OPENING REPORT
C.A. WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE 2021
WORLD SERVICE OFFICE BOARD REPORT
OPENING REPORT
C.A. WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE 2021
WORLD SERVICE OFFICE BOARD REPORT
INTRODUCTION AND OPENING COMMENTS:
Good evening, my name is Brenda Mabin and I’m a cocaine addict. I wish to express my gratitude to the World Service Office Board and World Service Board of Trustees and the Conference Committee for allowing me to serve the fellowship that helped me recreate my life. I’d also like to thank the former Chairman Randy Moss for his leadership and dedicated service to the fellowship. I’d also thank Linda Francisco for her years of service as the Director of Operations.
We’re all here to begin doing the annual business of Cocaine Anonymous. I am very proud of the way our membership faced a worldwide pandemic with innovative ways to continue our primary purpose to help the still suffering addicts with virtual meetings and donations. The World Service office board faced exciting challenges. Under the leadership of Lolita Smith, the new Directors of Operations, the board developed initiatives which targeted process improvement; cost cutting and generating income. The details are outlined later in this report.
I am pleased to present to you the World Service Office Board
COMMITTEE INTRODUCTIONS:
Chairperson Brenda Mabin wsobchair@ca.org
Vice Chairperson: Alesia Fleming wsovchair@ca.org
Treasurer: Michael Towler treasurer@ca.org
Secretary Cathal McCauley wsosecretary@ca.com
Director of Convention and Conf. Robert Byrd anirishbird@hotmail.com
World Service Trustee: Tom Phelan wst@ca.org
World Service Office Trustee: Kevin Murphy wsot@ca.org
Director of Operations: Lolita Smith doo@ca.org
Director at Large Open
Director at Large David Crosland davidcrosland@fastmail.fm
Director at Large Ron Davis rwdavis59@yahoo.com
During 2020 and 2021 the WSOB Board successfully achieved the following:
- Created Office Procedure Manual
- Implement Covid-19 office and employee protocols
- Updated Servers and Applications
- Updated the Phone System
- Cleared Warehouse for optimal space
- Attended Regional Caucuses to listen to concerns and extend invitation to attend the WSOB meeting.
- Created a more transparent and inclusive protocol for recruiting new Board Directors.
- Appointed new Director of Conventions and Conferences and developed strategies for the role.
- Developed Pie Chart to communicate financial expenditure to our members (See attached)
- Worked with World Service Conference and Finance Committees on a motion to reinforce the World Convention vetting process.
- Purchased the Quick Book account software to the convention treasurer for a more-timely report
- Developed new strategies to advertise the Freedom Fund for sustainable income
- Implemented conference decision to increase literature prices in affordable increments and committed to ongoing review.
- Area licensing agreements are in place to allow more control to print translated pamphlets
- Worked with Canada to publish the French translation of A Quiet Peace
- Currently working on The Twelve Step Companion Guide
- Vendor Review resulted in new publishers and editors
- Hired Office Manager (DOO)
- Offered Medical Insurance to employees
- Reduced the number of paid staff
- Implemented performance reviews for all employees
- Updated job expectations for volunteer
WSOB REFERRALS
2017 – 7 Referral
5 Closed with comments
2 deferred (LFC and IT)
2018 – 1 Referrals
1 closed with comments
2019 – 28 Referrals
25 closed with comments
2 open
1 deferred to IT
2020 – 5 Referral
1 open
4 closed with comments
2021 – 7 Referrals Pre Conferences
7 – Will be assigned and answered.
The WSOB has elected to provide our members with detailed financial data, which includes revenue and expenses. The WSOB will publish an annual pie chart of our financial data for you to share with your areas. Below is the snapshot of 2020.
Program Services Expense-Breakdown:
NEW GRAM:
To the 2021 WS Conference:
As we were preparing for this year Conference, most of our service work, if not all, has been behind a screen for the last 18 months. As everything, there is always two sides to a coin, on one side, we missed hugging, feeling each other in the flesh and a Conference and a Convention. On the other side, we made a lot of contacts with our worldwide Fellowship, made new friends but the big plus for me and for C.A. it gave us the opportunity to reach-out globally and also locally to a lot of newcomers that are away from the bulk of our meetings.
Over and above being sober, the most precious gift of learning that I receive from C.A. is to be of service. It is my pleasure to serve as your NewsGram Editor. This is my fourth year in this position, and I would like to thank Susan B. for being the associate editor and bearing with me and Heidi J as our angel and additional set of eyes. They also help in bringing articles and proofing each edition, along with Lolita S., WSO Director of Operations. We also have the support of Chris R and George M., as NewsGram Trustees.
The last two years we received articles from Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Russia, United Kingdom, as well as the States of California, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, New York. Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington USA. We also received articles from Archive, Conference, Finance, H&I, IT, LCF, PI and Unity, WSC committees, and finally from WSO and WSBT.
We also had non-English articles published in Dutch, French, Greek, and Portuguese.
Still our biggest challenge is always to receive your articles in a timely manner, more so during those difficult months. It takes about 2 months to complete an edition, from gathering data (articles, updating information) editing articles, building a draft copy, proofing and then having it approved by the WSOB and finally to the WSBT, where they check it for Tradition violations and then back to WSO for printing and distribution. So, we really need your support and your articles. You, as Delegates and WSC Committees chairs are our main channel for this. It is important for each region to nominate a NewsGram delegate to be the channel for our communication with all your area’s delegates.
Most importantly, the NewsGram is YOUR publication! We need your input on what you’d like to see changed, added, taken out, articles or topics you’d like to see, etc.
You can now upload your article and complete the release form directly through the ca.org website, or you can still use snail mail or email.
In closing, I would like to remind you all my dream to publish a special edition of the NewsGram with an article from each area of C.A. in your own language. Are you up for this?
Thank you for letting me be of service,
Yves White
newsgram@ca.org
CLOSING COMMENTS
Your World Service Office Board is ready to take on the challenges we face. We invite any member to visit our monthly board meeting to ask for our help, and to help us continue to serve. Each individual on the WSOB is committed to their personal program of recovery which enables us to work together as a team in service to our fellowship and this World Service Conference.
Respectfully Submitted
Brenda Mabin
WSOB Chair
Original SR-14 Motion for Date Change – 2024 CAWS Convention (Netherlands)
To better serve the fellowship through fiduciary prudence, the 2024 CAWS Convention Committee is investigating a potential date change for the event. The targeted hotel has provided a significant cost savings proposal currently valued at €5,150 ($6,284 using the 1.22 conversion rate as of 30-May-24) if the time frame is moved to July. This cost savings is the initial offer from the hotel and is non-inclusive of any additional negotiating or cost reduction(s). It is the feeling of the committee that additional savings can be negotiated by pursuing this change in date.
The committee has requested that the Hotel provide “First Right of Refusal” on both the originally planned time frame (23-May-24 to 27-May-24) as well as the proposed new time frame (11-Jul-24 to 15-Jul-24). The current World Service Convention Committee Guidelines suggest that the convention be held anytime between May 1st and July 15th; however, this convention was presented during the 2019 CAWS Conference to be held 23-May-24 to 27-May-24.
We make a motion to formally change the 2024 Convention Dates from 23-May-24 thru 27-May-24 to 11-Jul-24 thru 15-Jul-24.
Revised Motion for Date Change – 2024 CAWS Convention (Netherlands)
To better serve the fellowship through fiduciary prudence, the 2024 CAWS Convention Committee is investigating a potential date change for the event. The targeted hotel has provided a significant cost savings proposal currently valued at €5,150 ($6,284 using the 1.22 conversion rate as of 30-May-21) if the time frame is moved to 11-Jul-24 through 15-Jul-24. This cost savings is the initial offer from the hotel and is non-inclusive of any additional negotiating or cost reduction(s). It is the feeling of the committee that additional savings may be negotiated by pursuing this change in date.
The committee has requested that the Hotel provide “First Right of Refusal” on both the originally planned time frame (23-May-24 to 27-May-24) as well as the proposed new time frame (11-Jul-24 to 15-Jul-24). The current World Service Convention Committee Guidelines suggest that the convention be held anytime between May 1st and July 15th; however, this convention was presented during the 2019 CAWS Conference to be held 23-May-24 to 27-May-24(Memorial Day Weekend.)
We make a motion to allow the 2024 Convention occur anytime between 1-May-24 and 15-Jul-24 to allow more flexibility in negotiations.