DISTRICT 9 SERVICE QUALIFICATIONS

DISTRICT 9 SERVICE POSITIONS

DCM - DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBER

The DCM is an essential link between the group GSR and the area delegate to the General Service Conference. As leader of the district committee, made up of all GSRs in the district, the DCM is exposed to the group conscience of that district. As a member of the area committee, he or she should pass on the district’s thinking to the delegate and the committee. The DCM is reimbursed for expenses in traveling to Area committee meetings and conferences. These reimbursements include: full hotel room rate (if overnight stay is required) cost of gas needed to make the trip, and registration fee and banquet meals at conferences.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The DCM has usually served as a GSR and is elected by other GSRs to take responsibility for district activities.
A DCM should have enough sobriety (generally 4-5 years) to be eligible for election as delegate
He or she also needs to have the time and energy to serve the district well.

DUTIES:

Attend all District 9 meetings and Area assemblies (Spring & Fall). Prepare a written report for each meeting and keep district informed of Area business and activities
Conduct all District 9 meetings
Assist the alternate delegate in obtaining group information from all AA groups within the district, with the help of the alternate DCM, in time to meet the deadline for AA directories
Receive reports from the groups through GSRs and through frequent personal contact with groups in the district.
Keep GSRs informed about Conference activities; this includes setting up opportunities for the delegate’s Conference report and providing the district with the Conference report if the delegate cannot be present
Make sure that GSRs are acquainted with The AA Service Manual, the Twelve Concepts for World Service, the G.S.O. bulletin Box 459, workbooks and guidelines from G.S.O. and any other service material
Help GSRs make interesting reports to groups, and encourage them to bring new AA members to service events
Keep groups informed about Conference approved books and literature
Organize workshops and/or sharing sessions on service activities
Regularly keep in touch with the alternate DCM and the area delegate
Bring Traditions problems to the attention of the area delegate
Make a regular practice of talking to groups (new and old) on the responsibilities of general service work
Submit changes to chairpersons after elections (or whenever a new chairperson is elected) so newly elected chairpersons will have their kits from GSO before beginning their term

ALTERNATE DCM

The alternate DCM is the back-up for the DCM. If the DCM resigns or is unable to serve for any reason, the alternate steps in. Alternate DCM is encouraged to assist, participate, and share in the DCM responsibilities at District and Area meetings.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The alternate DCM has usually served or is currently serving as a GSR and is elected at the same time as the DCM by the same procedure.
Suggested sobriety of 2 years

DUTIES:

Attend all district committee meetings and conduct duties of the DCM in DCM’s absence
If the DCM is unable to attend, the alternate shall attend area assemblies as needed and provide a report
Help organize service events and generally encourage new or additional individuals to get involved in AA service
Help organize and participate in workshops or sharing sessions on service activities within the district and assist Activities chair in this responsibility as needed

SECRETARY

The secretary is the official recorder for the district committee and all its activities.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The secretary needs to have the time and willingness to complete and distribute minutes to the district committee chairs and GSRs in a timely manner
Suggested sobriety of 1 year

DUTIES:

Attend all district committee meetings and give a report of the last meeting minutes to the assembled committee – applicable unfinished business and new business
Take minutes at all district committee meetings: Secretary receives written reports from district committee members, GSRs, takes notes of what is communicated during unfinished and new business and records written minutes of each meeting
The secretary must be able to capture the essentials of what takes place at the district committee meetings, including specifics on motions made
Create a distribution list & edit it accordingly
Pass around an attendance sheet at each meeting for the purpose of editing distribution list and include attendance in the minutes
Keep a District 9 Directory with addresses of all officers, service chairs and GSRs
The secretary shall maintain the Past Actions document and update it monthly according to actions taken by this committee
Email minutes out to the distribution list and mail out to non-attending GSRs or those without an email address within 7 days prior to the next business meeting
Collect group change forms for new GSRs and send into GSO records department for updating. The Alternate DCM will also give this information to the Secretary so they can add them to the directory and the mailing list

TREASURER

The treasurer handles the finances of the district committee. The treasurer must keep accurate records of all income and expenses for the district committee. The treasurer maintains the district checking account.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Must know how to balance a checkbook and have time to reconcile the checkbook with the bank statement and record all transactions on a Treasurer’s report monthly.
Suggested sobriety of 2 years

DUTIES:

Attend all district committee meetings and prepare a written treasurer’s report for each meeting. The report should contain all income and expenses since the last meeting, ending balance, and reconciled amount from the bank statement.
The treasurer will track service chair expenditures and makes them aware of their budgets.
Check the District PO box on a regular basis and distributes mail to district committee members as necessary.
Receive group contributions, typically from the PO box, and deposits these in the checking account. The treasurer also receives any other income, such as money received from literature sales, a district event or activity. All income from these sources must be logged in the checkbook and recorded on the treasurer’s report.
Write checks to cover all district committee approved expenses, such as service chair and DCM expenses, committee meeting rent expenses and district event or activity expenses. All checks must be logged in the checkbook and recorded on the treasurer’s report. Each expense must be properly documented.
Maintain an accurate balance in the checkbook. Bank statements must be reconciled with the checkbook monthly. If unable to reconcile the checkbook with the bank statement, enlist the DCM’s help in finding the problem.

TREATMENT

While A.A. is not affiliated with any form of alcoholism treatment, A.A. Treatment committees are essential in carrying the A.A. message into treatment settings where the suffering alcoholic may be introduced to A.A. for the first time. The Treatment Chair coordinates AA work with treatment centers within the district. He or she should support the efforts of local AA groups and their work with local treatment centers. They will provide experience and assistance in developing projects that will further carry the AA message within treatment centers.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Good communication skills and the ability to organize and schedule volunteers to cover all treatment and BTG (Bridging the Gap) meetings in District 9 as requested
Suggested sobriety of 2 years

DUTIES:

Obtain, read, and use the Treatment Committee workbook kit from GSO
Maintain contact with the Area 73 Treatment Committee Chair, serve on that committee and attend Treatment workshops at the Spring & Fall Assemblies
Maintain communications and build working relationships with treatment facility professionals within the district
Be a contact to the Area 73 Treatment Chair for BTG referrals. This is to provide AA contacts for individuals being discharged from treatment centers
Attend all District 9 meetings and submit a written report of Treatment activities

PUBLIC INFORMATION (PI)

Like all of A.A., the primary purpose of members involved with Public Information service is to carry the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers. Working together, members of local Public Information committees convey A.A. information to the general public through activities such as giving A.A. information talks at schools and civic organization meetings, providing A.A. literature to schools and offices, and insuring local media have accurate information and providing them with A.A. public service announcements. Our purpose is to carry the message of AA to the alcoholic who still suffers. The PI committee achieves this in 3 ways:

Disseminate relevant AA information to interested members of the general public
Through reaching the “3rd person”, who may know someone with an alcohol problem
Through expanding the knowledge of our fellowship about AA

QUALIFICATIONS:

Suggested sobriety of 2 years

DUTIES:

Obtain, read, and use the PI workbook from GSO
Maintain contact with the Area 73 PI committee Chair, serve on that committee and attend PI workshops at the Spring and Fall Assemblies
Provide information and consultation to AA members who provide AA information for fairs, round-ups and non-AA organizations
Distribute the District AA meeting schedule to people or places which may have a need for this information
Work with the Area 73 PI Chair to obtain and distribute conference-approved public service announcements in the media outlets (TV, radio, newspaper)
Verify that all libraries and other such entities have Big Books & other approved literature
Attend all District 9 meetings and submit a written report of PI activities

COOPERATION WITH THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY (CPC)

Members of C.P.C. committees inform professionals and future professionals about A.A.— what we are, where we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do. They attempt to establish better communication between A.A.s and professionals, and to find simple, effective ways of cooperating without affiliating. The CPC service workbook has standard letters which can be sent to the following professionals: Attorneys, Doctors, Clergy, Counselors and Educators. The previous CPC chair can explain what contacts have been made and indicate if literature racks in the community are being stocked by the CPC committee.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Suggested sobriety of 2 years

DUTIES:

Purchase from GSO, read & use the CPC service workbook. District 9 Literature can purchase, or the CPC chair can be reimbursed
Complete the CPC Chairperson update to GSO so you will receive Box 459. This reference has many good ideas for CPC projects
Obtain or compile a list of professionals, by group, within the district. The previous CPC chair may have one which needs updating, or use the yellow pages or professional organizations to create a new list
A mass mailing is typically done at the first quarter and third quarter of the year, one group of professionals at a time. A 20% response rate is typical on this project. Experience has brought contacts through physicians and attorneys. There should be literature racks set up for the school systems and medical facilities.
Maintain contact with the Area 73 CPC Committee Chair, serve on that committee and attend CPC workshops at the Spring & Fall Conferences and Service Weekend
Attend all District 9 meetings and provide a written report of CPC activities

CORRECTIONS

The purpose of a corrections committee is to coordinate the work of individual A.A. members and groups who are interested in carrying our message of recovery to incarcerated alcoholics. Bringing meetings and literature into facilities, raising awareness of the Corrections Correspondence Service (C.C.S.) among “inside” and “outside” A.A. members, and helping inmates transition to a local A.A. Community through Prerelease contacts are just some of the activities corrections committees support.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Suggested sobriety of 2 years

DUTIES:

Obtain, read, and use the Correctional Facilities workbook kit from GSO
Maintain contact with the Area 73 Corrections Committee Chair, serve on that committee and attend Corrections workshops at the Spring & Fall Assemblies
Maintain communications and build a working relationship with local correctional facility professionals
Be a contact to the Area 73 Corrections Chair for Bridging-the-Gap referrals. This is to provide AA contacts for inmates being released from correctional facilities.
Attend all District 9 meetings and provide a written report of Corrections activities.

GRAPEVINE

The Grapevine Representative for District 9 carries the AA message through print, the “AA Grapevine”. This person maintains a Grapevine display and keeps the literature in the display current and neat. The representative must be willing to setup the District 9 Grapevine display at AA group or district functions. He or she should be creative in finding methods of promoting the AA Grapevine such as: raffle subscription at District functions, host a Grapevine workshop, or solicit AA members to submit an article to the Grapevine

QUALIFICATIONS:

The Grapevine chair should have the space to store grapevine materials and display for the duration of their term.
Suggested sobriety of 1 year

DUTIES:

Obtain, read, and use the workbook “A Guide to the AA Grapevine” from GSO
Store & maintain the District 9 Grapevine display
Setup the Grapevine display for viewing at AA group and District functions, as requested & have blank Grapevine subscription forms available
Become familiar with the Grapevine website – www.aagrapevine.org
Maintain contact with the Area 73 Grapevine Chair, serve on that committee and attend Grapevine workshops at the Spring & Fall Assemblies
Attend all District 9 meetings and provide a written report of Grapevine activities

LITERATURE

The focus of Literature committees is to assure that A.A. literature is available for A.A. groups, service meetings and other A.A. events. Through displays, supplies of A.A. catalogs and order forms, and A.A. literature workshops these committees help A.A. members carry the A.A. message through our literature.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The Literature Chair should have the space to store literature inventory for the duration of their term.
Suggested sobriety of 1 year

DUTIES:

Maintain a stock of suggested literature to give new GSRs
Maintain and store a stock of Conference-approved literature (books, pamphlets, videos and other materials) for sale to AA groups or individuals within the district
Maintain a stock of catalogs and order forms for literature
Order literature from GSO as needed
Set-up the traveling Literature display for viewing and sale at the AA group and district functions as requested.
Become familiar with the general contents of all literature and keep current with new and upcoming or revised literature and materials from GSO, in order to provide information to inquirers
Maintain contact with the Area 73 Literature Chair, serve on that committee and attend Literature workshops at the Spring & Fall conferences and Service Weekend
Attend all District 9 meetings and submit a written report of Literature activities