The Board takes shape: the 2024 founding meetings

Attendees: Jason, Kevin, Rick, Erin S.

Debrief from SSS: the Spiritual Solutions Subcommittee expressed interest in contributing to the creation of PIR’s by-laws. Strategic direction discussed: the ultimate goal, how the community was being engaged, and the target audiences - individuals currently struggling; those needing immediate assistance; therapists seeking education; guides and sitters involved in recovery models; community partners. Learning from Alcoholics Anonymous and identifying areas for improvement; defining appropriate educational offerings.

Board roles: fiscal responsibility and governance; clarifying committee structure and mutual support. By-laws considerations: who else should serve, whether committee heads should also sit on the board, voting qualifications, term limits (1, 2, or 3 terms), reporting structure if an Executive Director were appointed, communication policy, bylaw templates, long-term planning at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years. Financial planning: a budget template, consistency of name and address across bank accounts and payment platforms, mailing address on Newport Ave, registered agent in CO.

Zoom: Erin S, Kevin F, Rick B, Jason B.

Internal announcement made fellowship-wide; the “open forum” at the end of meetings kept; Robert’s Rules of Order introduced for structured board discussions. No minutes to approve from the last meeting. Financial review: current bank balance $10,000. Mission statement planning began, with regional representatives to provide reports from their respective regions.

Present: Kevin F (President), Erin S (Treasurer), Rick B (Secretary), Dave M (Tech Comm), Kelley (SSS), Douglas N (IG Chair), Jason B (501c3 Consultant), Megan P, Jess, Kendall, Titus, Rhebekah, Andria EM, Elisabeth, Pat Long Island.

Call to order 7:09 pm ET. Quarterly Board meetings agreed. Budget: account opened December 2023 with $11,905; $1,043 deposited in Q1; $78 paid out; balance $12,870.

Committee updates: GSR - monthly meetings with Mike, Anne (UK), and Lauren (minutes at IG). SSS - Kelley’s transition out; Jason to consult on integrating Board and SSS functions. Lit Comm - Clif’s Book Project, refining existing documents, a possible 12x12 through a sub-committee, “primary purpose” statements; Jess asked about the Mission Statement’s relevance to Lit Comm; Clif suggested a PIR Blog. Tech Comm - Dave M working with Erin S to enable PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App for donations; applying for 501c3 discounts on credit card fees.

The mission statement conversation, in the voices of the room: Titus proposed “a worldwide fellowship of people who come together to recover from addiction” and “to carry the message of recovery using alternative modalities and shared experiences.” Megan P: we are not just here for addiction - PTSD survivors, mental health, inclusive of psychedelic use within a 12-step program. Andria cited Kevin’s term “vulnerable communities.” Rhebekah reiterated Megan: de-emphasize psychedelics, amplify community, “everyone is suffering.” Kendall asked about breathwork and ceremonies beyond psychedelics. Kelley questioned whether it should be a 12-step program at all. The discussion continued offline.

Closed with the NA Service Prayer, 8 pm ET.

June 21 (prep): Jason, Kevin, Rick, (Erin) reviewed for the formal meeting; option #5 for the mission statement felt right; Jason reviewed the 501c3 purpose/structure - nothing about the fellowship’s structure changes by formalizing; information flows from the broader fellowship to the 501c3 Board; board composition minimum 3, maximum 10; a possible Advisory Board; firm dates for filings, meetings, elections.

June 24 (formal): Called to order 7:03 pm ET. Present: Kevin (Pres), Rick (Sec), Erin S (Treasurer), Brianna J, Andrea L, Andria England, Jess, Douglas, Steph Gay, Karen B, Megan P, Ron Bell, Christopher, Rhebekah.

The mission - “Educate and support the addiction recovery community for individuals to have a safe space to explore addiction recovery options” - voted unanimously. Structure to be shared with the larger group. Next steps: EZ Form filing, position descriptions/bylaws, election with early word out. Brianna asked about the history of PIR/archives; Kevin reviewed work coming from Clif and team and dropped a link to a William White write-up; archives on Google Docs. Closed with the NA Service Prayer.

September 26 (working session): Kevin F, Rick B, Erin S. A $200 donation approved for a Portland Psychedelic Society Conference table (to be brought to the Open Board); Jason Burge’s Form 1023 document reviewed; business operations during the growth period discussed, including Clif’s proposal for revenue sharing, to be tested with the fellowship through GSR input; David L’s and Dave M’s efforts on the website noted.

September 30 (quarterly Open Board): Present: Kevin F, Rick B, Erin S, Hannah H (Healing Advocacy Fund), Clif, Cheryl S, David L, Andria, Kolya, Jason B (Advisor), Andrea P, Megan P, Christopher O, Mike (EA), Dave M (Costa Rica), Bruce Z, Douglas N, Kelly D, Erin B.

• HAF OR Community Pilot Project (Hannah Hetzer): a pilot for psilocybin access for alcohol or substance use disorder, in Oregon and possibly Colorado. Kevin clarified this is not a collaboration and not opposed to Tradition 10; Rick appreciated the attention to Step 10 and not diluting PIR® activity with outside projects looking to engage PIR members as resources.
• PIRBSC proposal: Clif, Cheryl S, and Kolya presented for the PIR Book Subcommittee. They had done the process backwards - starting the book work before setting up an LLC - and Clif suggested a sole proprietorship as holder of the funds; Cheryl mentioned 90% to the sole proprietorship and 10% to the fellowship. Kevin asked about sole proprietorship vs a publishing arm of the 501c3. David L reviewed AA publishing history - Bill W and the 15% royalties - and suggested the sole-proprietorship path had red flags; he and others had volunteered without seeking remuneration, mentioning the Refuge Recovery schism and the Living Sober book conflict. Clif clarified there would be little profit, only paying back what was spent, and stated the book is “all about PIR” and “it is not a PIR Book”; he said he had attempted to reach the board for six months or more without response, and that the group would be moving forward with publishing. Kevin stressed the importance of a Board and shared decision-making; Cheryl mentioned Tradition 8 and special workers; Kevin named the need for transparency, accountability, and working together, and invited a follow-up meeting with PIRBSC.
• Portland PIR Group tabling at the Psychedelic Symposium (October 4-6, $200 for materials); Kevin presenting at PSYCON Denver. Jason B reviewed the ByLaws process; PIR members to have a role in Board activities and decisions. Anne R (UK) mentioned her Imperial College London involvement re: a press release.

Closed with the NA Service Prayer, 8:10 pm. Next meeting Monday, December 30, 2024.

Every desk on the AstroLog - the committees, the sites, the by-laws pages - grew out of these rooms. The mission voted in June 2024 is why the sites exist; the by-laws work SSS joined in March 2024 is why the by-laws have a home on the main site; and the questions raised about the book project in September 2024 echo through the governance conversations still alive today. The ledger keeps them so the fellowship can see not just what was built, but why.

Related: the Board closes the year, December 2025 · who is who.