MINUTES
UNDEREARNERS’ ANONYMOUS GSB MEETING
Thursday, February 20, 2014
VIA TELEPHONE (712) 775-7100
The meeting opened at 5:00 PM Pacific Time (8:00 PM Eastern Time) with the Serenity Prayer. Mary volunteered to be timekeeper until 6:30 PM. Joan Peggy Q. volunteered to be timekeeper thereafter.
Roll Call
Officers:
- Tamyah E., Chair
- Matt, Vice Chair
- Ed W., Secretary
- Andrew D., Treasurer
- Janis B., Traditions Keeper
Committee Chairs:
- Andrew D., finance committee
- Janis B., service and structure committee
- Mary Joan, phone and technology committee
- Bella, world service committee
- Sonia W., public information committee
- Peter S., literature
General Service Representatives:
- Peggy Q., Morning Tools Meeting on the international line
- Linda, 9:45 AM Step & Tools Meeting
- Crystal P., Monday night, Berkeley
- Nora W., 11 AM Selling with Serenity Meeting
- Toni, Saturday 8 PM meeting in San Francisco
- Mary Joan, 9:45 AM Friday goals meeting
- Maggie, 12:15 PM Saturday, Travel Visions Meeting, Seattle
- Julian, Monday night last gaspers
- Luis, Monday, New York, beyond 6 figures
- Mary Joan, Goals Pages, Friday Morning
- Janis, 8:30 AM Steps and Tools Meeting
- Mindy, Alta Dena, Friday Night
- Sandy, San Diego
- Mike M., Sunday 11:30 AM, Manhattan
- Chris, 7:15 AM Underearning and Solvency Meeting, Baltimore
- Sonia, 8:30 AM morning phone meeting on second line
Secretary’s Minutes: The minutes of the last meeting incorrectly stated that the Financial Committee had posted their work on the Google Group. In fact, they posted their work on the Google Drive, with a Google Group post that linked to it.
Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s report was also posted on the Google Group, and can be summarized as follows:
Prior balance (not including the WSC account): $5,478.00
Expenses:
IRS Fee for deductibility determination letter $ 400.00
Yearly fee for PO Box 255 rental $ 128.00
Bank stamp $ 43.00
Income: $1,665.00
New balance: $6,572.00
WSC prior balance: $2,055.07
Expenses:
Transcriptions $ 50.00
Website update $ 25.00
Income: $ 484.07
WSC new balance: $2,464.07
TOTAL, BOTH ACCOUNTS $9,036.07
Service Structure Committee:
Nobody showed up for the most recent meeting. Janis is working on suggested guidelines for sponsorship. She is giving a Traditions Workshop on the 2nd Sunday of each month.
Tamyah asked Janis how many people she would like to have on her committee. Janis said that she would like to have three other people, each of whom should have an understanding of the Traditions and the Concepts.
Public Information Committee (presented by Sonia W., Chair):
They are preparing a PowerPoint presentation on public information. They are also working on outreach to newcomers, both on a person-to-person basis and with relevant institutions and a manual for how to answer questions presented by the media. They are trying to figure out how to handle requests for speakers, which means answering two questions:
- How a list of potential speakers should be compiled.
- How speakers should be selected from that list.
The committee meets on the 2nd Saturday of every month, at 7 AM Pacific Time (10 AM Eastern Time)
Phone and Technology (presented by Mary Joan, Chair):
They are still finalizing phone registrations, and they have a contact list for all phone meetings. This contact list also includes contacts for face-to-face meetings that have registered since October, 2013. It was agreed that this contact list can be shared within UA for UA related purposes.
They have drafted a proposal for a phone meeting moderator training document, with the understanding that some of the content of that document might be useful for training moderators of in-person meetings.
They are drafting a proposal for phone line policies and procedures, with the growth of phone meetings requiring a policy for expanding the number of phone lines.
They are working to gather requirements for enhancement of the website.
They need more people, so they are drafting an announcement calling for more participants.
Their meetings are on the 2nd Saturday of the month, at 1 PM Pacific Time (4 PM Eastern Time)
Literature (presented by Peter S., Chair):
They have prepared versions of the Action Meeting/Goals/Visions and Steps/Tools/Symptoms documents, currently on the website, that can be printed on card stock. These were handed out at a recent Share-a-Day in New York that focused on Action Meetings. They are getting feedback on required corrections.
They are talking to UA London about reformatting these documents on the A4 (different sized) paper used there, as London is preparing for an upcoming event. Their contact there is someone named Chanale.
There has been some discussion that the literature committee should take over the “Voices of the Fellowship” newsletter from the World Service Conference Committee (WSCC). If so, the public information committee should also be involved.
Finance Committee:
They are trying to gain clarity regarding the cashflow through the WSC account.
They want to thank Maggie, who is a professional bookkeeper, for setting up a financial system on QuickBooks.
World Service Conference Committee (WSCC) (presented by Bella A., Chair):
The WSC is holding events each Sunday of the month, 2 PM – 3:30 PM Eastern Time (11 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific Time), as follows:
- Virtual Town Hall, first Sunday of month,
- Traditions Workshop, second Sunday of month,
- Concepts of Service (3rd Legacy voting, etc.), third Sunday of month,
- Date with Prosperity Speakers, fourth Sunday of month
The committee would like ideas regarding questions that the GSR’s would pose to their groups to encourage feedback. The committee would also like to collate the accomplishments and plans for each committee in a “digital handbook,” with a cut-off date of 7/1/2014.
Old Business
Terms and conditions for GSR Stipends for the 2014 WSC
That the GSB adopt the following framework for awarding stipends, including an amount per stipend and a minimum number of stipends to be made available, to General Service Representatives (GSR’s) for the 2014 World Service Conference. Many of the terms and conditions will be familiar from last year; those that are not will be highlighted in red.
If all of the stipends proposed herein are awarded, the cost to the GSB treasury will be $3025, an amount that was chosen, based on the current state of the treasury. This proposal is silent about what happens if and when additional funds become available. However, additional funds did become available last year, and additional stipends were awarded.
Overall philosophy:
- Ideally, individual groups, rather than the GSB, would cover the cost of WSC attendance, as this is what is done in other Twelve Step Fellowships. It is also the aspiration of this program to make its members more than prosperous enough to pay their own way to the equivalent of a week’s moderately priced vacation to California.
- Given that we, collectively, have yet to achieve the above ideal, and we do have to offer stipends, they are to be given with the aim of maximizing the prospective benefit to UA. In particular, nobody will be granted a stipend simply because of previous service.
- Because the GSB treasury was somewhat depleted by the generous stipend awards of last year, fewer stipends can be made available this year. Well established groups with substantial group treasures are therefore requested not to apply for stipends from the GSB, but to use their own funds.
- With the exception of international stipends (defined below), stipends will take the form of a reduction in the price of a ticket to the business portion of the conference from Tuesday afternoon, August 26, 2014 to mid-day Friday, August 29, 2014 only, at which point stipend recipients must check out of their rooms. Stipend recipients who choose to participate in the subsequent convention must do so at their own expense.
- There will be three classes of stipends, all of which will be the same last year:
- Residential stipends for GSR’s from continental United States, but outside of the Los Angeles metropolitan area (i.e. more than an hour from the conference center by car, assuming typical driving conditions for that time of year). The GSB subsidy here will be $300/ticket (compared to last year’s subsidy of $300). The GSB authorizes six such stipends at this time.
- Stipends for GSR’s from the LA area (i.e. an hour or less from the conference center by car), to be awarded for GSR’s committing to attend the full business section. The GSB subsidy here will be $145 for a residential ticket. The GSB authorizes five such stipends at this time.
- Residential stipends for GSR’s from outside of the United States. These stipends will cover the entire cost of both the conference and the convention, less $100, i.e. $500, to be awarded upon furnishing proof of flight arrangements. The GSB authorizes one such stipend at this time.
- Because the stipend is a credit towards the cost of a ticket, no actual cash will change hands. This avoids the need to request and approve spending plans and track receipts.
- Receipt of the stipend is subject to the following terms and conditions (Some of which will be different than last year):
- Stipends may not be applied to early bird ticket prices.
- Stipends may not be applied to the cost of a single room.
- GSR’s from “pop-up” meetings and meetings that did not fully register before the deadline are ineligible for stipends.
- Stipends will be awarded only after the remaining balance for the ticket has been received and acknowledged.
- GSR’s are eligible to receive stipends only if they will have served in that capacity for at least 3 months prior to the data of the conference (i.e. since May 26, 2014).
- Stipends are awarded to representatives of groups, not to specific individuals. Thus, any group may transfer the stipend from a GSR to whom a stipend has been previously awarded to an alternate person. Such requests must be made via the email address associated with the group when it registered with the UA website.
- The GSR receiving the stipend must have attended at least 3 meetings of either the GSB or the WSCC Virtual Town Hall prior to the conference. It is expected that the GSR serve on a committee and participate in GSB meetings for the remaining term of their service.
- By accepting the stipend, the GSR agrees to make themselves available for service at the conference.
- The GSR must complete a form specifying
i. The name of the group represented
ii. The date of the group conscience of the group authorizing that person to apply for the stipend
iii. The group’s core concerns and issues
This proposal was approved with 14 “yea” votes and 2 abstentions.
New Business (It is anticipated that the items to which times have been assigned will be discussed; other items will simply be presented for consideration at subsequent meetings.)
Proposal that we suggest that meetings consider making contributions according to the following “7th tradition breakdown”, at least until the 2014 World Service Conference (WSC).
Adapted from the Alcoholics anonymous 7th Tradition distribution chart.
Once an Underearners Anonymous group has passed a prudent reserve contribution to UA services to help make UA, available to any underearner who comes along needing its help, UA EXPERIENCE has shown it is not a good idea for a group to accumulate large funds in excess of what is needed. The following is a contribution plan that is SUGGESTED by the General Service Board (GSB) of Underearners Anonymous, showing a split of 60% of contributions to the GSB, 30% to support the annual World Service Conference, and 10% to a fund for scholarships/stipends to attend the conference.
The idea is to post the 7th tradition distribution chart on the UA website as a resource for current and new meeting. This resource can also be used in new meeting starter packets.
Note: The discussion surrounding this proposal made clear that UA donations received via PayPal will be split according to the above formula, unless explicitly specified otherwise. Donors that want to opt out of the above formula can also send paper checks to the P.O. Box.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:11 PM Pacific Time (10:11 PM Eastern Time)
Respectfully submitted,
Ed W.
Secretary, General Service Board of UA