[Businessmtg] What Is Fully Self-Supporting?

[logmark at comcast.net]

Biz-Pals,

Some terms have been a bit distorted I believe. ASP has, by Group Conscience, set our Prudent Reserve (PR) amount at "one year's expenses." This is the amount which would keep our lights on even if not one penny is donated by members. Quite a security blanket.

It also happens that, by Group Conscience, any funds in our account over the set amount of our Prudent Reserve at the end of each quarter, is sent off to support our various service arms.

It has been stated in this meeting that, "It is NOT our responsibility to accumulate a larger excess." 

Our choice of terming funds over our PR amount as "excess" is a bit of a distortion. We use our funds over our PR as our means of fulfilling our responsibilities to become "fully self-supporting." [Tradition 7.]

It IS our responsibility to fund our service arms to the best of our abilities. Any quick look at Al-Anon's 'Service Manual' makes this clear*. The only way ASP can currently generate funds to fulfill these responsibilities is to regularly receive donations above our set PR level.

They're not "excess funds," they're our service arm support moneys. Because we don't have any from time to time doesn't mean we don't have to be "fully self-supporting." And to declare that "increasing our group's [support] funds is in fact, a violation of the 7th Tradition" is a step way too far.

Now, to the point I've made in past shares, and a possible solution:

Since our PR can only be "one year's expenses" by Group Conscience, adding the new bank's fees to our yearly expenses equates to a new PR of $1,780 which the SC can do administratively. Anything other than that would require a change to our current Group Conscience's language.

Setting our PR at $2,000 without expenses to support it really amounts to hoarding $220. Can't use it; can't give it away.

In service,
Jerry
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* Service Manual:

~ "The group supports Al-Anon/Alateen at all levels of service by contributing to:
   - Their District, Al-Anon Information Service..., and World Service Area...that serves the group.
   - The World Service Office, which serves all groups. (In keeping with Tradition Seven, support of the World Service Office IS THE RESPONSIBILITY [emphasis added] of all Al-Anon members, groups, and service arms.)"