[Businessmtg] Question on questions :-)

[aohara77 at comcast.net]

Hi All,

 

What part of the by-laws are we questioning?  And is the question only for the by-laws or our service structure.

 

Service Structure - We discussed the founders role in the context of our service structure last year and reached consensus that the founders would fill gaps as needed.    Of course the fact that the website has not been maintained consistently and most recently has not had a webmaster I can’t point to that decision point.  But the archives from August forward would bear this out.

 

If we can stay with the By-Laws first, I think we should remove as much language about the various service positions as possible and leave that language with our service structure posted to the website.  If we need the group to look at the service structure again, we can.  But the service structure questions are not for the by-laws.

 

Back to the service structure….. I definitely am aware of the variables that ASP introduces into a what we are trying to accomplish when we say we are supposed to mirror the F2F as much as possible.  I may have tunnel vision here but I just don’t see how that is possible.  The Admin functions of ASP are nothing like those of a F2F meeting.  

 

What sets ASP apart from a F2F weekly meeting ?

ASP has a global membership, ASP has a website that is supposed to be the source of all things ASP related – a giant newsletter that has lots of detail, ASP has a subscription service that is internet based, ASP is a closed meeting that requires some level of screening for eligibility.  Because we are global, the treasurer can’t keep an envelope of donations in their desk drawer (I have seen treasurers at F2F meetings do this!), and the dollars kept in the account are not insignificant.  To setup an ASP bank account, can’t be done without incorporating or linking the treasurers personal information to the account.   With each rotation, the banking setup starts over again, a 6 month endeavor that is not always successful.   And, we know that linking to a personal account is NOT a best practice.

 

In my opinion, this list (and it may not even be complete) sets us apart.  It makes me wince when folks try to map every task back to their favorite F2F meeting.  In my opinion,  these  ASP variables require that there be some level of continuity and institutional knowledge so that the trusted servants have a baseline to work within as we rotate the service positions.  And without accountability from our trusted servants we run into problems too.  I have seen plenty of that in my time here.    Autonomy and anarchy seem to be confused here by some of our past trusted servants.  

 

I am all for change if it makes sense, and I certainly think ASP needs some changes.  As a newly designated founder, I can say I am not here for any bragging rights, to date I have only tried to assist in explaining why we have done things as we have done them  and then also tried to identify where things do need to change and then be a voice for that change.  I am very aware of how difficult it is to change things 😊

 

So coming back to the topic, I want to confirm that the questions related to the by-laws actually apply to the by-laws document.

 

Hugs, 

 

Anne O