Role of the Finance Committee at AA GTA Intergroup
The Finance Subcommittee (often referred to as the Finance Committee) at AA Greater Toronto Area Intergroup is a standing service committee responsible for ensuring the financial soundness and well-being of the Intergroup Office.
Key Responsibilities
Budget Oversight:
Present to the Executive Committee (EC) a draft annual budget for the Intergroup Office, including recommendations on employee compensation.
Present to GTA Intergroup the annual budget previously approved by the EC.
Financial Reporting:
Provide monthly statements of income and expenses, plus monthly balance sheets, to GTA Intergroup.
Present quarterly budget variance reports to GTA Intergroup.
Transparency & Records:
Make available, upon request, the yearly total of donations/commitments from individual groups for their own records (for records only).
Special Initiatives:
Implement programs such as Gratitude Month.
Auditing & Accountability:
Obtain reviewed or audited financial statements from independent external accountants .
Broader Context
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee serves as the financial stewardship body of the Toronto Intergroup Office, the committee itself is overseen by the elected volunteers that make up the Operating committee. The finance chair and committee are guided by the Seventh Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous, which reminds us that every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions, and the Twelfth Tradition which guides how those responsibilities are carried out—with humility, anonymity, and principles before personalities.
Working on behalf of the Fellowship, the committee helps ensure that Seventh Tradition contributions and other resources are managed with integrity, transparency, and accountability. Its responsibilities include reviewing financial reports, assisting with the annual budget, supporting the audit process, monitoring the Intergroup’s financial health, and making recommendations that help safeguard Intergroup’s long-term ability to carry the A.A. message.
Through careful stewardship of the resources entrusted to Intergroup, the Finance Committee helps ensure that the Toronto Intergroup Office remains financially responsible and able to fulfill its primary purpose: supporting A.A. groups and carrying the message of recovery to the alcoholic who still suffers.
In summary, the Finance Committee is the financial stewardship body for the GTA Intergroup Office, handling budgeting, reporting, auditing, and ensuring transparency, all in service to the recovery mission of Alcoholics Anonymous.
More on the Finance committee can be found in the Procedures and Guidelines, subsection 6.4.3 Finance.
The Finance Subcommittee Composition
The Finance Subcommittee is composed of 5 voting members:
4 members with a minimum of five years continuous sobriety and a business or accounting
background
And the OC Chairperson
At least one member of the Finance Committee must be a designated accountant.
The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the OC may attend the meetings of the Finance
Subcommittee and take part in the deliberations. Other members of the OC may also attend the
meetings.
2. Term and Appointment
Each year the Operating Committee appoints two AA members to the Finance Subcommittee to
serve a term of two years. The Operating Committee considers the recommendations of the
current members of the Finance Subcommittee in making these appointments, and annually calls
for résumés and reviews the qualifications of persons seeking the office.
The Operating Committee appoints the Chair of the Finance Subcommittee. The two-year term
of office of the Finance Chair begins January 1.
The Chair of the Finance committee serves, by virtue of holding the office of Chair, as Treasurer
of GTA Intergroup.
How to make contributions to A.A. Toronto Intergroup
Make a Contribution now
A.A.’s Seventh Tradition states: “Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.” This means that only A.A. members contribute financially to A.A. – and even A.A. members are limited in the amount they can contribute. This keeps A.A. free of outside influences that might divert us from our primary purpose — to help the alcoholic who still suffers. The amount of the contribution is secondary to the spiritual connection that unites all groups around the world. Members can bequeath a maximum of $12,500 to Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) upon their death. A.A. limits these gifts to a one-time basis per person. They also only accept bequests from active A.A. members.
Procedures and Guidelines 1.7 states that – Yearly Donations to Intergroup are as follows:
▪ The maximum annual donation any individual may make to GTAI is $5000.00.
▪ Donations to GTAI are only accepted from A.A. members, as per A.A.’s Tradition 7.
“We cannot skimp”
With the realization that A.A. must steer clear of outside contributions in order to maintain its autonomy and independence came the understanding that the money necessary for A.A.’s survival would have to come from individual A.A. members and groups. As Bill W. put it in 1957, “Our spiritual way of life is safe for future generations if, as a Society, we resist the temptation to receive money from the outside world. But this leaves us with a responsibility — one that every member ought to understand. We cannot skimp when the treasurer of our group passes the hat. Our groups, our areas, and A.A. as a whole will not function unless our services are sufficient and their bills are paid. “When we meet and defeat the temptation to take large gifts, we are only being prudent. But when we are generous with the hat we give a token that we are grateful for our blessings and evidence that we are eager to share what we have found with all those who still suffer.” (The Language of the Heart, p. 221