Bylaws - NNIG

BY-LAWS

OF THE

NORTHERN NEVADA INTERGROUP

ASSOCIATION

OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

1. PREAMBLE

1.1 General Warranties of the Northern Nevada Intergroup Association of Alcoholics Anonymous: .

In all its proceedings, the Intergroup Association shall observe the spirit of A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the Intergroup Association never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, be its prudent financial principal; that none of the Intergroup Association members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others; that all important decisions be reached by discussion, vote, and whenever possible, substantial unanimity; that no Intergroup Association action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; that though the Intergroup Association may act for the service of Alcoholics Anonymous Groups in the Northern Nevada area and parts of Northern California, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Intergroup Association itself will always remain democratic in thought and action.

(The above is adapted and modified from "The A.A. Service Manual", and A.A. co-founder Bill W's Twelve Concepts for World Service Concept XII, as adopted by the General Service Conference on April 26, 1962. This adaptation of copyrighted A.A. material has been approved by the General Service Board.)

2. NAME AND PURPOSE OF ORGANIZATION

2.1 Name

A. The name of the organization shall be known as: NORTHERN NEVADA INTERGROUP ASSOCIATION OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS.

2.2 Purpose

A. Tradition Two, "For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority--a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern." The Intergroup Association follows the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. These By-Laws are not meant to replace them. It is the Group conscience as expressed through the Intergroup Association Representative that has the final authority on any issue in our Intergroup Association.

B. The Purpose of the Intergroup Association and Central Service Committee shall be the administration and coordination of A.A. activities common to the various groups comprising its membership. For the purpose of these By-Laws, the term "Group" shall include A.A. Meetings registered with the Central Office for more than thirty (30) days.

C. Furthering the A.A. program in accordance with the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.

D. Maintaining a Central Office as a communication center for A.A. in the area.

E. Specifically excluding from the objectives of the Intergroup Association and the Central Service Committee are the operation of any club, club house, or drying-out place, and the endorsement of any public or private projects on alcoholism as outlined in Tradition Six.

3. INTERGROUP ASSOCIATION

3.1 Membership

A. The membership of the Intergroup Association shall consist of the designated Intergroup Representatives (“Representatives”) from each Northern Nevada A.A. Group that has registered with the Northern Nevada Intergroup Central Office. In order that its Intergroup Representative may vote at a meeting of the membership, the group must have registered at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the meeting in question. Each Representative shall serve for the period designated by his or her Group, subject always to recall by the Group he or she represents. Each member Group shall be entitled to one (1) vote in the meetings of the Intergroup Association. Groups more than 25 miles distant from Reno may send a Representative or designate a local A.A. member by written proxy (delivered to the Secretary at the meeting) to represent and vote for the distant Group, however no A.A. member may at any one meeting represent more than three (3) distant Groups. Meetings of the membership are sometimes referred to herein as “meetings of the Intergroup Association”.

3.2 Meetings

A. The Intergroup Association shall meet monthly on the first Tuesday of each month. A special Intergroup Association meeting may be called at any other time:

(1) by a majority vote of the Central Service Committee, or

(2) by petition to the Central Service Committee signed by the Representatives of at least 5% of the registered Groups. (Note: 5% is required by law.)

If a special meeting is called, the Central Service Committee shall immediately instruct the Central Office to issue proper notification to all Representatives. Proper notification of any special meeting of the Intergroup Association shall consist of written notices mailed to all Representatives at least ten (10) but not more than sixty (60) days prior to the date of the meeting. (Note: This notice period is required by law. The law requires the notices to go to the Representatives, not the Groups.)

B. At all Intergroup Association meetings, those Representatives present shall constitute a quorum and a simple majority of the Representatives present shall govern for voting purposes.

4. STEERING COMMITTEE

4.1 Membership

A. The Representatives shall elect a Steering Committee, which shall be the corporation’s board of directors, the consisting of the following Officers and Committee Chairs; a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Answering Service Chairperson, Treatment Facilities Chairperson, Correctional Facilities Chairperson, Bridging the Gap Chairperson, Cooperation with the Professional Community Chairperson, Public Information Chairperson, "The Bracer" Committee Chairperson, Speaker Meeting Chairperson, Sunshine Committee Chairperson and Picnic Committee Chairperson. In addition, , the Liaison of the Northern Area 42 General Service Committee, and the Central Office Executive Director shall also serve as non-voting members of the Steering Committee.

B. The election of the above Officers and Committee Chairs will be held at the regular June meeting of the Intergroup Association. Elected Officers and Committee Chairs shall assume their duties immediately and shall serve for a one (1) year term, and may not hold office for more than two (2) consecutive terms.

(1) In the event of a vacancy, the Chairperson may appoint someone to serve in the interim until the Group Representatives fill the position by election. The interim Officer or Committee Chairperson will have the full rights and privileges of an elected Officer or Committee Chairperson. The Chairperson will inform the Intergroup Association at its next monthly meeting that a vacancy has occurred and ask for nominees for the office to be elected the following month. Those nominees, and any other names of interested people, will be put in nomination and then the election will take place. A person elected in this fashion will still be eligible to serve two (2) full additional terms.

C. The Steering Committee shall be comprised of A.A. members who have had continuous sobriety for at least two (2) years, and maintenance of sobriety shall be required throughout their term of office.

D. Officers and Committee Chairs of the Steering Committee are expected to attend all Intergroup Association monthly meetings. If any Officer or Committee Chair is absent from three (3) consecutive meetings without good cause, it shall be deemed that he or she has offered his or her resignation from that office, subject to acceptance by the Chairman (or in the Chairman’s case, by the next ranking constitutional officer).

E. The Central Service Committee shall be a standing subcommittee of the Steering Committee. It shall be composed of the four constitutional officers of the corporation and two Representatives elected by the Representatives at the June meeting. The Committee shall meet on the last Tuesday of each month and shall make policy and decisions regarding the operations of the Central Office; reporting to the Steering Committee and the Representatives at meetings of the Intergroup Association. Any Representative or Committee Chair may bring reports or concerns to meetings of the Central Service Committee. The Central Service Committee shall develop a job description and written guidelines for the Central Office Executive Director and any other paid employee. The documents will be available for inspection by any Intergroup member.

4.2 Meetings

A. The Steering Committee shall hold regular monthly meetings in conjunction with the Intergroup Association meetings. Special Steering Committee meetings may be called: (1) upon petition by at least 25% of the Representatives; or (2) in an emergency by the Chairperson. Reasonable notice of such meetings shall be given to all Steering Committee members and the Representatives. Special meetings will be open and any Representative may attend as an observer.

B. A quorum to conduct regular meetings or special meetings of the Steering Committee shall consist of three-fifths (3/5) of the voting members. A quorum being present, matters before the Committee shall be decided by simple majority vote of those members present.

4.3 The Central Service Committee.

A. The Central Service Committee shall be a standing sub-committee of the Steering Committee and shall have the authority and responsibility to direct the general affairs of the Central Office. The Committee shall also select, evaluate, set the wages and benefits of and, if necessary, terminate the Executive Director.

B. The selection of the Executive Director will be opened to any AA member with reasonable notification through "The Bracer". The Central Service Committee, with input from the Intergroup Association, will decide what process to utilize for screening applicants. The final selection must be approved by the Intergroup Association at the next regular meeting. Until such approval is obtained, the Central Service Committee may appoint an interim Central Office Executive Director.

5. DUTIES OF MEMBERS ON THE STEERING COMMITTEE

5.1 Chairperson: Presides at all meetings of the Intergroup Association and the Central Service Committee. In matters where there is a tie in the vote, casts his/her vote to break the tie. Is responsible for conducting all meetings in the spirit of the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Assures that all activities are conducted in the spirit and intent of the Intergroup Association By-Laws.

5.2 Vice-Chairperson: Assumes duties of the Chairperson in his/her absence.

5.3 Secretary: Keeps minutes of all meetings. Provides copies of minutes to the Chairperson of Intergroup, the Chairperson of "The Bracer" Committee and the Central Office Executive Director.

5.4 Treasurer: Is the custodian and one of the cosigners of the bank accounts. Makes a report of contributions and expenditures at every regular monthly Intergroup Association meeting.

5.5 Answering Service Chairperson: Obtains volunteers and assigns shifts to assure a viable telephone answering service during times the Central Office is closed. In cooperation with the Central Office, periodically publishes an updated Twelve-Step list for use by the Central Office volunteers and the Answering Service volunteers.

5.6 Treatment Facilities Chairperson: Forms a Committee and performs functions with respect to area treatment facilities as suggested in the General Service Office Guidelines and other publications available from the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous (‘the GSO”).

5.7 Correctional Facilities Chairperson: Forms a Committee and performs functions with respect to area correctional facilities as suggested in the General Service Office Guidelines and other publications available from the GSO.

5.8 Bridging the Gap Chairperson: Forms a Committee and performs functions with respect to bridging the gap functions as suggested in the General Service Office Guidelines and other publications available from the GSO.

5.9 Cooperation with the Professional Community Chairperson: Forms a Committee and performs functions as suggested in the General Service Office Guidelines and other publications available from GSO.

5.10 Public Information Chairperson: Forms a Committee and performs functions as suggested in the General Service Office Guidelines and other publications available from GSO.

5.11 "The Bracer" Committee Chairperson: Coordinates the publishing of "The Bracer" with the assistance of other Committee members.

5.12 Central Office Executive Director: Is a non-voting member of the Central Service Committee.

5.13 The Liaison of the Northern Area 42 General Service Committee: Is a non-voting member of the Central Service Committee.

5.14 Speaker Chairperson: Candidates must have two (2) years continuous sobriety and one (1) year experience in service to the Fellowship. The Chairperson shall be responsible for organizing the monthly Northern Nevada Intergroup Speaker Meeting. The Chairperson will form a committee to help with the Speaker and to help form guidelines for the Speaker Meeting.

5.15 Sunshine Committee Chairperson: The Chairperson will form a committee to help carry the message to A.A. members who may be hospitalized.

5.16 Picnic Committee Chairperson: The Chairperson will form a committee to facilitate the Intergroup Annual A.A. Picnic.

6. CENTRAL OFFICE.

6.1 The activities of the Central Office shall be financed primarily by the contributions of its member Groups, sales of books and any special contributions, i.e., funds realized from A.A. functions.

6.2 The Central Office may accept donations from A.A. members, conforming with the general practice of Alcoholics Anonymous. The acceptance of bequests from any source or donations from any outside source is prohibited.

6.3 The Central Office will have an adequate supply of A.A. Conference approved books and literature at all times.

6.4 The Central Office will maintain an adequate supply of non-Conference approved items as deemed necessary by the Intergroup Association and Central Service Committee.

7. CENTRAL OFFICE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

7.1 The Central Office Executive Director is responsible for the daily activities of the Central Office.

7.2 The Central Office exists to aid Groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

7.3 The Central Office Executive Director is a paid employee selected by the Central Service Committee and approved by the Intergroup Association.

A. Salary, benefits and conditions of work are determined by the Central Service Committee and approved by the Intergroup Association.

8. CURRENT POLICIES OF THE INTERGROUP ASSOCIATION

8.1 There are no paid members for carrying the A.A. message. However, our Service Centers may employ workers to handle the details of such Centers or Offices.

8.2 The Intergroup Association and Central Service Committee shall sponsor the monthly Intergroup Speaker Meeting.

8.3 The Intergroup Association, the Central Office and the Central Service Committee will cooperate with any A.A. committee as to their event or activity which may be arranged by them; but, except as provided below, will assume no responsibility for their event or activity beyond encouragement and support.

8.4 Liability Insurance for any AA-related event or activity shall be the sole responsibility of the particular Committee which arranges such event or activity; provided, however that with the approval of the Chairman, any such Committee may purchase “rider coverage” under the Central Office’s general liability coverage for an AA activity by paying the involved premium to the Central Office in advance of the activity .

8.5 The Intergroup Association and Steering Committee will sponsor the Annual A.A. Picnic.

8.6 The Steering Committee and the Steering will cooperate with the Northern Area 42 General Service Committee in supporting AA activites.

8.7 The Intergroup Association and Steering Committee will provide for the publishing of the monthly newsletter, "The Bracer".

A. In the absence of a “Bracer” Committee Chairperson, the Central Office Executive Director will be responsible to publish "The Bracer" each month. The Central Service Committee will determine who receives "The Bracer" and any subscription fees that may be charged.

9. A.A. GROUP AUTHORITY

9.1 Matters which relate to policy affecting A.A. Groups in this area, or affecting A.A. as a whole, shall be automatically tabled for thirty (30) days by the Steering Committee and referred to the groups for discussion, consideration and recommendation to their Representatives in the Intergroup Association.

9.2 Any purposed amendments to these By-Laws shall be presented in writing at a regularly-scheduled meeting of the Northern Nevada Intergroup Association. The proposed amendment shall be automatically tabled in accordance with Section 9.1 of these By-Laws and shall be published in the Bracer (either in it entirety where space permits, or by reference to a complete copy located at the Central Office) at least once prior to any vote by the Intergroup Association. A two-thirds approval vote by the members present at the next regularly-scheduled meeting of the Northern Nevada Intergroup Association shall constitute adoption of the amendment. All amendments shall take effect upon adoption unless otherwise noted in the motion. Revised copies of the affected section(s) of the By-Laws shall be made available within thirty (30) days of adoption.

10. FINANCIAL REPORTS FROM CTBTG.

10.1 “Pink Can” Funds. “Pink Can” funds will be used by the Treatment, Corrections and Bridging the Gap Committees to support those functions. Those Committees shall be responsible for accounting for the receipt and use of those funds to the Steering Committee and the Treasurer as provided herein.

10.2 CTBTG Treasurer. The Chairs of the Treatment Committee, the Corrections Committee and the Bridging the Gap Committee shall elect a CTBTG Treasurer, who will serve at their pleasure. The CTBTG Treasurer shall prepare a written financial report showing income, expenses and funds on hand in reasonable detail on a monthly basis, and shall provide a copy of that report to the Intergroup Treasurer in advance of each Steering Committee meeting. The CTBTG financial report shall be published in the Bracer.

11. DISSOLUTION OF THE INTERGROUP ASSOCIATION

11.1 Upon the dissolution of the organization, the Central Service Committee shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all the liabilities of the organization, dispose of all the assets of the organization exclusively for the purposes of the organization in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under the Internal Revenue Code as the Central Service Committee shall determine. Any of such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by any court having jurisdiction in the county in which the principal office of the organization is then is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine.