[Businessmtg] Funds Over P.R.

Sat Feb 23 13:23:58 PST 2013

Jerry,

Please show down a bit. There was a lot of info you've just provided. 

I'm visual so I need to see perhaps a cash flow or profit and loss statement. Is that available somewhere?

A P&L sheet will be very helpful in looking at the current situation and in creating a budget for the year ahead. It will also force us to look into sending people to those events you mentioned and other future expenses. For example, I didn't know that we don't give out packets to newcomers anymore although that was the group conscience in the past. 

James. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 23, 2013, at 9:25 AM, logmark at comcast.net wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> 
> Biz-Pals, 
> 
>   
> 
> I have continued to research and ponder our Traditions 
> 
> and this group's past decisions regarding the use of 
> 
> our funds over our Prudent Reserve. A couple of thoughts 
> 
> have come to mind I'd like to add to our discussion. 
> 
>   
> 
> One involves the wording of any motion which may come 
> 
> out of this. In the past we've used the term "One Year's 
> 
> Expenses" as the definition of our P.R. We have looked to 
> 
> our past years to determine this. For the Treasurer to 
> 
> donate excess funds we need to know future expenses, too. 
> 
> That would mean we would have to have a financial budget 
> 
> for any coming year in order for the Treasurer to be able 
> 
> to hold back that future year's P.R. then donate the rest 
> 
> in a timely fashion. In order to do a budget our Steering 
> 
> Committee and Business Meeting would have to get busier than 
> 
> we have been in the past. Planning events and expenses for 
> 
> the year ahead will take constant and thoughtful work. 
> 
>   
> 
> Then there are examples of listed expenses which are no longer 
> 
> being used but are accounted as a part of our current expenses: 
> 
> In the past the group conscience determined that we would provide 
> 
> Beginners Packets to those newcomers who requested them. 
> 
> We bought some and may even have sent some or all out, but 
> 
> are no longer, as far as I can tell, continuing the process 
> 
> with further purchases and postage costs. Is it then fitting 
> 
> to include that potential cost when we are not currently 
> 
> performing according to that long-ago and disregarded agreement? 
> 
> I think not. 
> 
>   
> 
> My thinking is that it would be similarly unfair to deduct funds from our 
> 
> Excess over Prudent Reserve for unapproved projects however laudible . It 
> 
> may be a good idea, however, to a budget set amount  to fund "future, as yet 
> 
> undefined expenses" [i.e., Chat Room, funding a Rep. to attend functions, 
> 
> Beginners Packets, A.A. Liaison regarding co-operation with their on line 
> 
> group problem solving, etc.] With that money already in our budget the 
> 
> the Treasurer could then calculate just what our Excess Funds are at any 
> 
> quarterly increment without awaiting the results of our plodding Business 
> 
> Meeting process. But for now there are no such active approved plans so 
> 
> holding back on distributing the excess funds from our members' donations 
> 
> [our current, stated Excess Funds - those over $1,301 USD] doesn't seem proper . 
> 
>   
> 
> [BTW - two business topics in one month!!!  WoooooHooooo!!!] 
> 
>   
> 
> Another thought comes from the call for us to co-operate with A.A. 
> 
> Unbeknownst to me, A.A. has been addressing at their highest levels 
> 
> the subject of electronic communications and the Principle of 
> 
> Anonymity - our joint Spiritual Foundation. Their past GSC [the counterpart 
> 
> to Al-Anon's World Service Conference (WSC) - where our greatest group 
> 
> consciences are held regarding Al-Anon processes, procedures, budgets, 
> 
> and CAL, etc. are determined] was focused on just this subject. It is worth 
> 
> considering for us because ASP's place in the Al-Anon community is and will 
> 
> continue to be affected by A.A.'s thinking on the topic and our co-operation 
> 
> with them. 
> 
>   
> 
> Paramount in their thinking is that electronic media, particularly but not 
> 
> limited to social networking sites - even those with password protected 
> 
> entry - are not anonymous. They are to be treated as the Press, Radio, and TV 
> 
> would be considered. Actual or full names are to be avoided. Every word 
> 
> published in on line media is now and forever available to the public in one 
> 
> fashion or another. With the legal limitations of our two programs' claims to 
> 
> anonymity it is fair to remind all that we are not completely anonymous. 
> 
> Law enforcement arms can and do have access to on line sharings when the court 
> 
> permits them to, and we are legally obligated to comply. The possibility of 
> 
> others using this information for business and/or criminal purposes is not to 
> 
> be ignored. [This is not just an on line problem but it is perhaps more 
> 
> important to us here because there is a permanent electronic record of what 
> 
> we each publish out there somewhere on the web.] 
> 
>   
> 
> I bring this up because it portrays in real-world terms one of the reasons 
> 
> that we as an on line meeting are viewed differently than are f2f meetings. 
> 
> The WSC and thus the WSO and our Trustees have yet to find a hole to plug 
> 
> us into so we are held to the side. Without the assured anonymity our 
> 
> spiritual foundation is weakened. I understand this better now. 
> 
>   
> 
> I can well imagine how this would tick  off folks who have struggled for years 
> 
> to gain equal status for ASP. But neither do I see a provision in our Principles 
> 
> which justifies the withholding of hundreds upon hundreds of our individual members' 
> 
> dollars either - especially when on the one hand we agree as a Registered Group to 
> 
> abide by Al-Anon Principles and on the other claim to support Al-Anon as a whole 
> 
> while we are in these aspects at least doing neither. 
> 
>   
> 
> It would be my hope that this Business Meeting determines to have a projected budget 
> 
> approved for each coming year, and that the Treasurer be directed to use that budget 
> 
> to determine the status of our excess funds quarterly. I further hope that this group 
> 
> elects to donate these funds each quarter within the guidelines set forth by our WSC, 
> 
> as administered by Al-Anon's WSO and our Trustees, and as published in Al-Anon's 
> 
> "Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual." 
> 
>   
> 
> Jerry 
> 
> - 
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> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
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> 
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