[Businessmtg] Service

[Jerry H.]

   Biz-Pals,

   ASP, like face-to-face Al-Anon meetings, has leadership positions which
   need filled and chores to be done. F2f meetings can usually muddle by
   for a while without all their service positions filled - after all if
   someone has the key to the building then as long as there are chairs to
   sit in meetings can still be held. Eventually, though, the group
   suffers and things start to fall apart.

   On-line Al-Anon meetings are very different from f2f in this regard.
   Being self-supporting is more expensive for one so when we pass the
   basket we have to average about $110 a month in order to keep our doors
   open and we need a Treasurer to collect and account for donations. In
   f2f new members can just come on in, take a seat, and they're welcomed
   as new members. On-line we have to have folks who help newcomers get
   informed and enrolled before they begin receiving our recovery shares.
   Our website needs maintained and updated from time to time. There are
   administrative chores which need to be attended to daily to keep things
   up and running and members happy. Business meetings to run. Group
   decisions which need worked through.

   As long as there are members filling these positions ASP rolls along
   quite well. When there aren't things don't always go so smoothly.

   For some time now we have not had anyone stand for the vacant Treasurer
   position, and we've recently had a long vacancy in our Secretary
   position (now thankfully filled) during which ASP's structure required
   that I, as the elected List Administrator, fill both the L.A. position
   and the Secretary position. Steve, who holds one of ASP's Founder
   positions, has graciously volunteered to also fill the vacant Treasurer
   temporarily. I recall my first service position here at ASP: I was
   elected to a three year term as ASP's Treasurer in 2006 - but nobody
   stood to fill the position after my three year hitch was up, indeed it
   wasn't until two years later in 2011 that I was finally relieved of
   this service. So from my experience ASP is apt to have these problems
   reoccur from time to time for as long as members don't join the
   Business Meeting and Business Meeting members don't stand for offices
   when rotation times come around [to say nothing of the times when
   sitting trusted servants bow out from their positions early.]

   I don't know of any easy solutions to this. On the one hand ASP's
   Policies make it difficult if not impossible to enact policy and
   practices changes which might help; on the other unless there are
   changes in members' view of our need for service ASP's structure could
   begin to degrade. Right now we have multiple positions on our Steering
   Committee which are vacant and from what I gather we have no (0)
   qualified members in this Business Meeting to fill them. I understand
   why the group has its prior ASP service requirements in order to stand
   for these positions; I also understand that having the few qualified
   members we do have fill multiple positions is flat out against Al-Anon
   Traditions.

   From personal experience I know how filling multiple positions or
   filling any position beyond its normal rotation time can burn a person
   out. Beyond that it gives some members the false impression of control
   and domination. Other problems arise because trust is lost. (Plus it
   gets hard sometimes to be my sweet normal self :)

   So much of on-line content is cost free and without any demand for a
   time commitment other than just jumping on our computers. ASP is not
   free and it is not able to function without its members' willingness to
   serve and support it. I've served ASP for nearly eight years in various
   steering committee positions and I'm very soon exiting this level of
   ASP service. Hopefully younger and more vigorous members will begin to
   see service to ASP as an important part of their personal recovery and
   help us find our way out of the fix we've found ourselves in. I look
   forward to the ideas which may flow from our discussions over the
   coming months.

   In service,

   Jerry H.

   -