Note from the OIAA Treasurer and OIAA Finance Committee Chair

We are pleased to present the proposed 2023 Budget for OIAA. This budget was developed as a result of input from all of OIAA’s standing committees, and has been reviewed and approved by the finance committee. As you will see, there is a significant increase in our proposed expenses for 2023. Here are some important facts and some background to help you understand how the budget was developed:

• Technology
  • The newly formed Technology Committee has been working hard to identify an upgraded communication and technology infrastructure for OIAA. This budget reflects new, ongoing expenses related to the new infrastructure. This is an area of significant feedback from the Assembly, with goals of improving the website, increasing collaboration across committees, securing our data, and providing an easily managed infrastructure to minimize the labor needed to maintain it.
  • The budget also includes added costs for Video conferencing (Zoom) as required by our new By-laws (and as requested by committees)
• Administrative Costs
  • As OIAA has continued its rapid growth since the pandemic, training for our trusted servants has become an important topic. This budget includes added costs for professional development & training.
  • We have also budgeted additional funds for legal counsel review of contracts. As we enter into more substantial technology arrangements, having professional legal counsel be prepared to review our contracts is prudent.
• Special Workers
  • OIAA’s Board of Directors, based on feedback from the Committees, has made the decision to employ special workers for several areas that have exceeded our volunteer capacity. This includes:
    • Bookkeeping/tax filing – this is not an area of expertise we would expect our Treasurer or Alt. Treasurer to have and is often an area where Special Workers are employed at many intergroups.
    • Database Maintenance – due to the continued rise of online AA groups, maintaining the membership database has become cumbersome, and has put significant pressure on volunteers to keep up.
    • Translation Services – as an International Intergroup, it is crucial that we provide live translation services during key committee meetings, board meetings (as needed), and meetings of the Assembly. We expect this will be an area that will continue to grow in the coming years, as we extend our reach to more non-English speaking areas.
• Events
  • We have added a line item for reimbursement of Conference expenses for certain committee chairs. We have found participation and representation at the NAATW (National AA Technology Workshop) and ICOAA (Intergroup/Central Office) conferences to be of great benefit to OIAA. Additionally, our participation in these conferences allows us to carry the message of accessibility to other alcoholics, and to educate other areas on the role OIAA plays.

From a revenue/income standpoint, we have always strived for a “Net Neutral” budget, which means we expect to raise the amount of money in any given year that is needed for our operations. This budget meets that requirement, and the Board and Finance Committee are comfortable that we will be able to continue to count on contributions to meet this need.

Finally, as we have done in years past, we have identified a mechanism to distribute any excess funds on hand. We maintain a prudent reserve of cash on hand as follows:

• 12-months of operating expenses (based on the current year approved budget) [$30,856]
• Special reserves (as of this writing, that includes technology capital investments planned [$13,000], 2025 International Convention costs [$3,500 accrued to date), and a tax contingency (see note below).
  • As we continue the process of having our non-profit status reinstated with the IRS, the Board has decided to reserve funds for “possible” tax liability incurred in 2020 and 2021 [$20,000]. We have been advised that this liability will most likely not be incurred, but thought it best to reserve these funds until our status is reinstated.

After the reduction of available cash based on the reserves outlined above, bi-annually, a distribution will be made as follows:

Beneficiary	Percentage
AA GSO (US & Canada)	30%
AAWS (Int’l Literature Fund)	20%
Technology In AA	20%
National AA Technology Workshop	10%
Carry the Message Project (Grapevine)	20%
Total	100%

On behalf of the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors, we are forever grateful for the continued support of the Assembly and the groups you represent. Please feel free to send any questions you may have in advance of the Meeting of the Assembly to finance@aa-intergroup.org and we will do our best to respond promptly.

In love and Service,

Brian Rosenfelt, OIAA Treasurer
Spencer Wright, OIAA Finance Committee Chair