Peter Drucker (1909-2005), known as the inventor of modern business management, is credited with saying: “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.” This axiom may have exceptions, and what alcoholic doesn’t love exceptions? I certainly still do! But most of us in recovery gladly accept an anniversary coin and congratulate newcomers or long-timers when they reach milestones, be it 30 hours, days or years of continuous sobriety.Â
Of course, we don’t keep records, but who doesn’t feel better about our fellowship when a GSR reports to Intergroup (IG) the number of newcomers joining their meetings? Or the AA helpline announces an increase in people seeking assistance? Or when one’s group contributes 7th Tradition in excess of prudent reserve to the next level in our service structure?Â
NUMBERS MATTER
Numbers like these matter: numbers of newcomers, service positions filled or vacant, meeting attendance up or down, 12 Steps completed, minutes of daily prayer and meditation … We might not think about these numbers like website page visits or KPI statistics, but I believe we ought to be using existing data to measure how well we are fulfilling our primary purpose as stated in the 5th Tradition, “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.”Â
DATA DRIVENÂ
To those who think Drucker’s management advice doesn’t apply to an organization with an upside down org chart like AA – think again. Recent experience using a data driven outreach approach with Health Care Professionals (HCP) tells a different story.
A MESSAGE FOR EVERYONE IS A MESSAGE FOR NO ONE
After a career in marketing communications, I can assure you, “a message for everyone is a message for no one.” Meaning, for AA to be effective in (outreach) communications, it has to narrowly define a specific audience and address that persona’s needs. As former pharma sales exec, Basel AA member and a key collaborator for HCP outreach communications told me, “Joel, health professionals don’t care about AA or OUR ideas. Their only interest is THEIR patients and what you can do for them.”
DATA PROVIDES PROOF OF AA CLAIMS
As published in ArenA last month, this distinction is not trivial. Consequently, if we are to win HCP referrals to AA for problem drinking patients, we have to prove our claim of a solution to alcoholism is based on factual data. Thanks to free digital tools and the correlation of AA membership to long-term sobriety, such data is relatively easy to obtain and disseminate.
MEASURING RESULTS
For example, an AA long-timer, working on a NATO airbase in Italy read, “The Butterfly Effect of Outreach to HCP.” Following Basel’s and Zurich’s examples, she collected local fellowship’s data, reported it in a powerpoint slide deck and sent it to the chief medical officer. A week later she was invited to make a presentation to the chief and his staff – resulting in his recommendation of AA as an additional recovery option (besides the military’s own program) for on-base service personnel with drinking problems.
TWO QUOTES
“The effectiveness of communication is not defined by the communication, but the result.”
Milton Erickson
“Will we continue to search out the ever present flaws and gaps in our communications? With enough imagination, courage, and dedication, will we resolutely address ourselves to those many tasks, of repair and improvement which even now the future is calling on us to undertake? Still clearer vision and an ever mounting sense of responsibility can be the only answers to these questions.”Â
Bill W. from the book, “AA Today”, published by the Grapevine, July 1960.
READY TO START OUTREACH IN YOUR LOCAL AREA?
In the past month, HCP outreach working groups have formed in Basel, Geneva and Zurich. Contact me (health.cer@aamail.org) to learn how easy it is to begin effective communications with local English-speaking GPs, rehabs, therapists and medical professionals. Resources and support available upon request to all groups in CER.
Submitted by Joel B.
Health Liaison Officer (HLO) of Continental European Region of Alcoholics Anonymous Great Britain
GOOD TO KNOW
Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W., co-founder of AA
New Cochrane Review finds Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-Step Facilitation programs help people to recover from alcohol problems
YT video of the Cochrane Review article noted above
Interesting statistics from 2020 Great Britain and CER membership-wide survey