1. The District Meeting
A. The District Meeting will be held on a monthly basis, whenever possible.
B. The meeting will be at a location and on the date selected by the DCM.
These will be announced as far in advance as possible.
C. The agenda for the district meetings will be prepared by the DCM and assisted by the District Secretary.
D. Agenda items must be turned into the DCM two weeks prior to the next district meeting in order to have them sent with the minutes.
E. Meeting notices, agendas, workshop topics, and the minutes of the last District meeting will be sent out to all voting members of all registered groups of the District no less than one week prior to the next District meeting by email or if no email address is available by regular mail.
F. Only voting members on the secretary’s role will be permitted to vote on District business.
G. A majority vote will be sufficient for usual District Business including the election of officers. Nonetheless, a two-thirds majority written ballot will be necessary for the removal of any District officer and, if requested by a member in attendance, a two-thirds majority written ballot will be necessary for election of District officers.
2. Membership
A. Voting members of the District shall comprise the General Service Representatives (GSRs) of all registered groups in District 10, the DCM, Secretary, Treasurer and all standing committee chairpersons. The alternate DCM, alternate Secretary, alternate Treasurer, alternate standing committee chairpersons, and the alternate GSRs of all registered groups may vote in place of voting members if they are not present. No one person shall have more than one vote. Therefore, it is suggested, if practicable, that no one person hold more than one voting position at the District.
3. The General Service Representative
The following are among the duties and qualifications of the GSR's
A. All District 10 GSRs are full voting members of the District and are expected to attend all 12 District meetings each year of their term.
B. GSRs should have at least two years of continuous sobriety.
C. If a GSR misses two consecutive District meetings and is not represented by an alternate, the DCM may contact the appropriate GSR or group to seek a remedy to the situation or to seek a qualified replacement.
D. The GSR will be responsible for providing his/her DCM with group information for mailing lists and AA directories in time to meet appropriate deadlines.
E. GSRs are asked to report back to their groups the activities of the District meetings.
F. GSRs will be asked from time to time by the DCM or District to help interpret their group conscience on matters to be considered.
G. For more information, see the AA GSR Pamphlet .
4. District Officers
A. The elected officers of the District will be the DCM, the alternate DCM, Secretary and Treasurer, each to serve two-year terms. The Secretary and Treasurer shall have the option, respectively, to appoint an alternate Secretary and an alternate Treasurer.
5. DCM - Qualifications
A. The DCM has usually served as a GSR and is elected by other GSRs to take responsibility for the District’s activities. If the person chosen is a current GSR, it is suggested, if practicable, that a new GSR should be elected to take his/her position.
B. A DCM should have enough sobriety (generally 4 to 5 years) to be eligible for election to Delegate.
C. He or she also needs to have the time to serve the District well.
6. DCM - Duties
The DCM’s job is primarily that of two-way communication. The DCM:
• Regularly attends all District meetings and Area Assemblies.
• Communicates with the groups in the District by receiving reports from the GSRs and through personal contact.
• Chairs regular meetings of all GSRs in the District.
• Assists the Area 60 General Service Conference delegate in carrying out his or her responsibilities in so far as they apply to District 10.
• Keeps the GSRs informed about Area 60 and General Service Conference activities.
• Helps ensure that the GSRs are acquainted with the AA Service Manual, the Twelve Concepts of World Service, the GSO bulletin Box 4-5-9, workbooks and guidelines from GSO, and other service material.
• Encourages GSRs to make interesting reports to their groups and bring AA members to service events.
• Keeps groups informed about Conference-approved books and pamphlets.
• Helps organize workshops, sharing sessions on service activities, and other District 10 events and activities.
For more information see the AA "Your DCM" Pamphlet.
7. The Alternate DCM - Duties
A. The alternate is a backup for the DCM. If the DCM resigns or is unable to serve for any reason, the alternate steps in.
B. Usually the alternate is elected at the same time as the DCM, by the same procedure.
C. Alternate committee members should be encouraged to assist, participate, and share in the DCMs responsibilities at the district and area meetings.
D. The Alternate DCM will have the responsibility of coordinating Workshops at the District, including finding people to help perform these workshops.
8. The Secretary - Duties and Qualifications
A. The secretary will carry out the duties of district secretary as indicated in the AA Service Manual.
B. The secretary should have at least two years of continuous sobriety.
C. The secretary should have served at least one full term as GSR, standing committee chairperson, or DCM. Typing or keyboarding skills would be helpful.
D. The secretary will be responsible for taking the minutes of the District meeting and receiving all standing committee meeting minutes.
E. The secretary is to assist the DCM in preparing the District agenda, taking care that business carried over from the previous District meeting is placed on the agenda.
F. The secretary is responsible for all minutes and records of the District and will be responsible for keeping the original and all undistributed copies of the District 10 guidelines, and to see that they are properly updated when amended by the District. The secretary will be responsible for seeing that all voting members of the District receive a copy of the District guidelines.
G. The secretary will be responsible for keeping all mailing lists up to date, including the name, address and telephone number of every District officer, standing committee chairpersons, GSRs, and their alternates whenever possible.
H. The secretary may have a petty cash fund to be replenished monthly.
9. Alternate Secretary - Duties and Qualifications
A. The alternate secretary is to assist the secretary in completion of the stated duties.
B. If the secretary is unable to finish the term, the alternate secretary will automatically become secretary to finish the term.
C. The alternate secretary will assume the secretary’s duties when the secretary is absent.
D. The alternate secretary will have a vote only in the absence of the secretary.
E. The alternate secretary should have at least two years of continuous sobriety. Typing or keyboarding skills would be helpful.
F. The alternate secretary should have served at least one full term as standing committee chairperson, DCM, or GSR.
10. Treasurer - Duties and Qualifications
A. The treasurer will carry out the duties indicated in the AA Service Manual.
B. The treasurer should have at least two years of continuous sobriety.
C. The treasurer should have served at least one full term as DCM, standing committee chairperson, or GSR.
D. The treasurer is responsible for being guardian of all District funds, with an eye for preventing foolish, extravagant or unauthorized spending of District money.
E. The treasurer will be responsible for preparing a monthly financial report and record of group contributions, which will be presented at each District meeting. A copy will be provided to each voting member of the District at the meeting.
F. The treasurer is responsible for making the groups aware of money needed for District and GSO support.
G. The treasurer is responsible for preparing an annual budget for the District, which will be presented for approval of the voting members of the District each December along with a complete report of the previous year’s finances.
H. The treasurer will be responsible for preparing and filing an annual tax statement as required by law.
I. The treasurer will maintain banking arrangements for the deposit of all District receipts and their disbursement in accordance with these guidelines. It is recommended that the bank signature card will contain the signatures of the District treasurer, the DCM, and at least one other District officer and that all checks will be signed by at least two of the three bank signatures.
11. Alternate Treasurer - Duties and Qualifications
A. The alternate treasurer is to assist the District treasurer in the completion of stated duties.
B. If the treasurer is unable to finish the term, the alternate treasurer will automatically become treasurer to finish the term.
C. The alternate treasurer will assume the treasurer’s duties when the treasurer is absent.
D. The alternate treasurer will have a vote only in the absence of the District treasurer.
E. The alternate treasurer should have at least two years of continuous sobriety. Previous outside experience would be helpful.
F. The alternate treasurer should have served at least one full term as DCM, standing committee chairperson, or GSR.
12. District Expenses
A. District expenses will be those approved in the budget by the voting members of the District together with those approved at any District meeting.
13. District Funding
A. Necessary funds must be available for the District to fulfill its responsibilities.
B. Individual members of the District are encouraged to express their gratitude for sobriety by donating to the District one dollar for each year of sobriety.
C. A great portion of the responsibility for funding will come from the individual groups in the District. Each group is asked to provide the District at least one dollar per member per year on a monthly or quarterly basis or to give according to the current literature dealing with AA finances. These contributions however, are voluntary, and the District welcomes whatever amount each group deems appropriate for the support of carrying the message at the District level.
D. Any surplus funds of the District after prudent reserve is maintained may be dispersed to the GSO, Pittsburgh Intergroup and Area 60 by a vote of the voting members.
14. Operation of District Committees
Each District 10 Committee shall function in accordance with AA guidelines from the General Service Office and, when applicable, by coordination with the corresponding Service Committee of Western Pennsylvania AA Area 60.
A. All standing committees shall organize, set goals, and carry out their duties internally. Each committee will be directly responsible to the District and any actions or major decisions affecting District 10 and/or Alcoholics Anonymous, as a whole will require District approval. To be more financially responsible, when a standing committee’s recommendations involve an expenditure of money, an estimate of cost and its impact on the District’s budget will be a part of the recommendation.
B. A standing committee coordinator, should have at least two years of continuous sobriety and will be a voting member of the District. All standing committees will consist of: a coordinator; all group committee representatives elected by their group to serve on that particular committee; and any AA District 10 AA member wishing to serve on that committee, and will serve two year terms corresponding with the area assembly terms. Alternates to each position are very important and those elected should be willing and able to step in if needed.
C. The standing committee coordinator will be responsible for helping corresponding group committees and group representatives get activities and work started at the group level to support and assist individual members and groups in the work for which their particular committee is responsible. In the event a group does not have a committee representative, the coordinator will work directly with that group’s GSR.
D. Each standing committee coordinator will submit a yearly budget to the District treasurer at each December District meeting to assist the District treasurer in preparing a yearly budget.
E. Extra expenditures need a majority vote by the voting members of the District.
15. Standing Committees
A. District 10 Standing Committees are Public Information/Cooperation with the Professional Community (PI/CPC), Correctional Facilities, Archives, Literature, Treatment Facilities, Grapevine, Special Needs and Internet, and any other committee as deemed necessary to cooperate with corresponding committees of Area 60 and the General Service Conference.
B. The District may also form ad-hoc or special task committees for specific projects and specific term.
16. Archives
The Archives committe functions in support of the Archives function of Area 60. The purpose of the archives is to record, store and preserve all types of historical data pertinent to District 10. Suggested length of sobriety is two years and term of position two years, concurrent with that of DCM. Duties include the following:
16.1.1. Solicit materials for archive purposes at the district meeting.
16.1.2. Research and provide archival information at district meetings, as required.
16.1.3. Responsible for delivering all materials/information gathered to Area 60 archives.
16.1.4. Regularly attend district meetings.
More information is found in the AA Archives Guidelines.
17. Public Information/Cooperation with the Professional Community
(PI/CPC)
The purpose of the PI/CPC committee is to coordinate the establishment of useful contact with the media, organizations interested in A.A., and agencies/activities in the field of alcoholism. In all public relationships, AA’s sole objective should be made available freely to all that express sincere interest. The committee members coordinate the activities in each community and solicit the support of A.A. groups. It is important to understand these activities are largely dependent upon the local A.A. groups.
The duties of the PI/CPC committee are: 17.6.1. Report at each district meeting on current and planned activities within the district.
17.6.2. Request group understanding and approval of PI/CPC committee actions.
17.6.3. Organize resources to do PI/CPC committee action(s) work.
17.6.4. Request money for literature, media announcements, etc.
17.6.5. The PI/CPC chairperson regularly attends district meetings.
More information is available in the AA Guidelines on PI/CPC.
18. Corrections
Corrections is the service committee which carries the message of AA to jails, prisons, juvenile detention centers and other institutions of involuntary confinement. Corrections work consists of any project reaching out to the alcoholic who is in prison, jail or other correctional facility. This work can include running or coordinating meetings in facilities; writing alcoholics in prison; or helping the AA who is being released from prison to get to a meeting on the outside.
More information is available in AA Guidelines on Corrections Committees.
19. Literature
The Literature service coordinator is to inform groups, districts or assembly members through displays or other suitable methods, of all available Conference Approved Literature, audio visual material or other special items. This may be a separate position or included within the Grapevine function.
More information is available in the AA Guidelines on Literature.
20. Treatment Facilities
The Treatment Facilities service coordinator deals with how we carry the message to clients of treatment centers and other recovery institutions. This may be a separate position or included within the PI/CPC function.
More information is available in the AA Guidelines on Treatment Facilities.