Intergroup Meeting – Proposed Minutes
Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 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. 47 groups represented: 27 from San Francisco, 20 from Marin

  1. Orientation Announcement (Alison T)
  2. Orientation is at 6pm directly before the monthly Intergroup meeting and they discuss the role of an Intergroup Rep, what we do at Intergroup and the service committee opportunities. The Orientation Committee has updated their orientation resources and those are available to everyone. Please email [email protected] for details.
  3. New IGRs, Visitors, AA Anniversaries
     New – Thatcher IGR Not a Glum Lot, Dave G. AIGR Monday Night Stag (Tiburon), Andre B. IGR Monday Night Stag (Tiburon)
  4. Visitors – Jackie B SFGS, Brian
  5. Anniversaries – Tanya 3 years, Andre 6 years, Joel 3 years, Courtney 1 year, Ken 26 years, Nikki 15 years
  6. Approval of agenda (housekeeping item)
     Motion to approve: Michelle W; Second: Caitlin
  7. Approval of last month’s Intergroup Meeting minutes (housekeeping item)
     Motion to approve: Chip; Second: Isae

7:10   Officer Reports

  1. Board Chair – Charlie
    1. Inventory Debrief
      1. Thank you to everyone who attended the Inventory session and for the Ad Hoc Inventory Committee for organizing it. 
      2. Notes from the Inventory were included in the packet so please review them. In the coming months, we will be discussing them more in-depth. 
    2. 2022 Budget review
      1. We will take a considerable amount of time today to review the 2022 budget and thanks to Jim and the Finance Committee for their work. Tonight we will discuss and ask questions about the budget, and next month we will vote to approve the budget.
    3. Bylaws to be updated
      1. For newer Intergroup members, we are on a two-year rotation to update our bylaws. We have met with an attorney to help us be in compliance with California law – so those edits need to get approved. We will start this process next month and will present the revisions. We will aim to approve those changes in the next couple of months.
    4. 3 Board of Directors seats coming due in June
      1. For individuals that may be interested in serving on the board, the time to start thinking about it is now. You can nominate yourself or someone else and next month we will share the Statement of Interest form which needs to be filled out and submitted to the Nominating Committee. We want at least 6 candidates – and would like Marin representation, as well as diverse individuals (gender, race, and identity).
  2. Executive Director – Christina
    1. Grateful to witness the Inventory process
    2. Prayer & Meditation book in stock at Central Office. Order your copy now at aasfmarin.org
    3. Committees need support! Please carry this message back to your groups as it is a great way to be of service – and you do not need to be an Intergroup Rep to join.
    4. Operations Policy Manual is currently being reviewed and updated. Expect to see a copy of it in an upcoming Buzz edition.
    5. Continuing to work on improving our internet bandwidth at Central Office. This is the first step in bringing volunteers back into the office. 
    6. Attending PRAASA this weekend.
  3. Treasurer’s Report – Jim
    1. Format is a little different this month because we do not have an approved 2022 budget just yet. Instead looking at our January numbers and compared them to last January 2021 and December of last month. 
    2. Group Contributions: $37,0519, 56% increase from Jan 2021 and 31% increase from Dec 2021
    3. Individual Contributions: $7,131, 10% decrease from Jan 2021 and 47% decrease from Dec 2021
    4. Overall revenue is $47,642, 42% increase from Jan 2021 and 3.1% increase from Dec 2021
    5. Net revenue is $17, 125, 132% increase from Jan 2021 and .5% decrease from Dec 2021  
    6. Unrestricted Cash: $76,006 equal to approx 3x monthly operating expenses 
    7. Financial rating for Jane is “Excellent” and still trending up
    8. Faithful Fivers: 9 fewer members in January. Go to aasfmarin.org to become a faithful fiver! Our goal for year end 2022 is to have 350 Faithful Fivers.

7:27   Intergroup Committee Reports (up to 2 minutes/report)

  1. Archives Committee – Mike 
    1. Meets 3rd Sunday of the month in person. Hybrid zoom meeting is open at 12pm
    2. Service positions available – especially for organized folks! Come help us sort the history of AA in SF/Marin
    3. Working on finding things to contribute to the 75th anniversary celebration.
  2. The Point – John B
    1. Thank you to Michelle G for 5-years of service as Point Editor
    2. Business meeting on 2nd Saturday of month via zoom at noon – next at 3/12
    3. Need a new chairperson and Point Editor in keeping with our spirit of rotation
    4. Word documents, audio files, artwork all accepted
    5. Ideas for April – 4th step, tradition, concept, anything AA-related email to [email protected]
  3. Sunshine Club – Kate K.
    1. Mission is to bring AA meetings to individuals who are unable to attend regularly scheduled meetings. 
    2. No in person meetings at this time due to COVID, volunteers still making phone calls to isolated AA members
    3. Email [email protected] for info, to request a meeting, or to volunteer
    4. Planning to hold a business meeting this month
  4. Fellowship Committee – Elena
    1. Need a new Fellowship Committee Chair!!
    2. If you are interested in joining the Fellowship Committee or being the Chair, please reach out to Elena at [email protected]
  5. Help Chat – Caitlin
    1. Great opportunity for 12-step work and requires one-year of sobriety
    2. Responding to requests from Intergroups regarding our HelpChat service – including from New Jersey and Vancouver BC
    3. Created a Google Form for Help Chat orientation: https://forms.gle/xNzdVVQTUiMDTwMU9
  6. Tech Committee – Fiona
    1. Mtg is on the 1st Monday of every month at Zoom
    2. Tech Committee does not require you to be too tech savvy – maybe you have an idea of how to improve some piece of technology. We are looking for folks with experience with WordPress or Airtable
    3. Flier went out in the Buzz Committee
    4. Shot-out to Andrew, Brian and Lydia – who have been working so hard
    5. Brian talked about a recent website hacking in January by a bitcoin mining program – yay to the Tech Team for working on this and keeping our website safe. Join the Tech Committee if you want to help out with things like this!
    6. Email [email protected] for more information
  7. SF Teleservice – Jeff
    1. Jeff is the new co-chair for SF Teleservice, along with Cathy C.
    2. Continued need for volunteers! 
    3. Orientations held on the 3rd Monday of every month at 6pm at Central Office
    4. Jeff shared his personal experience with SF Teleservice and calling in to get help. He is now the chair and six years sober!
    5. Please make an announcement to your groups to volunteer: [email protected]
    6. Chair turning over in Feb 2022
  8. The Buzz – Michelle
    1. Weekly digital newsletter and includes service opportunities and upcoming events. Very helpful in giving Intergroup Rep reports
    2. aasfmarin.org/buzz to subscribe
    3. If you want to post in the Buzz please do so by Monday 12 pm for the upcoming Friday edition.
  9. Public Relations – Scott B
    1. Calling card is completed and we’re using it – used it at the in-person event on 2/11 that was in the Tenderloin
    2. PSAs on the KGO radio station
    3. Housing Challenged pamphlet is coming along
    4. Committee needs support with outreach to local media outlets
    5. Email [email protected] for info and to get involved!
    6. Next mtg 3/14 @ 7pm

7:45   Service Committee Liaison Reports (up to 2 minutes/report)

  1. Marin General Service – Molly M
    1. General Service Conference:
      1. Bill and Bob developed the General Service Conference and this was the structure they put in place. The General Service Conference is the collective group conscience of all AA groups. The agenda topics are the main way this gets communicated.
      2. Through April 10, groups will be discussing agenda topics and group consciences will be brought to area delegate, Jennifer. She will take them to the General Service Conference at the end of April in NYC.
  2. SF General Service – Alison T
    1. March 4-6 PRAASA (Pacific Region AA Service Assembly)
    2. SF General Service 06 Agenda Topics Workshop is March 12 from 10-1:30 pm
    3. Abridged topics listed on SF General Service website under GSR Resources: https://sfgeneralservice.org/
      1. Also check out SFGS website for useful resources for GSRS and other trusted servants
    4. For Committee Chairs, Jackie B. is able to come to your committee meetings to discuss any agenda topic ideas that your committee would like to discuss

7:55   Old Business

  1. Intergroup Inventory Debrief – Chip
    1. Job of inventory committee is to conduct and organize the inventory session for the member groups that were represented
    2. It is now up to the IGRs to discuss next steps. But do look at the inventory notes prepared by Jackie.
    3. Discussion from Committee members and/or Inventory participants:
      1. Fiona – committee met for several months and did a lot of work; so grateful to the committee members, the people who showed up, the board and the facilitator. Thank you, it was inspiring
      2. Jaime – good process and was glad to be a part of it. The moderator was very good. 
      3. Isae – on the Board and a part of the Inventory committee. Great process. Underscore idea that no one is in charge – or that we all are – so please take a moment to read it and it is up to all of us. Can look at what role we want to lay in that feedback. 
      4. Kathleen – since it was a subset of individuals, we may get more people interested in Intergroup if it was made available to more folks. Can we put it up on the website?
      5. Nikki – one of our targeted messages is to bring the Inventory notes back to your meetings and there are procedures if you want to discuss any of these ideas further at the Intergroup level

8:09   New Business

  1. 2022 IFAA Budget
    1. A budget is an estimate of revenue and expenses
    2. To develop the 2022 budget, Jim looked at the figures using the actual data from 2018-2021 as well as January 2022 for current trends
    3. Biggest question to address, can we maintain IFAA services if we were to operate at a worst case scenario deficit? For example, if we had another 2020 would we survive
    4. We expect to vote on the 2022 budget at the April 6 meeting
    5. For revenue we are looking at a 7% increase. We anticipate $104,100 in individual contributions which is a 2% decrease from 2021, however we expect group contributions to be at $191,500 (a 4% increase from 2021).
    6. For expenses and bottom line, the important thing to note are our committee expenses. Our committees carry the message in the way our groups cannot. For committees that provided a budget those numbers are included – for others their 2021 budget numbers are carried over. Bottom line total expenditures is $340,014 which is a 17% increase from 2021. If you compare income to expenses that would result in a decrease of $32,844 however because our unrestricted cash is at $69,781 our ending balance for 2022 would be $26,937.47. This would leave us with 1.3 month’s left over (in addition to our 6 month prudent reserve). These budget numbers take into account any uncertainty for the coming year.
    7. Please take the budget back to your groups in preparation for a vote next month.
    8. If you or your groups have any questions, please reach out to Jim at [email protected]

8:25   What’s On Your Mind

1. N/A

8:26   Targeted Message

  1. Review the Group Inventory Notes with your Group and the Budget!!!
  2. Committee Openings:
    1. you do not have to be involved with Intergroup to be a committee member
    2. great opportunity to be of service
  3. Be a Faithful Fiver
  4. Subscribe to the Buzz!

Adjourn with the Responsibility Statement

Next Intergroup Meeting is Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Our monthly meeting will continue to be held online per local guidelines from the health department until further notice. Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Treasurer’s Report

2022 OPERATING BUDGET FOR IFAA

WHAT IS A BUDGET?

  • www.investopedia.com “A budget is an estimation of revenue and expenses over a specified future period of time and is usually compiled and re-evaluated on a periodic basis”
  • For our intergroup purpose, a budget ensures we can sustain our Central Office, Bookstore, Communications, Website, Databases, Intergroup Events, and Committee Expenses; and still maintain non-profit status
  • We are not necessarily bound to the budget (see below) 
  • Contribution variances, unanticipated expenses, and extraordinary items (natural disasters, government mandates, hyperinflation) may require amendments based on group conscience
  • Budgeted expenses are adjusted as appropriate

GENERAL ASSUMPTIONS AND ANALYTICS: 

  • Prior 4 years analyzed, utilized best estimate (4 Yr Avg, 2021, 2018/2019) 
  • Current monthly trends analyzed (Jan 2022 vs Jan 2021 vs Dec 2021)
  • Known factors considered (contractual expenses, regulatory compliance, committee budget requests) 
  • Covid-19 measures caused the most volatility in financials, and remain the primary unknown for budgeting purposes 
  • Expenses generally aggressive with a 7.5% increase for inflation (January CPI)
  • Revenues also aggressive based on trends and easing restrictions, but to a lesser extent – a more realistic estimate was budgeted

COMPONENTS OF REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS:

  • BOOKSTORE SALES 

While there we saw only a moderate increase in bookstore sales from 2020 to 2021, there was a 77% increase from Jan of 2022 as compared to Jan 2021. So, while a 50% increase to $50K appears aggressive, it is still well below 2018 and 2019

  • GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS

Increase is in line with 2020 – 2021 trend, but still below 2019 levels

  • INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Budget is in line with 2020 and 2021, far above 2018 and 2019. Jan 2022 as compared to Jan 2021 is essentially the same, but sharp decline over December 

COMPONENTS OF EXPENSE ASSUMPTIONS:

  • INTERGROUP COMMITTEE BUDGETS (RETAINED)
      • Greater of 2022 budget request, or 2021 actual expenses
      • Budget carried over from 2021 if no budget was requested
  • OUTSIDE SERVICES 
    • While $36K was budgeted for 2021, only $19K was used. Contractors estimated $18K for 2022, another $6K was estimated for contingent expenses for a total of $24K for 2022 (website bug fixes, credit card interfaces, database management)

BOTTOM LINE COMMENTARY:

  • Estimates for contributions were as realistic as possible, while estimated expenses were more of a worst-case scenario given high inflation was added and all prior budgets and actuals retained
  • Even if that were the case, a $32.8K deficit would only reduce our Unrestricted Cash to $33.5K or 1.3 months. We would still report a “Fair” financial rating, and maintain our Prudent Reserve in its entirety 
  • Such an operating loss coupled with sufficient cash for operating expenses would also ensure we maintain federal non-profit tax-exempt status, and still support all of our current service offerings

SOURCE DATA:

2022 BUDGET (w/2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 data)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oNTyNhT9t4QdXFIOjxXSl6b0NnIUbQve

2022 INCOME STATEMENT (w/Prior Month and Prior Year comparisons)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oNTyNhT9t4QdXFIOjxXSl6b0NnIUbQve

INTERGROUP COMMITTEE BUDGET REQUESTS

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1btEpKSS0j59XdpTJgGMX72E5BuUsLKgPaiY6M3u0s5k/edit#gid=839811294