Author Archives: Danna M

1021 – Final Summary of the October 21 Business Meeting

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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. The sponsor list is intended only for AA women who are subscribed to GROW emails and are part of GROW.

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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

0420 – Secretary Report

Posted on by

Apr 2020 Secretary’s Report

Outgoing Trusted Servants:

  • 12 Step Listkeeper (10/19-04/20): Karrie C. email
  • Birthday Listkeeper (10/19-4/20): Lynn H. email
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (10/19-4/20): Rene G. email

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Greeter (4/19-4/20): Sarah K. email
  • Greeter (4/19-4/20): Louise H. email
  • Listkeeper (4/19-4/20): Karen H. email
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/19-4/20): Nancy C. email
  • Temporary Mentor (4/19-4/20): Danna M. email
  • Website Administrator (04/19-04/20): Tanya C. email
  • Webkeeper (4/19-4/20): Allison M. email
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (10/19-4/20): Bobby T. email

 

Incoming Trusted Servants:

  • 12 Step Listkeeper (10/19-04/20): Danna M. email
  • Birthday Listkeeper (10/19-4/20): Susan J. email
  • Sponsor Listkeeper (10/19-4/20): Alison B. email

Trusted Servants who make up the Steering Committee:

  • Business Meeting Chair (10/18-10/20): Joan B. email
  • GSR (10/18-10/20): Kate email
  • GVR (10/19-10/20): open
  • Greeter (4/20-4/21): Lisa M. email
  • Greeter (4/20-10/20): Louise H. email
  • Listkeeper (4/20-4/21): Sarah K. email
  • Listkeeper Alternate (4/20-10/20): Nancy C. email
  • OIAA Rep (10/19-10/20): open
  • Secretary (10/19-10/20): Laurie C. email
  • Temporary Mentor (4/20-4/21): open
  • Treasurer (10/19-10/21): Cheryl B. email
  • Website Admininstrator (4/20-10/20): Tanya C. email
  • Webkeeper (10/18-10/20): open
  • Webkeeper Backup (10/19-10/20): Cheryl D. email
  • Weekly Leader Listkeeper (4/20-4/21):Rene G. email

Trusted Servant Comparison Chart

Posted on by

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