Type of Committee:

  X     Standing Service Committee   ____ Ad hoc Service Committee  

____ Standing Board Committee ____ Ad hoc Board Committee

 

Mission and Purpose: 

 

The mission of the Technology Committee mirrors that of OIAA itself: to assist online A.A. groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers.  The committee utilizes technical skills, experience, and expertise to help fulfill and deliver OIAA’s stated purpose to: 

• Provide a central source of information about online A.A. through its website, its online meeting directory, and the activities of its members.
• Respond to the needs of online A.A groups and members.
• Use the internet and associated existing and emerging technologies to carry the message.
• Promote AA Unity.

 

The Technology Committee’s primary purpose is to provide, support, maintain, secure, and enhance the essential Information Technology needs of the Intergroup, including the OIAA Website, the OIAA Meeting Directory, electronic communications (including email, video conferencing, electronic voting and surveys), and file sharing and collaboration. 

 

Roles: 

 

Technology Chair:

The Technology Chair is an officer of the OIAA Board and leads the Tech committee’s organization and effort in fulfilling its mission and purpose.  The Technology Chair organizes and leads committee meetings and is an active participant in various service branches and Technology subcommittees.   The Technology Chair maintains communication with all OIAA Committees to understand and support their technical needs.  The Technology Chair attends Finance Committee meetings to provide ongoing technology budget and expense information. With approval of the Board, the Technology Chairperson oversees and maintains any technology-related professional services.  

 

The Technology Chairperson is encouraged to remain an active committee member for a period of six months after completion of their leadership role. 

 

Suggested Qualifications

• A sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous with a full understanding of our Twelve Traditions

• Understanding or experience with some or all of the following:

• Managing IT/Technical related projects and technical teams and resources
• IT/Data Protection, Security and Privacy concerns and measures
• Multimedia publishing, technology, digital communications and graphic arts
• Web-based tools and applications and platforms
• Database and membership management applications and platforms
• Communication and collaboration tools (eg. email programs, video conferencing and shared data)

 

Alternate Technology Chair

The Technology Chairperson may appoint an Alternate Technology Chair to assist them in carrying out the responsibilities of office. The Alt Tech Chair shares in the responsibility of running the committee meetings, welcoming and orienting new committee members, creating and developing new committee service branches, and organizing and supporting committee efforts.   The Alt Tech Chair is not precluded from serving as other Tech Committee services or subcommittee chair.  The Alt Tech Chair can attend OIAA Board meetings when committees are asked to join.

The Alt-Tech Chair often represents the Tech Committee in other OIAA Committees and can serve as a liaison between those committees and the Tech Committee. 

Qualifications

• A sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous with a full understanding of our Twelve Traditions

• Understanding or experience with some or all of the following:
  • Managing IT/Technical related projects and technical teams and resources
  • IT/Data Protection, Security and Privacy concerns and measures
  • Multimedia publishing, technology, digital communications and graphic arts
  • Web-based tools and applications and platforms
  • Database and membership management applications and platforms
  • Communication and collaboration tools (eg. email programs, video conferencing and shared data)

What we do/Tasks: 

The OIAA Technology Committee has been organized into three core areas of Technology related service to OIAA and online AA:

Member Services

The Technology Committee Member Services branch provides various technical services to help respond to the needs of OIAA and to the needs of Online AA Groups and Members, including, but not limited to:

• OIAA Online Meeting Directory Team– Online directory of meetings administration (adds/removes/changes)
• OIAA Event Support Team– Online video hosting/co-hosting team for OIAA Assemblies, Forums & Workshops.  Collaboration with OIAA Board and Committees for Assembly functions such as Voting Procedures, Quorum count, and Surveys
• Tech Steppers– Provides support to OIAA directory meetings and their attendees for online security and account settings.  Offers Online Safety/Security Workshops
• Communications Committee liaison: Collaborating with and providing technical assistance and support to OIAA’s Communications Committee
• OIAA Archivists liaison– Collaborating with and providing technical assistance and support to OIAA’s Archivists Committee

Cloud Services

The Technology Committee Cloud Services branch builds, administers, and supports the cloud-based systems and applications that enable and support OIAA, its committees and its members.  These systems and applications primarily provide the “back-office infrastructure” for OIAA to work as a service organization.

• Google Workspace
• Google Groups (primary email system)
• Google Drive (Directory and File management system)
• Google Meet (video conferencing)
• Google Calendar (Organization and Committee scheduling system)
• Google Contacts (Member directory database)
• Google Apps (productivity apps and tools)
• Slack
• Zoom

Web Services

The Technology Committee Web Services branch builds, manages, administers and supports the OIAA website, OIAA’s International service portal. Key components of the Website administration and oversight include:

• Design, Layout, Development and Testing 

• Google Analytics (GA4)
• On-going site administration, maintenance, and support (WordPress and various Plugins)
• Online Meeting Directory-Front end/Back end administration and maintenance
• Committee Pages support and maintenance
• Content management and support
• OIAA Forum/Discussion page admin/support 
• OIAA Calendar/Member Events

 

Approval date of the Committee: ____________________

Approval date of the Board : ____________________

Approval date of Voting Members: ____________________

 

Instructions:  

The scope of the responsibility and authority of each committee is outlined in a committee charter to be reviewed every two years or as necessary.  While each committee can have different roles, many will have similar roles. For example, each committee will most likely have a committee Chair and a Secretary with similar responsibilities and qualifications. Each committee will have certain roles unique to the mission it has to discharge.

OIAA’s Bylaws Article 5 provides additional committee detail including definitions pertaining to their duration, creation of, dissolution of, record maintenance and reporting requirements.