Business Meeting Format

By providing a forum for raising and resolving issues at meetings,  electing officers, etc., SRA business meetings are important to the functioning of Sexual Recovery Anonymous. To ensure that business meetings are conducted in a manner consistent with the principles of the program, it is suggested that they abide by the Twelve Traditions of SRA.


Contents



Business Meeting Format at a Glance


  1. Chairperson opens meeting.
  2. Twelve Traditions are read.
  3. Reports are delivered.  (In each case, Report is read; Motion is made and seconded to accept Report; Discussion; Vote.)
    1. Secretary (Minutes from last meeting)
    2. Treasurer
    3. Literature Person
    4. Intergroup Rep/GSB Rep (When applicable)
    5. Sponsorship Coordinator
    6. Other committees
  4. Old Business.
  5. New Business (beginning with elections, when applicable)
  6. Motion made and seconded to close business meeting (no discussion.)
  7. Chairperson closes meeting.

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12 Traditions of SRA


  1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon SRA unity.
  2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as God may be expressed in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
  3. The only requirement for SRA membership is a desire to stop compulsive sexual behavior.
  4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or SRA as a whole.
  5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to those still suffering.
  6. An SRA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the SRA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
  7. Every SRA group ought to be fully self supporting, declining outside contributions.
  8. SRA should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
  9. SRA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
  10. SRA has no opinion on outside issues; hence the SRA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
  11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV and films.
  12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

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Detailed Format for Business Meetings


  1. The Chairperson states “I call the Business Meeting to order.”
  2. Twelve Traditions are passed and read.
  3. The Chairperson asks “May we have the Reports from Officers?”
  4. After each Report, the Chairperson asks “Is there any discussion on the Report?” 
  5. [Once discussion is concluded, the Chairperson calls for a vote: “All in favor of accepting the Report” and “All opposed.” If a majority of those voting vote in favor, the Report is accepted.
  6. Reports include:
    1. SECRETARY: [Reading or summarizing the minutes of the last meeting.]
    2. TREASURER: [an accounting of monies taken in since the last meeting; how it was disbursed to rent, Intergroup, General Service Board and other miscellaneous expenses.]
    3. LITERATURE: [a status Report of the literature (books, pamphlets) for the meeting, monies taken in, new literature purchased since the last meeting, etc.]
    4. INTERGROUP: IF IT HAS NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY GIVEN, a Report from the Intergroup Representative summarizing the most recent Intergroup meeting (generally held the first Monday of each month.)
    5. SPONSORSHIP COORDINATOR: Status of sponsorship list, e.g., number of persons signed up who are either seeking interim sponsors or wishing to be interim sponsors, etc.
    6. GENERAL SERVICE BOARD: IF IT HAS NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY GIVEN, a summary of any recent GSB meeting.
  7. The Chairperson asks, “Is there any Old Business?” [This may be identified from the secretary’s minutes from the previous meeting or by any member bringing up business discussed at a previous meeting.]
  8. [Upon completion of Old Business] the Chairperson asks, “Is there any New Business?” a. IF ELECTIONS ARE TO BE HELD THEY WILL BE THE FIRST ORDER OF NEW BUSINESS (see election guidelines below). b. [Any member present at the meeting may propose an item for New Business; this should be stated in the form of and then treated as a MOTION, as described below.]
  9. [Upon completion of New Business] the Chairperson may ask, “Is there a Motion to close the Business Meeting?” a. [Such a Motion requires no discussion. After it has been seconded it may be voted on immediately.] b. [If a majority of members voting vote in favor of closing the meeting, the meeting will terminate at that time.]

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Suggested Format for Conducting Elections


  1. The Chairperson announces, “We will be conducting elections at today’s Business Meeting.”
  2. The Chairperson states, “The following offices are scheduled for election at today’s meeting.”
  3. The SUGGESTED ORDER for conducting the elections is:
    1. Chairperson
    2. Treasurer
    3. Literature
    4. Secretary
    5. Sponsorship Coordinator
    6. Intergroup Representative
    7. General Service Board Representative
  4. FOR EACH OF THE ABOVE OFFICES, the chairperson states, “I would like to read the description, term and suggested sobriety requirements from the General Meeting Format.”
  5. The Chairperson asks, “Are there any nominations?” [Any member may
    nominate any other member for any office.]
  6. If a member is nominated and seconded, the Chairperson asks, “Do you accept the nomination?” [The member may ACCEPT or DECLINE the nomination.] In either case, the Chairperson asks, “Are there any additional nominations for this office?” [until no further nominations
    are made.
  7. [IF THERE ARE NO NOMINATIONS FOR A PARTICULAR OFFICE] The Chairperson asks, “Are there any volunteers for this office?” Any member present may volunteer for any office. If a member accepting a nomination or volunteering DOES NOT FULFILL THE SUGGESTED SOBRIETY REQUIREMENT FOR THAT OFFICE] the Chairperson may ask: “Are there any other nominations or volunteers who do fulfill the sobriety requirement for this office?”
  8. If there are none, the Chairperson may ask, “Is there a Motion to waive the sobriety requirement?” (if no such Motion has already been made.)
  9. If there are no nominations and no volunteers for a given office, the Chairperson may ask,“Is anyone willing to accept co-chair or share this office?” If two members are willing to do so, they will both be considered together.
  10. The Chairperson then states, “Will all the candidates for this office please leave the room?” When all candidates have left the room, the Chairperson asks, “Is there any discussion on this/these candidates?” At the conclusion of any discussion] the Chairperson states, “We will now vote for this/these candidates for the office of “______.”

[Voting is by a show of hands.]

[If there is more than one candidate the candidate with the most votes (not necessarily a majority) wins the election.]

[If there is only one candidate he/she must obtain a majority of the votes in favor from from the members voting to win the election.

[If no candidate accepts a nomination and no one volunteers for a particular office] the Chairperson asks, “Is there a Motion to postpone the election for this office to the next regular meeting?”

If such a Motion is made and carries, the election for that office will be conducted at the group’s next regularly scheduled meeting.]

[This decision will be recorded by the secretary in the meeting minutes.]

If this applies to the position of Chairperson, the members present at that meeting will be responsible for finding an alternate until a new Chairperson is elected.

Once elections for all the offices rotating that quarter have been completed, the Chairperson will then state, “Is there any more New Business?”

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Schedule of Business Meetings and Elections


  1. Each SRA meeting will be responsible for conducting its own regular Business Meetings.
  2. Business Meetings for each meeting are generally conducted during that meeting’s last scheduled session of each month.
  3. If a given meeting chooses to do so (e.g., if a particular session is not well-attended), they may elect to postpone the Business Meeting to a specified future meeting date.
  4. Elections of officers are generally conducted at the last Business Meeting of each quarter (i.e., the end of March, June, September and December.)
  5. The Business Meeting is generally conducted immediately following the Seventh Tradition break, SRA-related announcements and the giving out of chips and/or announcement of day counts.

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General Information & Robert’s Rules


Business Meetings and elections are generally conducted in accordance with Parliamentary Procedure (Robert’s Rules of Order). This includes the following:

  1. Proposals are made by a member stating them in the form of a MOTION.
  2. Motions must be SECONDED by another member in order to be acted upon.
  3. Following a second, the Chairperson asks, “Is there any discussion on the Motion?” Members who wish to speak are to raise their hand and wait to be recognized by the Chairperson.
  4. Discussion on a Motion may continue until no one has anything further to say or until a member who has been recognized by the Chairperson CALLS THE QUESTION (i.e., MOVES TO END DISCUSSION.) Such a Motion must be seconded. The Chairperson then asks for a vote on this Motion. If two thirds of those voting vote in favor, discussion is ended. The Chairperson then calls for a vote on the Motion, asking first that, “All in favor of the Motion raise your hand,” and then, “All opposed to the Motion raise you hand.”
  5. If the Motion has a majority of those voting in favor, it carries. If not, it is defeated. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson casts the deciding vote.

map of the tri-state area