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The Chairperson coordinates activities with other group officers
- and with those members who assume responsibility for literature,
hospitality, coffee-making, programming individual meetings
within the group and other vital functions.
The more informed that Chairpersons are about A.A. as a whole,
the better they function. By keeping Tradition One firmly
in mind and by encouraging group members to become familiar
with all A.A.’s Traditions, a healthy A.A. group will
be assured.
The following are suggested duties of Group Chairpersons:
-
Maintain cordial relations between the group
and the organization from which the meeting room is rented.
-
Schedule and preside at periodic group business
meetings.
In the absence of a meeting chairperson open group meetings
or assign the responsibility to other officers.
-
Substitute for other group officers when necessary.
-
Co-sign group checks if a bank account is
maintained.
-
Call to the group's attention announcements
from the A.A. General Service Office, A.A. World Services,
The General Service Conference Committee of Southeastern New
York (S.E.N.Y) and Inter-Group.
INTER-GROUP ASSOCIATION OF A.A.
OF NEW YORK
Suggested Duties - Group Treasurer
Suggested length of sobriety: Subject
to group conscience, at least one year.
Suggested term of office: Subject to
group conscience, six months to one year.
The Treasurer is responsible for the Group's
finances consistent with Tradition Seven, "Every A.A.
group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside
contributions". Group funds, received through meeting
collections, are used for rent, A.A. literature, meeting lists,
coffee/refreshments and support of A. A. service entities,
usually monthly or quarterly.
The following are suggested duties of group
Treasurer:
-
Pass the collection basket at each meeting.
-
Maintain simple, accurate records of income
and expenses as well as a bank account where appropriate according
to group conscience.
-
Pay rent to the meeting place landlord.
-
Report the group's financial condition at
business meetings.
-
Reimburse suppliers for refreshments and related
expenses.
-
Pay for A.A. literature and meeting books.
-
Maintain a prudent reserve equivalent to two
months' group expenses.
-
Subject to group conscience, disburse group
funds in excess of a prudent reserve to A.A. service entities.
A.A.'s General Service Conference pamphlet, "Self-Supporting
Through Our Own Contributions" provides information on
the suggested distribution of group funds. The free pamphlet
is available on request from New York Inter-Group.
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INTER-GROUP ASSOCIATION OF A.A.
OF NEW YORK
Suggested Duties - Group Secretary
Suggested length of sobriety: Subject
to group conscience, at least ninety days.
Suggested term of office: Subject to group conscience,
six months.
Group Secretaries, like Chairpersons, need to
be good all-around group servants. A.A. experience suggests
that Group Secretaries function most effectively with a background
in other group offices. The following duties are suggested:
-
Announce information about A.A. activities
and events.
-
Maintain and update a STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
file of names, addresses and telephone numbers of group members
(subject to each member's and group conscience approval);
and know which members are available for Twelfth-Step calls.
-
Maintain a record of members' anniversaries
(subject to group conscience).
-
Maintain a Group bulletin board for posting
A.A. announcements and newsletters.
-
Inform the General Service Office and New
York Inter-Group in writing of any changes of address, meeting
place, meeting time and group officers.
-
Provide New York Inter-Group with a current
list of group member names and phone numbers as group Twelfth-Step
contacts.
-
Accept and assign calls for Twelfth-Step help
(unless there is a Twelfth-Step Chairperson for this task).
-
Share with group members all mail from the
A.A. General Service Office, A.A. World Services, The Grapevine,
The General Service Conference Committee of Southeastern New
York (S.E.N.Y.) and New York Inter-Group.
-
Subject to group conscience, maintain a literature
table in the group meeting place. Experience suggests that
the following A.A. General Service Conference approved books
are often in demand: "Alcoholic Anonymous"
(The Big Book), "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions",
"Living Sober", "Came to Believe", "A.A.
Comes of Age", "Daily Reflections", "As
Bill Sees It", "Pass It On" and "Dr. Bob
and The Good Old Timers". A supply of A.A. pamphlets,
especially those for beginners, and New York area Meeting
Books are also suggested.
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INTER-GROUP ASSOCIATION OF A.A.
OF NEW YORK
Suggested Duties - Program Chairperson
Suggested length of sobriety: Subject
to group conscience, at least ninety days.
Suggested term of office: Subject to
group conscience, six months.
The Program Chairperson is responsible for booking
incoming and outgoing meetings for the group. Since meetings
are the lifeline of the program experience suggests that a
Program Chairperson be a member who attends meetings a variety
of groups with access to bookable speakers.
The following duties are suggested:
-
Subject to group conscience, attend quarterly
Exchange Meetings sponsored by N.Y. Inter-Group in March,
June, September and December. Exchange Meetings are attended
by Group Chairs and Program Chairs from groups throughout
the New York Area, all interested in scheduling meeting speakers
from other groups.
-
Prepare and post a schedule of out-going meetings
for which the group has agreed to provide speakers. Recruit
group members for outgoing speaking commitments. Experience
suggests that booking outgoing three-speakers meetings provides
the group's new members with opportunities to speak while
enjoying the support of experienced home-group members.
-
Prepare and post on the group bulletin board
a list of incoming speakers with identification of the guest
group.
-
Confirm, in advance, incoming and outgoing
speaking commitments.
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INTER-GROUP ASSOCIATION OF A.A.
OF NEW YORK
Suggested Duties - New York Intergroup Delegate
Suggested length of sobriety: Subject to group conscience,
at least two years.
Suggested term of office: Subject to group conscience,
two years.
Inter-Group Delegates represent their A.A. Groups
at quarterly meetings of Delegates from groups in the New
York City Area. Delegate meetings are held at Noon on the
second Saturday in March, June, September and December. During
the meetings, members of the Steering Committee of the Inter-Group
Association of A.A. of New York report to the Delegates on
the operations of the Inter-Group office. The fourteen (14)
member Steering Committee is responsible to Delegates for
the Twelfth-Step service of the Inter-Group Association.
The following are suggested duties of Inter-Group
Delegates:
-
Attend quarterly Delegate Meetings at 12 Noon
on the second Saturday in March, June, September and December.
Call the Inter-Group office for details.
-
Attend Inter-Group Area Forums as announced.
-
Report the results of Delegates' quarterly
meetings and periodic area Forums to the group.
-
Communicate information received from Inter-Group
to the Group.
Vote for the Group on issues presented to Delegates by New
York Inter-Group's Steering Committee.
-
Communicate to the Steering Committee the
Groups' Conscience effecting the Twelfth-Step service of New
York Inter-Group.
-
Act as liaison between Inter-Group and the
Group selling tickets to the annual dinner-dance celebrating
the sobriety Anniversary of A.A. co-founder, Bill W. Proceeds
from the event benefit Inter-Group.
-
Follow up Twelfth-Step referrals to the Group's
meetings. Delegates receive notification by mail from Inter-Group
of telephone contacts from still-suffering alcoholics requesting
Twelfth-Step assistance. It is suggested that Delegates determine
that the Group member identified as the Group's Twelfth-Step
contact has welcomed the newcomer to Group fellowship.
-
Schedule periodic Inter-Group Information
Meetings for the Group. Information meetings can be booked
at quarterly Exchange Meetings or by calling the Inter-Group
staff.
-
Determine that Group meeting information is
accurately reported in New York Inter-Group’s Meeting
List Book.
-
Inform group members of opportunities for
Twelfth-Step service with New York Inter-Group.
It is suggested that Groups elect Alternate Inter-Group Delegates
to substitute for Delegates when necessary.
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INTER-GROUP ASSOCIATION OF A.A.
OF NEW YORK
Suggested Duties - Group Institutions
Representative
Suggested length of sobriety: Subject
to group conscience, at least six months.
Suggested term of office: Subject to
group conscience, one year.
The Inter-Group Institutions Committee is responsible
for taking 500 A.A. meetings each week into 150 hospitals,
detoxes, prisons, shelters and halfway houses. Free A.A. Literature
and N.Y. Inter-Group Meeting Books are available to each of
the meetings through Area Institutions Committee monthly meetings.
Group Institutions Representatives help carry
the A.A. message to still suffering or recovering alcoholics
who are institutionalized. The message is carried to institutions
who invite A.A.'s to bring meetings to their facilities. Institutions
meetings are arranged by Area Representatives, each of whom
hold monthly local meetings of their Area Committees namely,
Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Westchester,
Nassau, Rockland and Orange. The Institutions All-Area Chairperson
is a member of New York Intergroup's Steering Committee.
The suggested term of office for G.I.R.'s is
one year. The election of an Alternate G.I.R. who can substitute
when necessary has proven beneficial.
The following are suggested duties of G.I.R.'s:
-
Attend monthly AREA Institutions Committee
Meeting (See Meeting Book).
-
Report regularly to the Group on the activities
of the Inter-Group Institutions Committee.
-
Encourage group participation in the activities
of the Inter-Group Institutions Committee by suggesting that
group members Chair or speak at Institutions Meetings. It
is also possible for A.A. groups to "adopt" local
Institutional Meetings. By adopting a local institutional
meeting the A.A. group agrees to regularly Chair the meeting,
as well as provide speakers and interim sponsors and Traditions
shades.
-
Collect used issues of "The Grapevine"
from group members and send the magazines to the Inter-Group
office for inclusion in literature packages distributed at
institutional meetings.
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INTER-GROUP ASSOCIATION OF A.A.
OF NEW YORK
Suggested Duties - General Service Representative
Suggested length of sobriety: Subject
to group conscience, at least two years.
Suggested term of office: Subject to
group conscience, two years.
The group General Service Representative (G.S.R.)
is the group's direct link with A.A.'s General Service Conference,
through which U.S. and Canadian groups share their experience
and express A.A.'s collective conscience. G.S.R.'s work through
district and area committees.
The area committee for Greater New York Area
groups is:
The General Service Conference Committee of
Southeastern New York, known more often as S.E.N.Y.
S.E.N.Y.'s address is:
199 Lincoln Avenue (at 137th Street), Bronx, NY 10454
Telephone: (718) 665-1253
S.E.N.Y.'s mailing address is:
Box 571, New York, New York 10116
District committees can be reached through the
S.E.N.Y. office.
Experience suggests that a history of group
service helps in fulfilling G.S.R. responsibilities. An Alternate
G.S.R. can share the function when necessary at the group,
district and area levels.
The following are suggested duties of the G.S.R.
and Alternate G.S.R.:
-
Represent the group at district and area general
service assemblies.
-
Keep the group members informed about A.A.
General Service activities in the local area.
-
Receive and share with groups all mail received
from A.A. Service Structure entities including:
"Box 4-5-9" the General Service Office Newsletter
for communicating with the fellowship.
"The Link", the newsletter of the General Service
Conference Committee of Southeastern New York (S.E.N.Y.).
-
Assist groups with solving problems or answering
questions related to A.A.'s Traditions.
Additional information about the suggested duties of group
officers is available in the General Service Conference pamphlet,
"The A.A. Group...Where it all begins".
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