[Businessmtg] Closing Staff Reports & Opening First Agenda Topic

[Steve Rankin]

Hi folks,

Lynne did an excellent job of describing the gist of the reasoning behind this topic, so there's little for me to do other than flesh out some of the thinking.

It's no secret that we have a problem in Al-Anon with both attracting members to serve as well as retaining them in our service positions.  This isn't just a local problem at ASP - we see it throughout Al-Anon.  It's a sad fact that many Al-Anon groups die simply because no one is willing to step up and serve.  I don't know how many times I've seen the member with the keys to the church who has been opening the doors for the last several years, decide to rotate, but no one is willing to volunteer.  So, the member with the keys puts them on the table and walks out the door.  It's amazing how many members of Al-Anon are unwilling to pick up the keys and give back with a simple service position.

One of the common threads I hear from members in response to this problem is an attempt to make service EASY.  OK, so what can we do that would actually make life easier for our elected officers on the Steering Committee?

Well, since it is a basic fact that ASP needs certain tasks done to keep it running, the actual jobs aren't going to change.  The one TASK that is common to all of our elected officers is their responsibility in the Business Meeting.  The Secretary has the responsibility to set up the business meeting (develop the agenda, send announcements to the membership, prepare the opening emails, prepare the server for the new business meeting, close the business meeting, and last but certainly not least to be "on" and chair the activity in the business meeting.  We witnessed what happens when a secretary crashes and burns during this July's Business Meeting in spite of the awesome attempts to support her going on in the background.  While the Secretary does the heavy lifting during our business meetings, each of the other officers is responsible for preparing their report to the business meeting.  I can't speak for the others on the Steering Committee, but I will say that I spend far more time preparing the Treasurer's Report for the business meeting than I spend doing the actual job during the two months between reports.  

My impression of the situation is that our officers are dedicated and vigilant in their duties, but their time during our business meetings is relatively stressful as the responsibility to be 'on' and ready to respond to questions and issues peaks.  Then, when the business meeting closes, we experience a sigh of relief.  Then, just a week or two later, the cycle resumes as the Steering Committee needs to meet and discuss the next meeting's agenda, etc.

Hence, my suggestion to change to quarterly Business Meetings.  

No doubt some may be concerned about a perceived need for more frequent meetings to discuss issues and perhaps elect new officers.  My response is that genuine issues that need the attention of the membership in the business meeting are actually rather rare, so there is little actual 'need' for frequent business meetings.  Additionally, unlike a face-to-face group that can easily convene a 2-minute business meeting, acknowledge that there is no business to conduct, and close with a prayer, that's not the case with ASP - the overhead for the officers is the same, whether the business meeting is a week of staff reports or a full month doing business.  In other words, a short business meeting is easy for everyone except the officers.  

What if there is a circumstance that needs to be addressed before the next scheduled quarterly Business Meeting?  In that case, I envision the Secretary calling for a Special Business Meeting with a limited agenda to address the special issue.  

Hugs,
Steve


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