Proposal 7 – Modify ABC and QDMs

Submitted by the IT Committee and the ABC Committee

Proposal:We propose that ACA hold annually one business conference and one other Delegate meeting. This one other Delegate meeting would replace the three Quarterly Delegate Meetings (QDMs) that are currently being held.

Background:The following was passed at the 2022 ABC: To schedule quarterly delegate meetings of 2-4 hours, in July/August, November, and February. The July/August quarterly meeting will handle spillover business.

The current demand of conducting four meetings a year taxes WSO volunteers in both the IT and ABC committees an unreasonable amount. WSO does not have the volunteer pool to support the pace set by the current schedule. It is our experience that the volunteers that participate have only a few weeks off after the completion of one meeting and the start of planning for another. This has led to volunteer burnout and some members leaving WSO service.

This ballot proposal simply asks to reduce the number of quarterly delegate meetings from three a year to one without introducing additional changes. There is already an ABC Study group that is examining the form and structure of these Delegate meetings.

Resources/Implementation:Work on implementing this change would be done in consultation and coordination between the ABC Committee and the IT Committees.

WSO Analysis:

Response:

While the response to QDMs over the first year has been generally positive, as measured by survey responses, the proposing committees (ABC and IT that do most of the work) would like the delegates to consider discussing the future and format of these additional delegate meetings and whether they are serving the fellowship.

Factors to consider:

• The motion to start quarterly delegate meetings was approved by the delegates at the 2022 ABC as an adaptation of the Board’s proposed motion that one additional day be scheduled to complete overflow work from that ABC.
• The amount of time it takes to plan four meetings per year greatly stretches the available resources of both committees. There was hope that more members of the Fellowship would step up to participate on these committees, but that has not happened.
• If there are not enough volunteers to support QDMs, it is possible that some QDMs would not be able to be held.

Resources(for more background information) https://acawso.org/bpc/

Motions Background

The motion to start quarterly delegate meetings was approved by the delegates at the 2022 ABC as an adaptation of the Board suggested proposal that one additional day be scheduled to complete overflow work from ABC.

Here is this motion brought forward by the board to the 2022 ABC:

Board Motion passed on January 8, 2022:Authorization of an Overflow Day for ABC To authorize a third or overflow day to the Annual Business Conference (ABC) schedule within two months of the ABC, for any delegate conversation/voting not completed during the regularly scheduled ABC. This additional session will be held if at least 60% of the ABC delegates votes in favor of it.

Background: Some of the complaints of previous ABC include scheduling too much in the time available, agenda items are rushed, there is not enough delegate input, proposals which are referred to the board may not be addressed in a timely fashion. For the 2022 ABC the date of May 21 is suggested as the overflow day.

Based on discussion of the above at the ABC the following motion was passed:

2022ABCMotion:Motion from discussion of adding additional days to the ABC: To schedule quarterly delegate meetings of 2-4 hours, in July/August, November, and February. The July/August quarterly meeting will handle spillover business.

Based on the vote: I aminfavourofthismotionpasseswith85.4%of the vote. 82 votes tallied and 5 abstentions.