BY-LAWS
OF NEW YORK AREA 15 INTERGROUP
OF GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS

ARTICLE I

Name and Jurisdiction

Section 1.

This Fellowship shall be known as the New York Intergroup of Gamblers Anonymous or Area 15, herein known as (NYIG).

 

Section 2.

This Fellowship shall consist of all active groups meeting in Area 15 (as defined by the International Service Office of Gamblers Anonymous (ISO)) that wish to participate and follow the Guidance Code.

 

ARTICLE II

Purpose

Section 1.

The specific and primary purposes for which NYIG is formed are as follows:

1. To promote unity, growth, and better communication regarding programs and events among individual groups.        

2. To discuss mutual problems, and successes and work with one another for the common good of all.

3. To act as a liaison between the groups of Area 15 and The International Service Office (ISO) of Gamblers Anonymous.

4. To disseminate information to the groups within Area 15.

 

ARTICLE III

Declaration

Section 1.

1. The NYIG shall at all times be guided by and adhere to the Guidance Code of Gamblers Anonymous.

2. The meeting is governed by Roberts Rules of Order as a guide for the Intergroup Chairperson, but common sense should prevail.

 

ARTICLE IV

Participation

Section 1.

Only GA members may attend, participate and speak at NYIG meetings and are encouraged to do so.

 

Section 2.

Each New York Area 15 meeting is allowed two (2) votes at NYIG.  These votes are to be cast by designated meeting representatives.  To cast a vote, they must be in attendance.  Any newly formed group shall be able to participate but not vote in the business portion of Intergroup until being in existence for a period of no less than three (3) months.    

 

ARTICLE V

Meetings

Section 1.

Intergroup meetings should be held at least once per month at 138-46 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354 in the conference room, and 2nd Tuesday of every month unless due and timely notices are given at a preceding intergroup meeting. At times of Conferences and Mini-Conferences Intergroup may hold meetings on the same day at Conference determined by a vote at NYIG.

 

ARTICLE VI

Finances

Section 1.

Any withdrawal of NYIG funds shall require two (2) signatures.  The authorized signers are to be determined by a vote at Intergroup. 

 

Section 2.

The Chair shall form a committee, excluding those with check signing privileges, to conduct an annual audit of the finances. 

 

Section 3.

The Treasurer will provide reasonable access to verify the finances to any GA member present at the intergroup meeting.

 

Section 4.

Other than normal monthly expenses, all other disbursements must be approved by NYIG prior to their expenditure. Normal monthly expenditures include ISO donations in the amount of $100.00, the hotline's current expenses, and annual website hosting.

 

Section 5.

At no time shall the balance be allowed to drop below the total amount of normal monthly expenses.

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ARTICLE VII

Trustees

Section 1.

The Board of Trustees are members of Gamblers Anonymous and have completely abstained from gambling by their own admission for a period of two (2) years and have had regular attendance at Gamblers Anonymous meetings. Board of Trustees defines regular attendance for International officers as thirty-nine (39) meetings per year. This does not include Intergroup meetings or picnics but does include Birthday meetings.

 

Section 2.

The term of office of Trustees shall be for two (2) years starting on July 1st, of even years and including June 30 of the following even year. However, the term of office shall be extended until the newly elected Trustee has been submitted to the International Service Office (I.S.O.)

 

Section 3. 

Elections are to take place by May 15th of the even year. Each group in NYIG shall receive or download one (1) ballot with the names of all nominations. Each nominee shall provide a short biography with their name, homeroom, date of abstinence, and any pertinent information they would like to share in a few sentences. Each group shall choose its own method of voting (i.e., group conscience, by committee, or by the Trusted Servants). The groups should vote for up to the maximum amount of trustees (The current Trustee allocation for NYIG is 6). Any ballot with more than the maximum votes will be voided. The ballots should be e-mailed so that they reach NYIG no later than April 15th.

 

Section 4. 

Each eligible voting member of Intergroup (see Article IV Section 2) will be allowed to vote for up to the number of Trustees Area 15 is assigned.  (For example, if Area 15 is assigned two Trustees then you can vote for two). 

 

Section 5.

At Least 60 days prior to the BOT Meeting or International conference NYIG will vote on an amount to fund the trustees based on a committee recommendation. As funds are available & with proper receipts submitted following the trustee meeting, NYIG will disburse checks to pay for the following expenses for each Trustee at International Conferences or Board of Trustee Meetings:

a.       Roundtrip Airfare, including baggage fees (if applicable)

b.      Ground Transportation or parking fees to and from the airport, at both departure and destination locations.

c.       Up to two nights lodging immediately prior to the conference

d.      Up to a Conference “B” registration package.

e.       A food allowance.

 

Section 6.

If funds are insufficient to fund all Trustees, available funds will be divided equally among the attending Trustees.

 

Section 7.

The Trustees are expected to use the most reasonable travel measures to minimize the cost to Intergroup.

 

Section 8.

All Trustees are required to attend 9 out of 12 regularly scheduled meetings, beginning July 1 of each even year, and ending June 30 of the following year. A Trustee attending another GA function or GA meeting at the same time as a regularly scheduled NYIG meeting will satisfy the attendance requirement for that meeting. If a Trustee misses more than 3 meetings, funding will not be automatic but subject to group conscience.

 

Section 9.

If a Trustee is unable to attend a BOT meeting, an absentee ballot must be submitted. In the event an absentee ballot is not submitted, per the rules and procedures of the BOT, all funding for future BOT meetings and International conferences will be forfeited through the end of the current term for the Trustee(s).

 

ARTICLE VIII

NYIG Trusted Servants

Section 1.

The following are the TRUSTED SERVANT positions of NYIG; CHAIRPERSON,  FIRST CO-CHAIR, SECOND CO-CHAIRTREASURER, & FINANCIAL SECRETARY.  With a majority vote, NYIG may add a Trusted Servant position as deemed necessary.

a.   Duties of the CHAIRMAN shall be to conduct the meeting in an orderly fashion, prepare the agenda, and make reasonable efforts to have it sent out via email at least 2 weeks prior to the next NYIG meeting, with the assistance of other trusted servants.

b.   Duties of the FIRST CO-CHAIR should be to perform the Chairman’s duties when the Chairman is absent, keep an accurate record of group representatives and take the Intergroup attendance.

c.   Duties of the SECOND CO-CHAIR  shall be to take minutes of all meetings.

d.   Duties of the TREASURER are to collect, record, and prepare disbursements of all funds collected from the group, and to prepare a monthly statement of finances.

e.   Duties of the FINANCIAL SECRETARY are to assist the treasurer in their duties and to fill in for the treasurer in case of absence.

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NYIG Current Committees & Representatives

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NYIG Maintains the following committees that are responsible to our members. The chair of the committee or representative, in their absence, reports monthly at the NYIG meeting. The chairperson of NYIG shall initiate any committee that they deem necessary for the work of the group. These may include but are not limited to, social events, conferences, website, etc.

 

A. Duties of the PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE shall be to disseminate information, inform the Regional Service Office and International Service Office (I.S.O.) of any public relations effort, and be responsible for creating public relations activities in the Intergroup area within the framework of the Guidance Code.

 

B . Duties of the LITERATURE CHAIRPERSON shall be to order and maintain an adequate supply of GA-approved materials for the International Service Office (ISO), to sell the approved materials at each NYIG meeting, and remit funds to the Treasurer by the end of the meeting,

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C. Duties of the HOTLINE COORDINATOR shall be to keep the volunteer information up to date with the hotline service, and to solicit new volunteers as needed to fill available time slots.

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D. Duties of the CALENDAR COORDINATOR shall be to collect special meeting and anniversary information from the groups to create a monthly calendar for distribution.

 

E. The duties of the WEBMASTER REPRESENTATIVE  shall be to keep the group informed of the status of the current website, including user statistics, challenges, and updates required. Should answer or route any emails to the proper channels and make edits as required by the group. Calendar packs should be uploaded every month.

 

F. The duties of the Mini-Conference committee are to organize the annual Mini-Conference. Responsible for establishing dates, securing venues, determining pricing, menu, and handling reservations.  Determines refund policy. Also, coordinate and schedule all workshops at the event.

 

G. The Dinner Dance committee will take a consensus for having an annual Dinner Dance (Celebration), or other social events shall be based on member input. If the body votes in favor of such an event, the committee chair is responsible for establishing the date, securing the venue, and receiving reservations. Determines refund policy.

 

Section 2.

To be eligible to be elected as a Trusted Servant of NYIG, you must have abstained from gambling for at least one year. The minimum time for Treasurer shall be 2 years of abstinence. The webmaster committee representative should have at least 1 year of abstinence.

 

Section 3.

The term of office for NYIG Trusted Servants shall be for one calendar year, with Nominations to occur in November & December & elections held at the December meeting following the final nominations. New trusted servants will take office at the January meeting.

 

Section 4.

If a Trusted Servant admits to Gambling, his/her office will be vacated.

 

Section 5.

All NYIG Trusted Servants are required to attend 9 out of 12 regularly scheduled meetings. A member attending another GA function at the same time as a regularly scheduled meeting will satisfy the attendance requirement for that meeting. If a Trusted Servant misses more than 3 unexcused meetings, their office will be deemed vacated.

 

Section 6.

In the event of an unforeseen emergency or circumstances which cause an elected officer of NYIG to be unable to fulfill their responsibilities, the chairperson and trustees will be responsible for designating an individual whom they feel qualified to fulfill the duties as an interim officer (if needed) until a vote can be taken at the next monthly NYIG meeting.  The decision made will be deemed in the best interest of the entire group and will not need to be communicated to the group until the next meeting.

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ARTICLE IX

Mini Conferences

Section 1.

When NYIG votes to hold a mini-conference, the chair of the committee will make every effort to determine the best location & rates prior to holding the conference. 

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ARTICLE X

Trustee Elections

Section 1.

Procedures for the election of Trustees shall be as follows:

1. To be eligible for the position of Trustee, you must be a member of Gamblers Anonymous and have completely abstained from gambling by your own admission for a period of two (2) years, and have had regular attendance at Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

2. The term of office of Trustee shall be for two (2) years, starting on July 1st of even years and concluding on June 30th of the following year.

3. The election of Trustees will be in April of every even year.

4. Any person nominated for Trustee must accept the nomination prior to the distribution of ballots and must be present at the time of the election.

5. The election of Trustees will be conducted digitally as outlined in Article VII Section 3. To be eligible to vote, groups should be aware that if members are voting, they should have at least 30 days of abstinence when their vote is cast.  If a tie exists for the final trustee position, a run-off election shall be held with eligible GA groups having one (1) vote to be voted on in the same digital format within 2 weeks.

6. The Intergroup Secretary shall notify the International Service Office (ISO) of the election results.

7. Three (3) Trusted Servants, including at least one (1) past Trustee, if possible, shall count the ballots.

8. A Trustee must receive 50 percent plus 1 of the vote in order to be elected. In the event any vacancies remain, an election shall be held at each subsequent NYIG meeting until the vacancy is filled.

 

Section 2.

Special Election procedures for the election of Area 15 International Trustees shall be as follows:

1. In the event a Trustee is unable to complete his or her term of office, a Special Election may be held at the discretion of Intergroup which will follow the guidelines of the section.

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ARTICLE XI

Changing the Articles of Guidance

 

Section 1.

It shall require a 2/3 vote at any NYIG meeting to change or amend any article within the Articles of Guidance.