Delegate’s Report to Area Assembly, December 2021

Everyone,

It is so good to see you all here today and together we are doing a great job. Wow what a month, lots of meetings, a few district groups and sharing my story at three different meetings. It is nice to be a part of a groups celebrations.

Hopefully this month I can fill you in on all that has happened.

First off is Bob W. our General Manager sent this to the fellowship:

November is thought of by many A.A.s as “Gratitude Month.” It is a time when A.A. groups often choose to make special contributions to their local service offices or committees and to G.S.O. We do this because it is a very direct and spiritual way to participate in Twelfth Step work. Many of us also feel more a part of A.A. and a sense of fulfillment of one of our deep spiritual needs, the desire to belong.

Money and spirituality really do mix! A very simple story from our A.A. history illustrates this clearly:

In the book Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, Bill writes:

“Let’s begin with my own sponsor, Ebby. When Ebby heard how serious my drinking was, he resolved to visit me. He was in New York; I was in Brooklyn. His resolve was not enough; he had to take action and he had to spend money. He called me on the phone and then got into the subway; total cost, ten cents. At the level of the telephone booth and subway turnstile, spirituality and money began to mix. One without the other would have amounted to nothing at all. Right then and there, Ebby established the principle that A.A. in action calls for the sacrifice of much time and a little money.”

The General Service Office coordinates many services that help groups and members fulfill their purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Although there are many examples of these services, of particular mention is the recent development of software to better carry out our Corrections Correspondence Service (C.C.S.). This software allows the office to connect fellow members behind the walls with members on the outside much more quickly and efficiently and with reporting results which ensure that no one is missed! Your Seventh Tradition sacrifices made this possible. Similar to Ebby’s experience carrying the message to Bill, money and spirituality – and now technology – mix with the services provided from G.S.O.

With gratitude for all the sacrifices you make for A.A.

Bob W.

Now on to better things.

Last month, I reported that with 75% of the year completed:

• contributions received were approximately 74% of budget,
• literature sales were around 76% of budget,
• payroll and benefits (our highest expense) were rounded to 73% of budget, and
• total expenses were 73% of budget.

Needless to say, after 9 months of the year completed, and with contributions and sales at 74% and 76% respectively and expenses coming in at 73%, we’ve experienced a 9-month surplus of $1.45 million, unaudited, compared to a budget surplus of $750,000; so, the consensus was that we’re looking pretty good.

Also, for the 9 months ended September 30, 2021 our CFO (Chief Financial Officer) calculated the prudent reserve at 8.48 months (while, Francis, personally, calculated 8.51 months).

This month (through October 31, 2021) with 10 months, or 83%, of the year completed:

• contributions received are approximately 84% of budget,
• literature sales are around 85% of budget,
• payroll and benefits (our highest expense) are rounded to 81% of budget, and
• total expenses weight-in at 81% of budget.

Needless to say, with 10 months of the year completed, and with contributions and sales at 84% and 85% respectively and expenses coming in at 81%, we’re experiencing a 10-month surplus of $1.92 million, unaudited, compared to a budget surplus of $750,000; so, the consensus remains that we’re still looking pretty good!

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for – if we, as a Fellowship, continue to be blessed with steady contributions and continued literature sales, we might be in a position to return an additional $750,000 to the prudent reserve and bring it back up to 9.0 months.  However, for this to happen, the Financial Advisory Body, the Trustees’ Finance and Budget Committee and the General Service Board will have to feel confident that contributions and sales will remain steady (and that expenses will stay manageable).

The new address to send contributions to GSO in New York City is: 
Post Office Box 2407
James A Farley Station
New York, NY 10116-2407

This is not to be confused with Area contributions, which can continue to be sent to:
Area 47 – Treasurer
PO Box 18611
Rochester, NY 14618-0581

Next during our NERD meeting last month Francis introduced Carolyn W., AAWS Non-Trustee Director.

Carolyn provided a quick update on Equitable Distribution of Workload (EDW):

The Committee looked at proposed Agenda items and those items were evaluated the by their respective trustees’ Committees to estimate the required time to discuss each item.

Please note that the final decision for Agenda items will be made in January 2022.

The final list should be available either the 1st or 2nd week in February.

The EDW process is a 3-year pilot program, and we cannot analyze its efficacy until the 3 years are over. Still, the EDW Committee will perform a review after the 1st year has been completed and implement “course corrections,” as appropriate.

The “plain language” Big Book draft road map has been approved by the Literature Committee.

Sample translations – We are still finalizing a vendor – 18 vendors replied & submitted proposals. Of those, our “short list” will be limited to 4 vendors – after all we have to pay for samples.

For those not familiar with “plain language,” it must be accessible at a 5th grade reading level. Skill & professional guidance will be the evaluating factors from each vendor.

The process may take just as long as the 4th edition Big Book which was 5 years.

As of December 3, 2021 we have gotten the preliminary agenda items.  

72nd General Service Conference Committees 

Preliminary Agenda Items 

Below are the preliminary agenda items for the 72nd General Service Conference (G.S.C.) committees as of December 3, 2021. 

This first year in the three-year trial period of the Equitable Distribution of Workload (EDW) process included the September 15 deadline for the submission of proposed agenda items. The trustees’ committees, A.A.W.S. Board and Grapevine Board reviewed and discussed a total of 178 submissions and agreed to forward 15 to the 72nd G.S.C. The EDW plan will be finalized during the January 2022 General Service Board weekend. The plan will detail which Conference committees will receive these 15 items. Here, on this “Preliminary Agenda Items” list, the 15 items are grouped under the same category, “Proposed agenda items agreed to be forwarded to the 72nd G.S.C., details pending the EDW process.” 

Please keep in mind that this is a preliminary list and agenda items may be added or subject to change by the trustees’ committees at the January board weekend.  

I. Agenda 

Review suggestions for the theme of the 2023 General Service Conference. 

• Review presentation/discussion topic ideas for the 2023 General Service Conference. 
• Discuss workshop topic ideas for the 2023 General Service Conference. 
• Review the General Service Conference Evaluation Form, distribution process and 2021 Evaluation Summary. 
• Discuss report on the Equitable Distribution of Workload process. 
• Discuss report on the Conference agenda process from the trustees’ Committee on the General Service Conference. 
• Discuss progress report on Conference improvement. 

II. Cooperation with the Professional Community 

• Review progress report on LinkedIn account. 
• Review progress report or draft on pamphlet for the mental health professionals. 
• Review progress report on media distribution of A.A. information within professional facilities.
• Review update or revised draft pamphlet of “A.A. in Your Community.” • Review contents and format of C.P.C. Kit and Workbook. 

III. Corrections 

• Review contents and format of Corrections Kit and Workbook. 

IV. Finance 

• Review Self-Support Packet. 

V. Grapevine/La Viña 

• Review progress report on AA Grapevine Workbook revisions. 
• Review progress report on Grapevine and La Viña Instagram accounts. 
• Consider the list of suggested Grapevine book topics for 2023 and later.
• Discuss the wide-ranging impact the Preamble change has had on our A.A.  Fellowship. 

VI. Literature 

Annual review of recovery literature matrix. 

• Review draft language regarding safety and A.A. to be included in Living Sober and “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship.” 
• Review draft of a pamphlet based on A.A.’s Three Legacies. 
• Review progress report regarding the pamphlet “Twelve Steps Illustrated.” • Review progress report regarding the pamphlet “Twelve Concepts Illustrated.” • Review progress report regarding the pamphlet “Too Young?” 
• Review draft of the revised pamphlet “Young People and A.A.” 
• Review progress report regarding update of the pamphlet “A.A. for the Black and African-American Alcoholic.” 
• Review progress report regarding update of the pamphlet “A.A. for the Native North American.” 
• Review progress report regarding development of a Fourth Edition of the book Alcohólicos Anónimos.

• Review progress report regarding the translation of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (Fourth Edition) into plain and simple language. 
• Review progress report regarding development of a Fifth Edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. 
• Discuss the existing version of the pamphlet “Twelve Traditions Illustrated.” 
• Discuss changes to the text of the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions directed by the 71^st General Service Conference. 
• Discuss G.S.O. Publishing updates per the A.A.W.S. print policy:
• Review the draft update of the pamphlet “Is A.A. for You?” 
• Review the draft update of the pamphlet “Is There an Alcoholic in Your Life?” 
• Review the draft update of the pamphlet “Frequently Asked Questions About A.A.” 
• Review the draft update of the pamphlet “This Is A.A.” 

VII. Policy/Admissions 

• Review G.S.O. General Manager’s report regarding General Service Conference site selection. 
• Discuss translation and interpretation of General Service Conference material. 
• Review progress report on the development of a process using virtual meeting technologies for polling the G.S.C. between meetings. 
• Review dates for the 2026 General Service Conference. 

VIII. Public Information 

• Review progress report regarding 2021 Public Information Comprehensive Media Plan. 
• Public Service Announcements (PSAs): 
• Review the 2021 report on the “Relevance and Usefulness of Video Public Service Announcements.” 
• Review 2021 annual reports from the trustees’ Public Information Committee regarding aa.org and aagrapevine.org.
• Discuss feasibility study report on paid placement of PSA videos on streaming platforms. 
• Review progress report on the development and implementation of a G.S.O.  podcast. 
  • Discuss Public Information pamphlets/materials. 
  • Consider retiring the A.A. Fact File. 
  • Review “A.A. Triennial Membership Survey” report. 
  • Review content and format of P.I. Kit and Workbook. 

IX. Report and Charter 

• Discuss the G.S.O. Publishing Department report. 
• Review The A.A. Service Manual, 2021-2023 Edition. 
• Discuss General Service Conference Final Report. 

X. Treatment and Accessibilities 

• Review progress report on the pamphlet “A.A. for the Older Alcoholic.” 
• Review draft pamphlet of “For Professionals: Bridging the Gap to Help Alcoholics” (working title). 
• Discuss update on development of audio interviews with military professionals. • Review contents and format of Treatment Kit and Workbook. 
• Review contents and format of Accessibilities Kit and Workbook.

XI. Trustees 

• Discuss the revised “Procedures for a Partial or Complete Reorganization of the General Service Board, the A.A.W.S. or AA Grapevine Boards.” 
• Review resumes of candidates for: 
  • Eastern Canada Regional Trustee 
  • Pacific Regional Trustee 
• Review slates of trustees and officers of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc. 
• Review slate of directors of A.A. World Services, Inc. 
• Review slate of directors of AA Grapevine, Inc.

XII. Archives 

• Review contents and format of Archives Workbook. 

XIII. International Conventions/Regional Forums 

• Discuss ways to encourage interest in Regional Forums and attract first-time attendees. 
• Discuss update report on methods of closing the Big Meetings at the International Convention. 

Proposed agenda items agreed to be forwarded to the 72nd G.S.C., details pending the EDW process. 

• • Discuss approval process for observers to the Conference from other General Service structures. 
  • Consider creating a new pamphlet designed to help C.P.C. committees to reach as many doctors as possible. 
  • Reconsider use of the term “person in custody” in A.A. literature. 
  • Consider request to include a G.S.R. preamble in the pamphlet “G.S.R.: Your Group’s Link to A.A. as a Whole.” 
  • Consider request to revise the pamphlet “Questions and Answers on Sponsorship” to reflect shared experience on service sponsorship. 
  • Consider request to revise the pamphlet “The A.A. Group” to reflect the importance of the group as a “spiritual entity” as stated in the Long Form of Tradition Five. 
  • Consider revising text highlighting service roles at the group level in the pamphlet “The A.A. Group.” 
  • Consider requests that the chapter titled “The Doctor’s Opinion” in the book Alcoholics Anonymous be returned to page one, as it was in the First Edition. 
  • Consider request to revise text in the chapter “Getting plenty of rest” in the booklet Living Sober. 
  • Consider request to revise the pamphlet “Do You Think You Are Different?” to include stories reflecting greater diversity. 
  • Consider request to add a historical disclaimer to the front of the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
  • Consider request to restore a paragraph in the story “Freedom from Bondage” in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. 
  • Consider request that all proposed changes to the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions be handled in footnotes.  
  • Consider requests to limit changes to the book Alcoholics Anonymous. 
  • Discuss request to make A.A. literature changes slowly and with A.A.’s primary purpose in mind.

So how did I get here as a member of the conference, the scope of the Trustees’ Conference Committee is the responsibility of selecting, by lot, incoming Delegate members to each Conference Committee, within established practices, outlined as follows:

Based on Various Advisory Actions:

• The 1970 Advisory Action indicates that the procedure for selecting Conference Committee members continue to be from the hat; that no Area be represented on any standing Committee for more than two consecutive years; that when any state or province has more than one Area, no standing Committee will have more than one member from each state or province. (The last being achievable in all cases since, at present, no state or province has more than 11 areas). (Trustees)

• A 1986 Advisory Action indicates that the Conference Committee on Trustees always have at least nine members so that there will always be enough to constitute one-half of the committee votes in regional elections. (Trustees).

• The 1989 Advisory Action recommended the reaffirmation of a 1970 Conference Action: “Conference Committee selections continue to be by lot with the widest possible geographical distribution.”  It was the sense of the meeting that any other method could erode the confidence of the Conference in the committee system. (Policy and Admissions)

• As extracted from a 1996 Advisory Action:  According to its scope, the International Convention/Regional Forums Committee has eight members, one Delegate from each of the eight Regions.  (In years when site selection takes place – 2023 is the next time – any sitting Delegate on the Conference International Convention / Regional Forums Committee whose Area is presenting at the General Service Conference as a possible International Convention site shall city withdraw from that Committee and a replacement be selected.)

Because it Makes Sense:

• At its summer Board Meeting, the Trustees’ Conference Committee appoints a subcommittee to review the process by which Delegates are selected to serve on the Conference’s eleven Primary Committees and two Secondary Committees.

• In 1983, the Trustees’ Conference Committee recommended that the election of Conference Committee members, ideally, take place in mid-December (at the time of the A.A.W.S. Board Meeting) in the presence of two Trustees or members of the Trustees’ Conference Committee, thereby gaining one month in communication time with Conference Committee members.

Practices that Have Developed Over Time:

Primary Committees:

• With 93 delegates divided as evenly as possible among eleven primary committees, five of them will have nine members and six will have eight members

• While there is no stated policy on this, Grapevine and Public Information often have nine members.

Secondary Committees:

• The General Service Conference has two Secondary Committees – International Convention/Regional Forums Committee and Archives Committee.  Delegates assigned to these Committees also serve on a Primary Committee. (Policy)

• As a Secondary Committee, Archives is generally assigned eight members, although according to its scope, it can have up to nine members.

Other:

• As far as possible, avoid placing two Delegates from same state or province on a single Committee.

A number of practices have developed over the years in implementing these policies.  With respect to the “widest possible geographical distribution,” it is the practice to assure that, insofar as possible, no Delegates will be assigned to the same Committee from Areas that border each other (i.e., abut).  Thus, for example, the Delegate from Rhode Island (which is neither a road nor an island) as well as the Delegate from Massachusetts (the “shot heard round the world” state) and Connecticut (the “Blue Law” state) will not be assigned to the same Committee.

It is also a practice to assure that, insofar as possible, no Committee will be either all male or all female.

It is also a practice to assure that, insofar as possible, that a Region will have no more than two Delegates on a Committee.  To accomplish these ends, Regions with eleven or fewer Delegate Areas, ideally, will not have two Delegates assigned to any Committee, thus giving each Region the broadest possible participation in Conference Committees.  As such, the Southwest, West Central, Eastern Canada and Western Canada regions should have no more than one Delegate on any Committee, whenever possible.

Additional Items Under Consideration:

As a means of addressing the myriad complexities of this selection process, a computer program has been developed that takes the aforementioned “ground rules” into account.  

The computer program was implemented to assign first year Delegates for Panel 71 with no discrepancies noted.

Items, not Specifically Under Consideration (But May Come Up From time to Time):

• At present, there are no known instances of Trustee-Delegate spouses for the 72^nd General Service Conference (but the 71^st saw three such instances).
• It’s been suggested that, perhaps, a subroutine ought to be developed to ensure that Delegates are separated from their partners.

In Summary:

After running the computer program, we:

• Double check to ensure that all first year Delegates have been assigned.  One person should read the names of all Delegates assigned to each Committee while another person checks off each name called on alphabetical list of all Delegates.  Double checks can then be performed to confirm that restraints are observed (including regional representation, gender mix, etc.).
• Double check to ensure that each Region is represented on the International Convention/Regional Forums Committee.
• Double check to ensure that each Region is represented on the Archives Committee.

Human error is, of course, possible, and has occurred from time to time.  However, by carefully checking the results – and perhaps by bringing in a “fresh pair of eyes” following the selection – the hoped-for results will follow.

When all is said and done, each Regional Trustee should, ideally, be notified about the Committee Selection results.

Filed in: AA General Service