From where does your group get SA literature? Who provides informational packets to individuals trying to start a new group? Who helps the desperate sexaholic connect with a group, or another member? From whom can you obtain information about meetings and contacts when traveling? Who provides online registration for our International Conventions?
Do you have a problem with money? I did. I had too much!
I am writing to suggest that financial and moral support for SA International Central Office is a vital part of our Twelfth Step work. Our groups are spiritual entities carrying a spiritual message. We may for that reason have trouble supporting Central Office unless we see how the duties of our Central Office are also spiritually based and a necessary part of carrying the message.
The reason the SA International Central Office sells the White Book at a 300 percent markup [see Essay, Dec. 1996] is because not enough groups and individuals are sending an adequate amount of money to Central Office. Most of the meetings in our area pass around two baskets at 7th Tradition time.
An article in the December 1996 issue of the Essay mentioned that while it only costs three dollars to publish a copy of the SA White Book, we charge ten dollars in order to raise enough funds to keep SA operating.
Our Seventh Tradition — “Every SA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions” — is part of our meeting format. Yet it was discussed at a fellowship meeting at a recent conference that we are not fully self-supporting through our contributions. Only about half of our income comes from group contributions.
Dear Fellow SAs, I thought it might be helpful to let you know what our group from West L.A. is doing in response to the financial challenge facing our Central Office. We know that SA as a whole is working on ways to meet this challenge, and whatever recommendations are adopted, we here will seek to support them. However, we feel that whatever we can do in the meantime will be helpful.
Salt Lake City groups report they have hit upon a way to help support the 12th Step work of the SA Central Office. They pass the basket around a second time for loose change only—no bills—and send that to Central Office. They were surprised at what this amounted to after just one month.
In response to questions from members, we announce that SA is officially an exempt, non-profit organization in the same category (code 573) as Alcoholics Anonymous. This holds true for all of 1982 and part of 1981. We are using the following notice to SA members in compliance with our Seventh Tradition:
“Every SA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.” Some members have suggested we should tell everybody what the financial picture is at the General Service Office (formerly called SA Central), so here goes.
