[Businessmtg] List Administrator/Founder Report

[Steve Rankin]

Hi ASPers,

 

I’m sorry for the late report. Things have been more than a little crazy busy for me lately – you’d think that after 27 years of retirement, life would calm down.  Nope.

 

So, what has been going on during the last couple of months in ASP?

 

*	I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time on the phone with Mary, our new Treasurer, since she was elected in the last meeting.  I think we’ve got at least most of the kinks worked out.  Please give her a few months to get her feet wet.

 

*	To answer Lynne’s questions about our 7th Tradition.

*	The basket gets passed monthly. 
*	I don’t recall the exact donation amounts, but it was something like $135 in checks and $180 via PayPal after the last passing of the basket.

 

 

*	I recruited a new batch of members to serve as Daily Chairs starting last Wednesday.  They will serve for 6 months until the new year.

 

 

*	As you know from Anne’s report, we have experienced an unprecedented onslaught of new members to ASP.  Most of the burden of that has been carried by Anne and her dedicated greeters.  However . . .

 

 

*	The number of new members that don’t read anything we send them is astounding.  From what it appears to me, a large portion of the new members of ASP are coming from face-to-face meetings that aren’t meeting due to COVID-19.  As a result, they already know how Al-Anon works, so they don’t need to read the instructions that come with joining ASP. Right? Wrong.  Suddenly, in the last few weeks I am getting a emails from new members who are not new to Al-Anon but don’t understand how ASP works and want me to explain to them how it works and how to share.  All stuff that we sent them when they were subscribed.  Ugh.

 

 

*	I also get a number of unsubscribe requests.  About half of them unsubscribe themselves successfully before I get to them.  This is another detail that I made easier by making the link in the footer of every share go directly to the unsubscribe page.  

 

 

*	After writing WSO a couple of months ago informing them that I have replace Jerry as the Meeting Contact, WSO finally sent me a link to a PDF form that I have to fill out and snail mail to WSO.  

 

 

*	WSO has hired a new attorney and is changing the rules on allowing ASP to have the Steps, Traditions and Concepts posted on our website.  The most recent letter from WSO explains that all kinds of face-to-face Al-Anon entities are permitted to have the Steps, Traditions and Concepts posted on their websites, but we’re not.  I’m in contact with WSO regarding an explanation for the difference in how we are treated compared to other Al-Anon entities. 

 

 

*	The number of members that try to post a share to ASP by using the “Reply to All” feature continues.  The server automatically intercepts and bounces these shares.  Roughly half identify themselves as new members in their shares when they do this.  I have recently moved the explanation for this to very near the top of the info we send to new members in an attempt to get their attention on this important detail, but it doesn’t seem to help. I guess if you aren’t going to read the instructions, it doesn’t matter if the instruction is #1 or #12.  😊

 

 

*	I see a lot of new members confused by the array of acronyms used by members of ASP.  Frankly, if I were King of Al-Anon, I’d ban acronyms.  Obviously, I’m not King. Duh.  None the less, I find the use of acronyms excessive and at odds with the concept of trying to communicate better with others.

 

On a more personal note, my home group face-to-face meeting is still meeting online via a Zoom-like interface.  OTOH, all my wife’s AA meetings resumed meeting several weeks ago.  She still goes to 4 meetings a week, even after 38 years, and for that I’m grateful!  

 

Love and SERENITY,

Steve



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