sponsor for a new member to GROW

    You will then be added to our Available Online Sponsors list which is sent to the group each month and to those who ask about sponsorship (whether on a temporary or permanent basis). Know the list is updated every month, and you must affirm your desire to stay on the list from month to month. Please know that you may be asked to sponsor newcomers and be alert to a suggested response time of 48 hours.

    Thank you,
    [Name]
    Sponsor Listkeeper

    Sponsor List Confirmation [New Form Letter]

    Dear Volunteer:

    Thank you for your service this past month by putting your name and contact information forward for being a sponsor in GROW. If you wish to continue next month, please Reply to [Sponsor Listkeeper Name].

    If you do not reply by the end of the month, I will remove your name from the list unless and until you contact me again.

    If you want to continue to be on the list, please send me any corrections or changes in your sponsor information.

    Thank you,
    [Name]
    Sponsor Listkeeper
    [e-mail address]

  19. Eliminate the Newcomer Committee

    Rationale: The Newcomers Committee was created in the October 2018 business meeting to provide support to the Temporary Mentor. As proposed, the committee would have been made up of women who are new to sobriety – to whom new members to GROW and sobriety could better relate. When the Temporary Mentor called for volunteers, no newcomers volunteered; however, several women with long-term sobriety did volunteer.

    The committee began with 11 members, but two of them have withdrawn. Of the nine remaining members, two are willing at this time to be temporary sponsors for new GROW members. The current Temporary Mentor has not experienced workload conflicts and has not had to call on the committee for help except to find a temporary sponsor for the one new member who have asked about it.

    While established to help both the Temporary Mentor and new GROW members who are also new to sobriety, the Newcomer Committee did not achieve the goal of having members within their first year of sobriety. Rather, the members have long-term sobriety. Further, only two of the nine members are, at this time, available to be Temporary Sponsors for new members.

    The current Temporary Mentor has been able to handle the workload without recourse to the Committee. Therefore, the Newcomers Committee has been inactive and is not needed.

    For more information on this decision, please see the summary for Proposal 2.5 from the October 2019 business meeting.

  20. Revise the Temporary Mentor job description to add a bullet for coordinating with the Sponsor Listkeeper to assure new members have the current GROW Sponsor List.

    For more information on this decision, please see the summary for Proposal 2.3a from the October 2019 business meeting.

    Recommended Language:

    Temporary Mentor Job Description

    • 1 year term
    • 1 year of continuous sobriety
    • 1 year membership in GROW
    • Must be a member of the Business List
    • Will be a member of the Steering Committee
    • Read GROW mail daily to note when the Greeter introduces new members in order to contact the new member privately to offer additional support in making solid connection with the Group and/or AA
    • About 2-3 days after she joins, contact each new member to explain your position as Temporary Mentor (TM), offering to answer questions or provide guidance until the member feels comfortable in the GROW group (see Temporary Mentor #1 form letter)
    • Work with the Sponsor Listkeeper to assign a Temporary Sponsor when requested and provide new members a link to the Sponsor Listkeeper.
      Refer the newcomer to other online AA resources, as well as ways to find face-to-face AA resources
    • Maintain working relationship with, and assist new member as needed with learning, GROW email etiquette guidelines
    • Each month, the Temporary Mentor will send a short letter reminding GROW members of AA resources available to them
    • Establish and lead a Newcomer Committee (that may include members who are new to recovery from alcoholism) who will assist in supporting newcomers to GROW and AA
    • Common duties and requirements to all Trusted Servant positions is described here
  21. Replace the existing Temporary Mentor Letter #1 with the following.

    Rationale: The letter on the test website is outdated and does not reflect changes that were approved in the October 2018 and April 2019 business meetings. The second paragraph in the proposed letter reflects those decisions and a change that is necessary given our Group Conscience decision to eliminate the Available Online Sponsors webpage from GROW’s website. It also reminds newcomers that they can ask anyone in GROW to be their sponsor.

    For more information on this decision, please see the summary for Proposal 2.4 from the October 2019 business meeting.

    Recommended Language:

    Hi [ New Member Name ],

    I am [ Mentor Name ], Temporary Mentor for GROW. I see that you joined GROW recently and I’d like to welcome you! In the past, some members have found our information overwhelming at first, so we created this position (Temporary Mentor) as a helpful resource should you have questions and/or concerns about how our group and/or AA works.

    Just a reminder that you can learn more about AA by visiting one of these links:

    • The Alcoholics Anonymous general services office (GSO) and information such as the AA Big Book (titled “Alcoholics Anonymous”) or the “12 Steps and 12 Traditions,” along with many pamphlets as well as links to local resources for AA.
    • AA’s Online Intergroup (OIAA) where you can find meeting lists as well as real-time phone numbers and other Internet types of meetings.
    • AA’s Grapevine magazine with stories and audio stories and Grapevine subscription options.
    • Each month, our Sponsor Listkeeper sends out a list of women in GROW who have volunteered to sponsor our members. When you read a share that touches you personally or that reflects what you want in sobriety, I recommend that you write to them. After you know them better, you can ask them to sponsor you. The Sponsor Listkeeper can send you a list of available sponsors in GROW. Please be aware that you can ask anyone in GROW to sponsor you. You do not have to limit your choices to the List of Available Online Sponsors. In case you would like to contact our Sponsor Listkeeper, you can write to her at [SLK e-mail].

      It would be my pleasure to correspond with you by email (or phone) so if you’d like some help, just let me know. Thanks.

      [ Temporary Mentor Name ]
      GROW Temporary Mentor

  22. Add the introductory paragraphs to the online sponsor webpage at g-r-o-w.com/member-welcome/trusted-servants/online-sponsors/ that addresses online sponsorship.

    Rationale: After removing the available online sponsors webpage, GROW should address using online sponsors to help our members, especially our new members, navigate the process of finding an online sponsor.

    For more information on this decision, please see the summary for Proposal 2.6a from the October 2019 business meeting.

    Recommended Language: “Many of us have found there is nothing like a live voice at the end of the phone, or a warm hug in face-to-face contact when we are overwhelmed with a problem in our lives. On-line sponsorship can add another dimension to your recovery as do on-line meetings. Each month, GROW provides a list of available online sponsors who have volunteered for this service. Please be aware that you can also ask anyone in GROW to be your sponsor. Online sponsors are not limited to this list. Know that it may take a few trials to find the right fit for you in a Sponsor.

    GROW’s Sponsor Listkeeper sends out the list of available online sponsors at the beginning of each month. If you want to contact our Sponsor Listkeeper, you can find the e-mail address of the current Trusted Servant by going to the Members section on our website at http://g-r-o-w.com/member-welcome/trusted-servants/. At the bottom of the page will be a link to the current roster. Look for the Sponsor Listkeeper on that list. You’ll need the password to enter the Members’ section. It’s sobertodayhow2484.”

1021 – Final Summary of the October 21 Business Meeting

Final Summary for the October 2021 Business Meeting

The October business meeting opened with the presentation of reports from our Treasurer, Listkeepers, Secretary, GSR, OIAA Representative, and Business Meeting Chair. You can find these reports and meeting details on GROW’s website at g-r-o-w.com/member-welcome/business-meetings/. (You will need a password for the Members’ section (sobertodayhow2484).

When the October business meeting began, many Trusted Servant positions remained vacant. Therefore, the first few days of the meeting were dominated by efforts to fill those positions. There were no proposals for consideration as the meeting began. The Chair called for a discussion of GROW’s recruitment process, and the first two 3-day sessions were devoted to identifying areas where improvements could be made. Participants raised problem areas and made a wide range of suggestions.

Based on the discussions, the Chair submitted three proposals for consideration:

  • Adding to the Common Duties section of position descriptions three actions Trusted Servants would take to support recruitment (Proposal 1)
  • Devoting a GROW meeting topic to Service before our business meetings (Proposal 2)
  • Replacing the current links to position descriptions in the Secretary’s call for volunteers with brief descriptions of each Trusted Servant position (Proposal 3)

After three days of discussion on each proposal, participants voted whether to adopt the proposal as a Group Conscience decision. Two of the proposals received unanimous approval and are now

Group Conscience Decisions:

  • GROW will devote the last week in February and August to the topic of service.
  • Future recruitment messages will contain a brief description of the job rather than a link to the position description.

During our discussion of recruitment practices, many suggestions were made that were not directly related to the recruitment process but could improve GROW’s email meeting. The Chair made a list of these suggestions, and participants gave feedback ranging from “discuss in next business meeting” to “no follow-up needed” on each of eight “Good Ideas.” Based on these rankings, participants identified four areas for action and consideration during the April 2022 meeting:

  • Develop a side-by-side comparison of Trusted Servant positions
  • Review and suggest changes to the Secretary position description
  • Identify Trusted Servant positions that would benefit from job-sharing
  • Introduce a monthly meeting that covers AA’s 12 Concepts of World Service

The October 2021 GROW Business Meeting was adjourned on October 20th.

1021 – Summary of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th 3-day sessions

Summary of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th 3-day sessions

During our fourth 3-day session, we voted on the three proposals. There was no more activity during the session. During the fifth 3-day session of our business meeting, voting results were announced for the three proposals under consideration.

Proposal 1.1 was not approved, receiving a 67% “I disagree” vote. During the fifth 3-day session, those who voted “I agree” for the proposal were invited to submit a Minority Opinion to explain their viewpoints, and two Minority Opinions were submitted. No one changed their vote in response (which would have triggered a re-vote). Therefore, this proposal is not approved, and it cannot be considered again until April 2023.

The group approved two proposals as Group Conscience decisions:

  • GROW will devote the last week in February and August to the topic of service.
  • Future recruitment messages will contain a brief description of the job rather than a link to the position description.

You will be able to find summaries of our discussions and the result of voting on our website at g-r-o-w.com/member-welcome/business-meetings/ after the meeting is adjourned.

The Chair also presented a “List of Good Ideas” that were discussed but not acted on during this meeting. As of this writing, 10 participants had provided their priority (scale of 1 to 3, with 1 being to discuss in April 2022 and 3 being to drop the idea from future agendas. The “Good Ideas” included:

    • Job-sharing
    • Simplify position descriptions
    • Decision-making history/explanation for how/why GROW TS positions were created
    • Side-by-side comparison chart of TS positions
    • Secretary as a mentor, rather than back-up to Temporary Mentor and birthday, sponsor, Weekly Meeting Lead, and 12th Step Volunteer Listkeeper
    • How to ask GROW sponsors to suggest their sponsees take a service position
    • Review requirements for length of sobriety and time of membership in GROW
    • Have a meeting similar to our monthly Traditions topic for AA’s 12 Concepts for World Service

    At this time, 16 participants have provided feedback, although everyone did not rank every idea on the list. In order to compare the results, I added the rank value (1, 2, or 3) for each idea to get a “score” where the lower the value, the greater the priority. The following list orders the ideas by score.

    Side-by-Side Comparison………….. 11
    Sec/Mentor Job Description……….. 13
    Job-sharing……………………………… 15
    Concepts Meeting…………………….. 17
    Time In Sobriety/GROW……………. 18
    How/Why of TS Duties………………. 22
    PD Reviews……………………………… 24
    Sponsors and GROW Service…….. 26

    Respectfully,
    danna M
    GROW Business Meeting Chair
    dmcd.grow@gmail.com

1021 – Summary of 2nd 3-day Session

Summary of 2nd 3-day Session of Business Meeting

The second 3-day session of the GROW business meeting ended yesterday. During this session, participants continued to comment on the “Recruiting Trusted Servants” issue paper. The Chair submitted a summary of comments, the comments themselves, and a response to comments.

On the first day of the third, three proposals were presented that reflected actions that commenters supported broadly. These proposals include:

  • Proposal 1: Adding a “Common Duties” bullet that gives all Trusted Servants to engage in and support the Secretary in attracting GROW members to volunteer for service positions.
  • Proposal 2: Devoting a GROW meeting topic to Service prior to each business meeting.
  • Proposal 3: Replacing links to position descriptions with more simple, plain language describing each GROW Trusted Servant position.

Meeting participants will now discuss these specific proposals through the end of the day on Tuesday, October 12.

If you would like to participate in our business meeting, please send your request to our listkeepers at grow-owner@oso-aa.org.

Respectfully submitted,
danna M
GROW Business Meeting Chair
dmcd.grow@gmail.com

Sponsor List Confirmation

Sponsor List Confirmation

Dear Volunteer:

Thank you for your service this past month by putting your name and contact information forward for being a sponsor in GROW. If you wish to continue next month, please Reply to [Sponsor Listkeeper Name].

If you do not reply by the end of the month, I will remove your name from the list unless and until you contact me again.

If you want to continue to be on the list, please send me any corrections or changes in your sponsor information.

Thank you,
[Name]
Sponsor Listkeeper
[e-mail address]

Sponsor List Invitation

Sponsor List Invitation

Dear Women of GROW,

You can enhance your sobriety by offering to sponsor other alcoholics and share what has been given to you with others. If you would like to offer your name as a potential online sponsor in this group, please review the GROW web page on Sponsorship at g-r-o-w.com/member-welcome/trusted-servants/online-sponsors/ (Password: sobertodayhow2484). You might also refer to AA’s pamphlet “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship” at aa.org/assets/en_US/p-15_Q&AonSpon.pdf.

If after reviewing this information, you want to add your name to our list, please send me the following information:

  • name
  • geographic location
  • sobriety date
  • telephone number (if you wish)
  • current e-mail address
  • whether you are interested in being a temporary sponsor for a new member to GROW

You will then be added to our Available Online Sponsors list which is sent to the group each month and to those who ask about sponsorship (whether on a temporary or permanent basis). Know the list is updated every month, and you must affirm your desire to stay on the list from month to month. Please know that you may be asked to sponsor newcomers and be alert to a suggested response time of 48 hours.

Thank you,
[Name]
Sponsor Listkeeper

1021 – Proposal 3: Brief Job Descriptions

Proposal 3: Brief Job Descriptions

Group Conscience Decision:

In the Secretary’s recruitment messages, rather than referring members to the position descriptions for Trusted Servants, provide a brief description of their job that includes its basic function and how it benefits GROW, the time required to do the job, workload intensity, and the busiest times. The descriptions will also include the name and email address of the person currently holding the position.

The Business Meeting Chair and Secretary will work with Trusted Servants to develop the job descriptions before the March 2022 recruitment effort begins.

Rationale: The proposal reflects broad agreement in business meeting participants’ comments addressing the lack of volunteers for Trusted Servant (TS) positions. Discussions revealed that GROW’s position descriptions are too long and to detailed to attract volunteers. There was near-unanimous agreement that hearing from the current TS about the position was much more effective.

Because TSs change over time, and their experiences will be different, the Chair is proposing that a simple job description that can be used during every recruitment process would be more practical. This would not replace the individual TS shares about their experience in the position that TSs post during the Service topic GROW meeting.

Summary of Comments

Ten women commented on Proposal 3 calling for the Secretary’s announcements of Trusted Servant vacancies to present brief plain-language job descriptions instead of links to position descriptions. There was unanimous support for this proposal.

Results of Voting

Sixteen (16) participants voted “I agree” and no one voted “I disagree” on the proposal to replace the link to position descriptions in the Secretary’s announcement of Trusted Servant vacancies with more simple job descriptions.  Therefore, Proposal 3 is approved and adopted as a Group Conscience decision.

1021 – Proposal 2: Service Topic Meeting

Group Conscience Decision:

GROW will devote one meeting to service in the last week of the month before recruitment begins (February and August).

While the topic will not be limited to service within GROW, all current TSs are encouraged to share on their experience in the job to encourage GROW members to volunteer when recruitment begins. The Weekly Leader Listkeeper will reserve the last Sunday of February and September for the topic of Service.

Recommended Language: Add to the Weekly Leader Listkeeper’s position description an eleventh bullet:

  • Allocate the last meeting in February and August by identifying Service as the topic next to the date on the volunteer lead request message.

Rationale: The proposal reflects broad agreement in business meeting participants’ comments addressing the lack of volunteers for Trusted Servant (TS) positions. Comments broadly, but not unanimously, supported having a GROW meeting topic devoted to service before the recruitment process begins.

Summary of Comments

Ten women commented on Proposal 2 that calls for two GROW meetings be devoted to the topic of service in late February and August. All comments agreed with the proposal. One commenter expressed regret that this would eliminate two more opportunities for weekly meeting leaders to select their own topic. Another commenter thought that releasing the service topic midweek would avoid this. Finally, a third commenter suggested that the mid-week suggestion should be carried forward to the April 2022 business meeting.

Results of Voting

Sixteen (16) people voted “I agree” on the proposal to devote a GROW weekly meeting topic to Service in the last week of February and August (before recruitment for Trusted Servants begins). No one voted “I disagree.”

1021 – Proposal 2: Service Meeting Topic

Proposal 2: Service Topic

Group Conscience Decision:

GROW will devote one meeting to service in the last week of the month before recruitment begins (February and August). While the topic will not be limited to service within GROW, all current TSs are encouraged to share on their experience in the job to encourage GROW members to volunteer when recruitment begins. The Weekly Leader Listkeeper will reserve the last Sunday of February and September for the topic of Service.

Recommended Language: Add to the Weekly Leader Listkeeper’s position description an eleventh bullet:

  • Allocate the last meeting in February and August by identifying Service as the topic next to the date on the volunteer lead request message.

Rationale: The proposal reflects broad agreement in business meeting participants’ comments addressing the lack of volunteers for Trusted Servant (TS) positions. Comments broadly, but not unanimously, supported having a GROW meeting topic devoted to service before the recruitment process begins.

Summary of Comments

Ten women commented on Proposal 2 that calls for two GROW meetings be devoted to the topic of service in late February and August. All comments agreed with the proposal. One commenter expressed regret that this would eliminate two more opportunities for weekly meeting leaders to select their own topic. Another commenter thought that releasing the service topic midweek would avoid this. Finally, a third commenter suggested that the mid-week suggestion should be carried forward to the April 2022 business meeting.

Results of Voting

Sixteen (16) people voted “I agree” on the proposal to devote a GROW weekly meeting topic to Service in the last week of February and August (before recruitment for Trusted Servants begins). No one voted “I disagree.”

1021 – Proposal 1: Trusted Servants and Recruitment

Proposal 1: Trusted Servants & Recruitment Process

Add a bullet to the Common Duties that calls for every Trusted Servant to participate in the semi-annual recruitment process by recommending potential replacements, sending a personal share to GROW describing their experience as a Trusted Servant, and working with the Secretary during recruitment by personally encouraging potential volunteers.

Recommended Language: Add the following as the second bullet in the “Common Duties” on the GROW website and in

  • Every Trusted Servant shall participate in recruiting Trusted Servants in the following ways:
    • Participate in the recruitment process by identifying and recommending to the Secretary women who seem well-suited to the position the Trusted Servant currently holds;
    • In the week before recruitment begins (late February, late August), write a message to the GROW mail list that describes her job, estimates the workload, actual time spent, and what doing the job as done for their sobriety;
    • Help the Secretary during the recruitment month (March and September) by encouraging potential volunteers to volunteer for her position when recruitment begins.

Rationale: The proposal reflects broad agreement in business meeting participants’ comments addressing the lack of volunteers for Trusted Servant (TS) positions. The comments overwhelmingly agreed that TSs should be more involved in the recruitment process and supported the suggested proposal.

Summary of Comments

Eight women commented on Proposal 1 which would add a bullet to the Common Duties section of GROW position descriptions. Most of the comments were a simple expressions of agreement with the proposal. Two commenters felt that asking Trusted Servants to “identify” potential volunteers would create pressure for those identified. One commenter recommended wording changes. The Chair has edited the bullets to better reflect those concerns. We will vote on the resulting Proposal 1.1 during the fourth 3-day session.

Results of Voting on Proposal 1

Eighteen (18) participants voted on the Proposal that would add a bullet to the Common Duties that calls for every Trusted Servant to participate in the semi-annual recruitment process. Twelve voted “I disagree,” and six voted “I agree,” representing a 67% majority rejecting the proposal. Therefore, the proposal did not meet our requirement for a 2/3 majority. The Chair invited participants who voted “I agree” to submit a Minority Opinion. By our guidelines, if anyone changes their vote as a result of the Minority Opinion, there will be a re-vote.

Two people submitted Minority Opinions further supporting the proposal. One argued that requiring Trusted Servants to share on the topic of Service was not a burden and would help GROW. The other felt that we already identify potential candidates for TS positions and that including this in the proposal was appropriate.

No one changed their vote as a result of the Minority Opinions; therefore, the 67% vote rejecting the proposal stands, and the proposal is not accepted as a Group Conscience Decision, the subject cannot be raised again for at least a year.

1021 – Secretary’s Report – Trusted Servants

Secretary’s Report – GROW Trusted Servants

October 2021

(clicking on name opens an email message)

Outgoing Trusted Servants

Incoming Trusted Servants

Trusted Servants – October 2021

(as of 12/14/21)

  • 12 Step Volunteer Listkeeper (10/21 – 4/22): Nicole W
  • Birthday Listkeeper (10/21 – 4/22): Mary O
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (10/21 – 4/22): Lynn H

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Business Meeting Chair (10/20-10/22): Danna M
  • GSR (10/21-10/22): VACANT
  • GVR (10/21-10/22): Julie Kr
  • Greeter (4/21-4/22): Amy N
  • Greeter (10/21-10/22): Karrie C
  • Listkeeper (4/21-4/22): Karen H
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/21- 4/22): Sophie R
  • OIAA Rep (4/21-4/22):  Rene G
  • Secretary (10/21-10/22): Michele R
  • Temporary Mentor (4/21-4/22): Becky L
  • Treasurer (10/21-10/22): Cheryl B
  • Website Administrator (10/21-10/22): Cheryl D
  • Webkeeper (10/21-10/22): VACANT
  • Webkeeper Backup (10/21-10/22): Pat S
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (4/21-4/22): Emily M

Immediate Past Business Meeting Chair: Joan B
Immediate Past GSR: Nicole W
Immediate Past OIAA Rep: Lynn H & Kirsten V
Immediate Past Secretary: Nancy C

Trusted Servant Comparison Chart

Comparison of Trusted Servant Jobs

 

Trusted Servant Position “Qualifying” sobriety “Qualifying” GROW membership Length of position Workload Busiest Times Primary Duties Skills Needed Current Trusted Servant
Common Duties
for all Trusted Servants
Participate in business meetings;
inform Secretary and/or Business Chair if can’t fulfill responsibilities;
reply to business and steering committee emails within 48 hours;
mentor incoming Trusted Servant, ensure continuity of service by providing relevant documentation and form letters; and advice when specific issues arise
12th Step Listkeeper 1 year Not specified in Position Description 6 months Light Ongoing Read all emails, notify volunteers email Nicole W
Birthday Listkeeper 6 months Not specified in Position Description 6 months Light Ongoing Collect & announce sober anniversaries email Mary O
Sponsor Listkeeper 1 year Not specified in Position Description 1 year Light Ongoing & first of month Identify those willing to sponsor, provide to GROW email Lynn H
Business Meeting Chair 5 years At least
1 year
2 years Heavy 2 months per year, Light remaining months March-April, September-October Facilitate business meeting, prepare many summaries, work with webkeepers to document meeting Organization, writing, timeliness Danna M
General Service Representative (GSR) 2 years Not specified in Position Description 2 years Light ? Group contact with AA’s General Service Office, keep Grow informed of activities of GSO, Conferences, and Conventions, advise Steering Committee on issues related to Traditions and Concepts of Service Email proficiency, interest in AA Traditions and Concepts of Service VACANT
Grapevine Representative (GVR) 1 year Not specified in Position Description 1 year Light Ongoing Post a monthly meeting topic published in Grapevine; provide info on tools available in magazine; have a subscription to the Grapevine (paid by GROW) Email proficiency Julie Kr
Greeter 1 year Not specified in Position Description 1 year:
terms overlap so that incoming Greeter can be trained by the lead greeter before the lead’s term expires
Light to moderate Mostly around holidays Check e-mail daily; respond to inquiries; notify Listkeepers of new member; introduce new member to Grow; respond to new member questions; inform 12th Step Listkeeper of new members needing support Emailing skills and know how to copy and paste Amy N
Karrie C
Listkeeper 2 years 1 year 2 years –
first year being trained; second year training listkeeper alternate
Checking email 2-3 times/day. Time per day depends on number of new women but each request takes only minutes. Team of 2 listkeepers – one week on, one week off. Easy to cover for each other. 2 end-of-month tasks. Ongoing Forward inquiries to greeters; handle requests to subscribe, unsub, change email address; troubleshoot ‘bounced’ emails and other technical issues; suscribe Trusted Servants and others to business meeting mailing list; on “Mini Steering Committee,” works with Business Chair and Secretary to resolve issues arising between business meetings; liaison with Grow listservice; send monthly letter to Grow with info on managing their Grow account and options email, organiza-tion, Timliness Karen H
Sophie R
OIAA Representative 2 years Not specified in Position Description 1 year Moderate April, October and first of month. Grow’s Representative to the Online Intergroup of AA (OIAA); participates in bi-annual elections and business of OIAA; inform Grow members of relevant OIAA decisions and actions; communicate Grow preferences to OIAA; provide report to business meeting twice a year Email Rene G
Secretary 2 years 1 year 1 year Heavy 2 months per year, Light remaining months March-April, September-October & first of month Manage Trusted Servant assignments, contact point for issues, disciplinary actions; member of “Mini Steering Committee” handling issues that arise between business meetings Organization, timeliness Michele R
Temporary Mentor 1 year 1 year 1 year Moderate to heavy Ongoing Contact & correspond with members new to sobriety email, organization, timely follow-up Becky L
Treasurer 2 years 2 years 2 years Light Ongoing Maintain checking and PayPal accounts for Grow; “pass the basket” each week for member contributions; report on Treasury status at business meetings twice a year; pay group expenses, including distributions to GSO and OIAA basic checking account balancing, online banking, Paypal. Cheryl B
Website Administrator 4 years 4 years 1 year Moderate to heavy Ongoing & April, October Assure information is posted to website as determined by Group Conscience decisions; assures Grow website is up-to-date; maintains backup of Grow website; working with Steering Committee, leads major website redesign efforts; support Webkeeper and Webkeeper backup with WordPress issues and website access; co-owner with Webkeeper of Grow website; with Treasurer, ensures that website fees are paid; mentor incoming Trusted Servant when term ends; assure quality of information WordPress, some HTML, organization, timeliness Cheryl D
Webkeeper 2 years 2 years 1 year Moderate to heavy, especially during and after business meetings Ongoing & April, October Maintain public and members’ sections of Grow website; post information to website as determined by Group Conscience decisions, including business meeting reports and notes, list of Trusted Servants, archive of Group Conscience Decisions; work with Business Meeting Chair to ensure Grow history and archives are maintained and accessible to Grow members; post business meeting reports, minutes, and summaries are posted while business meeting is in progress; ensure that website protects member anonymity WordPress, HTML coding, knowledge of Grow processes, organization, timeliness VACANT
Webkeeper Backup 1 year 1 year 1 year Light Weekends Update website with current weekly topics WordPress, email, timeliness Pat S
Weekly Leader Listkeeper 6 months 1 year 1 year Moderate to heavy Ongoing Identify meeting leaders, record leaders for 3-month period, remind leaders, provide form letter for meeting leads; invite shares each month on the corresponding Tradition; ask for volunteers each month for the on-call leaders list. email, Organization, timliness Emily M