Your voice matters!  Members, throughout the ACA Fellowship are asked to participate in the 2019 Membership Survey.  The survey will be open from November 1 to December 31, 2019.  The goal of the survey is to gather data about the fellowship at large and use that information to inform WSO service committees about the needs of the fellowship.  Please share this with other Fellow Travelers; the survey can also be reached from the adultchildren.org website.

Ballot Proposals, Voting, and the Delegate Role

Dear Fellow ACA,

Each April, the ACA World Service Organization (WSO) holds an Annual Business Conference (ABC).  In anticipation of this event, all registered groups within the fellowship have the opportunity to create proposals of global interest that may then be considered for inclusion on the ABC Agenda. All pertinent information is being mailed to group contacts, as well as being posted on the Ballot Prep Committee page and in the WSO publications. If your group has not yet received this Call for Proposals, you may request it at BPC@adultchildren.org.

Mark your calendars

• August 2019: Call for Proposals OPENED– groups can submit proposals for potential inclusion on the agenda at the ABC.
• Register to be a Delegate at www.acaworldconvention.org
• November 30, 2019: Call for Proposals CLOSES
• January 2020: Discuss how your group would like to meet to discuss and vote on the proposals (see suggestions below)
• January 15, 2020: A Ballot containing Proposals is sent to each group for review and voting on whether or not they should be discussed and voted on at the ABC.
• March 31, 2020: Deadline for voting (Ballots must be submitted to WSO)

If your group does not have a delegate, you are encouraged to explore this role by visiting this link.  Otherwise, the Group Secretary may assist.

The Proposal Process
If a member or members of your group express interest in submitting a proposal for the ABC, you can assist in crafting a proposal. You may begin by reviewing the proposal guidelines.

The Ballot Process
Before the Ballots are sent in January, discuss with your group how best to address them. Ballots are sent to the group contact listed with WSO. If you are not the contact person enquire as to whether or not they have been received.

Discussing and voting on ALL the proposals could take a lot of time. Although we would prefer to encourage all proposals be considered, should your group find discussion and voting too cumbersome they may choose to prioritize the Proposals, addressing their most important, first.

Here are some suggested strategies for managing the group voting process:

• Set aside time to discuss a few proposals during or after the meeting each week
• Use business meetings: Set an agenda item “Proposal Voting”
• Organize an additional meeting: Agree upon a separate time (and possibly place) for interested members to address the proposals.

The Agenda Items
The Proposals that merit a place on the ABC agenda will be announced by mid-April. You may want to review those proposals with your group to ensure you are voting your group’s conscience. Keep in mind additional information may be presented at the conference which your group has not discussed. Your role is to vote for the good of ACA as a whole.

Then, during the ABC, discuss and vote on the proposals, either in person or remote voting.

After The ABC
Report to your group the results of the conference voting and your impressions of the experience. This may be a written or oral report, depending on your group’s decision.

Please note:
Teleconference trainings on the Delegate role are offered in the month prior to the ABC. All registered delegates will receive notification of trainings; the schedule will be posted in March on the host website www.acaworldconvention.org.

Questions regarding proposals may be directed to the Ballot Prep Committee at bpc@adultchildren.org

Questions concerning Delegates may be directed to the Delegate Training Subcommittee at dtsc@acawso.org.

There is also a FAQ page on the delegate role at:  https://acawso.org/2018/10/31/delegate-training-faq/.

In service,
Chris W.
DTSC Chair

Each year the ACA WSO holds our Annual Business Conference (ABC) and ACA World Convention (AWC) in April. This coming year they will be held April 23-26, 2020 in Boca Raton, Florida.

If your group has an idea that may benefit ACA Worldwide, you can submit it as a proposal for potential inclusion on the agenda at the ABC.  All proposals will become part of a Ballot in January.

The specific process and timing are as follows:
If your group feels it may have a proposal to submit, your first step should be to go to this website page – https://acawso.org/category/ballot-prep/ – to find these documents:

1. “Is it a Proposal or should it go to a Committee” – provides contact Information about WSO Committees.
2. “Proposal Guidelines” – provides guidance about what makes a good proposal and it will also help you determine whether your idea should be submitted as a proposal, or if instead it can be submitted to a WSO Committee.
3. “Crafting a Proposal” – provides information about how to best create a proposal.

When you’re ready to submit your proposal to be considered for the ABC agenda do the following:

• Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2020_ABC
• Fill in the form according to the instructions.
• Submit your Group’s proposal by November 30, 2019.

After you have completed these tasks, the following happens:

• Proposals are reviewed by the appropriate committee(s) and trusted servants and, if needed, the intent clarified with the submitting group.
• After a WSO analysis of the proposal has been added, the proposal is added to the Ballot and sent to all registered groups by January 15, 2020.
• Ballots must be returned to WSO no later than March 31, 2020.
• Proposals that receive at least a 60% affirmative vote will then be placed on the agenda for consideration at the 2020 ABC.

If you have any questions about this proposal process, (or need assistance drafting a proposal) please send an email to bpc@adultchildren.org.

Yours in Service,

The 2020 Ballot Preparation Committee