[Businessmtg] ...IF this topic is still open...

[Jerry H.]

Biz-Pals,

Two or so years ago when I was ASP's List Administrator I was forced to fill multiple service roles because no one was stepping up to fill vacant positions. Filling both the LA and Secretary positions required much more time, effort, and anguish than I was (and am) unwilling to give.

The primary problem which prompted my suggestion of Topic Chair service requirements was that as acting Secretary I was required to fill a new set of Topic Chairs. Requests for volunteers posted to the group didn't result in sufficient folks stepping forward (need 7.) So I ended up as LA, Secretary, (and Topic Chair on occasion as I recall.)

As a firm believer in Al-Anon's Principles, filling more than one service seat at a time was (and is) against my personal principles. Noting that I had received a number of volunteers for the daily chair positions who did not hold sufficient ASP membership time to meet ASP's requirements, but some of those had extensive Al-Anon experience - and in some cases extensive Al-Anon service experience - I suggested to the Steering Committee that the Secretary might have some leeway in picking Topic Chairs when not enough volunteers stepped up.

Two plus years later here we are.

I will say that not getting enough topic chair volunteers is fortunately rare. I'd also say that any leeway afforded the Secretary should be used only when fully-qualified (per ASP policies) are not available - and with the Steering Committee's notification and perhaps approval.

But I believe that leeway is required if for no other reason than it is not uncommon for members in ASP service OFTEN end up filling multiple positions - making their primary duties more difficult than necessary, and often stressful.

An open discussion of our policy regarding Topic Chair position requirements should, to my mind, include the importance of filling ALL ASP service positions - and on a timely basis. No service volunteer should have to look forward to extended service terms or multiple, unexpected roles when they ponder whether ASP service is for them.

We state that we try to be as much like face-to-face meetings as possible. Not sure how our new status as equal to f2f adds to thinking on this topic. In f2f it's possible for service volunteers to announce they're unwilling to extend their service and drop their positions in the meeting's lap to resolve. Here nothing's resolved until the suggested topic is approved by the Steering Committee and makes it to the Business Meeting agenda some years later.

I suggest the immediate problems which sometime come up need to be addressed more quickly - and in this case adding leeway to the Secretary when addressing qualifications for Topic Chairs would have solved this admittedly, but at the time stressful, problem.

I propose that the Secretary, or the Steering Committee, be permitted to allow otherwise qualified Al-Anon members to fill vacant Topic Chair service positions when no qualified ASP member has volunteered to fill them. [SC notification required.]

Hugs in service,
Jerry
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