San Francisco and Marin Intergroup Meeting  – Proposed Minutes 

Wednesday, January 4, 2023, 7-8:30 PM

Intergroup coordinates services which individual groups in San Francisco and Marin cannot provide. We bring these services, as well as service opportunities, to our Member Groups. Our Intergroup observes the intent and spirit of A.A.’s Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts for World Service, as well as A.A.’s Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service.

7:00   Getting Started

  1. Open with the Serenity Prayer
  2. Call to order. Statement of Purpose
  3. Review the minutes and agenda
  4. Roll Call
    1. 44 groups represented: 29 from San Francisco, 15 from Marin

  1. New IGRs, Visitors, AA Anniversaries
    1. New IGRs: Noah G., Tuesday Chip (San Rafael); Zoe A., Greenfield Newcomers (San Rafael); Lindsay L., Friday Night Book Study (Larkspur), Jackie Z, Anything is Possible; Ali H, Each Day a New Beginning, Alt-IGR
    2. Visitors: Phil S, SFBTG; Charlie B, San Mateo Liaison
    3. AA Anniversaries: Isae, 30 years; Lexi, 3 years; Clayton, 30 years; Chad, 4 years 
  2. Approval of agenda (housekeeping item)
    1. Approved
  3. Approval of last month’s Intergroup Meeting minutes (housekeeping item)
    1. Approved

7:15   Officer Reports

  1. Board Chair -Charlie
    1. Tonight was the first meeting of the Outreach Committee 
    2. Intergroup’s annual report will be presented in the next month or two 
    3. Happy one year anniversary to Christina! 
  2. Treasurer – Jim
    1. Revenue: 
      1. Total Revenue $282,000, 5% under budget but 9% ahead of last year
      2. Individual contributions under, but up 50%
        1. Plus $5,000 month over month
      3. Group contributions exceed budget and prior year when adding in “fellowship contributions” (from other service entities
      4. Bookstore sales at budget and exceed prior year by 44%
    2. Expenses:
      1. Total expenses $330,000, 6% under budget but 13% ahead of prior year
      2. Deferral in rent increase and other measures to improve slightly
    3. Deficit and rating:
      1. Budgeted deficit of $30,000, however actual deficit is currently at $22,000 
      2. Revenue surge and expense management likely to close the gap
      3. We can pay for 1.2 months of expenses without prudent reserve, which is a rating of Fair to Good 
      4. Cash is holding, and we expect improvement in December and January
    4. Faithful Fivers
      1. 343 Faithful Fivers (up 38) donated $4,558 (up $402); average contribution is $13.29
      2. Faithful Fivers was termed approximately 30+ years ago where $5 = $10.60 today
      3. Submit new ideas for rebranding Faithful Fivers to [email protected]
    5. Question/Answer:
      1. If a group collects money for Gratitude Month, but doesn’t submit their contribution until January, it will be counted towards 2023 
  3. Executive Director, Christina 
    1. One Year as a special worker with Intergroup! Grateful for the opportunity. It has come with both challenges and successes:
      1. Challenges 
        1. Central Office Internet from DSL to Fiber continues to be an issue
      2. Successes 
        1. Volunteers back in office. Currently 6 volunteers work two hour shifts each week.
        2. Intergroup with name change 
        3. Kicking off the Marin Pop-Up Bookstore 
        4. New Website! More to come from Communications Committee
        5. First Outreach Committee met today
        6. Opportunity to collaborate with other service entities 
    2. Service Opportunities – Spread the word! Refer to Packet with more information
      1. Volunteer bookkeeper – help out with QuickBooks
        1. 2x a month (12 hour commitment); 2 year sobriety requirement
      2. Marin Pop-Up Bookstore Coordinator 
        1. 1x a month going to Marin District Meeting, third Monday of the Month from 6:30-9:30PM; 2 year sobriety requirement 
      3. Central Office Volunteers – especially on Fridays 
        1. Sobriety requirement 1 year 
    3. Encourage new Secretaries and Treasurers to register with Intergroup to receive updates and subscribe to The Buzz

7:31   Intergroup Committee Reports 

  • The Buzz, Caitlin: 
    1. Thank you to John L. for stepping up to be Associate Editor
  2. The Sunshine Club, Clayton:
    1. Seeking co-chairs, especially one from Marin. Two-year sobriety requirement
    2. Those interested in volunteering or wish to schedule a Sunshine Club meeting in person at home or hospital can contact [email protected] 
  3. Outreach, Alison T:
    1. First meeting was tonight!
    2. Discussion of statement of purpose and next steps 
    3. Help get the word out the committee (please do outreach about outreach)
    4. Next meeting is directly before the Intergroup meeting at 6PM on the same link
    5. Notes from today’s meeting will be available
    6. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions 
  4. Help Chat, Colleen:
    1. Email [email protected] for more information on how to volunteer with HelpChat 
  5. SF Teleservice, Christina on behalf of Co-Chair Jeff 
    1. SF Teleservice is In need of a Chair; 2 year sobriety requirement
    2. Also need a Friday Daily Coordinator 
    3. Email [email protected] 
    4. Spread the word and refer to packet page 13
  6. The Point, Bernadette: 
    1. Save the Date: Writing workshop on Sunday, March 21st from 2-5PM on Zoom
    2. Moved the committee meeting time to first Mondays at 5:30PM
      1. Next Meeting (online) February 6th at 5:30PM
    3. Now available writing prompts for each month on The Point! 

7:35   Service Committee Liaison Reports 

  1. Marin Teleservice, Jillian:
    1. The next volunteer orientation is at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, January 24 followed by a business meeting at 7:30PM. We continue to meet on Zoom
    2. At the January meeting, we will turn over all committee positions; 6 month sobriety requirement 
    3. For more information, to sign up to volunteer for a shift, and/or to get the link to the meeting, go to our website www.marinteleservice.net 
  2. SF H&I, Chad:
    1. Next Meeting in person, January 21 at 10AM at 2900 24th Street in SF
    2. Orientations are scheduled in person every third Saturday of the month at 11AM
    3. Currently have 3 H&I Zoom meetings; 22 in-person meetings and 1 new in-person meeting
    4. SF H&I needs volunteers to take meeting into the facilities 
    5. Area 62 is looking for regional Chair for H&I NorCal and we filled the correctional co-chair position 
  3. SF General Service, Alison:
    1. Election Season for the District (General Service)
    2. Agenda topics to arrive in late February; workshop coming in mid-March (hybrid)
    3. The General Service Office (GSO) will re-open for visitors after two years! If you are visiting NYC, please make an appointment
  4. MCYPAA, Kaitlin:
    1. Meets the first Sunday of each month with the exception of this month to accommodate the holiday. We will be meeting 2PM Sunday, January 8 at the Marin Alano Club and will discuss events like game night and dancing. 
  5. Marin General Service, Andrew:
    1. All Panel 73 Officer positions filled 
      1. Incoming DCMC – Dylan R
      2. Incoming alt CDMC – Kate K (future liaison)
    2. Created Technology and information Services Committee. Meeting time and date TBD. 
    3. Online concept study – First Tuesday of the month at 7pm and they are in need of a chair 

7:45   Old Business

  • Inventory Question 4 Break-out Session: Should Intergroup use a decision-making process for non-routine matters that includes discussion, vote and, whenever possible, substantial unanimity, or a two-thirds majority? Responses from break-out session were shared back after the meeting:
    • Group #1: 
      • Group wants more clarity on:
        • Actual definition/distinction between routine vs non-routine matters.
        • Who, then, determines if the matter is routine vs non-routine? The Board or IGRs? One fellow said this should be a democratic process for us to decide whether it’s common or uncommon.
        • As a side, if a matter has a cost associated with it (i.e. upgrading to new internet), one fellow said they’d prefer to have a cost minimum or maximum defined for IGR involvement in regards to  decision-making (i.e. “any matter under or exceeding X amount, the Board will automatically handle that decision-making process without consulting IGRs”)…this fellow said they didn’t want IGRs to be burdened with too much decision-making. 
        • We were left asking ourselves, does it make sense to have a monthly meeting (or agenda item) dedicated to getting clarity on this to define these unknowns?
    • Group #2:
      • Discussion centered around what’s routine versus non-routine? Would be helpful to have clarity on that.  Having that information would help inform the need for a decision-making process.  The consensus seemed to be that a big topic requires a big vote, small topic small vote.  Or no vote for small topics.  Let committees stick with deciding the routine issues.
    • Group #3:
      • Most people thought no further action was required in response to Question #4, some people had two main concerns:
        • where is “substantial unanimity” defined, and who decides when a matter is “non-routine”?
      • Someone suggested that “substantial unanimity” is defined in the Bylaws, but it’s unclear. As to whether a matter is “routine” or “non-routine,” it was the sense of the group that the IGRs should decide that.
    • Group #4:  
      • Members not seeing the need for further action based on solutions offered and vote to move forward 
  • Suggestion to have more discussion on the solutions offered in the packet
  • If this was something about an event that happened two years ago, it seems like it is a philosophical issue rather than practical. Move forward with solutions offered as we are focused on other issues at this time 

8:05  New Business

  • Accessibilities Presentation (Claudia G., CNCA 06 Accessibilities Committee Co-Chair)
    • Hearing from deaf and hard of hearing community that closed captioning and online meetings are great, but many want to be in person with other hearing and non-hearing people. 
    • In the past several areas had ASL meetings but they have all gone away, including: San Francisco, Sonoma and Alameda
    • In many cases, Intergroups are on the front lines when it comes to accessibility issues
    • Questions SF and Marin Intergroup are encouraged to think about:
      • How can this service be provided? 
      • Is there a way that San Francisco and Marin can reach out to the deaf and hard of hearing community to find out where they would like a meeting?
    • Encourage IGRs to help figure out how San Francisco and Marin counties can provide at least one ASL meeting in our area. 
    • The CNCA 06 Accessibilities Committee will continue to meet with Intergroups and will send out additional information regarding this issue
    • Refer to page 20 of the packet for more information and how to contact Claudia
  • Returning to In-Person Meetings:
    • At the last Intergroup meeting there was a question regarding going back to in-person Intergroup meetings. The meeting was open for discussion/thoughts:
      • Online and Zoom is accessible for all, alleviates any excuses and it is convenient. With the new Outreach Committee, being online could be a selling point to get new IGRs. 
      • Worthwhile to consider going back to in-person meetings. Shift in AA that people are using Zoom to not go to AA and shifting the culture (group of one alcoholic talking to another). 
      • Could be a real benefit to go back to in-person. Able to talk one-on-one with people and get to know them. However, there is an appeal of online, especially for those who are traveling 

8:30   Targeted Message

  1. Be of service to San Francisco and Marin Intergroup – reach out to [email protected] for details. Here are some of the volunteer positions we are looking to fill:
    1. Volunteer Bookkeeper
    2. Marin Pop-Up Bookstore Coordinator
    3. San Francisco Teleservice Chair
  2. Sign up for Faithful Fivers to support the work of San Francisco and Marin Intergroup. To sign-up visit, aasfmarin.org/contributions. Your additional contributions support important 12th Step services, including running Central Office, selling A.A. literature, publishing the meeting schedule and our website at aasfmarin.org.
  3. New Year, New Commitment? Please encourage Secretaries and Treasurers to register with Intergroup as a Trusted Servant to stay informed. To sign-up, visit aasfmarin.org/tsreg.

          Adjourn with the Responsibility Statement

 

January 2023 Intergroup Meeting Treasurer’s Narrative

Year to Date Ended
November 30, 2022

REVENUES:
Total revenues were $15K or 5% under budget year to date; group contributions slightly
exceed budget when factoring in fellowship contributions (Sobriety by the Bay / Marin
Teleservice) and surpassed the prior year by 5% Individual contributions have
decreased by $13K marking the continuing transition back to in person meetings.
Bookstore sales were right on budget and 44% ahead of prior year due to post
pandemic increase in foot traffic.

EXPENSES:
Expenses year to date were under budget by 6% slightly better than the slight shortfall
in revenues. The rent increase in November was deferred until the new year improving
our outcome for the year end. We will likely end the year within budget overall, but
expenses will still likely still exceed revenues leaving us with an over deficit (as
expected and as per budget). As discussed during the budgeting process, an increase
in revenues back to pre-pandemic levels will need to happen to cover increased
expenses due to inflationary pressures. An audit of expenses by vendor revealed costs
increasing across the board.

NET DEFICIT:
IFAA is currently experiencing a year to date loss of $22K a significant improvement
over October and ahead of budget by $8K. Gratitude month, and end of year
contributions will continue to improve our outlook as most will manifest in December. It
is likely we will end the year with a loss better than budgeted but in excess of prior year.
Also discussed during the budgeting process, this was largely anticipated and
sustainable for 2022, but not in 2023.

LIQUIDITY RESERVE:
Unrestricted cash in addition to our 6-month prudent reserve remained steady at 1.2
months or “Fair to Good” as our deficit improves approaching year end. We are still in a
solvent cash position, and will likely end the year slightly ahead of November as
contributions flow in as noted above.

FAITHFUL FIVERS:
November saw an increase of 38 Faithful Fivers as word of deficit got out. This
translated to $402 over October but the average decreased from $13.63 to $13.29.

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