From the C.A. World Service Manual
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
To formulate bylaws, guidelines, and structures by which Cocaine Anonymous can operate day- to-day, at Conferences, Regions, Areas, and elsewhere around the World. We execute with great diligence the task of being of maximum service to our fellowship by introducing new verbiage into a comprehensive World Service Manual in the first quarter of the year following the conference allowing our fellowship to grow and flourish.
BYLAWS OF COCAINE ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.
The Board of Directors of Cocaine Anonymous World Services, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “World Service Board” or “W.S.B.”) has but one purpose – that of serving the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous. It is in effect an agency created and designated by the World Service Conference of Cocaine Anonymous to maintain services for those who seek, through Cocaine Anonymous, the means for arresting the disease of addiction through the application to their own lives, in whole or in part, of the Twelve Steps which constitute the recovery program upon which the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous is founded. These Twelve Steps are as follows:
1. We admitted we were powerless over cocaine and all other mind-altering substances – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
(Reprinted and adapted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.)
THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The World Service Board claims no proprietary right in the recovery program, for these Twelve Steps, as all spiritual truths, may now be regarded as available to all mankind. However, because these Twelve Steps have proven to constitute an effective spiritual basis for life which, if followed, arrests the disease of addiction, the World Service Board asserts the negative right of preventing, so far as it may be within its power so to do, any modification, alteration or extension of these Twelve Steps, except at the instance of the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous in keeping with the Charter of the World Service Conference of Cocaine Anonymous as the same may from time to time be amended (hereinafter referred to as the “Charter”).
Members of the World Service Conference of Cocaine Anonymous are hereinafter referred to as “Conference Delegates.”
The World Service Board in its deliberations and decisions shall be guided by the Twelve Traditions of Cocaine Anonymous, hereinafter referred to as the “Traditions” which are as follows:
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon C.A. unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for C.A. membership is a desire to stop using cocaine and all other mind-altering substances.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or C.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the addict who still suffers.
6. A C.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the C.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property or prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every C.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Cocaine Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. C.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Cocaine Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the C.A. 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, television and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
(Reprinted and adapted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.)
THE TWELVE TRADITIONS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: 1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity. 2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. 3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking. 4. Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole. 5. Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. 6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property or prestige divert us from our primary purpose. 7. Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. 8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers. 9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. 10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. 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, and films. 12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
The World Service Board shall use its best efforts to insure that these Twelve Traditions are maintained, for it is regarded by the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous as the custodian of these Traditions and, accordingly, it shall not itself nor, so far as it is within its power so to do, permit others to modify, alter, or amplify these Traditions, except in keeping with the provisions of the Charter.
The World Service Board also shall be guided by the spirit of the Twelve Concepts of Cocaine Anonymous, hereinafter referred to as the “Concepts” which are as follows:
1.The final responsibility and the ultimate authority for C.A. world services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
2.The C.A. Groups delegate to the World Service Conference the complete authority for the active maintenance of our world services and thereby make the Conference – excepting for any change in the Twelve Traditions – the actual voice and the effective conscience for our whole Fellowship.
3.As a traditional means of creating and maintaining a clearly defined working relation between the Groups, the Conference, the World Service Board of Trustees and its Service Corporation, staffs, and committees, and of thus insuring their effective leadership, it is here suggested that we endow each of these elements of World Service with a traditional “Right of Decision.”
4.Throughout our Conference structure, we ought to maintain at all responsible levels a traditional “Right of Participation,” taking care that each classification or group of our world servants shall be allowed a voting representation in reasonable proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge.
5.Throughout our World Service structure, a traditional “Right of Appeal” ought to prevail, thus assuring us that minority opinion will be heard and that petitions for the redress of personal grievances will be carefully considered.
6.On behalf of C.A. as a whole, our World Service Conference has the principal responsibility for the maintenance of our world services, and it traditionally has the final decision respecting large matters of general policy and finance. But the Conference also recognizes that the chief initiative and the active responsibility in most of these matters should be exercised primarily by the Trustee members of the Conference when they act among themselves as the World Service Board of Cocaine Anonymous.
7.The Conference recognizes that the Charter and the Bylaws of the World Service Board are legal instruments; that the Trustees are thereby fully empowered to manage and conduct all of the world service affairs of Cocaine Anonymous. It is further understood that the Conference Charter itself is not a legal document; that it relies instead upon the force of tradition and the power of the C.A. purse for its final effectiveness.
8.The Trustees of the World Service Board act in two primary capacities: (a) With respect to the larger matters of overall policy and finance, they are the principal planners and administrators. They and their primary committees directly manage these affairs. (b) But with respect to our separately incorporated and constantly active services, the relation of the Trustees is mainly that of custodial oversight which they exercise through their ability to elect all Directors of these entities.
9.Good service leaders, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them are at all levels indispensable for our future functioning and safety.4
10.Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority – the scope of such authority to be always well defined, whether by tradition, by resolution, by specific job description or by appropriate charters and bylaws.
11.While the Trustees hold final responsibility for C.A.’s world service administration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible standing committees and service boards, staffs and consultants. Therefore the composition of these underlying committees and service boards, the personal qualifications of their members, the manner of their induction into service, the system of their rotation, the way in which they are related to each other, the special rights and duties of our staffs and consultants, together with a proper basis for the financial compensation of these special workers will always be matters for serious care and concern.
12.General Warranties of the Conference: In all its proceedings, the World Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the C.A. Tradition, taking great care that the Conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that the sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, be its prudent financial principle; that none of the Conference members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority over any of the others; that all important decisions be reached by discussion, vote, and whenever possible, by substantial unanimity; that no Conference action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; that though the Conference may act for the service of Cocaine Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain democratic in thought and action.
(Adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
THE TWELVE CONCEPTS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: 1. Final responsibility and ultimate authority for A.A. world services shall always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship. 2. The General Service Conference of A.A. has become, for nearly every practical purpose, the actual voice and the effective conscience for our whole Society in its world affairs. 3. To insure effective leadership, we should endow each element of A.A. – the Conference, the General Service Board and its service corporation, staffs, committees, and executives with traditional “Right of Decision.” 4. At all responsible levels, we ought to maintain a traditional “Right of Participation,” allowing a voting representation in reasonable proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge. 5. Throughout our structure, a traditional “Right of Appeal” ought to prevail, so that minority opinion will be heard and personal grievances receive careful consideration. 6. The Conference recognizes that the chief initiative and active responsibility in most world service matters should be exercised primarily by the trustee members of the Conference acting as the General Service Board. 7. The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal instruments, empowering the trustees to manage and conduct all of the world service affairs. The Conference Charter is not a legal document; it relies upon tradition and the A.A. purse for final effectiveness. 8. The trustees are the principal planners and administrators of overall policy and finance. They have custodial oversight of the separately incorporated and constantly active services, exercising this through their ability to elect all the directors of these entities. 9. Good service leadership at all levels is indispensable for our future functioning and safety. Primary world service leadership, once exercised by the founders, must necessarily be assumed by the trustee. 10. Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority, with the scope of such authority always well defined. 11. The Trustees should always have the best possible committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs and consultants. Composition, qualifications induction procedures, and rights and duties will always be matters of serious concern. 12. The Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. tradition, taking care that it never becomes the seat of perilous wealth and power; that the sufficient operating funds and reserves be its prudent financial principle; that it place none of its members in a position of unqualified authority over others; that it reach all important decisions by discussion, vote, and whenever possible, by substantial unanimity; that its actions never be personally punitive nor an incitement to public controversy; that it never perform acts of government, and that, like the Society it serves, it will always remain democratic in thought and action.
In some instances, the Concepts refer to practices or customs, which may change with the passage of time. The World Service Board should make allowances for such changes in observing the spirit of the Concepts.
The Directors of the World Service Board shall consist of the World Service Board of Trustees. Each Trustee shall automatically become a Director upon qualifying as a Trustee and shall automatically cease to be a Director upon ceasing to be a Trustee of the World Service Board.
As a condition of election as a Director and election as a Trustee of the World Service Board, each person shall, before qualifying to serve as a Director and Trustee, execute an appropriate instrument addressed to the World Service Board of Cocaine Anonymous, stating that he or she agrees to comply with and be bound by all the terms and provisions of these Bylaws.
The Certificate of Incorporation of Cocaine Anonymous World Service, Inc. divides Director Trustees into two categories: non-addicts and addicts.
Non-addict Director Trustees shall be persons who are not and have not been afflicted by the disease of drug addiction and who express a profound faith in the recovery program upon which the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous is founded.
An addict Director Trustee is a member of the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous who has arrested their addiction and is living so far as they find is possible within the Twelve Steps, which constitute the recovery program.
In the event that any Director Trustee shall resign, or shall die or not be ratified, the Trustee Election Committee shall elect a new Director Trustee at the regular Trustee elections at the next World Service Conference. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Director Trustees are expected, subject to the laws of the State of California and to these Bylaws, at the request of the World Service Conference of Cocaine Anonymous to resign their trusteeship and directorship even though their terms of office as Director Trustees may not have expired.
All Director Trustees shall be ratified by secret ballot no less than once per year at a quarterly meeting of the WSBT. Such a ratification vote can be called at any of the WSBT quarterly meetings by a simple majority vote. Trustee ratification requires a 2/3-majority vote by the WSBT. If a trustee is not ratified the WSBT shall ask for the trustee’s immediate resignation. If the trustee is not ratified and does not resign within 48 hours of such request the WSBT shall immediately vote by secret ballot on whether to remove said trustee. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT CONSIDERATION OF THE VOTE FOR REMOVAL SHALL INCLUDE THE RIGHT TO BE PRESENT AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE AFFORDED TRADITIONAL RIGHTS OF
APPEAL. Trustee removal requires a 2/3-majority vote by the WSBT. If there is not a 2/3 majority in favor of removal, the trustee remains on the WSBT. In the event that any trustee shall resign, die, or be removed, the Trustee Election Committee shall elect a new trustee at the regular trustee elections at the next WS conference.
The Board of Trustees shall have all the powers provided for in these Bylaws and those that are vested in a Board of Directors under the laws of the State of California.
The Board of Trustees may by general resolution delegate to committees or to officers of the World Service Board such powers, as they deem appropriate in the service of the purposes to which the World Service Board is dedicated.
The members of the Board, subject to the laws of the State of California, are expected to exercise the powers vested in them by law in a manner consistent with the faith that permeates and guides the Fellowship of Cocaine anonymous, inspired by the Twelve Steps of Cocaine Anonymous, in accordance with the Twelve Traditions and the Conference Charter of Cocaine Anonymous.
Other than the right to participate in the disposition thereof during the period of directorship, no Director Trustee shall have any right, title, or interest in the property or assets of the World Service
Board and his or her right to vote or otherwise participate in the disposition of property of the World Service shall cease on the termination of their membership and their ceasing to be a Trustee.
The World Service Board may set up new corporate bodies to serve the purpose of Cocaine Anonymous, provided the World Service Board shall own all the capital stock of such corporate bodies, and its structure shall be in keeping with that of the World Service Board of Cocaine Anonymous. Manifestly, the World Service Board is expected to refrain from forming any new corporate body if a majority of the Conference Delegates shall disapprove of its formation.
In order that the World Service Board may more effectively serve the purposes for which it is formed, the Board of Director Trustees shall at its annual meeting, or at any other meeting, if a vacancy shall occur, elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, a Treasurer and any other officers they may deem necessary.
The President shall have those duties generally attributable by law and custom to a President under the laws of the State of California, with such other greater or lesser duties as may from time to time be determined by the World Service Board of Trustees.
The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the event of his or her absence or disability.
The Secretary and Treasurer shall similarly perform those duties generally attributed by law and custom to such offices.
All meetings of the Director Trustees shall take place in the city and county of Los Angeles, unless at a meeting of the Board, the Director Trustees shall decide to hold a future meeting or meetings outside the city of Los Angeles. The actual place and time of day of each meeting shall be determined by the President.
At least 10-days notice of the time and place of all meetings shall be given by mail signed by the President, or, at his or her request, by the Secretary. The President, at the time of the mailing of notices, shall determine the order in which matters shall be dealt with at all meetings, and he or she, or a majority of the Directors present at any meeting may decide to modify such order.
Whenever, in the judgment of one-third of the Director Trustees present at a meeting, a decision to take any action involves a matter of principal or basic policy and in the judgment of at least one-third of the Director Trustees a delay in arriving at a decision will not adversely affect the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous, the matter shall be submitted to a mail vote of Conference Delegates, and if a majority of the Conference Delegates votes against the taking of such action, then the Board of Directors will be expected to refrain from deciding to take such action.
Whenever a mail vote is taken of Conference Delegates, at least two-weeks notice shall be given, and the vote shall be determined in keeping with an analysis of such vote by the President and Secretary, or in their absence, by the Vice President and Treasurer, at the end of such two-week period. An announcement of the result of such vote shall thereupon be mailed by the Secretary or Treasurer to Conference Delegates and to Director Trustees.
At all meetings of Director Trustees, two-fifths of the Director Trustees shall be sufficient to constitute a quorum for the conduct of the affairs of the World Service Board, and the vote of a majority of the Trustees present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall, except as otherwise may be provided by these Bylaws or by statute, constitute a decision of the membership of the Board of Directors, as the case may be. If at any meeting there is less than a quorum present, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting to a time to be fixed by those present, without further notice to any absent Directors.
No Director of the World Service Board shall at any time have any right, title, or interest in and to the funds or property of Cocaine Anonymous World Services, Inc.
The Articles of Incorporation of Cocaine Anonymous World Services, Inc. and these Bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of 75 percent of all members of the Board of Directors. However, in keeping with the spirit and principles of the Fellowship of Cocaine Anonymous, the Board is expected, although not legally required, to submit any amendment or amendments of the Articles of Incorporation and of these Bylaws to Conference Delegates, either by mail or at the annual meeting of the World Service Conference of Cocaine Anonymous. If the Board of Directors may determine, and if a majority of such Delegates disapprove of such amendment or amendments, the Director Trustees are expected to refrain from proceeding therewith. Where, however, an amendment or amendments are submitted to Conference Delegates and are not disapproved as foresaid, the amendment or amendments shall require the affirmative vote of only a majority of the members of the Board of Directors present at a meeting of the World Service Board.
