Back in July there was a posting from Box 459 about how the General Service Conference was taking its inventory. Below are some selected abridged results. For all of them, see this link.

Summary of 2013 Inventory

Question 1:

Reflecting on Concept I, how well does the Conference ensure that it is the conscience of A.A. as a whole?

The Conference, as designed, is highly effective in ensuring the conscience of A.A. as a whole.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Encourage groups to participate more fully in the Conference process.
• Feedback from the areas is very important to delegates and the current schedule for distributing background material and the agenda makes it difficult to have area membership discussions.

Question 2:

How well is the use of floor actions serving us?

Floor actions emphasize that everyone has a place to express their opinion…the Conference has the power to decide whether or not to hear a floor action.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

•   Provide background information to delegates on floor actions and the process by which they are handled at the Conference.

Question 3:

Reflecting on Concept X, how well is the authority of the Conference defined?

The Conference is the place where business and spirituality mix.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Delegates should stay better plugged into board activities throughout the year.

Question 4:

How well does the Conference fulfill the General Warranties of Concept XII?

The Conference is excellent at encompassing a wide variety of abilities… the Conference structure itself provides an adequate safeguard to protect A.A. from any misuse of authority.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

•   In response to an expressed concern about the disenfranchisement of groups and A.A. as a whole from the general service structure, consider holding the Conference at a less expensive location, perhaps rotating it around the US and Canada to reduce costs and increase participation.

Question 5:

Should delegate areas be more consistently based on actual membership numbers?

Conference composition should not rely on rigid proportional representation by population alone.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Further discussion is needed on the question of whether or not our largest member centers should consider resizing.

Question 6:

What improvements could be considered to make sure the agenda selection is more effective?

Agenda selection “goes on all year long.”

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Increased communication throughout the Fellowship is neces­sary for an informed Conference.
• Agenda selection should be emphasized as a year-long process, with more involvement from the Conference Agenda Committee.

Question 7:

How well do all Conference members communicate to the Fellowship about why we have a Conference and how the committee system works? How could we improve in this com­munication?

Increasing participation in the Conference process throughout the Fellowship is a primary concern.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Perhaps agenda items that don’t make it to the Conference should go to the appropriate Conference Committee anyway, for discussion at a time outside the week-long duration of the Conference.
• Make Conference agenda information and background material available to the Fellowship and continually update throughout the year.

Question 8:

How well do the delegates balance their preparation for the Conference, especially in keeping with Concept III and Article Three of the Conference Charter? How could we improve in the practice of our rights and responsibilities under Concept III and Article Three of the Conference Charter?

Right of Decision is a great responsibility, carrying with it the importance of providing reasons why a decision was made; explaining the “reasoning” behind conclusions reached at the Conference is helpful throughout the Fellowship.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Use technology to develop a secure electronic location where delegates could share and store pertinent Conference informa­tion online.

Question 9:

How can we improve the way time is allotted during the Conference for reports, presentation/discussion/workshop topics, and thorough discussion of agenda items?

Committee time is precious.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Consider distributing minutes of all trustee meetings to all del­egates.
• Regional trustees might consider … hold­ing more Q&A sessions at the regional level throughout the year.

Question 10:

How are leadership and participation affected by late night work sessions?

Conference members are here to conduct A.A.’s business.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

•   Implement a time limit for different sessions and close them when the time is up.

Question 11:

Could the committee process be improved to more effectively introduce change in the Fellowship, and if so, how?

Flexibil­ity is a key ingredient in change, and not everything has to be in black and white.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Sharing between committees throughout the year can help facilitate better understanding of the issues and help introduce change; cross-pollination between committees could ease workloads.

Question 12:

Is the current makeup of the board (numbers and propor­tions) still the most effective? If not, what changes should we consider?

The current ratio of board members (Class A/Class B) is adequate..

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Trustees need to focus on bigger issues and concerns for the Fellowship and not get caught up in administrative details bet­ter handled by staff.

Question 13:

How could we improve the methods used to solicit trustees and directors to get the most appropriate people interested in the positions?

Broadly advertising board openings is necessary to cast a wide net..

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• Focus on the social sciences, technology, finance, publishing, journalism and media worlds for new Class A candidates, with lesser emphasis on the medical and religious fields.

Question 14:

What more could be done to insure the General Service Board remains transparent and thorough in their reporting to the Fellowship?

Communication needs to flow both ways and members need to recognize that all information cannot always be made avail­able.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• More articles by trustees in the Grapevine to help familiarize the Fellowship with the board’s vision.
• Consider regional teleconferences with delegates/regional trustees after board meetings to increase communication and help with transparency issues.
• Utilize technology to disseminate information through the G.S.O. Web site or perhaps provide an interactive live webinar to connect members with G.S.O. staff or trustees.

Question 15:

Reflecting on Concept IX, are the qualities of leadership, as identified in the leadership essay in The A.A. Service Manual, still the qualities that we should try to encourage in Conference members? If so, how successful are we in encour­aging those qualities? If not, what changes should we consid­er?

Leadership, integrity, conviction — we need these qualities now more than ever. “Leadership” is not a bad word in A.A.

Recommendations/Suggestions:

• To avoid “reading between the lines” by members, it would be helpful for trustees’ committees to include more of the motiva­tion behind their proposals, the reasons why they might make a particular suggestion or recommendation.

If you have not read or heard, there is a movement (by non-AA organizations) to have a U.S. stamp commemorating Bill W.
Below is a letter from the General Manager of the General Service Office detailing their position.

DATE: July 19, 2013
RE: Petition for Bill Wilson Commemorative Stamp
Dear Friends:
Warm Greetings from G.S.O.!
We have recently been made aware of an effort made by several non-A.A. organizations who have petitioned the U.S. Postal Service to develop a Bill Wilson commemorative stamp (a photo of Bill). The copy of their petition that was forwarded to us also suggested that if such a stamp is created, it would be “unveiled during the 2015 International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous in Atlanta, GA (July 2-5, 2015).”
We are writing to let you know that the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous and the General Service Office, which coordinate the International Convention, have not been contacted directly regarding this. Furthermore, there are no such plans in place, nor will there be, to include this as part of our upcoming convention.
A letter to the appropriate department at the U.S. Postal Service has been dispatched, explaining our principle of anonymity, and clarifying that this effort is not endorsed or supported by Alcoholics Anonymous.
As you all know, our organization cherishes the principle of personal anonymity of our members, both living and deceased. Our founders believed, as Bill said in a letter to a newspaper editor in 1950, that “personal success in the A.A. program requires humility, that we have no right to claim distinction for the gift of sobriety.”
Bill W. wrote that before Dr. Bob died, they both firmly agreed that neither one of them would accept public honors for A.A. work. Bill felt that “such an example, set before future generations of power-driving A.A. members, might prove to be worth more than any prestige which such honors could confer upon either of us. This was our estimate, and I still believe it to be the right one.” (Letter, February 1960)
We send our gratitude for your continued service to Alcoholics Anonymous and hope this information is helpful to you. Should you receive questions or concerns about this matter, please contact our Public Information desk at publicinfo@aa.orq.