Adult Children of Alcoholics®/
Dysfunctional Families
World Service Organization, Inc.
January 9, 2016
ACA WSO Teleconference Meeting Minutes
Chair, Larry A. opened the meeting with the Serenity Prayer and the reading of the First Tradition: Our common welfare should come first. Personal recovery depends on ACA unity.
Attendees: Larry A, Mary Jo, Ines and Majbrit – Quorum was established.
Guest Introductions: Paul (CT) x12; Don F. (Oshkosh WI) x7/8; Tom C. (WI) x1; John L. (PA) x1; Joan (IA) 20+; Bonnie (TX) x18; Jude, ACA Member, Member of Telephone Meeting #0277 (Virginia Beach, VA); Patty (CO Intergroup) x7/8; Marietta, Intergroup Rep for Telephone Meeting USA Intergroup (CT) x 20; Mona (Chicago) x5 years; Wayne (Toronto Canada) x8; Jim (FL) x4; Bill, AWC Planning Committee (Miami)x2; Jeffrey, WSO Euro Literature/Finance Committee (Prague) x5; Matthew, Sec for West Great Lakes Intergroup (Oshkosh, WI) x9;
Chair, Larry A. then extended an invitation to members who have been attending the TC meetings to consider committee participation.
MINUTES:
Motion brought forward by Secretary, Ines Z. to approve the minutes of the November 14, 2015 ACA WSO Teleconference Meeting. (Mary Jo-second) Mary Jo commented that the report listed in the November minutes is not actually from November’s Treasury Report, it’s from October. The motion was tabled until the next meeting for further review.
Motion brought forward by Secretary, Ines Z. to approve the minutes of the December 12th, 2015 ACA WSO Teleconference Meetings (Majbrit–second). Mary Jo indicated that the Finance Committee is being listed separately instead of being listed as part of the Treasurer’s Report. It also states that the Finance Committee report was tabled, but there was no report for December because there haven’t been any meetings. The motion was amended to approve the minutes with the change that there was no report from the Finance Committee. The amended minutes passed, unanimously. (Amendment: there was no report for the finance committee).
Committee Reports
TREASURER’S REPORT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE (Chair: Mary Jo): Mary Jo reported that the financials were not yet posted in the repository because they were questions that needed to be cleared up and due to the holidays. There was a preliminary net income/loss for December ($1,117.00). She noted that December literature sales tend to be lower than other months. Also, that the distribution center ran out of the new Laundry List Workbook in mid-December and some people seem to be holding their orders until the new supply arrives closer to the end of January. She added that the Seventh Tradition’s contributions totaled $6,434 and would be posted on the “Donations Received” tab.
She reported that the Finance Committee now included another new member in addition to Jeffery (Prague). She introduced Bill D. (FL) who was on the call. She noted that the Finance Committee would be having a meeting soon.
Chair, Larry A. welcomed Jeffrey and Bill to the Finance Committee and thanked them for their service.
LITERATURE COMMITTEE – Larry: Chair, Larry A. stated that the full Literature Committee report could be found in the repository.
Spanish Translations – Ines:Ines reported that a Spanish speaking ACA member has volunteered to assist with translations and she thanked those that step up to support the translation work. She reported that the North American Spanish Translation Subcommittee which works on verifying translations of the Big Red Book has not met for some time but they are individually vetting chapters that had been submitted. A meeting is anticipated now that the holidays are over.
ComLine – Phyllis- Larry reported that the January edition of the ComLine is available on the website on the home page, under the literature tab, there is a dropdown that reveals the ComLine link. It is free for downloads and they are currently fielding articles for the next edition. Submission due date is sometime in February but can be verified on the website. Larry then introduced Robin (TX).
Robin – Special Worker, reported that all submissions for the 2nd quarter ComLine should be submitted to ([email protected]) by February 29, 2016 (extra day for leap year). She also thanked Phyllis and Patty for their work on the ComLine. She then reported that she received an advanced copy of the Laundry List Workbook from the printer and the bulk of the shipment should be arriving at the warehouse later that week. The trifold version of “To the Beginner In All of Us” had been submitted to the warehouse and should be up for sale this month (hopefully). Hospital and Institutions Guidelines had been approved and are ready for posting as a free download on the ComLine. It would also be included in the New Meeting Packet and offered for sale separately as a booklet. Robin thanked everyone who contributed to the publication. Currently energy is being focused on outside of the United States literature fulfilment solutions. Robin recognized Jeffrey as getting credit for the work he has done regarding looking into fulfilment in Australia. She states the committee is looking forward to a productive 2016. (Larry introduced Jeffrey from Prague)
Jeffrey (Prague): Jeffrey reported that he has been involved with looking into ways to get literature, primarily books, to Australia as cheap and quick as possible, including looking into possible local printing. Has been working on calculations to present to the Board as well as working with Robin to help find out about printing solutions in England for when UK Amazon sales begin. Jeffrey reported that Larry was instrumental in helping to get that rolling. Initially literature will be shipped from the states to stock the facility to get it set up. This will be a big hub in helping to get literature to members in Europe faster and cheaper than ordering directly from the states. Jeffrey noted that you can print and sell in England without any VAP (Value Added Tax), that is 20% tax that is added onto things, purchases, in many European Countries, so big savings all around.
Larry referenced Robin’s report and noted that in terms of delivery of the Laundry List Workbook into the warehouse, it was being shipped half way across the country. Weather conditions, road conditions and other things happen, so while we can be optimistic about the next week or so, it is more realistic to think it may be two or three weeks before they arrive. As soon as they arrive a notice will be put on the website that they are available. Larry reminded everyone that the full Literature report was on the repository. Larry reiterated that ComLine is welcoming articles on experience, strength and hope, in any language. It is the hope that the ComLine be a vehicle of expression for members across the globe.
Majbrit conveyed Phyllis’s request to outside listener’s that are non-English speaking, that they are welcome to send a share in a foreign language to the ComLine.
ACA WSO Distribution Center Oversight Committee-Ines: Per Ines, the Distribution Oversight Committee has not met since the last meeting and there was no report at the present time. Ines then invited Mary Jo to speak on the possible new employee.
ACA DISTRIBUTION OFFICE –Mary Jo:
Mary Jo indicated there may not be a new employee at this time. She then reported that there were some health issues with staff members during the past month but with few orders the work output was not overly affected.
Ines questioned if the ACA WSO Distribution Center Oversight Committee report would also cover the ACA Distribution Office Report and it was agreed that the ACA WSO Distribution Center Oversight Committee report would encompass both.
MEMBER AND PUBLIC SERVICE (Chair, Joan): Joan stated that she did not see a report from Denise and did not notice if she was on the call. Bonnie stated that she could give a general report on Denise’s behalf as Denise could not be on the call. Bonnie then gave the following report:
Special Worker, Denise (Report given by Bonnie): Bonne briefly reported that the Inbox for December was 421; Sent 402 and Vonage box is 81.
Hospitals & Institutions -Joan: Joan reported that H & I survey that went out in October and closed on December 15. There were 13 Intergroups responding out of 42 Intergroups who recieved the survey.
- Survey questions 1, 2 and 3 asked where the intergroup was located and the name and contact information of the intergroup.
- Question 4, “Do you have members doing H & I work?” 46% said yes and 54% said no. (based on 13 responding groups).
- Question 5, “What institutions does your group go to?” Options were prisons, jail or community corrections, treatment programs and not applicable; 23% said treatment programs and 77% said it was not applicable because they were not doing H & I work.
- Question 6, “If so, how often do you conduct the meetings?” Weekly 50%, Monthly 8%; NA -77%.
- Question 7, “How long has your group been taking meetings into the institution?” One group had been doing it about 6 weeks and another group was not successful in setting up a meeting. They tried for weeks to set up a meeting but it wasn’t working.
- Question 8, “What issues if any have you had doing this work?” The most popular answer was lack of volunteers to do the work, and some of them were just in the preparation process.
- Question 9, “What ideas or suggestions do you have for ACA/WSO H & I Committee to assist you in doing this work?” Workshops or come show them how to do H & I work; find out what others did; give them discounted or free material to take to institutions.
Essentially the results indicate a lack of volunteers from the groups to assist regularly in taking meetings into an institution. The other reason groups may not be doing H & I volunteer work in their community institutions is a lack of understanding on how to go about developing the program. Joan thanked Mary Jo and Gloria for assisting in getting the survey out the Intergroups. The Intergroups that responded were also thanked for their participation.
She then reported that H & I in December had very little activity and few requests for information. There were some emails regarding how to go about H & I work that were responded to. She noted that the H & I handbook should be available soon. She mentioned that the book was small, but as time goes by and people share their experience, strength and hope in setting up H & I meetings and sharing any information others can use, it would grow. She stated as a reminder that H & I work involves more than taking meeting into an institution; it also includes putting tri-folds of information and meeting lists in treatment programs, mental health agencies, psychologist, psychiatrist, etc., any place you have gained permission from to display the ACA literature. This is service work that a group can do with assistance from its Intergroup. Literature, mainly tri-folds can be purchased or photocopied by the group or Intergroup.
Intergroup Liaison-Bonnie: Bonnie (TX) reported that December had been slow due to the holidays. The emails received at [email protected] have been mostly about the rollout of the literature discount and general shipping questions and registration for that, locating intergroups and new intergroup representatives introducing themselves and asking questions. There were 25 total emails generating 13 responses over 7 different conversations. Seven emails were forward from MPS by Denise. There was engagement with the Literature Committee with suggestions over the IG discounts announcement. Also trying to find a way to notify the intergroups that the ComLine is available and the current issue is out as well as if there could be notification when new intergroups register, then we could reach out to them to participate in sub-committees. We can be reached at [email protected] for any questions, concerns or comments. Full report is in the repository.
Larry mentioned that a draft email can be sent to Gloria for potential email blast. Regarding notification of newly enrolled intergroups, Gloria or possibly the IT department can generate an automated email response to Bonnie as the new intergroup enroll or are listed. Suggested sending a joint email to Scott about the issue.
WEBSITE AND DATABASE COMMITTEE- Larry: As Scott was not on the line, Larry reported that he did not have a report from him. However, Larry noted that there were some modifications to the site worth mentioning such as the “What’s New” menu item at the top which opens to the most current events or news items and will be updated as things come up. Work is being done on how the multilingual literature appears. This should be up and running in the next week or two. Larry indicated that usage has been the same. Usually ¾ of the people that visit the site are people visiting for the first time, so there is a continual steady stream of people checking the site. If there is any information that is missed, it will be reported during next month's meeting.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE – Majbrit: Majbrit noted that the report was not completed yet as she was waiting for some data. She did report that she was ascertaining information on fulfilment in Denmark. She wanted people in the US to understand is that if a member wants to order 1 book, it is about $90 in shipment fees and they were working hard to find an alternative. She noted that there had also been contact with the Slovakians this month as they want to set up a new ACA meeting in their country, it will be their first one. She also mentioned that Slovakia is not listed on the website and needs to be added so they can register their meeting and get a starter kit. A full report will be uploaded as soon as the data is received. If anyone has a question, please contact her at [email protected]. Majbrit gave a special thank you to Jeff for his hard work and support.
Jeff (Prague) added that he was beginning to work on plans for the European Committee. He noted that emails had been sent to several board members for financial and data information regarding sales of books and literature in Europe. He is trying get a full picture of where Europe is in basic numbers i.e., meetings, intergroups, book sales, etc.
OPPM REVIEW COMMITTEE - Joan: Joan reported that the OPPM Review work is going well. They are nearing the end and are working on the area of dealing with the Annual Business Conference. She noted there were many changes in that section as things are done differently now. She reiterated that the work was going well and the Committee was looking forward to the completion of the project.
2016 ABC LIASON: Larry noted that there was a full report in the repository. He reported that there were four registrations received from delegates and there were about 30 rooms still available in the conference center. He then turned it over to the Chair of the Planning Committee.
Bill (Miami) then reported that the next Planning Committee meeting was scheduled for the following day at 4:15 pm in Del Rey Beach at the local 12 Step Recovery House. The previous meeting was on December 13th and there were 33 members in attendance. The committee duties have all been defined and copies were sent to Larry. There is a private Facebook page for the committee that is invitation only. It is updated regularly and currently has 56 members. The page is updated daily about events and planning progress. There is also a website page put together by the IT Committee Chair, John. Bill noted they are receiving volunteer applications for individuals who want to help. There have also been 4 speaker nominations to date. Currently all of the submittals are from Florida and they are anticipating more submittals as the date draws near. Three applications for workshop presenters have been submitted again from Florida. There are some pending items that need some input from the Board such as how to go about recording the speakers at the convention; there are 3 keynote speakers anticipated. There are three possible methods for the recording: Method 1. WSO authorizes speakers
to be taped by a professional recording company who tapes other 12 Step speakers regularly. If WSO authorizes that to happen under Method 1, it will cost 1-night stay in the hotel for the taper and the taper could sell the CD at the convention and later on line through his own business with no money coming back to WSO or local planning committee. Method 2. WSO authorizes speaker to be taped and hires a company to tape them at an approximate cost between $350 to $500. WSO would then retain the right to sell the CD’s or post the audio on line. Method 3. WSO authorizes the speakers to be taped and the local planning committee/intergroup hires the taper at no cost to WSO and then sells the CD’s to offset the cost, and the recording would be made available to WSO for the archives or online distribution for an agreed upon time after the convention. Bill then asked about a possible souvenir T-shirt commemorating the inaugural convention and the 2016 ABC being held in Florida. There is a convention logo that has been developed with the artist release that has been sent to Larry, so logo rights belong to WSO. They would like to start designing a shirt if WSO would authorize them to move forward. He requested Board feedback as soon as possible. He expressed the excitement in the area about the event. He received their first inquiry from Maui Hawaii via email from an appointed delegate that is looking forward to attending the ABC/AWC. He noted that social media and web are really helping to get the word out.
Larry indicated that he did not receive the email about the T-shirts but did forward the audio request to the Board and it is being discussed. Larry reminded everyone that on the 2016 ABC tab in the repository there are key dates available: Application to Chair a meeting or lead a workshop are due by January 31; Accommodations in the Center are being reserved for delegates only until February 15th, after that they will be open to everyone attending. Additionally, the ABC Ballots have been sent out and the votes need to be in by February 28th. Registration for both the AWC/ABC are due by March 11th, 2016. Board is working on how to handle walk-ins. They will not be turned away as long as there is space.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – Majbrit/Larry: Majbrit reported there were some approvals regarding the barcodes but was not sure if it should be included now or in next month’s meeting. Maryjo suggest that she was going to bring the barcode thing up as a motion because it was over $500 as well there was a motion that was under $500 that should be included in the executive committee matters ($260 for the website).
No Old Business
New Business:
- Motion: To approve expenditure of $260 to program the x-cart to capture shipping bug information. (Larry)
*Larry: Questioned that this is part of the executive committee’s authority to spend up to $500 without it being a motion and therefore doesn’t have to be passed as a motion?
*Maryjo: Motion passed in October or November that anything under $500 could be handled by the executive board without having to be a motion.
*Larry: Suggested to move forward and approves this as it was not in the Executive Committee report and note that for further expenditures under $500 do not require a motion.
Background (Read by Ines): This data is used to consult with UPS and USPS so they can reduce the shipping rate discrepancies.
Second (Mary Jo) – Motion passes unanimously.
2. Motion: Approve minimum orders for the 30% intergroup discount. Minimum order as follows:
- Full Boxes of Books
The number of books per box will vary according to the title. A box of Fellowship Texts will contain 20 books, a box of 12 Step Workbooks will contain 22 books, a box of Meditation Books hard cover will contain 18 books, a box of Meditations Books soft cover will contain 52 books, and a box of Laundry Lists Workbooks will contain 14 books. Each box will contain only one title and will not be mixed with other titles.
- Complete Rollsof Chips or Medallions
There are 25 chips/medallions in each roll. Each roll to contain one kind of chip or medallion; i.e., Welcome chips, 1 month chips, 1 year medallions, 2 years medallions etc. The coins will not be mixed.
- Sets of 10of Each Title of Either Tri-fold Sets, the Tri-fold Assortment or Booklets
- Minimum of 2 Meeting Starter Kits
- Minimum of 3New Meeting Packets
- The minimum overall order is $630 per order.
- All orders will be delivered to only one address. It is the responsibility of the Intergroups to distribute literature locally.
- After this program is rolled out, the WSO can reevaluate the minimum amounts to assure accessibility by the Intergroups and affordability by the WSO.
Background: (Read by Ines) The 30% Intergroup discount minimums and one destination restriction are designed to keep the WSO's labor costs down and thus protect the WSO's losses in offering this discount exclusively to Intergroups.The WSO's ability to afford giving this discount has to be balanced with the cost/labor savings of making bulk shipments while being mindful that the minimum overall amount of $630 (the equivalent to three boxes of BRB's or 60 books) should be affordable to most, if not all, Intergroups and their constituent groups
Second – Ines
Larry: Bonnie from the intergroup suggested that that language about where the orders will be delivered. To clarify: A destination address can change each time an order is placed, but the whole order has to go to one place (you can’t have the Big Red Book and Workbook go to one place and the tri-folds and medallions go to another place, it must be the whole order to 1 address)
Motion passes unanimously.
3. Motion (Mary Jo): Approve the purchase of an additional 100 ISBN numbers at a cost of $575.
Background (Read by Mary Jo): An additional 11 ISBN numbers but the cost of 10 is $295, the individual cost of 1 is $125. There is a quantity discount for 100 at $575 which makes better financial sense and leaves us prepared for additional translations as they are completed.
Second – Majbrit.
Motion passes unanimously.
This concludes our Agenda. Thank you all very much.
Any guest comments or questions?
Summary of guest comments: Guest comments focused primarily on:
Happy Birthday to ACA and Thank you for service. Meeting listing is not in chronological order on the website and when a new meeting gets added it does not go in the right time spot (Larry putting in tech support ticket for fix); what is purpose of intergroup donating money to WSO if individual meetings donate (Bonnie stated there is no set guideline on that but a suggestion on how to deal with excess fund by donating to WSO); is there PDF list of phone meetings on the web (Bonnie said not PDF per say but you can print the list from the website); has WSO done or considered marathon phone meetings during holiday time (Bonnie commented that there is no established parameter but there is interest and other groups are trying to put something together); Will the 10th Anniversary Edition of the Big Red Book be available at the ABC (Larry, Not for the ABC but the book will come out in November); Don (Oshkosh WI) reported that there are now several fellowships in the area now and ACA is getting some recognition by speaking at other fellowships. Jim (FL) gave web address for ABC/AWC is www.acaworldconvention.org; regarding order, is everything listed mandatory for an order or are things optional (Larry there is no mandatory, just what the minimum is per order).
*Larry commented regarding donations, that in the service section of the Big Red Book, there is a description of division of Seventh Tradition donations. As Mary Jo described it, is 60/40 and groups usually try to keep a prudent reserve for their own expenses in case things happen. Typically, groups will do a zero balance at the end of the month meaning aside from the prudent reserve, whatever is left over is passed on to the higher levels of service structure. There is no requirement to give anything, it’s a donation.
Announcements: Larry - The next ACA WSO Board Teleconference is scheduled February 13th, 2016at 2:00 p.m. EST.
ABC AWC is April 22nd through 24th 2016 in Delray Beach, Florida. Info in Fellowship Alerts or the Repository.
Is there a motion to adjourn the meeting? 2nd to the motion?
Ines - Motions to adjourn
Mary Jo - Second the motion
Are there any questions or comments about the motion to adjourn the meeting?
Motion carried unanimously.
Closed the Meeting with the Serenity Prayer
