October 2007

Welcome to the new, online Fellowship-Wide Services Newsletter!

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What happened at the Annual Business Meeting (ABM)?  

Every year delegates from all over the S.L.A.A. Fellowship, who together form the F.W.S. Conference, gather together at the ABM to discuss and vote on Fellowship business.  There’s not enough room to tell all here, but we’ll share a couple of things that took place.  If you have a local Intergroup then your delegate can tell you more.  Also, you can download the full minutes of the ABM here.  For now, we’ll focus on two highlights.  The first is about changes to our Endowment Fund, now called the Prudent Reserve Fund.  The second is about the creation of a new Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions book that is underway.  [Click here for more.] 

For more information about contributing a written submission for the 12x12, go to http://www.slaafws.org/submit1212.  Your submission is eagerly awaited.

Meet our three newest Board members.

At the recent ABM the Conference of Delegates elected two S.L.A.A. members to the Board of Trustees.  Rico J., from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Bob F. from Omaha, NE were elected to three-year terms.  In addition, since the ABM, the Board of Trustees has appointed a third S.L.A.A. member, Liz D. from Philadelphia, PA to a vacant two-year term.  The Board of Trustees is very happy to have all three new members.  [Click here to read letters of introduction from the new Board members.]

Update on S.L.A.A. website development.

Since the ABM, our volunteer webmaster and member of the BPRC, Beth S, the F.W.S. General Manager, Linda Hamilton, and our BOT Chair, Dan A., have been working tirelessly to make our F.W.S. website a better place for all of us.  They wisely have broken down the task into three stages: 1) changing servers and improving the functionality of the current design (nearing completion), 2) updating the entire content of the site (just beginning), and 3) creating new functionality that will allow us to serve visitors (potential members), members, and Intergroups better.  Beth has created the following report detailing all of the exciting and important things that have been accomplished and that are in the works.  Thanks Beth, Linda and Dan for all of your hard work.  [Click here to read Beth’s exciting report.]

A Report from the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Things have been very rough at Fellowship-Wide Services for the past 21 months, since the office moved from Boston, MA to San Antonio, TX.  I’ve been on the Board of Trustees for exactly those 21 months, and it has been quite a ride.  Since becoming the Board Chair three months ago I have spoken to people all over the Fellowship and I hear one thing loudest: “tell us what is really going on!”  I’m going to do exactly that.  What I have to say may ruffle the feathers of some who have served our Fellowship in good faith in the past.  To those people I offer my apologies.  The unity of our Fellowship demands straight talk.  That unity is, and always will be, my number one priority.

In essence I have three messages for the Fellowship of S.L.A.A. 

1. An unvarnished acknowledgement of serious problems.
2. An account of serious efforts to establish fiscal and operational sobriety.
3. Substantial new initiatives to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.

I’m going to go through a series of topics and I hope that you will see the thread of these three messages throughout my report.  I have tried to keep my report brief, but we need your trust back, and I can’t short-change that goal.    

           [Click here to read more from the BOT Chair about:]
 

·         F.W.S. finances and budgeting.

·         Book-keeping and financial reporting.

·         F.W.S. Prudent Reserve Policy.

·         The relationship between the Board and the Fellowship.

·         Getting back to carrying the message.

If, after reading my report, you have anything, anything at all, that you want me to hear, please let me hear it.  Email me at dan_a@slaafws.org.

Annual F.W.S. Budget for fiscal year 2008.

At their September meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved a budget for fiscal year 2008, which began on October 1.  The budget was submitted by the F.W.S. General Manager, Linda Hamilton, and reviewed by the Board Finance & Operating Committee.  In order to bring the budget into balance it was necessary to include reductions in labor expenses.  The General Manager believes, and the Board agrees, that these cuts are appropriate and necessary.  Appropriate because the ongoing process of streamlining office operations is making it possible to deliver essential services with less person-power.  Necessary because we believe it is our fundamental responsibility to operate the office within the resources you send us.  The estimates of revenue from merchandise-sales and contributions are based on real numbers from recent years.  If contributions increase we will be able to expand our staff and provide more services to sex and love addicts in and out of the rooms of S.L.A.A.  If contributions decrease we will endeavor to find additional expenses to cut.  [Click here for the budget.]

Financial Statements.  (At last!!!)

We have finally brought our accounting system to the point where we can generate accurate income statements.  Click here to see an income statement for fiscal year 2007, which just ended Sept. 30, broken down by month, with some additional comments.

You will notice that we lost $60,000 in the last fiscal year.  If this troubles you, that’s a good sign.  Please see the report from the Board Chair for comments on the reasons for this deficit.  This money came out of what was at that time called the F.W.S. Endowment Fund, but is now called the F.W.S. Prudent Reserve Fund.  This transfer was made in accordance with the written policy of F.W.S. regarding that Fund, which allows for emergency withdrawals under extreme circumstances.  The Board was very disappointed to have to make this withdrawal and is committed to avoiding such withdrawals in the future whenever possible.

We have no balance sheet to show you because the old accounting system, which we are in the middle of replacing, is simply not set up correctly.  At present the bills we owe exceed our cash-on-hand by roughly $15,000, which is not good.  We are doing everything we can to turn this around.  Meanwhile, an accurate balance sheet will be forthcoming as soon as the transition to our new accounting system is completed.

Contributions.

F.W.S. receives contributions from groups, Intergroups, and individuals all over the planet.  Our newsletter usually lists contributions from groups and Intergroups, for two reasons.  First, because many people have told us that they appreciate seeing their group’s contribution recognized.  And second, because seeing all the groups that contribute is an inspiration to those groups that are not yet able to.  

We can’t provide the list of contributions in this newsletter.  That is because our old accounting system, which we are in the middle of replacing, is so cumbersome and poorly designed that it would take many hours of staff time to generate the list, and we simply cannot afford that.  It would be irresponsible.  The new accounting system will generate the list at the click of a mouse.  In the meantime, please know that your group’s contribution is very gratefully received, and that we are doing everything we can to deserve your continued support.

Would you like to help produce this newsletter?

If you are thinking “hey, I could make a better newsletter than that,” then we want to hear from you.  This is just a beginning, and we would love any help we can get in making this newsletter more useful and more effective.  Please contact us so we can find a way to get you involved.  [Click here to send us an email.]