Chair Report for Jan 2025
And so, another month of service to our groups…
Annual Meeting: The first news is our December Assembly, often denoted as the annual assembly for elections and budget approval. Officers are elected to serve a two-year panel, with the possibility of serving for a second two years. I participated in 2022 as an IG Representative for my homegroup, the Dawn Patrol. I considered standing for election, but my sponsor had had a serious accident, and I was not in the “right space.” However, the outgoing chair’s message to our membership inspired me to send in my resume, as no one stood for vice chair. The board appointed me, and here I am.
Last year, 2023, three officers, appointments throughout early 2003, Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer, stood to be elected by substantial unanimity. All officers may have an alternate, except the chair. The Vice Chair is already an officer. If an officer resigns, the alternate may be forwarded to serve as chair. If there is no alternate or the alternate does not want to serve on the board, the board can announce an open appointment and appoint a new board officer. All appointments must stand in the next election. Officers must have served in the OIAA organization. I was an appointment, so I stood for election.
In addition, in 2023, we expanded the board. We created and elected two additional trustees’ positions, first international trustee and trustee-at-large. These were not officers-and need not have served in the OIAA organization. Volunteers for these positions stood and were elected, though one shortly stepped down as he was also on the board of a sister service board we had contributed to in the past, and he wanted no conflict of interest. His position was announced and filled by appointment in May.
The process of creating these new board positions took a year, from proposal to fruition, moving carefully through the ad hoc guideline’s discussion and consensus, through board discussion and consensus. We notified you along the way and posted the opportunities for new trusted servants on the web. That is how a careful process works: from idea through motion to fruition and implementation. Thank you for your questions along the way helping us define what we needed to do, and vote of support for our actions at the annual assembly in December of 2023.
At the most recent election, December 2024, we elected 2 officers and 1 trustee to the board. Our OIAA officers per our bylaws are chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and technology chair. This year we elected a vice chair and technology chair. Our Tech chair was willing to stand for a second two-year period, as is allowed by our bylaws. We also had the open position of secretary. No one was willing to stand at the election, but people have come forward as appointments, as per our bylaws and guidelines. (Guidelines-5.4.1., Bylaws-4.01f.) We also elected a new Trustee at Large with our first use of the Third Legacy Procedure outlined in our Guidelines. (4.3)
I have to inform you that our new Trustee-at-Large has resigned. We thank him for considering to service with us and we wish him well on his journey.
And we passed our budget again this year. This, again, was a process, defined by our treasurer and the finance committee, officers and committee chairs budgets. The finance committee and board approved each request. Sometimes we negotiate to bring the bottom line to a realizable figure based on the projected income of your contributions. The process this year brought more robust discussion that has resulted in our first appeal to the board over the budget approval (Appeal on the Vote to Approve the 2025 Budget), per our guidelines section. “2.6 Appeals: Any OIAA member may submit a written appeal to the board, in keeping with Concept V.” Our Guidelines, passed in March of this year, and our bylaws, passed in 2022, can be found here: https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/oiaa-board/ This process allows us to examine our processes and practice the group conscience of Tradition 2. I will report the result to you.
Thank you for your questions and comments, line by line. The money is your generous support, your basket money. We have plans to use it for services to your groups. Financial contribution is part of our seventh tradition responsibility. Service is another responsibility. Join us in service! There are multiple possibilities. Service facilitates recovery.
For election results and a copy of the budget, use these links: https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/updates/2024-oiaa-december-assembly-election-results/ ; https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/committee-updates/2025-final-budget/
Finally, the assembly was an operation developed by skilled volunteers. We notified you ahead of time and provided documents for you to take your groups. There were rumors of disruptive behavior; our tech events team cannot forecast the behavior of anyone. We always hold a Run of Show meeting before events to prepare for eventualities. We invite those involved to participate in this meeting. We all do the best we can to allow robust discussion and move business forward. Our Zoom Tech Event Team posted information in chat, counted the quorum, answered questions, stated motions, provided parliamentarian support. In addition, we provided interpretative services as requested. It took a team, who have practiced and developed and analyzed areas of strength, shoring up areas of weakness. It was an amazing process to watch, December 2022 to December 2023 to December 2024: you provided your support by being present to fulfill the quorum required by our bylaws to conduct business. Thank you.
What are the major accomplishments of 2024: At our March assembly, we passed our OIAA Guidelines and elevated an Ad Hoc Communications Committee to full Standing Committee status. At our June assembly, our committee chairs reported to the membership per our bylaws. (5.05) At the September Assembly, board members reported to the membership, and we passed an unbudgeted funds request for the OIAA International Convention. Additionally, we held 2 IGR Forums (January, April), 1 Service Fair (July), 4 Safety Workshops (February, May, August, November), and our first OIAA international Convention. (October)
Growth: We experienced growth in the past year largely English-speaking groups from the US and Canada. Our contributions may also largely represent this demographic.
Our outgoing Secretary has noted our growth this year: “At the start of 2024, we had 658 member groups, and 7,836 meetings listed. At the end of 2024, we have 752 member groups, and 9,212 meetings listed. This indicates that we have added 94 new member groups and 1,376 meetings. This represents a 14.3% growth in member groups and a 17.6% growth in meetings. Quite impressive…”
Demographics: A question about demographics came up in the December Assembly. We have a couple of ways of tracking: First, the Technology committee tracks website statistics monthly. Hits to the website and where they come from can be found here: https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/oiaa-statistics-report-archive/ This is found on the Service Committee Tab drop menu for Technology. This suggests 98.8 visits in November are from the US and Canada and other English-speaking areas. As we add translatable languages to our website, we hopefully be more available to the non-English speaking alcoholic who need our help.
Secondly, statistics for languages spoken by our member groups are maintained by our Registrar, Mary M.
Note we do not have data for all the meetings we have listed. However, we do have data for our member groups, or those that have an IGR or are a voting member of the organization. This also includes non-voting members, officers, and committee chairs.
Here are the statistics, hot of the presses:
- Groups total = 760
- 100% languages reported
- ASL = 1
- da = 1 (Danish)
- de = 1 (German)
- en = 701 (English)
- en/asl = 1 (English/ASL)
- en/pl = 1 (English/Polish)
- es = 35 (Spanish)
- fa = 2 (Farsi)
- fr = 4 (French)
- ja = 1 (Japanese)
- it = 1 (Italian)
- pt = 8 (Portuguese)
- ru = 3 (Russian)
Nonvoting total= 218
- en = 105 (English)
- en/es = 1 (English/Spanish)
- es = 11 (Spanish)
- No languages nonvoting = 101
Officer total = 25
- No languages officer = 10
- en = 13 (English)
- en/es = 1 (English/Spanish)
- en/fr = 1 (English/French)
The primary language we speak, and the language of our website is English, based on our membership statistic. However, our site can be translated into 5 other languages at this time from the drop-down menu in the upper right corner. We have held assemblies and committee meetings with interpretative services in ASL, French, Spanish and Portuguese, services provided by request. If you would like to attend and need these services, contact our International Trustee, Beth A., international.trustee@aa-intergroup.org
With over 9000 meetings listed, we have a potential of helping the still suffering alcoholic whenever and wherever they can reach us online. Our 12 Stepper Committee, chaired by DC Dave, does the important work of first contact as the online lifeline. If you want more information about this committee, watch our informational video:
What’s Next: We plan to host IGR forums again this year, the 3rd Saturday of the 1st month of the quarter( January, April, July, October); 4 Safety workshops, the first Saturday of the second month of the quarter (February, May, August November). We have 9 standing committees who would always welcome your participation. Consider getting involved. Service facilitates recovery and is part of our 7th Tradition responsibility.
We will conduct our quorum survey in the summer. Per our bylaws, our assembly business requires that we set a quorum of 25% of those member groups who respond to our surveys. Last year, the quorum was set at 43. In 2024-from June on, the quorum was set at 36. Please look for these surveys and we invite you to join us in participation in making decisions that affect us all.
We will host another OIAA International Online Convention and are hosting a Cybersuite at the Vancouver AA International Convention (July 2025).
First IGR Forum of the year: 25 January, 25, 2 pm ETWe had two successful IGR forums in 2024-January and April, ably facilitated by our Vice Chair at the time, Nona C! We are planning four this year. At the January 25th Forum, we will highlight our Communications Committee. This committee has produced the video, “The Role of the OIAA Intergroup Representative. Look for it on the OIAA YouTube channel. We have other informational videos there, as well: https://www.youtube.com/@AA-Intergroup.
The topic for your input at this Forum: “How can OIAA help your online group to build
fellowship? Additionally, “How to reach out to the professional community?” Before the holidays, we sent out a questionnaire asking how OIAA’s standing committee could help and you answered. We will be presenting the questions and providing the answers at the January 25th, 2-3pm ET.
Email igr.forum@aa-intergroup.org with your “Ask It Basket Questions,” topics of interest or suggestions for the IGR Forum. Sharing experience, strength and hope is the purpose of this forum.
Email igrworkshops@aa-intergroup.org if you would like to be a part of the planning committee. All members are welcome to participate.
First Tradition:
Finally, I have been thinking of the first tradition: the unity of your group and our organization is foremost for fulfilling the primary purpose of the fifth tradition, for principle of the inclusiveness of the third tradition, no matter whether still drinking or not. We have experienced disunity this year, fueled sometimes by its spread through social media or email chains or text messages rather than the group conscience consensus of board meetings, committee meetings and the assembly. We have been given the tools of technological togetherness and we have wrestled with defining its use. We have suffered disunity whether in our groups as we have used technology to carry the message in the face of Covid resulting in the disunity that occurred between in person and online members who preferred one means of face to face over the other. This sometimes created a disunifying us vs them mentality. We forgot the importance of we.
We have suffered disunity in the larger fellowship over leadership changes and in our intergroup with the growing pains of a fellowship in transition and formation. We have a philosophical difference of opinion at the board level of whether we are first an AA Service Board, with the 36 principles guiding our actions, or whether we are a New Jersey incorporated non-profit, where state statute has priority over our spiritual principles. Nevertheless, we have held on to the principles we inherited from the founders and the sacrifices they made for us. We come to decisions on how to do this through the presence of a Higher Power in the group conscience of the second tradition. We do that by serving and not governing, facilitating, and not managing. We do this by practicing Tradition 9. We do this together. Together we find the consensus of substantial unanimity, and a return to unity. We reach out to all who wish to recover from alcoholism, anyone, anytime, anywhere. We are your online lifeline. We are here to serve you, both the membership, the wider fellowship of those seeking to recover, and the members of our committees who make this organization tick, Thank you from all of us, for giving us the opportunity. See you in a few weeks and I am grateful for your support personally, and for the organization.
Humbly and respectfully submitted:
Susan R
OIAA Chair
chair@aa-intergroup.org
- IGR Hotlist Link: https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/igr-hotlist/
- Calendar events for January-https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/events/month/
- 25 January 25 IGR Forum, 2pm ET
- 1 February 25 Safety Workshop, 2p
- 15 March 25 Assembly
Informational Video about IGR (Intergroup Representative)
What is OIAA informational Video:
How to Submit a Group Report:
How to Submit a Member story:
And remember, if you want to step up to service, we need your help!! It’s really a mouse click away.
