This is an unofficial summary of the August 2019 Intergroup meeting provided for convenience; it is not intended to be the completed approved minutes. For a complete copy of the minutes and full committee reports see “Intergroup” on our website aasfmarin.org.

Our Intergroup exists to support the groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the still suffering alcoholic by providing and coordinating services that are difficult for the individual groups to execute.

The Intercounty Fellowship has been organized by, and is responsible to, the member groups in San Francisco and Marin for the purpose of coordinating the services that individual groups cannot provide.

The meeting was held on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, at St Andrew Presbyterian Church, 101 Donahue Street in Sausalito. The meeting was started with a call to order and the Serenity Prayer. Baskets for dinner were passed. The July 2019 minutes and the August 2019 agenda were approved.

Standing Reports

Board Chair, Alan G. $75 has been approved to The Point Committee for remainder of this year. A lot of excitement around the Marin County Sunshine Club. Orientations to be held in Marin soon. The CPA gave the yearly report on Form 990:

• Where do we get our contributions?
• How are the funds allocated?
• Who is overseeing the organization (conflicts of interest)

Another Safety workshop is moving forward in October. Teddy B-W, delegate, is suggesting outreach to African American alcoholics – Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Workshop.

Vice Chair, Taran R. Regarding the Job Fair: we got through 2/3 of our committee presentations / temperature. How do we feel about next month job fair pitch (mostly up twinkles)? Safety workshop in San Francisco and Inclusivity: how do we feel about Intergroup putting on a D&I workshop? Question from Allison: what would it include? Answer Taran: good approaches for how to include people, and techniques for inclusivity. What are barriers that keep people out of A.A.? We have had recent car break-ins. Don’t leave belongings visible in car.

The $8.06 Challenge (see Executive Director slide related to Self-Support): Question: is it per individual or group? Answer: the individual. Jim: Reminded the group of the fact that it’s a grassroots effort and NOT from GSO. Brian: Brought up issues with money going to Marin 2020.

Treasurer, Renee T. (See handout) Rating is “Excellent” based on current unrestricted cash position, but if revenue continues to decline, that rating will be downgraded. Question from Michael: Has there been a decline in the number of Faithful Fivers? Answer from Renee: know we lost a few when we converted payment systems, but doesn’t think we lost many. Explained that budget is based on last year’s contributions and we received a couple large one-time contributions.

Intergroup Committee Reports

Fellowship, Elena R. The next Safety Workshop will be in San Francisco. Looking at October 5, 2019, located at 777 Brotherhood Way. Sending around a volunteer signup sheet. Also, liaison for H&I Committee: on track financially. There is literature to be used! San Quentin project is going well.

Archives, Kim S. Gave an explanation of Archives: pitching oral histories and other things that archives need from groups/members. During the Western Roundup Living Sober gathering, there will be history talks during that weekend.

The Point, John B. The Point is receiving allocation of discretionary funds to print copies; thanks the Intergroup Board. Call for articles. They will prepare a budget for 2020 and track use of paper copies.

SF PI/CPC, Molly J. Gave a description of PI/CPC. The committee is always looking for speakers and plugged the committee meeting time, 2^nd Mondays, 6:00 pm, Central Office. Current focus: Now they get to focus on action! The committee is adequately staffed at this time. Sunday Streets in the Mission was successful. The upcoming Sunday Streets is in SOMA on August 19. Fact: Big Books are often stolen from libraries; committee is supplying Big Books to restock libraries.

Orientation, Trevor J. Made an introduction of new Intergroup members and alternates. Service keeps you sober! Passed around the buddy sheet for sign-ups.

Sunshine Club, Clayton B. The Sunshine Club brings meetings to people who cannot make it to regularly scheduled meetings. We are currently building the Marin County membership. A Marin County orientation will be on August 25, 10:45 am at the Marin Alano Club. Would your meeting like to sponsor an orientation?

SF Teleservice, Taran R. (filling in) Gave an update via the PowerPoint slides.

Technology, Taran R. The Chair position is open and we need a graphic designer. Also, a Web servant is needed for Northern California H&I. Almost 13,000 people found us on Google (and presented other stats).

Service Committee Liaison Reports

General Service District 6, Steve The 5^th edition Big Book has been tabled but still seeking group consciences. Would groups want a pamphlet addressing Transgender issues? The opening of online registration for the World Conference in Detroit will September 9, 2019. Also getting ready for the Summer Assembly on September 14, 2019.

Marin Teleservice, Carlo Our treasurer is currently dispersing funds. We have been discussing better ways of doing the phone transfer. We plan to have a booth at the General Service conference. Gave the business meeting plug.

Marin PI/CPC, Andrew Public Information this past month created an email newsletter. We had 12 new people at the last orientation. New developments: we are working on our relationship with Child Protective Services. We discussed the Inclusivity Report (African American community outreach).

Old Business

Discussion of Bylaws – Surfaced a reminder of the Consensus process. Taran R. read the actual Bylaw paragraph. Up Twinkle fingers regarding Election of Intergroup.

Election by Intergroup Assembly – Intergroup will vote to elect a chair. Michael P. provided background as to the history of committees going “rogue.” So, if a committee is not going well, then Intergroup needs to step in.

Off-topic break from Old Business and detour to Marin 2020 discussion – Jim stated he attended an H&I meeting at the Marin Alano Club and discovered Marin 2020 has a liaison to H&I. Taran R. paused to explain what Marin 2020 is and what they’ve been trying to do. Alan also added some context to the discussion. Scott has been attending Marin 2020 and reminded our group not to spread inaccurate info. He said their plan is to provide local activities and fellowship, and anything more they collect will go to Central Office. (There was additional discussion on Marin 2020.)

Return to Old Business Clarifying question: What is the actual ask? Renee explained that our current practice does not adhere to our bylaws. The ask is: would we like to change our practice to align with bylaws when electing committee chairs?

Back to Marin 2020 discussion Marin PI/CPC rep mentioned they will continue to work with and cooperate with whoever gets the “butts in the seats” and helps the still suffering alcoholic whether it is IFAA or Marin 2020.

What’s On Your Mind?

Patrick: Made clarifying point that Intergroup service committees and service liaisons are different, so the old business pertaining to electing committee chairs does not impact liaisons.

Targeted Message

• Tell your group members about our Faithful Fiver Program
• Sunshine Club needs Marin members
• Communicate Intergroup purpose

Adjourn with the Responsibility Statement

Next Intergroup Meeting: Wednesday, September 4, 2019, 7:00 pm, at the First Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin Street in San Francisco. Orientation is at 6:00 pm, dinner is served at 6:30 pm.

Treasurer’s Narrative

Month Ended June 2019

For June 2019, Total Revenue was $17,312, this was under budget by $4,473 due to lower than expected group contributions and individual contributions. Total Revenue is $10,012 under budget year to date. Total Operating Expense for June was $24,629, under budget by $1,002, due to lower than expected committee costs.

The result is a Net Operating Deficit of $7,317 for the month. This leaves the fellowship with a $13,391 deficit year to date.   

Group Contributions for June were $11,577, under budget by $1,353. Group contributions are $517 under budget year to date. Individual Contributions for June were $2,398, under budget by $1,733. Individual contributions are $12,000 under budget year to date.

Total Unrestricted Cash for June 2019 was $65,429, a decrease of $5,798 from May 2019.  Unrestricted Cash is about 2.7x monthly operating expenses.

The rating for June 2019 is “Excellent”.

OVERALL RATING:  Excellent

INTERGROUP FINANCE RATING SYSTEM

Every month we rate our monthly finances as “Excellent”, “Good”, “Fair” or “Poor”.  Generally speaking, here are the definitions of those terms:

EXCELLENT:  We exceeded our budget.  Our income was greater than our expenses for the month and we have more than two months’ worth of operating expenses in unrestricted cash balances.  Operating expenses are roughly $24K/month, so we’d have over $48K in unrestricted cash balances for the month.  The Intergroup rating has been “excellent” since December 2016.

GOOD: We are meeting our budget.  Our income for the month, or for the YTD, was slightly greater than our expenses and we’d have approximately 1.5 – 2 months of operating expenses in unrestricted cash balances.

FAIR: We are not meeting our budget.  Our expenses were greater than our income for the month and for the YTD – and our unrestricted cash balance would be somewhere between 1 and 1.5x our operating expenses.

POOR: We are not meeting our budget and our unrestricted cash balances fell below one month of operating expenses. The last time we were “poor” was in September 2016.

This is an unofficial summary of the July 2019 Intergroup meeting provided for convenience; it is not intended to be the completed approved minutes. For a complete copy of the minutes and full committee reports see “Intergroup” on our website aasfmarin.org.

Our Intergroup exists to support the groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the still suffering alcoholic by providing and coordinating services that are difficult for the individual groups to execute.

The Intercounty Fellowship has been organized by, and is responsible to, the member groups in San Francisco and Marin for the purpose of coordinating the services that individual groups cannot provide.

The meeting was held on Wednesday, July 10, 2019, at the First Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin Street in San Francisco. The meeting was started with a call to order and the Serenity Prayer. Baskets for dinner were passed. The June 2019 minutes and the July 2019 agenda were approved.

Standing Reports

Board Chair, Alan G. New Board Chair – Welcome to the new Board members. There will be an orientation and a retreat to assign roles next month. Our Service Table roundtable continues and we will integrate the Consensus process in our Board meetings. There has been a request for a Senior in Sobriety Designation to the meeting guide. We just leased a new copier with significant savings as compared to our prior lease.

Treasurer, Renee T. Review the financial handout. The current rating is Excellent. We are trending downward and Individual Contributions are down compared to last year. We extend a “thank you” to Alix F. for her help in the handoff of the Treasurer’s position. We encourage you to become a Faithful Fiver (recurring individual contributions) right now. GSO is raising the limit on bequests to $10,000 per individual.

Executive Director, Maury P. I am very excited about our new Board! Here are some stats: (see slides) 40-45% of groups contribute to Central Office. If yours does not, consider becoming a Faithful Fiver. Additionally, “The $8.06 Challenge” – if everyone sent in $8.06 to the General Service Office, they would be self-supporting. GSO is getting a new online contribution system put in place. Reminder: please register any new secretary and treasurer with Central Office. It can be done online under Trusted Servant Registration.

Intergroup Committee Reports

The Point, John B. We are proposing new mission statement (during Old Business), We meet the 2nd Saturday of the month at Central Office at 2:30 pm. Our call for submissions on the 8^th Step, Tradition and/or Concept. Contact us at thepoint@aasfmarin.org.

SF PI\CPC, Molly J.  Is the new Chair. At our 1^st meeting, we filled almost every position. Will be present at Sunday Streets in the Mission in July. Gave a brief rundown on what PICPC does.

Fellowship, Elena R. Thanks for making the two June events possible. For SF Founders Day, all who stepped up, including Lara for being the Emcee and Meredith for food. Thanks also to all who volunteered at the production of I am Responsible in Novato: it was a great success! 

SF Teleservice, Lara A. We filled all the coordinator positions, however, we still need a co-chair. See slide for description. Contact us at sfteleservice@aasfmarin.org. We also have open shifts. Our next monthly orientation will be July 15.

The Buzz, Anne Marie C. Our bi-monthly email newsletter of events and service opportunities. Fun Facts: Open rate was 12% lower last year (42% this year), 17 new subscribers in the past month, “Most Clicked” link in the past two Buzz postings were the Log Cabin 12^th Step Workshop. The average Click Rate is 3.3% and 294 subscribers opened within 3 hours. There is a link on the website to subscribe.

Orientation, Trevor J. Alison is our 2^nd person on the committee. Welcome new IGRs! We are looking for suggestions to make orientation better. Passed around buddy sheet for new IGRs.

Sunshine Club, Ann M. The Sunshine Club brings meetings to people who are homebound or in a facility and cannot make it to outside meetings. We need more committee members. Our next orientation will be July 14 at the Gratitude Center.

Technology (and reporting for Archives), Taran R. For Archives: We are working on a Living Sober Archive and could use more help. Archives meets 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Central Office on the 3rd Sunday of the month. For Technology: The Chair position is open. We’ve been actively conducting Tech upgrades for Central Office. We will be going to the NAATW in September, which is in Kentucky. Also, the Help Chat function on the website is doing fine.

Liaison Reports

Marin PICPC, Evan C. We are joining forces with Al-Anon for the next Senior Fair. We are also working on Outreach to high schools and middle schools.

SF Bridging the Gap, Pete F. Currently, Bridging the Gap was being seen as redundant. We are changing focus to getting on paperwork for release instead of giving presentations.

General Service District 6, SF, Steve The 5^th Edition of the Big Book is not happening this year. Discussion of the 5^th edition at this time would just distract from the change to a Digital Edition. Expense was not taken into consideration. District 6 has asked for a group conscious about the 5^th Edition. The wording of the pamphlet about “anonymity” is being changed to address safety concerns. District 6 is available to help with safety concerns.

Marin Teleservice, Carlo We covered phone for July 4^th when Central Office was closed. Currently, all positions are filled.

We are thinking of having a booth at the General Service Summer Assembly.

Old Business

Committee Chair Elections and Voting Rights

Governance Committee, James Should Committees elect their own chairs or should they be appointed by Intergroup?

Maury P.: Gave context that the by-laws state that Intergroup elects the chairs and encourages a spirit of rotation.

Discussion: Liz: Committee members cannot vote. Elena: would like a vote. Hal: feels that committee rotation is vital. Drew, question: Has this been the case the past? Answer: Kind of, but committees keep going dark without rotation. Further discussion brought up that rotation would bring more light into the service committees. Pete: Feels like there are three different conversations, election, voting rights and rotation. Should Committee chairs have voting rights? Jillian: Why should they not have a vote? Renee: If they are elected, they should have a vote; if they are not elected maybe they should not. Pete: wants to sharpen the discussion next month.

The Point Committee – Proposal of Revised Mission Statement

John B. Motion: Shall we accept this new mission statement? Old statement was read. Consensus was taken with mixed input. James, question: How is The Point different from the Grapevine (or what is the point of The Point?) Will A.A. business and local information from The Point? Maury: Compared old version of the statement and proposed version.

Taran: Is The Point less about business and more about stories or does the proposed mission statement merely reflect the current reality of the online Point? Consensus was taken about moving to vote, a simple majority. A vote was taken and Passed by simple majority. Producing a hard printed copy availability was tabled.

What’s On Your Mind?

Pete F.  We are shutting down a five-day-a-week noon meeting. Remember that financial self-support is not the same as meeting self-support.

Targeted Message

• Did your group just hold elections? Register Trusted Servants and distribute 7th Tradition contributions
• Inform your group members about our Faithful Fiver program
• Sunshine Club needs Marin members
• Communicate what Intergroup is and does – each of us is part of the Outreach Committee

Adjourn with the Responsibility Statement

Next Intergroup Meeting: Wednesday, August 7, 2019, 7:00 pm, at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 101 Donahue Street in Sausalito. Orientation is at 6:00 pm, dinner is served at 6:30 pm.

Treasurer’s Report

Month Ended May 2019

For May 2019, Total Revenue was $18,029, this was under budget by $4,439 due to lower than expected individual contributions. Total Revenue is $5,539 under budget year to date. Total Operating Expense for May was $22,801, under budget by $1,089, due to lower than expected committee and employee costs.

The result is a Net Operating Deficit of $4,683 for the month. This leaves the fellowship with a $6,118 deficit year to date.   

Group Contributions for May were $9,745, under budget by $359. Group contributions are $836 over budget year to date. Individual Contributions for May were $4,872, under budget by $4,636. Individual contributions are $10,267 under budget year to date.

Total Unrestricted Cash for May 2019 was $71,227, a decrease of $4,064 from April 2019.  Unrestricted Cash is about 3 months of operating expenses.

The rating for May 2019 is “Excellent”.

OVERALL RATING: Excellent

INTERGROUP FINANCE RATING SYSTEM

Every month we rate our monthly finances as “Excellent”, “Good”, “Fair” or “Poor”.  Generally speaking, here are the definitions of those terms:

EXCELLENT:  We exceeded our budget.  Our income was greater than our expenses for the month and we have more than two months’ worth of operating expenses in unrestricted cash balances.  Operating expenses are roughly $22K/month, so we’d have over $44K in unrestricted cash balances for the month.  The Intergroup rating has been “excellent” since December 2016.

GOOD: We are meeting our budget.  Our income for the month, or for the YTD, was slightly greater than our expenses and we’d have approximately 1.5 – 2 months of operating expenses in unrestricted cash balances.

FAIR: We are not meeting our budget.  Our expenses were greater than our income for the month and for the YTD – and our unrestricted cash balance would be somewhere between 1 and 1.5x our operating expenses.

POOR: We are not meeting our budget and our unrestricted cash balances fell below one month of operating expenses. The last time we were “poor” was in September 2016.

This is an unofficial summary of the June 2019 Intergroup meeting provided for convenience; it is not intended to be the completed approved minutes. For a complete copy of the minutes and full committee reports see “Intergroup” on our website aasfmarin.org.

Our Intergroup exists to support the groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the still suffering alcoholic by providing and coordinating services that are difficult for the individual groups to execute.

The Intercounty Fellowship has been organized by, and is responsible to, the member groups in San Francisco and Marin for the purpose of coordinating the services that individual groups cannot provide.

The meeting was held on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at the First Unitarian Universalist Center,

1187 Franklin Street in San Francisco. The meeting was started with a call to order and the Serenity Prayer. Baskets for dinner were passed. The May 2019 minutes and the June 2019 agenda were approved.

Standing Reports

Board Chair, John R. We have elections for the Board of Directors later tonight.

Treasurer, Alix F. Our current rating is Excellent; however, Individual Contributions are under budget. As a result, our rating may slip next month. The best way to offer support as an individual is by becoming a Faithful Fiver. Faithful Fivers are members who pledge a minimum of $5/month, up to $5,000 (per year). See Treasurer’s Narrative below.

Executive Director, Maury P. The July Intergroup meeting was moved from July 3 to July 10 due to the group conscience taken in May around the 4^th of July holiday. There are open phone shifts to be filled at Central Office. We would like to extend a special thanks to all outgoing board members.

Intergroup Committee Reports

SF PI/CPC, Justin H. We are looking for people for key positions. We want to connect with people who have contact with active alcoholics and let them know about A.A. Meet the 2^nd Monday of each month at 6:00 pm at Central Office.

The Point, John B. Our committee is always looking for submissions from the local fellowship. Meet the 2^nd Saturday of each month at 12:30 pm at Central Office.

Fellowship, Elena R. We want to thank everyone who is going to volunteer at Founders Day on June 8 at the First Unitarian Universalist Center. The play I am Responsible is coming up on June 22 in Novato.

The Buzz, Anne Marie C. The Buzz is an email newsletter with events and service opportunities. Here are some “Fun Facts”: 42 new subscribers in last month, San Quentin Pilot Program most clicked in last Buzz and a 42% open rate. Question: How would I subscribe?  A: Email thebuzz@aasfmarin.org or sign up on the aasfmarin.org website, go to News & Events and click on The Buzz.

Archives, Michael for Kim S. Our committee is always looking for help. Meet on the 3^rd Sunday each month at 2:00 pm at Central Office.

Sunshine Club, Clayton B. Our next orientation will be on July 14 at 2:00 pm at the Gratitude Center. We are currently building a volunteer base in Marin. Passing around a sign-up sheet for interested Marin folks who want to volunteer.

SF Teleservice, Lara A. We have several openings at the committee level. “If you like 12 stepping, Teleservice can be your jam.” Meet on the 3^rd Monday at 6:00 pm at Central Office.

Orientation, Trevor J. Orientation needs committee members. Intergroup has three new IGRs tonight. As a reminder to everyone, please work getting Alternate IGRs.

Technology, Taran R. The Tech Committee is still seeking a graphic designer with an emphasis on WordPress. Some “Fun Facts”: 11K people found our website aasfmarin.org through Google in the past month. We’ve been asked about creating smaller, activity specific email lists. The group consensus is not to do this.

Service Committee Liaison Reports

Marin PI/CPC, Evan We had a booth at the recent Psychiatric Convention. We were surprised by so many professional’s lack of knowledge about A.A. This just highlights the need for more PI/CPC. We are looking at liaising with Al-Anon. We are also looking at where we are missing out on inclusivity. Secretary’s Monthly has a date error that has been corrected online.

SF General Service, District 6, Steve The General Service Office is not going to pursue a 5^th edition of Big Book this year. A delegate will be making reports in Marin and San Francisco, so contact your GSR if you want a 5^th edition.

Marin Teleservice, Carlo Things are good; shifts are filled. Meet on the 4^th Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Marin Alano Club.

New Business

The Point Committee – Proposals

The editorial committee presented a revised Mission Statement and suggested Central Office print out hard copies of The Point for rehabs that do not allow Internet access. Question: Maury asked for clarity around the 12 Traditions language. A: The intent is that The Point will follow the Traditions.

Old Business

Committee Chair Elections and Voting Rights

This was tabled.

Elections for Board of Directors

Discussion and Q&A were conducted. Renee was elected to the Treasurer role; Josh, Alan and Karen to 3-year terms; Patrick to a 2-year term; Brian to a 1-year term.

What’s On Your Mind?

Meredith: Wants to bring up safety in our community. Hearing of a lot of incidents of women not feeling safe at meetings. Maury: Last fall we co-hosted a Safety Workshop with San Francisco and Marin General Service. We want to do it again but need follow up from collaborators. This matter was referred to the Fellowship Committee. 

Hal: Made an announcement about the new book from AA World Services “Our Great Responsibility.”

Targeted Message

1. Founder’s Day is Saturday, June 8, 2019
2. Consider becoming a Faithful Fiver, especially if your Group isn’t contributing
3. I Am Responsible, Saturday, June 22 at Margaret Todd Senior Center in Novato
4. Some of our Intergroup Committees need immediate support!
5. Communicate what Intergroup is and does; each of us is part of the Outreach Committee

Adjourn with the Responsibility Statement

Next Intergroup Meeting: Wednesday, July 10, 2019, 7:00 pm, at the First Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin Street in San Francisco. Orientation is at 6:00 pm, dinner is served at 6:30 pm.

Treasurer’s Narrative

Month Ended April 2019

For April 2019, Total Revenue was $19,629, this was under budget by $3,065 due to lower than expected individual contributions. Total Revenue is $1,100 under budget year to date. Total Operating Expense for April was $23,719, under budget by $2,712, due to lower than expected committee and insurance costs.

The result is a Net Operating Deficit of $4,141 for the month. This leaves the fellowship with a $1,435 deficit year to date.

Group Contributions for April were $15,783, over budget by $439. Group contributions are $1,195 over budget year to date. Individual Contributions for April were $1,830, under budget by $3,644. Individual contributions are $5,631 under budget year to date.

Total Unrestricted Cash for April 2019 was $75,291, an increase of $2,765 from March 2019. Unrestricted Cash is about 3 months of operating expenses.

The rating for April 2019 is “Excellent”.
OVERALL RATING: Excellent

INTERGROUP FINANCE RATING SYSTEM

Every month we rate our monthly finances as “Excellent,” “Good,” “Fair” or “Poor.” Generally speaking, here are the definitions of those terms:

EXCELLENT: We exceeded our budget. Our income was greater than our expenses for the month and we have more than two months’ worth of operating expenses in unrestricted cash balances. Operating expenses are roughly $22K/month, so we’d have over $44K in unrestricted cash balances for the month. The Intergroup
rating has been “excellent” since December 2016.

GOOD: We are meeting our budget. Our income for the month, or for the YTD, was slightly greater than our expenses and we’d have approximately 1.5 – 2 months of operating expenses in unrestricted cash balances.

FAIR: We are not meeting our budget. Our expenses were greater than our income for the month and for the YTD – and our unrestricted cash balance would be somewhere between 1 and 1.5x our operating expenses.

POOR: We are not meeting our budget and our unrestricted cash balances fell below one month of operating expenses. The last time we were “poor” was in September 2016.