AREA 79
SECRETARY
About the Secretary
The secretary records and distributes minutes of Area Meetings and Area Service Committee meetings, and sends out area mailings. The secretary is in a good position to act as liaison between officers and committee members. The secretary responds to the messages left on the Area 79 answering service which include requests for meeting information and questions about AA and Area 79. Some messages are forwarded to the appropriate Area Service Committee member or District Committee Members; the secretary responds to more general inquiries ensuring a quick response wherever possible. The secretary also responds to general email inquiries.
JOB
DESCRIPTION
Area Secretary
The secretary records and distributes minutes of area meetings. The secretary is in a good position to act as liaison between officers and committee members. See A.A. Service Manual – Chapter 5.
Duties
Fellowship Connection
- Must be sensitive to Grassroots deadlines and work closely with the editor to ensure that copy is received by the editor in time for preparation and distribution of the newsletter; work with the editor in determining the format in which the minutes are to be submitted. (This may vary from editor to editor.) Because reports are part of all minutes, ensuring that all reports are received in a timely manner is crucial.
- Records minutes of Area Committee debriefs
- Is assigned to chair a committee for the Pre-conference Assembly in April and June.
- Is responsible for checking the Area 79 voicemail or receiving voice messages via email and responding to general inquiries or forwarding messages to the appropriate Area Service Committee member.
- Receives the info@bcyukonaa.org emailed inquiries and responds to the general inquiries or forwards the email to the appropriate GSC member.
- Must have knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
- Is available to assist the Chair during the September Voting Assembly via visual slides, and/or spreadsheets as needed
- Maintains a historical archive of all documents used by the Secretary on the OneDrive.
- Sends all completed minutes to the Website for long-term storage on the Minutes and Rports section of the login website.
- Maintains a printer as well as ink, paper, and other assorted office supplies for the Secretary table at Quarterlies and Assemblies in the Secretary Suitcase.
- Provides printing for the ASC at Quarterlies and Assemblies.
- Collect and record Ask-It-Backet questions at Quarterlies and Assemblies and pass them on to the Chair.
- Maintains a list of Sobriety Dates for the Area Service Committee members and email committee on each anniversary.
Qualifications
The secretary should have a “reasonable period of sobriety”, which might mean two years in an area where A.A. is still young, four or five years in an older area. Some service in group, central office or general service is useful. So is some background in general office work — more and more, computer knowledge is indispensable. An effective secretary needs to have a sense of order and the ability to capture the essentials of what is happening at a meeting. The job is time-consuming and needs to be carried out on schedule, and the secretary needs to be sure that ample time is available.
This position requires an ongoing, heavy time commitment. It would be prudent to discuss letting your name stand for secretary with your family and employer, since it will have an impact on your availability to them over the course of the term. This is a seven-days-a-week commitment.
