The AA Financial Picture
Sergeant Bilko
finances. For a fringe member is a bit difficult to get facts and one would
probably draw conclusions based more on rumor and undependable sources - but
for a regular member the information is readily available. AA is made up
of groups, and groups are made up of members - groups are connected by being
registered with GSO, members are connected by joining a group. All the
financial stuff is available to every registered group, so anyone connected
has access to all the info. Since most of us are not accountants, we may
have a little trouble understanding some of the financial lingo. Things
like "prudent reserve", "functional expenses", "fixed assets", "accounting
policies" - but the info is available.
One easy way to separate the wheat from the shaft is to get a "service
sponsor". This is someone to help you find your way through the "business"
part of AA, and the service part. A good person to ask is a past delegate,
past area officer, or past DCM. People like that are usually able to tell
you where the information is and how to get it. If you are sincerely
interested, they are probably willing to help.
Much of the info is mailed to the GSR of each group. But many groups
select newer people to be GSR and they are not usually aware enough of the
overall AA picture to dig the info out of the mailings - and if they do,
many groups don't give them an adequate opportunity to report anyway - and
if they have the opportunity, most members don't listen. So even though the
info is published, most members never get it - and then they frequently view
it as "secret stuff" controlled by some devious phantom character.
For instance - a copy of the "Final Conference Report" for the April '98
Conference (yearly business meeting) is provided for each group in most
Areas. It is also available for any member to order via the regular AA
literature catalogue which is mailed to each group. It includes about 10
pages of numbers and explanations including a 3 page report from an
independent auditor. This should be enough to keep the most inquisitive
member happy.
BTW - the "prudent reserve" - any judgement of this based on just the amount
is useless. It is established by calculating the expenses committed to
over an agreed to period of time. Without understanding the expenses and
who is responsible to determine the period of time, it doesn't make much
sense to comment on the amount.
Sarge
Buddy
> If you are a member of AA perhaps you would like to know about the AA
> finances.
Thanks for posting this information, Sarge. I hope you will
continue to do so. I believe that it is a good thing to use this
newsgroup to popularize AA information by posting any details that
would be appropriate in a public forum.
--
Regards,
Buddy
Martha Brummett
<fwr...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>If you are a member of AA perhaps you would like to know about the AA
>finances.....
This is an excellent overview. I've kept it to print out for
distribution at what I guess is my new home group.
Martha B.
Denver CO
10/3/83
Sergeant Bilko
know how soggy brainscells can deteriorate.
Sarge
Martha Brummett wrote in message <37045790...@news.diac.com>...