SECRETARY HANDBOOK
INDEX
1.
Index to Subjects
2.
Brief History of A.A.
and
3.
To the New Secretary
4.
Requirements and Duties
of Group Secretary
5.
Financial
Responsibilities of the Secretary
6.
Financial
Responsibilities of the Secretary
7.
Group Organization
and Steering Committee
8.
Types of Meetings
9.
Types of Meetings
10.
Suggested Meeting
Agenda
11.
Suggested Meeting
Agenda
12.
Central Office
Services
13.
Anonymity and Who
“Runs” A.A.
14.
A.A. World Services
24-hour phone: 650.577.1310
email:AA@AA-san-mateo.org
BRIEF HISTORY OF A.A.
Our first members in
A.A. were Bill W. and Dr. Bob S., whose meeting in
Bill
W. had been a successful
In
The
two men noted that their own desire to drink disappeared when they tried to
share their recovery experience with other alcoholics. The chain reaction resulting from this
discovery has been responsible for the consistent growth of the A.A.
movement. Dr. Bob died in 1950 and Bill
W. in 1971. You can find their stories
in the Big Book -- "Alcoholics Anonymous". Their legacy is our lifesaving fellowship.
CENTRAL
OFFICE HISTORY
When
A.A. was pioneering in
in 1962 we
realized that A.A. on the
Every
year we handle a large number of calls for help from alcoholics or members of
their families. This is one of the
principal advantages of a Central Office.
It is essential that
your San Mateo County Fellowship Central Office receive adequate financial and
moral support of all A.A. groups and members in the county so that it may continue
to support the A.A. program for the alcoholic who lives, works, or visits
here. As of 1995, the San Mateo County
Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous serves over 300 Groups and Meetings.
TO
THE NEW SECRETARY
Congratulations
on being elected secretary of your group.
It can be a wonderful and rewarding experience for you.
This
handbook is designed to answer any questions you may have about your specific
responsibilities as secretary of the group and about A.A. in general.
Action is the magic word to insure sobriety.
Never
hesitate to ask for help from Central Office, and don't forget Tradition 2,
which says:
“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."
When you find it's time to pass this work of love on to your
successor, please make his or her appointment known to the San Mateo Central
Office by phoning
(650) 577-1310, so that they may be welcomed. Our fax number is
(650) 577-8529, and our web site contains a trusted servant form. www.AA-san-mateo.org. We also have an
e-mail address: email:
AA@AA-san-mateo.org.
If your successor
happens to be a secretary for the first time, you will want to be available to
them for the first few meetings of their term, or if you're eager to try other
meetings during that time, leave your phone number with the new secretary.
It
is recommended that new secretaries have at least six months of continuous
sobriety, when assuming the responsibilities of Group Secretary.
Part
of the responsibility of the rotating secretary is to PASS IT ON. Rotation is one of the important principles
in the structure and operation of a local group (and, indeed, throughout the
fellowship).
It means simply that A.A.s shy
away from the idea of an individual, no matter how competent, serving too long
as a group officer or member of a service committee. The suggested term of office for Group
Secretary is six months; for co-secretaries, one year. In A.A., it's the program, not the
personalities that count.
REQUIREMENTS
AND DUTIES OF A GROUP SECRETARY
A group Secretary should have at least six months of
continuous sobriety; be free to attend all meetings during the recommended term
of officer and to be early at the meeting place to insure it is properly
"set up" -- coffee made, arrange bulletins in order by number, etc.
1. Start and close all meetings on
schedule.
2. Obtain chairperson in advance
(Speaker and Speaker Discussion meetings). Speakers should be advised in
advance of the type of meeting and A.A.'s primary purpose.
3. Before the meeting starts, select
members to read "How it Works", "Traditions" and other
Group approved readings.
4. Have books and literature
available and on display.
5. Make A.A. related announcements
-- Request reports from Treasurer, Delegate, GSR, and H&I representatives
on a regular basis.
6. Facilitate Group business matters
(oversee elections, group consciences, etc.)
7. See that collection baskets are
passed around the room and are returned to the secretary.
8. Make sure that facilities are
clean and dishes put away after meeting. Turn off lights.
9. Maintain good relations with the
landlord, and insure that the rent is paid on time.
A
SPECIAL NOTE TO GROUP SECRETARIES
The Group Secretary is responsible for maintaining orderly
conduct of the meeting. Should a
disturbance arise during the meeting, the secretary should stand and perhaps
say something like this: "Pardon me, but I think we should continue with
the general discussion. Perhaps we can
discuss this after the meeting. "A good secretary should never interrupt
the discussion to interject his or her own thoughts. He/she seldom participates in the discussion
unless the group is small and time is plentiful.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
GROUP SECRETARY
For
the peace of mind and protection of the secretary from any criticism, it is
suggested that each group have a treasurer.
Suggested continuous sobriety of a Treasurer should be 2 years and
willingness to serve a 2 year term.
If
your group does not have a treasurer, then this is an important part of your
job as secretary.
TREASURER
It
is highly desirable to keep a simple but formal record of funds received, costs
and disbursements of monies. This serves
as a record to assist your memory and as a point of pride to the group with
respect to their contributions. A
regular financial report should be made to the group. After each meeting, take a few minutes to
make a summary report of contributions received and expenses.
At
the end of each month, make a monthly report on forms provided by Central
Office and distribute your contributions to the Central Office and GSO in
A.A.
experience has taught us that it is not a good idea for a group to hoard
money. The funds should be distributed
on a monthly basis. Ask your steering
committee about this. Below are
suggested contribution distributions found in the A.A. approved pamphlet,
"Self-Supporting Through Your Own
Contributions":
|
FIRST: |
To
your own group Each
A.A. group is self-supporting. This
means you must pay rent, buy coffee and the refreshments (if any) and attend
to all other expenses of the group (like coffee pots, A.A. wall-hanging
signs, A.A. books, etc.) |
|
|
|
|
SECOND: |
To you own area 60% of the remainder of your balance
after Group Expenses should be mailed or delivered monthly to the Central
Office: |
|
|
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
GROUP SECRETARY (continued)
THIRD: To the General
Service Office
The services provided by General Service Office (GSO) in
General Service Office
P.O
Grand Central Station
IMPORTANT:
Make check payable to : "General Fund"
FOURTH: To
your Area Committee: Your contribution supports Area Assemblies,
Delegate's expenses, Public Information and Cooperation with the Professional
Community and Institutions work. 5% to:
|
|
|
FIFTH: |
To
your District: Your contribution supports District
communication with groups, providing group conscience at an assembly level
and serving as a link between Area delegates and GSR's. Send 5% to: |
|
District 5 - |
|
H&I: |
|
send contributions
to: H&I |
|
NOTE: |
|
Never send cash in the mail! |
GROUP ORGANIZATION
Each A.A. Group is
autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole,
therefore the type of Group Organization is usually determined by the group
conscience.
The
following suggested Group Organization is based on the experience of many
successful groups and should be used as a guide to establish an organization
best suited for your group. The size of
your group and type of meeting your members may help to determine the organization
required.
|
Steering Committee |
|
Secretary (Some groups also have a co-secretary) |
|
Treasurer |
|
GSR General Service Representative to
the District Committee (and alternate) |
|
Delegate to Central Office
Delegates Committee (and
alternate) |
|
Grapevine Representative |
|
Greeters to welcome newcomers and members to
meetings |
|
Coffee maker and coffee servers |
|
Literature person to obtain books and literature
for the group |
|
Hospitals & Institutions
Committee Representative |
|
People
to set up and take down chairs, tables, etc. |
|
Dish
washers and dryers when necessary. |
|
Program
Chairperson or Speakers Committee to get speakers. |
Consideration
should be given as to who will provide these services when a person delegated
for any such service is unable to assume responsibilities.
STEERING COMMITTEE
The
steering committee serves the group by providing convenient, experienced cross
section of group membership to whom problems of the group can be referred and
for handling "policy questions" that may arise within the group. It does not represent management of a group;
no individual or committee can do that.
The
steering committee may be comprised of the GSR, present and past secretaries,
treasurer and other concerned members of the group. Individual groups may set certain sugested minimum of sobriety for members of steering
committees, normally one year's sobriety.
Based
on the experience of a number of groups, here is a guide on how large your steering
committee should be:
|
Members
in Group |
Steering
Committee |
|
|
|
|
10 to 20 |
3 to 5 |
|
20 to 40 |
5 or 6 |
|
0 to 75 |
6 to 8 |
|
75 to 100 |
8 or 9 |
|
125 to 200 |
9 to 13 |
TYPES OF MEETINGS
Each
Group should determine by "Group Conscience" the type and format for
its meetings. Here are some common
formats used:
Speaker
Meetings: The secretary opens
the meeting with the recommended meeting format and then introduces the speaker
who shares their experience, strength and hope.
It is recommended that speakers have at least six months of continuous
sobriety and have an inspiring story of recovery. If the speaker has had addictions other than
alcohol, he/she should be requested to emphasize the alcoholism and hold
discussion of other addictions to a minimum.
Speakers should be advised in advance of the meeting time
and the maximum time they should speak.
If a speaker exceeds this time schedule, the secretary should pass a
polite note to the speaker advising him or her that the time is up.
Speaker-Discussion
Meetings: The same general
format as speaker meetings, except that the speaker may talk for about half of
the time left after the "opening".
He/she then selects a topic for discussion, which is related to
alcoholism or the A.A. Program.
Book
Study Meetings: Meetings to
review and discuss A.A. books, such as the “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions”.
These meetings are usually opened in the same manner as "Speaker" and
"Speaker-discussion" Meetings, but instead of a speaker the Secretary
arranges to have an A.A. member who understands the topic under discussion at
that meeting, lead the discussion as chairperson.
It is suggested that as many members as possible participate
in the reading and discussion of the topic being considered. For this reason, it is suggested the
chairperson briefly qualify as an alcoholic and then share his/her overall
thoughts on the subject under consideration.
Usually a copy (or copies) of the book being discussed is
passed around the room and each member present is given an opportunity to read
one or two paragraphs (the number of paragraphs to be read should be announced
at the beginning of the meeting) until the chapter is completed.
After the chapter has been read, the chairperson will
usually ask for volunteers or will call on members to explain their
understanding of, or experiences with the subject
being considered.
TYPES OF MEETINGS (continued)