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THE A.A. SERVICE MANUAL TWELVE CONCEPTS for WORLD SERVICE
The
A.A. SERVICE MANUAL
Combined With
TWELVE CONCEPTS
for WORLD SERVICE
by Bill W.
2006-2007 Edition
A.A.W.S., INC.
REFLECTING ACTIONS OF THE
2006 GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE
2006-2007
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THE A.A.
SERVICE MANUAL
combined with
TWELVE CONCEPTS
FOR WORLD SERVICE
by Bill W.
AA_ServiceManual (revised 8-4-06) by Daniel R l d
C b db
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ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience,
strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to
recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for
A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution; does not wish
to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes.
Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Copyright by the A.A. Grapevine Inc.; reprinted with permission
A Declaration of Unity
I Am Responsible
This we owe to A.A.s future; to place our

common welfare first; to keep our
Fellowship united. For on A.A. unity
depend our lives, and the lives of those to
come.
When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for

help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be
there. And for that: I am responsible.
Copyright 1962, 1969, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993,
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
First printing of Revised Edition, 1999
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
475 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y. 10115
Mail address: Box 459, Grand Central Station
New York, N.Y. 10163
www.aa.org
A.A. and Alcoholics Anonymous are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
40M-8/06 (ADP)
Printed in U.S.A.
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THE
A.A. SERVICE MANUAL
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Table of Contents
Note: Vertical lines in outer margins (like that at left) indicate where changes were made for this edition.
AAs Legacy of Service (Foreword and historical background by co-founder Bill W.) . . . . . . . . . . . S1
The Twelve Traditions (long form) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S13
Chapter One: Introduction to General Service

The Conference Structure: An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S15
An Upside-Down Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S15
(Chart of the General Service Conference Structure) . . . . . . . . . .S16
Communication Through the Structure
(groupdistrictareaConferencetrustees) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S16
The Conference Charter (see Appendices A, C) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S17
Conference Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S18
(a glossary of terms commonly used in A.A. general service)
Why Do We Need a Conference? by Bernard B. Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S19
Third Legacy Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S20
Chart of Third Legacy Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S21
Stimulating Interest in General Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S21
Tools Available from G.S.O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S22
Chapter Two: The Group and Its G.S.R.

The importance of a home group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S23
The General Service Representative
(qualifications, duties, financial support, term, how elected) . . . . . . . . .S24
Service Structure Inside the A.A. Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S25
New group form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S27
Group information change form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S28
Chapter Three: The District and the D.C.M.

The District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S29
The District Committee Member (D.C.M.)
(qualifications, duties, term, eligibility, election procedures) . . . . . . . . . .S29
The Alternate D.C.M. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S31
Redistricting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S31
Chapter Four: The Area Assembly and Activities

Description of an area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S33
The Area Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S33
Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S34
Eligibility to vote (area procedures) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S34
Inactive Service Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S34
Timing and Location of Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S34
A Typical Election Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S35
A Typical Non-Election Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S36
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Area Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S36

Help on the Annual Conference Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S36
Sharing Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S37
Area Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S37
Area Newsletters or Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S38
Working with Local Intergroups and Central Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S38
Area, State, Provincial, and Regional Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S39
Forming a New Delegate Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S39
Requesting a Change of Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S40
Guidelines for Changing Regional Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S40
Chapter Five: The Area Committee

Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S41
Chairperson (duties, qualifications) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S41
Suggestions on chairing assembly meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S42
Secretary and Registrar (duties, qualifications) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S42
Treasurer (duties, qualifications) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S43
Other Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S43
Alternate Committee Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S43
Past Delegates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S43
Financial Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S44
Chapter Six: The Delegate

Duties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S45
Term of Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S46
Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S46
Qualifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S46
Geographical Rotation within the Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S47
The Alternate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S47
Leadership in A.A.: Ever a Vital Need (excerpts), by Bill W. . . . . . . . . . . .S48
Personal Experience (preparing for and reporting on the Conference) . . . . .S49
Chapter Seven: The Annual Conference Meeting

General Warranties of the Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S51
What Goes On at the Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S52
Sources of Agenda Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S52
Conference Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S52
The Voting Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S53
Conference Advisory Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S53
Can the Conference Act for AA as a Whole?, by Bill W. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S54
Reporting to the Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S55
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Chapter Eight: Conference Committees

Committee meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S56
Selection of committee members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S56
The Standing Committees (names and general scope) . . . . . . . . . . .S57
Secondary Committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S58
Chapter Nine: The General Service Board

The trustees relationship to the Conference structure . . . . . . . . . .S59
Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S60
Qualifications of an Effective Trustee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S60
Nonalcoholic (Class A) Trustees (role, qualifications, how chosen) . . .S61
Regional Trustees (role, qualifications, how elected) . . . . . . . . . . . . .S62
Schedule of regional elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S62
Regional map, U.S. and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S63
Trustees-at-Large (role, qualifications, how elected) . . . . . . . . . . . . .S64
General Service Trustees (role, qualifications, how elected) . . . . . . .S65
Trustees Service Committees (names and functions) . . . . . . . . . . . .S66
Appointed Committee Members (role, qualifications, how elected) . . .S67
World Service Meeting Delegates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S67
Chapter Ten: The Boards Operating Corporations

Relationship of the General Service Board
to its operating entities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S69
The General Service Board Reserve Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S69
A.A. World Services, Inc. (corporate board, board
committees, financial support) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S70
The AA Grapevine, Inc. (corporate board, financial support) . . . . .S71
Choosing Nontrustee Directors for A.A.W.S.
and the Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S72
Trademarks and Logos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S72
Chapter Eleven: The General Service Office

General description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S73
Services (general description) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S73
Structure Chart of G.S.O. and A.A.W.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S74
Archives, Files, Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S75
Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S76
Business Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S77
Literature Published by A.A.World Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S77
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Chapter Twelve: The A.A. Grapevine

Nature of the magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S81
Structure and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S82
(Editorial Advisory Board) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S83
What Gets Done at the Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S83
La Via . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S83
Grapevine and La Via Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S83
The A.A. Grapevine Digital Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S84
What Does a Grapevine/La Via Representative Do? . . . . . . . . . . .S84
Literature Published by the Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S85
General Guidelines for Reprinting Art and Articles
from the A.A. Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S86
Logos and Art Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S86
Area Maps, U.S. and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S88

Appendix A
Original Conference Charter, 1955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S90
Appendix B
1955 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S95
Appendix C
Current Conference Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S97
Appendix D
Conference Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S103
Appendix E
Bylaws of the General Service Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S106
Index
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This is A.A.s service manual an outgrowth of the Third Legacy Manual which served
the movement so well beginning with Bill W.s first draft in 1951. All of the basic service
principles and procedures outlined in that document have been retained. In the interests
of convenience and completeness, the material has been edited and rearranged.
The Conference Report and Charter Committee is responsible for reviewing and approv
ing the updating and revision of The A.A. Service Manual / Twelve Concepts for World
Service. This revision was approved by the 1999 General Service Conference.
A.A.s Legacy of Service

1
by Bill W.
ur Twelfth Step carrying the message is the basic service that the A.A.
Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence.
Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We
must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who havent been given the
truth may die.
Hence, an A.A. service is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer
ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of cof
fee, and to A.A.s General Service Office for national and international action. The sum
total of all these services is our Third Legacy of Service.
Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they
mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description. They call for
committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they need vol
untary money contributions from within the Fellowship.
Vital to A.A.s Growth

These services, whether performed by individuals, groups, areas, or A.A. as a whole, are
utterly vital to our existence and growth. Nor can we make A.A. more simple by abolish
ing such services. We would only be asking for complication and confusion.
1
Bill wrote these words in 1951, therefore, his words reflect that time period in their details.
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Concerning any given service, we therefore pose but one question: Is this service real
ly needed? If it is, then maintain it we must, or fail in our mission to those who need and
seek A.A.
The most vital, yet least understood, group of services that A.A. has are those that
enable us to function as a whole, namely: the General Service Office, A.A. World Services,
Inc., The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., and our board of trustees, known legally as the General
Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our worldwide unity and much of our growth
since early times are directly traceable to this cluster of life-giving activities.
Until 1950, these overall services were the sole function of a few oldtime A.A.s, sever
al nonalcoholic friends, Doctor Bob, and me. For all the years of A.A.s infancy, we oldtimers had been the selfappointed trustees for Alcoholics Anonymous.
Fellowship Ready for Responsibility

At this time, we realized that A.A. had grown up, that our Fellowship was ready and able
to take these responsibilities from us. There was also another urgent reason for change.
Since we oldtimers couldnt live on forever, newer trustees would be virtually unknown to
the A.A. groups, now spread over the whole earth. Without direct linkage to A.A., future
trustees couldnt possibly function alone.
This meant that we had to form a conference representing our membership which
could meet yearly with our board of trustees in New York, and thus assume direct respon
sibility for the guardianship of A.A. tradition and the direction of our principal service
affairs. Otherwise, a virtually unknown board of trustees and our too little understood ser
vice headquarters operations would someday be bound to face collapse.
Suppose that future trustees, acting quite on their own, were to make a serious blun
der. Suppose that with no linkage to A.A., they tried to act for us in time of great trouble
or crisis. With no direct guidance from A.A. as a whole, how could they do this? Collapse
of our top services would then be inevitable. And if, under such conditions, our world ser
vices did fall apart, how could they ever be reconstructed?
These, briefly, were the conclusions that led to the formation of the General Service
Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous. Later, I will outline in more detail the events that
have now become A.A. history.
The deliberative body known as the Conference is made up of elected area delegates
from the United States and Canada now numbering about ninety together with the
trustees, the directors of A.A.W.S., Inc., and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., and G.S.O. and
Grapevine staff members numbering forty or more. The Conference held its first annual
meeting in 1951. Since then it has met annually in April in New York.2 It has proved itself
an immense success establishing a record of advisory actions that have served the
Fellowship well during the intervening years of growth and development.
Except for 1955 Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Highlights of A.A. Service History

To go back to the beginning: One day in 1937, at Dr. Bobs Akron home, he and I added
up the score of over two years work. For the first time we saw that wholesale recovery of
alcoholics was possible. We then had two small but solid groups in Akron and New York,
plus a sprinkling of members elsewhere. How could these few recovered ones tell millions
of alcoholics throughout the world the great news? That was the question.
Forthwith, Doctor Bob and I met with 18 of the Akron Group at the home of T. Henry
Williams, a steadfast nonalcoholic friend. Some of the Akron Group still thought we ought
to stick to the word-of-mouth process; but the majority felt that we now needed our own
hospitals with paid workers and, above all, a book for other alcoholics that could explain
to them our methods and results. This would require considerable money millions per
haps. (We didnt know that millions would have ruined us even more than no money at
all.) So the Akron meeting commissioned me to get to New York and raise funds. Arrived
home, I found the New York Group in full agreement with this idea. Several of us went to
work at once.
A.A.s Early Money Problems

Through my brother-in-law, Dr. L. V. Strong, Jr., my only remaining friend and the confi
dant of the worst of my drinking time, we made a contact with Willard S. Richardson, a
friend and longtime associate of the Rockefeller family. Mr. Richardson promptly took fire
and interested a group of his own friends. In the winter of 1937, a meeting was called at
the office of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Present were Mr. Richardson and his group, Dr.
William D. Silkworth, alcoholics from Akron and New York, Doctor Bob and I. After a long
discussion, we convinced our new friends that we urgently needed money a lot of it,
too.
One of them, Frank Amos, soon made a trip to Akron early in 1938 to investigate the
group there. He returned with a very optimistic report, of which Mr. Richardson quickly
laid before John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Though much impressed, Mr. Rockefeller declined to
give any large sum for fear of professionalizing A.A. He did, however, donate $5,000. This
was used to keep Doctor Bob and me going during 1938. We were still a long way from
hospitals, missionaries, books, and big money. This looked mighty tough at the time, but
it was probably one of the best breaks that A.A. ever had.
In spite of Mr. Rockefellers views, we renewed our efforts to persuade his friends of
our crying need for money. At length, they agreed that we did need more money, certain
ly enough to prepare a textbook on our methods and experience.
In the late spring of 1938, I had drafted what are now the first two chapters of the
book Alcoholics Anonymous. Mimeographed copies of these were used as part of the
prospectus for our futile fund-raising operation. At board meetings, then held nearly every
month, our nonalcoholic friends commiserated on our lack of success. About half of the
$5,000 Mr. Rockefeller advanced had been used to pay the mortgage on Doctor Bobs
home. The rest of it, divided between us, would, of course, soon be exhausted. The outlook
was certainly bleak.
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A.A. Its Own Publisher

Then Frank Amos remembered his oldtime friend Eugene Exman, religious editor at
Harpers, the book publishers. He sent me to Harpers, and I showed Mr. Exman two chap
ters of our proposed book. To my delight, Mr. Exman was impressed. He suggested that
Harpers might advance me $1,500 in royalties to finish the job. Broke as we were, that
$1,500 looked like a pile of money.
Nevertheless, our enthusiasm for this proposal quickly waned. With the book fin
ished, we would be $1,500 in debt to Harpers. And if, as we hoped, A.A. then got a lot of
publicity, how could we possibly hire the help to answer the inquiries maybe thousands
that would flood in?
There was another problem, too, a serious one. If our A.A. book became the basic text
for Alcoholics Anonymous, its ownership would then be in other hands. It was evident that
our Society ought to own and publish its own literature. No publisher, however good,
ought to own our best asset.
So two of us bought a pad of blank stock certificates and wrote on them Works
Publishing, par value $25. My friend Hank P. and I then offered shares in the new book
company to alcoholics and their friends in New York. They just laughed at us. Who would
buy stock, they said, in a book not yet written!
Somehow, these timid buyers had to be persuaded, so we went to the Readers Digest
and told the managing editor the story of our budding Society and its proposed book. He
liked the notion very much and promised that in the spring of 1939 when we thought the
book would be ready, the Readers Digest would print a piece about A.A. mentioning the
new book, of course.
This was the sales argument we needed. With a plug like that, the proposed volume
would sell by carloads. How could we miss? The New York alcoholics and their friends
promptly changed their minds about Works Publishing stock. They began to buy it, most
ly on installments.
Ruth Hock, our nonalcoholic secretary, typed away as I slowly dictated the chapters of
the text for the new book. Fierce argument over these drafts and what ought to go into
them was a main feature of the New York and Akron Groups meetings for months on end.
I became much more of an umpire than I ever was an author. Meanwhile, the alcoholics at
Akron and New York and a couple in Cleveland began writing their stories 28 in all.
When the book project neared completion, we visited the managing editor of the
Readers Digest and asked for the promised article. He gave us a blank look, scarcely
remembering who we were. Then the blow fell. He told how months before he had put our
proposition to his editorial board and how it had been turned down flat. With profuse
apologies, he admitted hed plumb forgot to let us know anything about it. This was a
crusher.
Meanwhile, we had optimistically ordered 5,000 copies of the new book, largely on a
shoestring. The printer, too, had relied on the Readers Digest. Soon there would be 5,000
books in his warehouse, and no customers for them.
The book finally appeared in April 1939. We got the New York Times to do a review
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and Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick supplied us with another really good one, but nothing
happened. The book simply didnt sell. We were in debt up to our ears. The sheriff had
appeared at the Newark office where we had been working, and the landlord sold the
Brooklyn house, where Lois and I lived. She and I were dumped into the street and then
onto the charity of A.A. friends.
How we got through the summer of 1939, Ill never quite know. Hank P. had to get a
job. The faithful Ruth accepted shares in the defunct book company as pay. One A.A.
friend supplied us with his summer camp; another, with a car.
A.A. Makes News

The first break came in September 1939. Liberty Magazine, then headed by our great
friend-to-be Fulton Oursler, carried an article, Alcoholics and God, written by Morris
Markey. There was an instant response. About eight hundred letters from alcoholics and
their families poured in. Ruth answered every one of them, enclosing a leaflet about the
new book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Slowly, the book began to sell. Then the Cleveland
Plain Dealer ran a series of pieces about Alcoholics Anonymous. At once, the Cleveland
groups mushroomed from a score into many hundreds of members. More books sold.
Thus we inched and squeezed our way through that perilous year.
We hadnt heard a thing from Mr. Rockefeller since early in 1938. But in 1940, he put
in a dramatic reappearance. His friend Mr. Richardson came to a trustees meeting, smil
ing broadly. Mr. Rockefeller, he said, wanted to give Alcoholics Anonymous a dinner. The
invitation list showed an imposing collection of notables. We figured them to be collec
tively worth at least a billion dollars.
The dinner came off early in February at New Yorks Union League Club. Dr. Harry
Emerson Fosdick spoke in praise of us, and so did Dr. Foster Kennedy, the eminent neu
rologist. Then Doctor Bob and I briefed the audience on A.A. Some of the Akron and New
York alcoholics scattered among the notables at the tables responded to questions. The
gathering showed a rising warmth and interest. This was it, we thought; our money prob
lems were solved!
Nelson Rockefeller then rose to his feet to speak for his father, who was ill. His father
was very glad, he said, that those at the dinner had seen the promising beginning of the
new Society of Alcoholics Anonymous. Seldom, Nelson continued, had his father shown
more interest in anything. But obviously, since A.A. was a work of pure goodwill, one man
carrying the news to the next, little or no money would be required. At this sally, our spir
its fell. When Mr. Rockefeller had finished, the whole billion dollars worth of capitalists
got up and walked out, leaving not a nickel behind them.
Next day, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. wrote to all those who had attended the dinner and
even to those who had not. Again he reiterated his complete confidence and high interest.
Then, at the very end of his letter, he casually remarked that he was giving Alcoholics
Anonymous $1,000!
Only much later did we realize what Mr. Rockefeller had really done for us. At risk of
personal ridicule, he had stood up before the whole world to put in a plug for a tiny soci
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ety of struggling alcoholics. For these unknowns, hed gone way out on a limb. Wisely
sparing of his money, he had given freely of himself. Then and there John D. Rockefeller,
Jr. saved us from the perils of property management and professionalism. He couldnt have
done more.
A.A. Grows to Two Thousand Members

As a result, A.A.s 1940 membership jumped sharply to about two thousand at the
years end. Doctor Bob and I each began to receive $30 a week out of the dinner con
tributions. This eased us greatly. Lois and I went to live in a tiny room at A.A.s number one
clubhouse, on West 24th Street in Manhattan.
Best of all, increased book sales had made a national headquarters possible. We moved
from Newark, N.J., where the A.A. book had been written, to Vesey Street, just north of the
Wall Street district of New York. We took a modest two-room office right opposite the
Church Street Annex Post Office. There the famous Box 658 was ready and waiting to
receive the thousands of frantic inquiries that would presently come into it. At this point,
Ruth (though nonalcoholic) became A.A.s first national secretary, and I turned into a sort
of headquarters handyman.
Through the whole of 1940, book sales were the sole support of the struggling office.
Every cent of these earnings went to pay for A.A. work done there. All requests for help
were answered with warm personal letters. When alcoholics or their families showed con
tinued interest, we kept on writing. Aided by such letters and the book Alcoholics
Anonymous, new A.A. groups had begun to take form.
Beginning of Group Services

More importantly, we had lists of prospects in many cities and towns in the United States
and Canada. We turned these lists over to the A.A. traveling businessmen, members of
already established groups. With these couriers, we corresponded constantly, and they
started still more groups. For the further benefit of our travelers, we put out a group direc
tory.
Then came an unexpected activity. Because the newborn groups saw only a little of
their traveling sponsors, they turned to the New York office for help with their innumer
able troubles. By mail we relayed the experience of the older centers on to them. A little
later, as we shall see, this became a major service.
Meanwhile, some of the stockholders in the book company, Works Publishing, began
to get restive. All the book profits, they complained, were going for A.A. work in the office.
When, if ever, were they going to get their money back? We also saw that the book
Alcoholics Anonymous should now become the property of A.A. as a whole. At the
moment, it was owned one-third by the 49 subscribers, one-third by my friend Hank P.,
and the remainder by me.
As a first step, we had the book company, Works Publishing, audited and legally incor
porated. Hank P. and I donated our shares in it to the Alcoholic Foundation (as our board
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of trustees was then called). This was the stock that we had taken for services rendered. But
the 49 other subscribers had put in real money. They would have to be paid in cash. Where
on earth could we get it?
The help we needed turned up in the person of A. LeRoy Chipman. Also a friend and
associate of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., he had recently been made a trustee of the Foundation.
He persuaded Mr. Rockefeller, two of his sons, and some of the dinner guests to lend the
Foundation $8,000. This promptly paid off a $2,500 indebtedness to Charles B. Towns,3
settled some incidental debts, and permitted the reacquisition of the outstanding stock.
Two years later, the book Alcoholics Anonymous had done so well that we were able to
pay off this whole Rockefeller loan.
Jack Alexander Looks at A.A.

The spring of 1941 brought us a ten-strike. The Saturday Evening Post decided to do a piece
about Alcoholics Anonymous. It assigned one of its star writers, Jack Alexander, to the job.
Having just done an article on the New Jersey rackets, Jack approached us somewhat
tongue-in-cheek. But he soon became an A.A. convert, even though he wasnt an alco
holic. Working early and late, he spent a whole month with us. Doctor Bob and I and elders
of the early groups at Akron, New York, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Chicago spent
uncounted hours with him. When he could feel A.A. in the very marrow of his bones, he
proceeded to write the piece that rocked drunks and their families all over the nation. It
was the lead story in The Saturday Evening Post of March 1, 1941.
Came then the deluge. Frantic appeals from alcoholics and their families six thou
sand of them hit the New York office. At first, we pawed at random through the mass
of letters, laughing and crying by turns. How could this heartbreaking mail be answered?
It was a cinch that Ruth and I could never do it alone. Form letters wouldnt be enough.
Every single one must have an understanding personal reply. Maybe the A.A. groups them
selves would help. Though wed never asked anything of them before, this was surely their
business, if it was anybodys. An enormous Twelfth Step job had to be done and done
quickly.
So we told the groups the story, and they responded. The measuring stick for volun
tary contribution was at that time set at $1.00 per member per year. The trustees of the
Foundation agreed to look after these funds, placing them in a special bank account, ear
marking them for A.A. office work only.
We had started the year 1941 with two thousand members, but we finished with eight
thousand. This was the measure of the great impact of The Saturday Evening Post piece. But
this was only the beginning of uncounted thousands of pleas for help from individuals and
from growing groups all over the world, which have continued to flow into the General
Service Office to this day.
This phenomenal expansion brought another problem, a very important one. The
national spotlight now being on us, we had to begin dealing with the public on a large
scale. Public ill will could stunt our growth, even bring it to a stand still. But enthusiastic
3
Owner of Towns Hospital in New York; his loan helped to make the Big Book project possible.
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public confidence could swell our ranks to numbers we had only dreamed of before. The
Post piece had proved this,
Finding the right answers to all our public relations puzzlers has been a long process.
After much trial and error, sometimes punctuated by painful mistakes, the attitudes and
practices that would work best for us emerged. The important ones can today be seen in
our A.A. Traditions. One hundred percent anonymity at the public level, no use of the
A.A. name for the benefit of other causes, however worthy, no endorsements or alliances,
one single purpose for Alcoholics Anonymous, no professionalism, public relations
by the principle of attraction rather than promotion these were some of the hardlearned lessons.
Service to the Whole of A.A.

Thus far in our Society story, we have seen the Foundation, the A.A. book, the develop
ment of pamphlet literature, the answered mass of pleas for help, the satisfied need of
groups for counsel on their problems, the beginning of our wonderful relations with the
public, all becoming a part of a growing service to the whole world of A.A. At last our
Society really began to function as a whole.
But the 19411945 period brought still more developments of significance. The Vesey
Street office was moved to Lexington Avenue, New York City, just opposite Grand Central
Terminal. The moment we located there, we were besieged with visitors who, for the first
time, began to see Alcoholics Anonymous as a vision for the whole globe.
Since A.A. was growing so fast, G.S.O. had to grow too. More alcoholic staff members
were engaged. As they divided the work between them, departments began to be created.
Todays office has a good many group, foreign and public relations, A.A. Conference,
office management, packing and mailing, accounting, stenographic, and special services to
Loners, prisons, and hospitals.4
It was chiefly from correspondence and from our mounting public relations activity
that the basic ideas for our Traditions came. In late 1945, a good A.A. friend suggested that
all this mass of experience might be codified into a set of general principles, simply stated
principles that could offer tested solutions to all of A.A.s problems of living and working
together and of relating our Society to the world outside.
If we had become sure enough of where we stood on such matters as membership,
group autonomy, singleness of purpose, nonendorsement of other enterprises, profession
alism, public controversy, and anonymity in its several aspects, then such a code of princi
ples could be written. Such a traditional code could not, of course, ever become rule or law.
But it could act as a sure guide for our trustees, for headquarters people and, most espe
cially, for A.A. groups with bad growing pains.
Being at the center of things, we of the headquarters would have to do the job. Aided
by my helpers there, I set to work. The Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous that resulted
were first published in the so called long form in the Grapevine of May 1946.5 Then I wrote
4 Other services have been added since 1955.
5 Actually, it was the April 1946 issue of the Grapevine.
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some more pieces explaining the Traditions in detail. These came out in later issues of
the Grapevine.
Traditions Took Persuasion

The first reception of the Twelve Traditions was interesting and amusing. The reaction was
mixed, to say the least. Only groups in dire trouble took them seriously. From some quar
ters there was a violent reaction, especially from groups that had long lists of protective
rules and regulations. There was much indifference. Several of our intellectual members
cried loudly that the Traditions reflected nothing more than the sum of my own hopes and
fears for Alcoholics Anonymous.
Therefore I began to travel and talk a lot about the new Traditions. People were at first
politely attentive, though it must be confessed that some did go to sleep during my early
harangues. But after a while I got letters containing sentiments like this: Bill, wed love to
have you come and speak. Do tell us where you used to hide your bottles and all about that
big, hot-flash spiritual experience of yours. But for heavens sake, please dont talk any
more about those blasted Traditions!
Time presently changed all that. Only five years later, several thousand A.A. members,
meeting at the 1950 Cleveland Convention, declared that A.A.s Twelve Traditions consti
tuted the platform upon which our Fellowship could best function and hold together in
unity for all time to come.
Medicine Takes an Interest

By this time, A.A. had found still more favor in the world of medicine. Two of the great
medical associations of America did an unprecedented thing. In the year 1944, the Medical
Society of New York invited me to read a paper at its annual meeting. Following the read
ing, three of the many physicians present stood up and gave A.A. their highest endorse
ment. These were Dr. Harry Tiebout, A.A.s first friend in the psychiatric profession, Dr.
Kirby Collier, also a psychiatrist friend and an early advocate of A.A., and Dr. Foster
Kennedy, world-renowned neurologist. The Medical Society itself then went still further.
They permitted us to print my paper and the recommendations of these three doctors in
pamphlet form. In 1949 the American Psychiatric Association did exactly the same thing.
I read a paper at its annual meeting in Montreal. The paper was carried in the American
Journal of Psychiatry, and we were permitted to reprint it.6
During the 1940s, two hospitals met all these urgent needs and afforded shining
examples of how medicine and A.A. could cooperate. At St. Thomas Hospital in Akron,
Doctor Bob, the wonderful Sister Ignatia, and the hospitals staff presided over an alcoholic
ward that had ministered to five thousand alcoholics by the time Doctor Bob passed away
in 1950. In New York, Knickerbocker Hospital provided a ward under the care of our first
friend in medicine, Dr. William Duncan Silkworth, where he was assisted by a redheaded
A.A. nurse known as Teddy. It was in these two hospitals and by these pioneering people
6
Now in the pamphlet Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W.
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that the best techniques of combined medicine and A.A. were worked out.
Since proper hospitalization was, and still is, one of A.A.s greatest problems, the
General Service Office has retailed this early hospital experience, along with the many sub
sequent developments and ramifications, to groups all over the world still another very
vital service.
A Rash of Anonymity Breaks

About this time a serious threat to our longtime welfare made its appearance. Usually
meaning well, members began breaking their anonymity all over the place. Sometimes they
wanted to use the A.A. name to advertise and help other causes. Others just wanted their
names and pictures in the papers. Being photographed with the governor would really help
A.A., they thought. (Id earlier been guilty of this, too.) But at last we saw the appalling risk
to A.A. if all our power-drivers got loose at the public level. Already scores of them were
doing it.
So our General Service Office got to work. We wrote remonstrances, kind ones, of
course, to every breaker. We even sent letters to nearly all press and radio outlets, explain
ing why A.A.s shouldnt break their anonymity before the public. Nor, we added, did A.A.
solicit money we paid our own bills.
In a few years the public anonymity-breakers were squeezed down to a handful
thus another valuable G.S.O. service had gone into action.
G.S.O. Services Expand

To maintain all these ever-lengthening service lifelines, the office had to go on expanding.
G.S.O. moved to 44th Street.7
Our present array of services may look like big business to some. But when we think
of the size and reach of A.A. today, that isnt true at all. In 1945, for example, we had one
paid worker to every 98 groups; in 1955, one paid worker to every 230 groups.8 It there
fore seems sure that we shall never be burdened with a bureaucratic and expensive service
setup.
No description of our world services would be complete without full acknowledg
ment of all that has been contributed by our nonalcoholic trustees. Over the years they
have given an incredible amount of time and effort; theirs has been a true labor of love.
Some of them, like Jack Alexander, Fulton Oursler, Leonard Harrison, and Bernard Smith,
have given much in their fields of literature, social service, finance, and law. Their example
is being followed by more recent nonalcoholic trustees.
As I pointed out earlier, in the 1940s our headquarters was constantly overhung by
one great threat to its future existence: Doctor Bob and I and our board of trustees had the
entire responsibility for the conduct of A.A.s services.
In the years leading up to 1950 and 1951, we began to debate the desirability of some
7
8
Later, it moved to 305 East 45th St., and then 468 Park Ave. South. In 1992 it moved to 475 Riverside Dr.
In 2006, with services still further expanded, one G.S.O. worker serves approximately 751 groups in the U.S.
and Canada.
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sort of advisory board of A.A.s. Or maybe we needed a conference of larger numbers,

elected by A.A. itself; people who would inspect the headquarters yearly, a body to whom
the trustees could become responsible, a guiding conscience of our whole world effort.
But the objections to this were persistent and nothing happened for several years.
Such a venture, it was said, would be expensive. Worse still, it might plunge A.A. into dis
ruptive political activity when conference delegates were elected. Then Doctor Bob fell ill,
mortally ill. Finally, in 1950, spurred on by the relentless logic of the situation, the trustees
authorized Doctor Bob and me to devise the plan with which this booklet deals. It was a
plan for a General Service Conference of A.A., a plan by which our Society could assume
full and permanent responsibility for the conduct of its most vital affairs.
Birth of the Conference

It was one thing to say that we ought to have a General Service Conference, but it was quite
another to devise a plan which would bring it into successful existence. The cost of hold
ing one was easily dismissed, but how on earth were we going to cut down destructive pol
itics, with all its usual struggles for prestige and vainglory? How many delegates would be
required and from where should they come? Arrived at New York, how could they be relat
ed to the board of trustees? What would be their actual powers and duties?
With these several weighty considerations in mind, and with some misgivings, I com
menced work on a draft of a plan, much assisted by Helen B., an A.A. staff member.
Though the Conference might be later enlarged to include the whole world, we felt
that the first delegates should come from the U.S. and Canada only. Each state and
province might be allowed one delegate. Those containing heavy A.A. populations could
have additional delegates. To give the Conference continuity, delegates could be divided
into panels. An odd-numbered panel (Panel One), elected for two years, would be invited
for 1951, the first year. An even-numbered panel (Panel Two), elected for two years, would
be seated in 1952. Thereafter, one panel would be elected and one would be retired yearly.
This would cause the Conference to rotate, while maintaining some continuity.
But how could we pull the inevitable election pressure down? To accomplish this, it
was provided that a delegate must receive a two-thirds vote for election. If a delegate got a
majority of this size, nobody could kick much. But if he or she didnt, and the election was
close, what then? Well, perhaps the names of the two highest in the running, or the three
officers of the committee, or even the whole committee, could be put in a hat. One name
would be drawn. The winner of this painless lottery would become the delegate.
But when these delegates met in conference, what would they do? We thought they
would want to have real authority. So, in the charter drawn for the Conference itself, it was
provided that the delegates could issue flat directions to the trustees on a two-thirds vote.
And even a simple majority vote would constitute a mighty strong suggestion.
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Delegates Encouraged to Question

The first Conference was set for April 1951. In came the delegates. They looked over our
offices, cellar to garret, got acquainted with the whole staff, shook hands with the trustees.
That evening, we gave them a briefing session, under the name of Whats on your mind?
We answered scores of questions of all kinds. The delegates began to feel at home and reas
sured. They inspected our finances with a microscope. After they had listened to reports
from the board of trustees and from all the services, there was warm but cordial debate on
many a question of policy. Trustees submitted several of their own serious problems for
the opinion of the Conference.
So went session after session, morning, afternoon, and evening. The delegates handled
several tough puzzles about which we at G.S.O. were in doubt, sometimes giving advice
contrary to our own conclusions. In nearly every instance, we saw that they were right.
Then and there they proved, as never before, that A.A.s Tradition Two was correct. The
group conscience could safely act as the sole authority and sure guide for Alcoholics
Anonymous.
Nobody present will ever forget that final session of the first Conference. We knew
that the impossible had happened, that A.A. could never break down in the middle, that
Alcoholics Anonymous was at last safe from any storm the future might bring. And, as del
egates returned home, they carried this same conviction with them.
Realizing our need for funds and better literature circulation, some did place a little
too much emphasis on this necessity; others were a little discouraged, wondering why fel
low members in their areas did not take fire as they had. They forgot that they themselves
had been eyewitnesses to the Conference and that their brother alcoholics had not. But,
both here and at home, they made an impression much greater than they knew.
In the midst of this exciting turn of affairs, the Conference agreed that the Alcoholic
Foundation ought to be renamed the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous,
and this was done. The word Foundation stood for charity, paternalism and maybe big
money. A.A. would have none of these; from here out we could assume full responsibility
and pay our expenses ourselves.
As I watched all this grow, I became entirely sure that Alcoholics Anonymous was at
last safe even from me.
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The Twelve Traditions (Long Form)

Our A.A. experience has taught us that:
1. Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must
continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But
individual welfare follows close afterward.
2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority a loving God as He may
express Himself in our group conscience.
3. Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse
none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or con
formity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an
A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.
4. With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other
authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring
groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And no group, regional committee, or
individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without
conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board. On such issues our common
welfare is paramount.
5. Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one prima
ry purpose that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. Problems of money, property, and authority may easily divert us from our primary spir
itual aim. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A.
should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spir
itual. An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business. Secondary aids to A.A., such
as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incor
porated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups.
Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name. Their management should be the sole
responsibility of those people who financially support them. For clubs, A.A. managers are
usually preferred. But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well
outside A.A. and medically supervised. While an A.A. group may cooperate with any
one, such cooperation ought never to go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or
implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.
7. The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions
of their own members. We think that each group should soon achieve this ideal; that any
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public solicitation of funds using the name of Alcoholics Anonymous is highly dangerous,
whether by groups, clubs, hospitals, or other outside agencies; that acceptance of large gifts
from any source, or of contributions carrying any obligation whatever, is unwise. Then,
too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent
reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose. Experience has often warned us
that nothing can so surely destroy our spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property,
money, and authority.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional. We define professional
ism as the occupation of counseling alcoholics for fees or hire. But we may employ alco
holics where they are going to perform those services for which we might otherwise have
to engage nonalcoholics. Such special services may be well recompensed. But our usual
A.A. Twelfth Step work is never to be paid for.
9. Each A.A. group needs the least possible organization. Rotating leadership is the best.
The small group may elect its secretary, the large group its rotating committee, and the
groups of a large metropolitan area their central or intergroup committee, which often
employs a full-time secretary. The trustees of the General Service Board are, in effect, our
A.A. General Service Committee. They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the
receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General Service
Office at New York. They are authorized by the groups to handle our overall public rela
tions and they guarantee the integrity of our principal newspaper, the A.A. Grapevine. All
such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but
trusted and experienced servants of the whole. They derive no real authority from their
titles; they do not govern. Universal respect is the key to their usefulness.
10. No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any
opinion on outside controversial issues particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or
sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such
matters they can express no views whatever.
11. Our relations with the general public should be characterized by personal anonymity.
We think A.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising. Our names and pictures as A.A.
members ought not to be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed. Our public relations
should be guided by the principle of attraction rather than promotion. There is never need
to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.
12. And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonymity has
an immense spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles before per
sonalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great
blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him
who presides over us all.
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Chapter One
Introduction to General Service
he Twelve Traditions make clear the principle that A.A., as such, should never be orga
nized, that there are no bosses and no government in A.A. Yet at the same time, the
Traditions recognize the need for some kind of organization to carry the message in ways
that are impossible for the local groups such as publication of a uniform literature and
public information resources, helping new groups get started, publishing an international
magazine, and carrying the message in other languages into other countries.
THE CONFERENCE STRUCTURE AN OVERVIEW

The U.S./Canada* Conference structure is the framework in which these general services
are carried out. It is a method by which A.A.s collective group conscience can speak force
fully and put its desires for Conference-wide services into effect. It is the structure that
takes the place of government in A.A., ensuring that the full voice of A.A. will be heard and
guaranteeing that the desired services will continue to function under all conditions.
The story of the development of general services and the Conference structure is told
in the historical material that appears at the beginning of this manual. Today, general ser
vices include all kinds of activities within the Conference structure, carried on by districts,
area committees, delegates, trustees, the General Service Office and the Grapevine. Usually,
these services affect A.A. as a whole.
An Upside-Down Organization
Alcoholics Anonymous has been called an upside-down organization because, as the struc
ture chart shows, the groups are on top and the trustees at the bottom. Bill W. wrote in
Concept I: The A.A. groups today hold ultimate responsibility and final authority for our
world services. . . . Then, in Concept II, Bill made it clear that the groups delegated to the
Conference complete authority for the active maintenance of our world services and there
by made the Conference . . . the actual voice and effective conscience for our whole Society.
*
Bills early vision was of a worldwide structure. However, the conference structures in countries outside of
U.S./Canada evolved as autonomous entities.
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Communication Through the Structure

Keeping a balance between ultimate authority and responsibility and the active, day-to-day
functioning of world services means there must be constant communication among all
elements of the structure.
The General Service Conference Structure

(U.S. and Canada)
A.A. GROUPS
GROUP
G.S.R.s
DISTRICT
COMMITTEES
AREA
ASSEMBLIES
DELEGATES TO
THE GENERAL
SERVICE
CONFERENCE
GENERAL SERVICE
BOARD
CONFERENCE
COMMITTEES
TRUSTEES
COMMITTEES
AGENDA
CONFERENCE
FINANCE
FINANCE &
BUDGETARY
CORRECTIONS
CORRECTIONS
LITERATURE
LITERATURE
TRUSTEES
NOMINATING
COOPERATION
WITH THE
PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNITY
COOPERATION
WITH THE
PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNITY/
TREATMENT
FACILITIES
TREATMENT
FACILITIES
PUBLIC
INFORMATION
POLICY/
ADMISSIONS
GENERAL
SHARING
SESSION
ARCHIVES *
ARCHIVES
INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTIONS/
A.A. REGIONAL
FORUMS *
INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTIONS/
A.A. REGIONAL
FORUMS
GRAPEVINE
REPORT &
CHARTER
S16
PUBLIC
INFORMATION
INTERNATIONAL
AUDIT
A.A. WORLD
SERVICES BOARD
THE A.A.
GRAPEVINE BOARD
GENERAL SERVICE
OFFICE
THE GRAPEVINE
OFFICE
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THE GROUP: The communication process starts with the group, which lets its group
conscience for or against change, approval or disapproval of a proposed action be
known to its elected general service representative (G.S.R.). The G.S.R. (see Chapter Two)
makes sure the groups wishes are heard and fully considered at the district and area lev
els, and that they are part of the delegates thinking at the Conference. After each annual
Conference, the G.S.R. is responsible for making sure that group members are informed
about what went on at the Conference and made aware of the full range of Advisory
Actions (see Chapter Seven).
THE DISTRICT: Groups are organized into districts, collections of groups located near
one another. The G.S.R.s of these groups select district committee members (D.C.M.s), who
become part of the area committee (see Chapter Three for more on the district).
THE AREA: The U.S./Canada Conference is divided into 93 areas, made up of a state
or province, part of a state or province, or in some cases parts of more than one state or
province. At the area assembly, a delegate is elected to represent the area at the annual
Conference meeting (see Chapters Four and Five for more on the area and its activities).
THE CONFERENCE AND THE DELEGATE: At the annual Conference meeting,
matters of importance to the Fellowship as a whole are first considered and discussed by
one of the standing Conference committees, then brought to the full Conference in the
form of committee recommendations. All Conference members then have the opportuni
ty to ask questions and discuss the recommendations before they are voted on. Committee
recommendations that are approved become Conference Advisory Actions (see Chapters
Seven and Eight for more information on the Conference).
After the Conference, the delegate reports back to the area, working through D.C.M.s
and group G.S.R.s. At the same time, any Conference Advisory Actions that were referred
to the trustees are sent to either the appropriate trustees committee, G.S.O., or the A.A.
Grapevine for implementation.
Membership in the Conference consists of area delegates, trustees, directors of A.A.
World Services and the Grapevine, and A.A. staff members of the General Service Office
and the Grapevine. Traditionally, area delegates make up at least two-thirds of the
Conference body.
THE TRUSTEES: The General Service Board (see Chapter Nine) is made up of 21
trustees. It meets quarterly, and its actions are reported to the Fellowship through quar
terly reports and also in the Final Conference Report. The boards two operating corpora
tions, A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., report in the same way (see
Chapter Ten). A.A.W.S. is the corporation that employs G.S.O. personnel, directs G.S.O.
services, and is responsible for book and pamphlet publishing. The Grapevine corporate
board employs the magazines editorial and business staffs and publishes A.A.s monthly
magazine and related materials.
The Conference Charter

Appendices A and C contain the full text of both the original Conference Charter and the
current version. The Charter, adopted in 1955, describes in detail the body of principles
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and relationships through which A.A. services function as a whole. The Conference itself
is not incorporated, and its charter is not a legal document it is truly an informal agree
ment between the Fellowship as a whole and its trustees, setting forth the means by which
A.A. can give worldwide service.
CONFERENCE LANGUAGE
A glossary of terms frequently used in general service activities
A.A.W.S. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., one of the two operating cor
porations of the General Service Board; oversees the operations of the General Service Office
and serves as the publishing company for Conference-approved and service literature.
Alternate A service worker who, at group, district, or area level, assists, supports,
and participates in service responsibilities, and stands ready to step into the service posi
tion if the person occupying it is no longer able to serve..
Appointed committee member An A.A. member who serves on a specific trustees
committee (for example, public information or correctional facilities) because of his or her
knowledge and experience in the field.
Area A geographical division within a state or province. A Conference delegate
comes from an area. Normally there is one area to a state or province, except in heavily
A.A.-populated places, where there may be two, three, or more areas in a state or province.
Some areas include portions of more than one state or province.
Area assembly A meeting of G.S.R.s and committee members to discuss area
affairs and, every other year, to elect a delegate and committee officers.
Area committee A committee made up of district committee members (elected by
the G.S.R.s in each district) and area committee officers. The area committee generally
serves as a steering committee for the area.
Conference The General Service Conference; this can mean either the structure
involving committee members, G.S.R.s and delegates in an area, or the annual meeting of
Conference delegates each April in New York.
Conference-approved literature, videos, and films Pamphlets, books, videos, and
films, produced under the auspices of various Conference and trustees committees, which
the appropriate Conference committees have reviewed and recommended to the Conference
for its approval, and which have been approved by the Conference.
C.P.C. Cooperation with the professional community. C.P.C. committees at the
district, area, trustee, and Conference level help carry the message to professionals who
work with alcoholics.
Delegate The man or woman elected every other year to represent the area at the annu
al Conference meeting in New York and to bring back to the area the results of that meeting.
Director (nontrustee) An A.A. member who serves on the corporate board of
either A.A.W.S. or the Grapevine; directors are selected for business or professional expe
rience that relates to the activities of the corporation. (The directorate of both corporate
boards also includes trustees and A.A. staff.)
District A division within an area, represented by committee member(s).
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D.C.M. District committee member. An experienced G.S.R. elected by other

G.S.R.s to represent the groups of their district in area committee meetings and to coordi
nate service activities in the district.
District meetings Meetings of the D.C.M.s and G.S.R.s of groups in a district.
General services Movement-wide services, performed by anyone in the general
service structure (G.S.R., D.C.M., delegate, etc.).
G.S.O. The General Service Office, which provides services to groups in the U.S.
and Canada and publishes A.A. literature.
G.S.R. General service representative. The group contact with the General Service
Office; voting member of the area assembly.
Grapevine (G.V.) The A.A. Grapevine, the international monthly journal of
Alcoholics Anonymous. The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. is one of the two operating corporations
of the General Service Board and is responsible for Grapevine operations and finances.
GvR Grapevine representative: the group or district contact with the Grapevine office.
La Via Bimonthly Spanish-language magazine published by the A.A. Grapevine.
P.I. Public information. P.I. committees at the district, area, trustee, and
Conference level help carry the message by working with the media.
Why Do We Need a Conference?

The late Bernard B. Smith, nonalcoholic, then chairperson of the board of
trustees, and one of the architects of the Conference structure, answered that ques
tion superbly in his opening talk at the 1954 meeting: We may not need a General
Service Conference to ensure our own recovery. We do need it to ensure the
recovery of the alcoholic who still stumbles in the darkness one short block from
this room. We need it to ensure the recovery of a child being born tonight,
destined for alcoholism. We need it to provide, in keeping with our Twelfth Step,
a permanent haven for all alcoholics who, in the ages ahead, can find in A.A. that
rebirth that brought us back to life.
We need it because we, more than all others, are conscious of the devastat
ing effect of the human urge for power and prestige which we must ensure can
never invade A.A. We need it to ensure A.A. against government, while insulat
ing it against anarchy; we need it to protect A.A. against disintegration while pre
venting overintegration. We need it so that Alcoholics Anonymous, and
Alcoholics Anonymous alone, is the ultimate repository of its Twelve Steps, its
Twelve Traditions, and all of its services.
We need it to ensure that changes within A.A. come only as a response to
the needs and the wants of all A.A., and not of any few. We need it to ensure that
the doors of the halls of A.A. never have locks on them, so that all people for all
time who have an alcoholic problem may enter these halls unasked and feel wel
come. We need it to ensure that Alcoholics Anonymous never asks of anyone
who needs us what his or her race is, what his or her creed is, what his or her
social position is.
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Region A grouping of several areas from which a regional trustee comes to the
board of trustees. There are six regions in the U.S., two in Canada.
RLV La Via representative; the group or district contact with the Grapevine office.
Sharing session A group, district, area, or Conference meeting in which everyone
is invited to contribute ideas and comments on A.A. matters, and during which no actions
are taken.
Third Legacy A.A.s Third Legacy is Service, the sum total of all A.A. services, from
a Twelfth Step call to coast-to-coast and worldwide service activities. The first two Legacies
are Recovery and Unity.
Trustee A member of A.A.s General Service Board. Fourteen trustees are A.A.
members (Class B); seven are nonalcoholic (Class A).
THIRD LEGACY PROCEDURE

A.A.s Third Legacy Procedure is a special type of electoral procedure, used primarily for
the election of delegates and regional and at-large trustees. It is considered to be unique to
A.A., and at first glance, appears to introduce a strong element of chance into a matter that
should depend solely on the judgment of the majority. In practice, however, it has proved
highly successful in eliminating the influence of factions or parties that seem to thrive on
most political scenes. The railroading of a candidate for election is made difficult, if not
impossible, since voters have a wide selection of candidates to choose from. More impor
tantly, a second-place candidate who may be extremely well qualified but without early
popular support is encouraged to stay in the balloting rather than withdraw.
Third Legacy Procedure is as follows:
The names of eligible candidates are posted on a board. All voting members (of the
area or Conference body) cast written ballots, one choice to a ballot. The tally for
each candidate is posted on the board.
The first candidate to receive two-thirds of the total vote is elected.
Withdrawals start after the second ballot. If any candidate has less than one-fifth of
the total vote, his or her name is automatically withdrawn1 except that the top
two candidates must remain. (In case of ties for second place, the top candidate and
all tied runners-up remain as candidates.)
After the third ballot, candidates with less than one-third of the total vote will be
withdrawn automatically, except the two top candidates remain. (In case there are ties
for second place, the top candidate and all tied runners-up remain as candidates.)
After the fourth ballot, if no candidate has two-thirds of the total vote, the candidate
with the smallest total is automatically withdrawn, except that the top two candi
dates remain. In case there are ties for second place, the top candidate and all tied
second-place candidates remain. At this point, the chairperson asks for a motion,
second, and a simple majority of hands on conducting a fifth and final ballot. If this
motion is defeated, balloting is over and the choice is made by lot going to the
1
The 1969 General Service Conference approved the change from optional to automatic withdrawal of
candidates.
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hat immediately. If the motion carries, a fifth and final ballot is conducted.
If after the fifth ballot no election occurs, the chairperson announces that the choice
will be made by lot (from the hat). At this point, the top two candidates remain. In
case there are ties for first place, all tied first place candidates remain. In case there
are no ties for first place, the top candidate and any tied second-place candidates
remain.
Lots are then drawn by the teller, and the first one out of the hat is the delegate (or
trustee or other officer).
STIMULATING INTEREST IN GENERAL SERVICE
Most A.A. members are primarily interested in their groups, in their own sobriety, and in
helping other drunks one-on-one. And that is as it should be. While the work of general ser
vice has precisely the same objective carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffers
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the connection is not always direct or obvious. Some stimulators are usually needed to get
the attention of A.A. members to show them that service can add a rich dimension to their
sober lives and Twelfth Step work , and that their participation is vital to the future of A.A.
Good communication is of vital importance. In personal Twelfth Step work, there is no
end to communication. The sponsor talks with the drunk; speakers share their experience; we
share with each other. But when it comes to general service work, communication has a ten
dency to break down. It can take hard work to get the attention of alcoholics, but with a cre
ative approach, they can be encouraged to take time out from the nuts and bolts of recovery
to think about another phase of their new lives. Once A.A. members are well informed about
service, they often want to become involved and to take on their own service responsibilities.
In many areas, the delegate and area committee members make themselves available to
visit groups or district meetings and talk about general service. Workshops on the Traditions,
Concepts, or other aspects of service are often an effective way of spreading the word of ser
vice. Sometimes two or more districts will work together to sponsor a service event.
Here is the experience of two areas: We let committee members be responsible for
running sharing sessions in their districts, then reporting on them at the monthly assem
bly. We created as many jobs as possible for G.S.R.s and committee members and encour
aged visitors to our assemblies, so they could see what was being done.
Video meetings: Altogether, we showed service and informational videos 239 times at
group meetings. We have no records of the hundreds of questions about general services
that were answered during that period.
Tools Available from G.S.O.

These communication tools are available from the General Service Office (Box 459, Grand
Central Station, New York, NY 10163). They are designed to show groups the kind of help
that is offered to groups everywhere by G.S.O., and thus to get more people interested in
service activity.
VIDEOCASSETTES: These include Your A.A. General Service Office, the Grapevine,
and the General Service Structure (and its accompanying service piece), Markings on the
Journey (made up of rare materials from the A.A. archives; pictures 45 years of A.A. his
tory), and Carrying the Message Behind These Walls (correctional facilities work).
AUDIO TAPES: These include Voices of Our Co-Founders, Bill Discusses the Twelve
Traditions, Three Legacies, by Bill W., Alcoholics Anonymous, Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions, A.A. Comes of Age, Living Sober, and Pioneers of A.A. (stories from the Big Book).
CDs and CD ROMs: These include Alcoholics Anonymous, available in each of
these format.
LITERATURE DISPLAY: Poster and format for setting up a display of Conferenceapproved pamphlets and books. Also, the Literature Order Form (lists all pamphlets,
books, and films). Other order forms list literature in languages other than English.
GUIDELINES DISPLAY: Samples of all available guidelines, covering service areas
common to most A.A.s.
SHARING SESSIONS: A service piece on sharing sessions is available.
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Chapter Two
The Group and Its G.S.R.
or most A.A.s, membership in a home group is one of the keys to continuing sobriety.
In a home group, they accept service responsibilities and learn to sustain friendships.
The home group affords individual A.A.s the privilege of voting on issues that affect the
Fellowship as a whole; it is the very basis of the service structure. While most A.A. mem
bers attend other groups regularly, the home group is where they participate in business
meetings and cast their vote as part of the group conscience of the Fellowship as a whole.
As with all group conscience matters, each member has one vote.
The Long Form of Tradition Three and a section of Warranty Six, Concept 12, aptly
describe what an A.A. group is:
Tradition Three: Our membership ought to include all who suffer from
alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A.
membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three
alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group,
provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.
Warranty Six: . . .much attention has been drawn to the extraordinary liberties
which the A.A. Traditions accord to the individual member and to his group: no
penalties to be inflicted for nonconformity to A.A. principles; no fees or dues to
be levied voluntary contributions only; no member to be expelled from A.A.
membership always to be the choice of the individual; each A.A. group to con
duct its internal affairs as it wishes it being merely requested to abstain from
acts that might injure A.A. as a whole; and finally that any group of alcoholics
gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group provided that,
as a group, they have no other purpose or affiliation.
Group service from coffee maker to secretary, treasurer, or chairperson is usu
ally the way members first experience the joy and the growth that can be derived from A.A.
service. (The pamphlet The A.A. Group provides extensive information on group orga
nization and opportunities for service.)
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The General Service Representative (G.S.R.)

The general service representative has the job of linking his or her group with A.A. as a
whole. The G.S.R. represents the voice of the group conscience, reporting the groups
thoughts to the district committee member and to the dele
gate, who passes them on to the Conference. This commu
nication is a two-way street, making the G.S.R. responsible
for bringing back to the group Conference Actions that
affect A.A. unity, health, and growth. Only when a G.S.R.
keeps the group informed, and communicates the group
conscience, can the Conference truly act for A.A. as a whole.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Current experience indicates that many groups provide
financial support for their general service representatives to attend service functions.
Qualifications
Experience shows that the most effective G.S.R.s have been active in group, inter
group, or other service, where they have developed a desire to serve, and encountered
situations in which the Twelve Traditions have been called upon to solve problems.
Usually, prospective G.S.R.s have at least two years of continuous sobriety.
They have time available for district meetings and area assemblies.
They have the confidence of the group, and an ability to listen to all points of view.
Duties
G.S.R.s attend district meetings.
They also attend area assemblies.
G.S.R.s serve as the mail contact with the General Service Office, and they are listed
in the A.A. directories as contacts for their groups. They receive the G.S.O. bulletin
Box 4-5-9, and keep their groups abreast of A.A. activities all over the world.
They serve as mail contact with their district committee member and with the area
committee.
G.S.R.s supply their D.C.M.s with up-to-date group information, which is relayed to
G.S.O. for inclusion in the directories and for G.S.O. mailings.
They are knowledgeable about material available from G.S.O. new literature,
guidelines, bulletins, videos, tapes, kits, etc., and they are responsible for passing
such information on to the groups.
They learn everything they can about the Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts
and are familiar with this manual, the books Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions and
A.A. Comes of Age, Twelve Concepts for World Service, and the pamphlets The A.A.
Group, A.A. Tradition How It Developed, The Twelve Traditions Illustrated,
and The Twelve Concepts Illustrated.
They usually serve on group steering committees.
They work with group treasurers to develop practical plans for group support of
G.S.O., such as the Regular Contribution Plan and the Birthday Plan. They encour
age the group to support the area and district committees and local central offices
or intergroups, and they are familiar with the leaflet Self-Support: Where Money
and Spirituality Mix.
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They participate in district and area service meetings, and often help with planning
for area get-togethers and conventions. Following these events, they make reports to
their groups for the benefit of those who could not attend.
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Term and Method of Election

G.S.R.s serve for two years and the term frequently runs concurrently with those of com
mittee members and the delegate. They represent their home group and are nominated
and elected by group members.
Some groups hold a special election for the G.S.R. To emphasize the need for select
ing strong G.S.R.s, such a meeting can provide information on the role of G.S.R.s and their
work in the district and area. (A basic resource is the pamphlet G.S.R.: May be the Most
Important Job in A.A. ) Nominations can be made by a steering committee or during a
group business meeting. A plurality is generally sufficient for election.
NOTIFICATION: As soon as a G.S.R. is elected, the group should provide the district
and area committees, the local intergroup/central office, and G.S.O. with the following infor
mation: 1) group name and service number, 2) the new G.S.R.s name, address, and telephone
number, and 3) the previous G.S.R.s name (so it can be removed from the mailing list).
G.S.R. KIT: When G.S.O. has been notified, the new G.S.R. receives a kit containing a
covering memo, The A.A. Service Manual/Twelve Concepts for World Service, useful pam
phlets and leaflets, and a literature order form.
ALTERNATE G.S.R.: An alternate should be elected at the same time, in case the
G.S.R. is unable to attend all district and area meetings. Alternates should be encouraged
to assist, participate, and share in the responsibilities of the G.S.R., attending district and
area meetings when feasible, depending on local needs.
Group Information
It is important for the group to send information to each of the following entries: G.S.O., and
the district, the area and to the local intergroup/central office. While local, area and nation
al offices communicate regularly, they have different purposes and different mailing lists.
Two simplified forms (see following pages) have been developed to facilitate trans
mittal of information to G.S.O.: 1) Alcoholics Anonymous New Group Form is for one-time
use only, when a new group is started; 2) the Group Information Change Form is to be filled
in whenever a group changes its name or meeting address, elects a new G.S.R., reports a
change of address and/or phone number, reports the designation of a new second contact,
or reports a change of address or phone number for the second contact.
To assure direct and regular communication between the group and G.S.O., each
group is assigned a service number. It is helpful to refer to this number when writing to
G.S.O. and when sending contributions.
If a group wishes to be listed in the appropriate U.S. or Canadian A.A. directory, this
can be indicated in filling out the New Group Information Form.
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Chapter Three
The District and the D.C.M.
THE DISTRICT
district is a geographical unit containing the right number of groups right in terms
of the committee members ability to keep in frequent touch with them, to learn their
problems, and to find ways to contribute to their growth and well-being.
In the majority of areas, a district includes six to 20 groups. In metropolitan districts,
the number is generally 15 to 20, while in rural or suburban districts the number can be
as small as five.
LINGUISTIC DISTRICTS: To encourage participation of the maximum number
of groups, some areas have incorporated linguistic districts within their structure. These
districts are made up of groups that conduct meetings in a non-English language. They
usually have a bilingual D.C.M. or liaison. Their boundaries may be independent of the
conventional geographic district boundaries.
THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBER

The district committee member (D.C.M.) is an essential link between the group G.S.R. and
the area delegate to the General Service Conference. As leader of the district committee,
made up of all G.S.R.s in the district, the D.C.M. is exposed to the group conscience of that
district. As a member of the area committee, he or she is able to pass on the districts think
ing to the delegate and the committee. (The pamphlet Your D.C.M., available from the
General Service Office, provides basic information on this service job.)
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Current experience indicates that many districts provide
financial support for their D.C.M.s to attend service functions. Invariably, this pays off in
increased activity, interest, and group participation.
Qualifications
The district committee member has usually served as a G.S.R. and is elected by other
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G.S.R.s to take responsibility for district activities. If the person chosen is a current
G.S.R., a new G.S.R. should be elected to fill his or her position.
A D.C.M. should have enough sobriety (generally four or five years) to be eligible for
election as delegate.
He or she also needs to have the time and energy to serve the district well.
Duties
The D.C.M.s job is primarily that of two-way commu
nication. The D.C.M.:
Regularly attends all district meetings and area
assemblies.
Receives reports from the groups through

G.S.R.s and through frequent personal contacts
with groups in the district.
Holds regular meetings of all G.S.R.s in the district.

Helps the Conference delegate cover the area, which would be impossible for the del
egate to do on a group-by-group basis.
Assists the delegate in obtaining group information in time to meet the deadline for
A.A. directories.
Keeps G.S.R.s informed about Conference activities; this includes setting up oppor
tunities for the delegates Conference report, occasionally making the Conference
report if the delegate cannot be present, and inviting the delegate to regular district
meetings.
Makes sure that G.S.R.s are acquainted with The A.A. Service Manual, the Twelve
Concepts for World Service, the G.S.O. bulletin Box 4-5-9, workbooks and guidelines
from G.S.O., and any other service material.
Helps G.S.R.s make interesting reports to groups, and encourages them to bring new
A.A. members to service events.
Keeps groups informed about Conference-approved books and pamphlets.
Organizes workshops and/or sharing sessions on service activities.
Regularly keeps in touch with the alternate D.C.M. and the delegate; sends district
minutes to the delegate and alternate, and exchanges them with other districts.
Brings Traditions problems to the attention of the delegate.
Makes a regular practice of talking to groups (new and old) on the responsibilities of
general service work.
Term, Eligibility, and Election Procedures

The D.C.M.s term of office is two years, coinciding in most areas with the terms of the del
egate, committee officers, and G.S.R.s. Some areas, however, rotate half their committee
members each year. D.C.M.s are generally elected in the fall of the year. The election
should take place after the G.S.R. election and before that of the area delegate, because the
D.C.M. is chosen either from among currently serving G.S.R.s or from a combination of
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past and present G.S.R.s. In most areas, a candidate for an area committee officer or
Conference delegate must be a committee member before being eligible for election. While
district meetings to elect committee members are most often held in advance of area
assemblies, and separate from them, occasionally travel distances make this impractical
and/or a hardship. (This usually means more districts should be set up.) If necessary,
therefore, meetings to elect committee members can be held immediately before area
assemblies at the place where the assembly meets.
The committee member who is finishing a term sets up the election meeting and, in
most districts, notifies the G.S.R.s who have just been elected and those who are going out
of office.
The method of election should be decided by the area assembly or by the district com
mittee. Some options are:
Most district committees allow all current voting members of the district commit
tee to vote in district elections.
Some committees also allow newly elected G.S.R.s a vote, even though they might
not take office until some time after the election.
Many district committees include alternate D.C.M.s, a secretary and/or treasurer, and
other officers or service committee chairpersons in addition to the D.C.M and G.S.R.s.
Sometimes, these jobs are held by the G.S.R.s already on the committee; sometimes, they
call for additional voting members, who are eligible to stand for D.C.M.
Election is either by written ballot or show of hands, with a majority needed to elect.
A district may also choose to follow Third Legacy Procedure (see page S20), which requires
a two-thirds majority.
The Alternate D.C.M.

The alternate is a backup for the D.C.M. If the D.C.M. resigns or is unable to serve for any
reason, the alternate steps in. Usually, the alternate is elected at the same time as the
D.C.M., by the same procedure. Alternate committee members should be encouraged to
assist, participate, and share in the D.C.M.s responsibilities at district and area meetings.
Redistricting
If it were not for adding committee members to take care of new groups as A.A. grows, the
General Service Conference might well become unwieldy. As the number of groups
increases and it becomes too difficult for the D.C.M. to communicate with them all, sev
eral courses can be followed:
New districts: Divide the district into two or more districts, each with its own D.C.M.
Local Committee Member (L.C.M.): A large district could divide itself into smaller
districts (often called subdistricts or local districts), each electing a local committee
member. Depending on area practice, these L.C.M.s may or may not be voting mem
bers of the area committee and may or may not hold regular meetings with the
G.S.R.s they serve.
District Committee Member Chairperson (D.C.M.C.): A large district in a city or
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county may hold regular meetings led by a D.C.M.C., who serves as the link between
the district and the area. Within this large district, there are as many district subdi
visions as needed to adequately serve the groups. Each of these may be called a sub
district, local district, or zone. Each is served by a D.C.M., who may hold regular
meetings of G.S.R.s. In some areas, these D.C.M.s are voting members of the area
committee and assembly; in some, they are not.
Good communication and cooperation among groups, districts, and areas is impor
tant when redistricting or other changes in district structure are undertaken. There are
many variations, but the goal is the same: to take care of expansion at the district level.
When additional committee members are elected to respond to expansion, qualifica
tions and election methods listed for a D.C.M. can serve as guidelines.
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Chapter Four
The Area Assembly and Activities
n area may be part of a state or province, or all of it, or may include parts of more than
one state or province, depending on the size and needs of the A.A. population. In any
case, the area holds an important middle position in the Conference structure through
the elected delegate, it participates in A.A. worldwide, while through the D.C.M.s and
G.S.R.s, it is close to the local scene.
THE AREA ASSEMBLY

Any meeting of area G.S.R.s and the area committee (see Chapter Five) is an assembly. The
area assembly is the mainspring of the Conference structure the democratic voice of the
movement expressing itself. Assemblies are the responsibility of the area committee, and
are conducted by its chairperson.
In the beginning, general service assemblies were held only to elect committee officers
and the delegate to the Conference meeting, and without such meetings, there might be no
area service structure today. Now, assembly meetings consider a variety of issues, from
General Service Conference business to area problems and solutions and financial affairs,
while sharing sessions, public information programs, workshops, and video programs
keep A.A. strong and participation in service growing.
An election assembly is held at least once every two years to choose a delegate and
committee officers. It is usually scheduled in the fall of the year, prior to November 1.
(Generally, the newly elected delegate and officers take office as of January 1.)
Nonelection assemblies or meetings may be held at any interval the area wishes. In
some areas they may be called workshops or general sharing sessions. However, most
areas call them assemblies and include workshops and other activities; and the election
meeting is always called an assembly.
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Composition
G.S.R.s, D.C.M.s, and area officers make up the assembly.
Any A.A. member may attend, and in many areas mem
bers are encouraged to attend assemblies as a way of
encouraging them to become active in general service.
Eligibility to Vote
Generally speaking, all area committee members and offi
cers and all G.S.R.s have one vote each in an assembly.
Experience indicates that even though committee mem
bers and area officers are members of a group in the area that is represented by a G.S.R.,
they are entitled to a vote at the assembly. Alternates normally vote only if the regular
D.C.M. or G.S.R. is not present.
AREA PROCEDURES: Uniform practices throughout the Fellowship are in no way
obligatory, or even practical in many cases. It is important for the area to agree upon a set
of procedures, and each individual assembly is the best judge of whom it will seat. Several
areas have developed written procedures for all aspects of area operations.
Procedures should answer such commonly asked questions as: Do both incoming and
outgoing D.C.M.s and G.S.R.s vote? Do the chairpersons of special committees have a
vote? How long must a group have been in existence before it is entitled to a vote? (Usually,
if an A.A. group has submitted the name of a G.S.R., the G.S.R. is permitted to vote.) Can
one G.S.R. represent two groups? (Each group should have its own G.S.R., who votes for
one group only.) When the G.S.R. cannot be present, can he or she vote by proxy?
(Normally the alternate votes; proxies may be used in some areas, but this is not a com
mon practice.)
The assembly also needs to decide whether or not G.S.R.s of prison and hospital
groups are to have a vote (some do, and find it helpful).
Inactive Service Workers

How does the area deal with G.S.R.s and area committee members who have been absent
from two (or more) assemblies? While the area assembly needs to establish its own ground
rules, it is generally suggested that a service worker be asked to resign if time does not per
mit him or her to carry out the responsibilities of the position. Such a situation could also
be handled at the district level, particularly if the D.C.M. is the one involved.
Timing and Location of Assemblies

The majority of areas hold assembly meetings quarterly or every other month a few
meet monthly. When travel distances are great, assemblies may be held semiannually or
even annually, with more emphasis being placed on district meetings, which are more
accessible to G.S.R.s.
Some areas hold all their assemblies at a convenient central spot, while others rotate the
meeting from one district to another. Assemblies may run from half a day to a full weekend.
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A Typical Election Assembly

Election assemblies are held every two years, and the delegate and other area officers are
elected for two-year terms. The order of business is generally something like this:
1. Chairperson opens meeting with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity
Prayer.
2. Secretary, delegate, other officers, and D.C.M.s report on activities since the last
meeting.
3. Chairperson announces procedure for the election of committee members and
acceptance of members already elected by G.S.R.s in their districts.
4. When a district committee member has not been elected in advance of the assem
bly, G.S.R.s from each district caucus to elect one. Chair announces a recess for this
purpose and G.S.R.s gather in groups by district.
5. Chairperson reviews the election procedure and the areas guidelines for who votes
in the assembly and asks approval of it, and of the order of election whether
chairperson and other officers are to be elected before or after the delegate. Early
in the growth of the Conference structure, the delegate was elected last; more
recently, the delegate has usually been chosen first, followed by the alternate dele
gate, chairperson, secretary, treasurer, etc.
6. The delegate is usually elected by Third Legacy Procedure (see page S20).
Before balloting starts, eligible committee members names (suggest full names
be used) and districts are read to the assembly or written on the board. Those eli
gible may be present or past committee members. (In some areas, the chair asks
who among those eligible wish to stand for delegate, and those names go on
the board.)
The chairperson asks whether anyone is unable to serve, and if so, that persons
name is removed. Some areas allow nominations from the floor.
Paper and pencils are distributed for written ballots. (Some areas use color-coded
ballots to speed up the process.)
The secretary calls the roll of voting members.
Two nonvoting members are selected as tellers, two as collectors of ballots, and
one to record and tally votes.
Written ballots are cast, collected, and given to tellers to count, and votes are writ
ten on the board as the election proceeds.
7. The alternate delegate is elected next, by the same procedure, followed by other
area officers.
8. The chairperson directs the secretary to send a report of the assembly, together
with names and addresses, of delegate, officers, committee members, and G.S.R.s
attending, to the Conference secretary at G.S.O. by December 1. All those elected
usually take office January 1.
9. The chairperson then adjourns the meeting.
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A Typical Non-Election Assembly

When no election is scheduled, assembly meetings deal with a variety of area concerns. To
keep agendas lively and meaningful, some areas appoint agenda committees, which typi
cally include the officers and three, four, or more G.S.R.s. Some areas choose to keep busi
ness to a minimum and use most of the time for sharing sessions or workshops. Special
speakers who have experience with A.A. worldwide can shed light on worldwide services.
The agenda for a regular assembly might be something like the following:
1. A moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer.
2. Chairpersons report on committee activities since the last meeting.
3. Delegates Conference report, or recent communications from G.S.O.
4. Secretarys report.
5. Treasurers report (usually a good time to remind everyone of the leaflet SelfSupport: Where Money and Spirituality Mix, a useful guide for helping each
group decide how to plan its regular contributions to A.A. services).
6. Reports from chairs of special committees correctional facilities, treatment
facilities, public information, cooperation with the professional community,
Grapevine, literature, convention, etc.
7. District reports from committee members on district meetings, district prob
lems, growth, etc.
8. G.S.R. time ideas, opinions, and suggestions from G.S.R.s.
9. Sharing session.
10. Videos from G.S.O.
11. Newsletter editors report.
12. Brief information session on G.S.O. services conducted by delegate.
13. Reports from central offices or intergroups.
14. Local problems, ideas, and suggestions.
SENDING MINUTES TO G.S.O.: The General Service Office appreciates receiving
copies of area minutes, notes on sharing sessions and workshops, and letters about the
meetings. This enables the office to keep up with what is happening in the areas, and
to share the experience of areas that have found solutions with others that need help with
a problem.
AREA ACTIVITIES
Help on the Annual Conference Program

Every A.A. member has something to say about the Fellowships present and future and
A.A.s welfare is central to the agenda of every General Service Conference. Thus, one of
the most important program items for an assembly (or a district meeting) is a good look
at what might help A.A. on a broad basis. A certain problem may appear to be peculiar to
one area, but it is surprising how many are found to be common to every corner of A.A.,
once they are widely discussed. Assemblies and district meetings provide an ideal time to
find out what problems and solutions are shared by A.A. groups everywhere.
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The area assembly is a vital part of the communication process from the group to the
Conference. Many Conference agenda items follow a path from the A.A. group through the
G.S.R and on through district and area. And after the Conference, assemblies and district
meetings are occasions for hearing full reports on what took place at the Conference, for
asking questions of the delegate, and for deciding what may need attention at future
Conferences.
Sharing Sessions
In a sharing session, everyone has a chance to use their experience, strength and hope to
contribute ideas and opinions about the welfare of A.A. It can be set up anywhere for any
group of people, and is especially useful for assemblies and district meetings. Its format is
aimed at drawing out the ideas of even the shyest participant, and keeps the more articu
late from dominating the meeting. Each person offers an opinion, and never needs to
defend it. The chairperson or leader functions more as a timekeeper than as a participant.
Here is how it works:
Lets say that the topic is How can we get more A.A.s interested in general service?
The leader, armed with a loud bell and a watch or stopwatch, reads the question and
explains the rules. Each person present may talk for a specified time (a minute and a half
or two minutes is typical whatever the group agrees upon). Usually no one is permit
ted to speak twice on the same subject until all who wish to have spoken. The leader con
tinues until the topic has been fully explored.
A member takes down the essence of the meeting; these notes will provide good ideas
for use by committee officers and members and by G.S.R.s.
GOOD TOPICS FOR SHARING SESSIONS: Local situations will always provide fod
der for a productive session.
When a groups meeting attendance has fallen, what steps can be taken to rebuild it?
How can other groups help?
Sponsorship . . . the hand of A.A.
Group conscience . . . the voice of A.A.
G.S.O. services: What kind of help do groups need and want? How useful are the
bulletin Box 4-5-9 and other services? How can they be made more useful?
How can an area committee work productively with central offices/intergroups in
the area?
What methods are there for getting a group to provide its share of the area and
G.S.O. budget?
Are groups supporting local, district, area and G.S.O. services? If not, why not?
Area Archives
In a growing number of areas, archives committees are engaged in the work of setting up
an area archives to collect and preserve area history. Written materials (books, pamphlets,
newsletters, written histories), photographs, and audiotapes are the foundations of a col
lection. Local A.A. historical material is sought out from oldtimers, past delegates, com
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mittee members, and others with experience to share. Guidelines on archives are available
from the General Service Office.
Area Newsletters or Bulletins

Newsletters and bulletins published by area committees or intergroups/central offices may
include local A.A. news, information about groups and committees, and reprinted material
from A.A. literature. As in most A.A. service activities, it has been found prudent to make a
committee (rather than one or two individuals) responsible for the format, planning, and
content.
Here are some ideas taken from local experience with A.A. newsletters and bulletins:
scheduling theme issues on some aspect of the A.A. program and using excerpts from A.A.
literature relating to the theme; asking for and publishing letters from A.A. readers (with the
writers permission, and provided anonymity is protected); carrying minutes of various
committee meetings; running a Calendar of Events feature; conducting a subscription cam
paign (perhaps making announcements at group meetings) to build paid readership.
Local A.A. publications are permitted to reprint the Steps, Traditions, and/or the
Concepts, and to quote a phrase, sentence or brief paragraph excerpted from A.A. litera
ture such as the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,
The A.A. Service Manual and Conference-approved pamphlets without a prior, written
request to do so. When this occurs, the proper credit line should be included to ensure that
the copyrights of A.A. literature are protected. After a quotation from a book or pamphlet,
the credit line should read: Reprinted from (name of publication, page number), with per
mission of A.A. World Services, Inc.
The A.A. Preamble is copyrighted by the A.A. Grapevine. Beneath it, and beneath any
article reprinted from the Grapevine and La Via, these words should appear: Copyright
(Month, Year) A.A. Grapevine, Inc. Reprinted with permission. For more information on
reprinting other material from the A.A. Grapevine, Inc., see Chapter 12.
Any group or district of the Fellowship is free to use the symbol of a circle and trian
gle on newsletters, meeting schedules, or other A.A. material.
Working with Local Intergroups and Central Offices

Traditionally, general service committees and intergroups/central offices have performed
different functions. Central offices provide local services; general service committees main
tain the link between the A.A. groups and the A.A. General Service Board by means of the
Conference. So these two separate but vital service structures coexist in many areas in
mutual cooperation and harmony.
At the time the Conference was started, there were already well-established central
offices in several large cities, providing services for local A.A. groups and members. Today,
there are many more central offices throughout the U.S. and Canada, supported by the A.A.
groups in the communities they serve. Each group elects a representative to attend central
office meetings.
These offices provide such services as:
1. Receiving, arranging, and following up Twelfth Step calls.
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2. Answering inquiries about A.A.

3. Establishing local public information committees
4. Maintaining information about local hospitals and recovery facilities for alcoholics.
5. Publishing local A.A. meeting lists.
6. Providing a newsletter.
7. Ordering, selling, and distributing A.A. Conference-approved literature.
In contrast, the Conference structure is the method through which all A.A. groups in
an area can provide the most effective communication within the area and between the
groups and the General Service Board and G.S.O. on matters of policy that affect A.A. as a
whole. These include policy on: Conference-approved literature, A.A. public information,
A.A. cooperation with the professional community, A.A. activity in treatment and correc
tional facilities, A.A. finances, the A.A. Grapevine, and the election of trustees to the
General Service Board.
Many areas find that a liaison between the central office/intergroup and the area com
mittee is very helpful in maintaining good relations and communication. In some areas the
liaison has a vote at the assembly; in others, a voice but no vote.
More information on working together is available through G.S.O. and in the pam
phlets The A.A. Group and Self-Support: Where Money and Spirituality Mix, as well as
in the Guidelines on Intergroups/Central Offices.
Area, State, Provincial and Regional Conventions

Conventions are a special type of A.A. meeting usually weekend affairs, but sometimes
extending several days. They are frequently set up and guided by area committees or by
special committees appointed by area chairpersons. Usually, assembly meetings are not
held during conventions, but occasionally they can take place just before or after. A.A.
Guidelines on Conferences and Conventions are available from the General Service Office.
Forming a New Delegate Area

If the A.A. population seems to have grown to the point where the current delegate and other
trusted servants can no longer provide adequate service and communication, there may be
local interest in forming a new area. In such a case, the area committee or committees
involved may write to G.S.O. and request an application for an Additional Delegate Area.
This four-page form, first worked out in 1968 and revised in 1992 and 2002, requests
detailed information about the current area structure, such as: How often assemblies are
held; whether there is an alternate delegate; how often district meetings are held; the num
ber of active D.C.M.s and whether they assist the delegate and alternate; the number of
active G.S.R.s in the area; geographical and A.A. population information about the area
and its pattern of growth over the past five years, broken down to yearly figures.
The application form is designed to determine problems regarding geography and
A.A. population, as well as whether or not the current area service structure is as well
developed as it might be to provide support for the delegate.
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When such a request came up at the 1961 Conference, a memo from co-founder Bill
W. provided background on the subject. Bill wrote (in part):
The Conference Committee on Admissions [now Policy/Admissions] should weigh
each new application for a new delegate on its own merit, taking into consideration the
primary factors of population, geography and also expense. But this process of adding
delegates ought to be gradual, aiming at the remedying of obvious and marked flaws in
local communications. We should, our budget allowing, continue to remedy obvious flaws
in local communication, and that is all.
It should be reemphasized that the Conference is not a political body, demanding a
completely rigid formula of representation. What we shall need will always be enough del
egates at the Conference to afford a reliable cross section of A.A. plus enough more to
make sure of good local communication.
Requesting a Change of Region

An area may decide that it should be part of a different region. In that case:
1. The G.S.R.s in the area will be informed in advance by the area committee of the
necessary facts both advantages and disadvantages in order to make a sound
decision in requesting a change of region. A simple majority (one-half plus one) of
G.S.R.s should be present (or respond to a mail poll). Two-thirds of the majority
present or responding should agree before an area petitions for a change of region.
2. Upon notification by the delegate of the plan to change regions, the General
Service Office will provide a form to be filled in by the delegate, indicating that the
conditions outlined have been fulfilled.
3. The delegate from the requesting area will write, on behalf of the assembly, to the
secretary of the trustees Nominating Committee, stating the request and enclos
ing the completed form. The delegate will also send copies of the letter and form
to the trustees in the two regions involved.
4. The delegate will ask G.S.O. to send a letter to all of the area delegates in the two
regions involved, requesting that they obtain the group conscience of their respec
tive areas on the proposed change of region, and that they indicate approval/dis
approval on an enclosed card, as soon as possible.
5. Approval by two-thirds of the delegates from each region involved is required
before the proposal is presented to the General Service Conference for action.
6. A change of region will become effective at the end of the Conference at which it
was approved.
Guidelines for Changing Regional Boundaries

The 1996 General Service Conference accepted suggested procedural guidelines for chang
ing regional boundaries, and they are available from G.S.O.
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Chapter Five
The Area Committee
erhaps more than any other group of people in A.A., the area committee is responsi
ble for the health of the Conference structure and thus for growth and harmony in the
A.A. Fellowship. If G.S.R.s are lax, if there is lack of harmony in a district, if there are dif
ficulties in public information or some other service area, the committee member knows
it and can turn to the full committee for help.
An active committee deals with all kinds of service problems: Is experience being
shared among groups? Is the A.A. message getting into hospitals, prisons, jails, and reha
bilitation centers? Are news media and professionals who deal with suffering alcoholics
well informed about A.A.? Are new groups and Loners being visited and helped?
Composition
Basically, the committee is composed of all district committee members, area officers, and
chairs of area service committees. There should be enough districts and committee mem
bers to ensure good communication between the committee and the groups. In the
absence of a D.C.M., the alternate D.C.M. is a voting member.
In some areas, past delegates serve on the committee, with or without a vote; in oth
ers, only the outgoing delegate is a committee member, with or without a vote. The deci
sion on the status of past delegates is up to the group conscience of the area assembly.
Chairperson
DUTIES: The chairperson is responsible for the smooth running of area assemblies,
consulting with the committee before setting the date and time, making sure that all
groups are notified, consulting with officers and committee members on the program, and
chairing the assembly meetings. The chairperson, more than any other officer, keeps the
delegate informed about what is going on in the area, and makes sure that committee
members are aware of what goes on in world services.
QUALIFICATIONS: The chairperson should have a solid period of sobriety (mini
mum three to five years), and experience in group, central office, institutional, and/or area
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affairs. Area chairpersons need a sound understanding and

appreciation of the Steps, the Traditions, and the Concepts,
along with a good fund of experience gained through
applying these guiding principles successfully to local prob
lems. Communication skills, leadership qualities, and sen
sitivity to the wishes of the local area are also important.
SUGGESTIONS ON CHAIRING ASSEMBLY MEET
INGS: Much depends on the chairpersons ability to con
duct a smoothly functioning meeting. These suggestions
should be helpful:
Keep the issues clear. If a motion is offered, be sure it
is stated clearly and distinctly so that all know what
they are voting for or against.
Stick close to Third Legacy Procedure for elections; discourage departures from it.
On simple matters, a majority vote is enough even a sense of the meeting can
take the place of a vote at times. In such a case, the chair asks: Is it the sense of the
meeting that . . .? If there are no nays, it is apparent there is accord.
Meetings may be fairly informal, but the attention of the entire meeting should be
on one subject at a time, without the disruptive influence of private conversations.
An assembly makes its own rules, and the chairperson should be sure that all mem
bers are aware of current suggested procedures in the manual. If members want to
make a change in the rules, it should be done before a vote is taken, or before an elec
tion is conducted.
Secretary and Registrar

DUTIES: The secretary records and distributes minutes of area meetings; keeps mail
ing lists up to date and sends out area mailings; sometimes the secretary is responsible for
preparing lively bulletins that will encourage attendance at committee meetings and assem
blies. The secretary is in a good position to act as liaison between officers and committee
members.
QUALIFICATIONS: The secretary should have a reasonable period of sobriety,
which might mean two years in an area where A.A. is still young, four or five years in an
older area. Some service in group or central office or general service is useful. So is some
background in general office work more and more, computer knowledge is helpful. An
effective secretary needs to have a sense of order, and the ability to capture the essentials
of what is happening at a meeting. The job is time-consuming and needs to be carried out
on schedule, and the secretary needs to be sure that ample time is available.
In some areas, registrars now develop and maintain records of all groups in the area,
including group name, meeting location, time, and G.S.R. or group contact. Registrars
may also be responsible for names, addresses and phone numbers of the G.S.R.s, D.C.M.s,
district and area officers and area committee members. He or she may provide mailing
labels for area publications such as a monthly newsletter or a mailing of minutes. For this
job, an organized approach as well as computer literacy can be helpful.
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Treasurer
DUTIES: The treasurer keeps financial records for the area and reports regularly to
the assembly. In most cases, the treasurer is responsible for encouraging contribution sup
port for area and G.S.O. services.
QUALIFICATIONS: The treasurer should be a responsible person with a solid period
of sobriety. He or she should be organized enough to keep good records, and some
accounting or bookkeeping experience is useful. Otherwise, the person elected may need
help in setting up a system, and possibly some clerical assistance. Persuasiveness, firmness,
and diplomacy will help the treasurer do the job. If the committee includes a finance chair
person, the treasurer is free for record keeping and financial controls.
Other Officers
An area committee usually has other officers who are responsible to the committee for spe
cial activities. Examples are public information and cooperation with the professional
community chairs to head up the area P.I. and C.P.C. committees; correctional and treat
ment facilities chairs to coordinate this vital Twelfth Step work; a literature chairperson to
act as a liaison between various service entities; a Grapevine and La Via chairperson to
disseminate information on the magazines and other Grapevine materials; an archives
chairperson to gather area history and maintain the area archives; a convention chairper
son to facilitate this event; a finance chairperson to encourage self-support for both area
needs and those of G.S.O.; a liaison chairperson to foster communication between the
area and the central office/intergroup; and other committee assignments and responsibil
ities as suggested by area needs.
Alternate Committee Officers

Some areas find it helpful to select alternates for all committee officers, especially for the
chairperson. The alternates can provide continuity at the area level; they may or may not
be seated as voting members, depending on local decision and area needs. In this as in all
other levels of service, alternates should be encouraged to participate in committee activ
ities as fully as possible. Qualifications of alternates are generally the same as the qualifi
cations for the positions they may be called upon to assume.
Past Delegates
A.A. has in past delegates a wealth of experience, which is sometimes used and sometimes
not. The A.A. practice of rotation prevents delegates from succeeding themselves or from
returning later as delegates, but a role for past delegates is gradually emerging that involves
them in area activities and gives the area the benefit of their experience with worldwide
A.A., but leaves area committees and new delegates free to run their own show.
It is suggested that past delegates not hold office as G.S.R.s or D.C.M.s, but find other
ways to become involved in area service. As stated above, in some areas they serve on the
area committee. They are called in for consultation or for special assignments, such as
chairing area sharing sessions, speaking at special meetings designed to inform members
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about A.A. worldwide, or conducting workshops or orientation meetings for new G.S.R.s.
Frequently, they are in line for committee chairperson or chairperson of a state or provin
cial convention. Or they may be appointed by the area chairperson to be responsible for
area public information, or to urge more widespread distribution of Conference-approved
literature and the A.A. Grapevine.
In addition, several regions hold annual meetings of past delegates, with newly elect
ed delegates and alternates invited as well. Started as a breakfast meeting for past delegates
at a regional convention, this event has proved to be a valuable way of passing on experi
ence to new delegates. In some regions, the meeting now spans a full weekend. Its purpose
is first and foremost communication, strengthening the lines of communication among
the General Service Conference, G.S.O., the General Service Board, Grapevine Board and
A.A. as a whole. There is no attempt to discuss or recommend actions that would interfere
with or supersede the functions of the area or the Conference.
Financial Support
Typical of most financial undertakings in A.A., the cost of supporting an area committee
is small in relation to comparable activities in business firms and other organizations.
Nonetheless, sufficient funds are needed, or the work of the committee will be hampered.
Most areas today maintain solvent treasuries and report regularly to their G.S.R.s on the
financial picture.
AREA EXPENSES: There are, of course, the routine expenses of postage, phone calls,
and bulletin printing. The delegate needs money for the trip to the Conference meeting in
New York in April. Delegates and committee members incur further travel expenses when
they report to groups following the Conference meeting. Many active area committees
support public information programs and buy literature for groups in institutions. Each
area sends at least $800.00 U.S. (eight hundred dollars) to G.S.O. to help defray the cost of
the annual meeting of the Conference, and a number of areas send additional funds. (The
$800.00 is sent no later than March 1 of each year a reminder from G.S.O. is sent in
January.)
METHODS OF SUPPORT: Here are some of the ways areas remain solvent and effective:
They take collections at assembly and district meetings.
They share in the Regular Contribution Plan whereby groups contribute monthly or
quarterly to the intergroup/central office, G.S.O., district, and area. (See also the
leaflet Self-Support: Where Money and Spirituality Mix.)
They receive contributions from area and state convention treasuries.
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Chapter Six
The Delegate
he delegate has a demanding job, not only because a large amount of time and work are
involved, but because it is the delegates responsibility to serve the US/Canada
Conference as a whole. As voting members of the Conference, delegates bring to its delib
erations the experiences and viewpoints of their own areas. Yet they are not representatives
of their areas in the usual political sense; after hearing all points of view and becoming fully
informed during Conference discussion, they vote in the best interests of A.A. as a whole.
Duties
Though the high point is the Conference meeting, the delegates job goes on year-round
and involves all aspects of the Conference structure. The delegate should:
Attend the annual Conference meeting fully prepared. Immediately upon election,
every delegate is put on the G.S.O. mailing list to receive Conference materials.
Communicate the actions of the Conference to area committee members and
encourage them to pass on this information, and the delegates enthusiasm, to groups
and to intergroups/central offices. If an area is too large for the delegate to cover in
person, he or she will ask area officers and committee members to share the load.
Be prepared to attend all area and regional service meetings and assemblies applic
able to his/her respective area. From these meetings, delegates come to better under
stand their own areas and can make suggestions for the Conference agenda. Here,
too, they come in contact with A.A. members who might not be reached otherwise.
Help area committees obtain financial support for the area and G.S.O.
Provide leadership in solving local problems involving the A.A. Traditions.
Remind G.S.R.s to inform groups and individuals about the A.A. Grapevine and
Conference-approved literature.
Cooperate with G.S.O. in obtaining information for example, making sure that
up-to-date information reaches G.S.O. in time to meet the deadline for each issue of
the A.A. directory and helping carry out the triennial membership surveys.
Visit groups and districts in the area whenever possible.
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Work closely with committee members and officers,

sharing experience throughout the year. After G.S.R.s
and committee members have reported on the
Conference, learn from these A.A.s how groups and
members have reacted.
Assume added responsibility if the area chair and
alternate chair are unable to serve. Or, if an area com
mittee is not functioning effectively, the delegate may
take an active role in remedying the situation.
Keep the alternate delegate fully informed and active,
so that the alternate can replace the delegate in an
emergency.
Late in the second term, work with newly elected del
egates to pass along a basic knowledge of Conference
proceedings and problems.
Term of Office
A delegate serves one term of two years, and the Conference strongly recommends that a
delegate serve only one term with the exception of an alternate delegate who, after
attending one Conference in place of the delegate, may be elected to serve a full term. Half
the delegates are elected in one year, the other half the next (see Appendix D for a list of
Conference Panels). This ensures that at any Conference, there is a core of experienced del
egates along with first-year delegates.
Expenses
A delegates expenses to the Conference are covered in this way: The area contributes at
least $800.00 (U.S.) toward Conference expenses (and many areas are able to send addi
tional funds). The General Fund of the General Service Board pays the balance, but this
does not take care of the many incidental expenses the delegate will have during
Conference week. Upon arrival in New York, each delegate receives cash to cover basic
expenses during Conference week. In addition, the areas generally provide some money to
cover extra expenses. The amount differs, depending on the areas financial circumstances.
Many areas also provide funds to cover travel and incidental expenses the delegate
incurs in reporting back to groups and districts within the area.
Qualifications
Like other A.A. members, delegates come in all shapes and sizes. But some characteristics
seem to make for well-qualified delegates. For example:
Several years of active participation in local and area affairs, as a G.S.R. and as a
committee member.
Time available, not only for the week-long Conference meeting in April but for all
the efforts needed before and after the Conference.
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Five or six years of continuous sobriety. The sobriety requirement varies from area
to area; in any case, a delegate should have been sober long enough to be responsi
ble and informed.
The ability to make and take suggestions and criticisms, too.
Experience in chairing meetings.
Knowledge of A.A. affairs, and of where to find the correct information when they
do not know the answers.
Thorough familiarity with the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts and how
they apply to local problems.
The ability to be open-minded, to sit down with A.A.s in the area and with other del
egates to discuss and act on matters vital to A.A.
If you are thinking about standing for a term as delegate, ask yourself these questions:
How well did you do as a G.S.R.? As a committee member? Did you enjoy the
responsibilities? Were you active?
Have you discussed the possibility with your family and your employer? Will the
time be available for the amount of work required?
Are you familiar with this manual? With A.A. Comes of Age? And of course, with the
Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts?
Have you talked with past delegates to get an idea of the time and effort required and
the sort of work you will need to do?
Geographical Rotation Within the Area

Some areas have adopted their own policy of rotation from rural to urban sections or
from one part of an area to another, to avoid domination by one or more heavily popu
lated locations. However, no well-qualified A.A. should be passed over in the interest of
geographical rotation.
The Alternate
The Conference recommends that all areas elect alternate delegates. The alternate serves as a
valuable assistant, often traveling with the delegate or giving reports for him or her. In some
areas, the alternate serves some special function of the committee. Many area committee trea
suries recognize the need to support the alternates expenses separately from the delegates.
An alternate who replaces the delegate at the annual Conference meeting will remain
on the G.S.O. mailing list as the delegate until G.S.O. is informed otherwise by the area
committee.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
(past delegates offer practical suggestions)
Preparing for the Conference

Although you may have been involved in A.A. service for some time, dont take your
knowledge for granted. Do some reviewing as quickly as possible. Read and reread this
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manual, A.A. Comes of Age, and Twelve Concepts for World Service. Get copies of the full
Conference Reports for the past two or three years for further study. Seek out some past
delegates to share their experience.
Start a Conference file, because youll get lots of letters from the Conference coordi
nator at G.S.O., containing background information and requests. Read them thoroughly;
make notes on what youre asked to do; do it. Youll receive questionnaires; expedite replies.
Leadership in A.A.: Ever a Vital Need

(Excerpts from Bill W.s article in the April 1959 Grapevine.
See Concept IX, page 38 of Twelve Concepts for World Service for the full article)
Somewhere in our literature there is a statement to this effect: Our leaders
do not drive by mandate: they lead by example. In effect, we are saying to them,
Act for us, but dont boss us.. . .
Therefore, a leader in A.A. service is a man (or woman) who can personal
ly put principles, plans, and policies into such dedicated and effective action that
the rest of us want to back him up and help him with his job. When a leader
power-drives us badly, we rebel; but when he too meekly becomes an order-taker
and he exercises no judgment of his own well, he really isnt a leader at all....
Good leadership originates plans, policies, and ideas for the improvement
of our Fellowship and its service. But in new and important matters, it will nev
ertheless consult widely before taking decisions and actions. Good leadership
will also remember that a fine plan or idea can come from anybody, anywhere.
Consequently, good leadership will often discard its own cherished plans for oth
ers that are better, and it will give credit to the source. . . .
Good leadership never passes the buck. Once assured that it has, or can
obtain, sufficient general backing, it freely takes decisions and puts them into
action forthwith, provided, of course, that such action be within the framework
of its defined authority and responsibility. . . .
Another qualification for leadership is give-and-take, the ability to compro
mise cheerfully whenever a proper compromise can cause a situation to progress
in what appears to be the right direction. Compromise comes hard to us all-or
nothing drunks. Nevertheless, we must never lose sight of the fact that progress
is nearly always characterized by a series of improving compromises. We cannot,
however, compromise always. Now and then, it is truly necessary to stick flat
footed to ones conviction about an issue until it is settled. These are situations
for keen timing and careful discrimination as to which course to take. . . .
Leadership is often called upon to face heavy and sometimes long-contin
ued criticism. This is an acid test. There are always the constructive critics, our
friends indeed. We ought never fail to give them a careful hearing. We should be
willing to let them modify our opinions or change them completely. Often, too,
we shall have to disagree and then stand fast without losing their friendship.
Copyright by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.; excerpted with permission
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G.S.O. may request material from you; expedite this, too. Promptness is necessary so that,
by the time the Conference opens, your material will have been compiled for use in a
report, a panel discussion, a workshop, a floor discussion, or a committee agenda item.
Early on, youll receive two important communications. One will ask your area trea
surer to send in a check for your areas share of expenses. Be sure this deadline is met.
Another will seek information on your arrival time, transportation costs, and housing
details. Be sure this is supplied at once. G.S.O. will send a check to cover your travel
expenses. When you arrive in New York you will receive cash to cover most of your local
expenses, such as meals. Generally, areas supply extra allowances also.
Before you leave New York, make sure your committee members are arranging the
times and places of the Conference reports youll give on your return.
Finally, dont plan any big social events in New York or figure youll make a few business
calls there. The Conference schedule runs from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., or even later at times.
And remember, even if youre the new kid on the block, youre just as important to
the Conference proceedings as anyone else. Your voice expresses your informed area con
science. Your thoughts and your questions must be shared loud and clear for the
benefit of all.
Reporting on the Conference

Reporting to groups, districts, and the area back home is a big part of the delegates job,
and one that can prove challenging. One past delegate says: On my return from the
Conference, I traveled some 4,000 miles in the first six weeks visiting groups. If I was not
asked to speak at group meetings, I asked them to let me speak. I made a point of never
talking too long, but I gave literally hundreds of these talks. I talked of service and unity
and G.S.O. and area assembly. That same delegate reports the results: more new groups
than ever before, a stronger service structure, and the first state convention. We have
grown, and if I were asked to pick out the one part of our activities that contributed most,
it would be improved communications.
What I Saw and Heard and Felt

My report on the Conference consisted of a description of what I saw and heard and
felt at the Conference meeting in New York. (I also made copies of my report and made
them available.)
The distances between towns in my state are great, and it seemed best to make my
reports to district or intergroup meetings when possible, with an A.A. talk after the report.
In addition, I frequently reported to members, G.S.R.s and groups by mail. I try to do a
bulletin a month, each on one or more subjects. My Conference report gives me all the
material I need.
If You Attract You Cant Miss

Make an announcement a month before you give your report; set up dates with district
committee members. Where districts are small, have two or three combined.
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(Refreshments help.) Ask to be invited or invite yourself. Get in somehow! It costs

groups and G.S.O. money to bring in delegates; groups should see and hear the reports on
the Conference.
Give as much of your time to the small group as to the large one. Dont pass up the
opportunity to share with them all. Let them know about the staff at G.S.O. and the ser
vice work that they encourage all over the world.
Invite groups to attend special area meetings with programs of questions and
answers about world services and G.S.O. Include one or more past delegates. Hold meet
ings often and in different districts. Remember our key word: attraction. If you attract,
you cant miss.
Taped Talk: Effective, Inexpensive

In addition to detailed reporting of the material and spirit of the Conference sessions at
our state convention, copies of my notes were made available to the area committee mem
bers upon their request. Fortunately, we were able to make arrangements for my talk to be
taped and made available throughout our area an inexpensive and effective way of car
rying the Conference message in some detail.
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Chapter Seven
The Annual Conference Meeting
In all its proceedings, the General Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the
A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the Conference never becomes the seat of
perilous wealth or power; that 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 Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government;
and that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference
itself will always remain democratic in thought and action.
General Warranties of the Conference

Concept XII, Twelve Concepts for World Service
hile the General Service Conference operates all year round, the annual meeting,
held in New York City, usually in April, is the culmination of the years activities, the
time when the collective group conscience of U.S./Canada A.A. comes together to take
actions that will guide the groups in the years to come.
The Conference comes closer to government than anything else in A.A., but as Bill
W. put it in the first edition of this manual: Of course it cannot be too often said that while
the Conference can issue orders to the General Service Office, it can never mandate or govern
the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves. The Conference represents us, but can
not rule us.
The Conference itself is not incorporated, but the General Service Board (board of
trustees) is, as are A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. Incorporation of
these entities is necessary to carry out policies established by the Conference, handle funds,
and conduct A.A.s business.
Note: See Appendix D for Conference Panels.
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What Goes On at the Conference

A typical Conference lasts a full week, with sessions running from morning to evening. The
opening day features an opening dinner and a five-speaker A.A. meeting, and business ses
sions from Monday to Friday include committee meetings, presentations, workshops, and
new trustee elections. Each delegate serves on one of the standing Conference committees,
which meet early in the week and do the principal work of the Conference. (Some delegates
also have a secondary committee assignment.) The committees bring recommendations to
the full Conference for consideration as possible Advisory Actions (see Chapter Eight for
more on the committee system), and generally the last two days (or more) are devoted to
discussion and voting on committee recommendations. A closing breakfast on Saturday,
following the last day of Conference business, provides an opportunity for goodbys, and for
rotating trustees to say their farewells. Every other year, a visit to the home of Bill W. and
Lois in Westchester County is scheduled.
Sources of Agenda Items

The final agenda for any Conference consists of items suggested by individual A.A. mem
bers, groups, delegates, trustees, area assemblies, area committee members, and directors
and staff members of A.A.W.S. and the Grapevine. The Conference considers matters of
policy for A.A. as a whole, and there are tried-and-true procedures for placing an item on
the agenda in the most effective way or, when the suggestion does not concern overall
policy, for routing it to the most appropriate part of the service structure.
If a G.S.R. has an idea for an agenda item, chances are that he or she will want to dis
cuss it first with the group, then at a district or area meeting, which can then forward it to
the staff member at G.S.O. currently serving as Conference coordinator. An A.A. who is
not part of the general service structure can give the idea to the groups G.S.R. or write
directly to the Conference coordinator.
Whatever its origin, any agenda item follows the same path to the Conference agen
da: The A.A. staff studies it in the light of previous Conference actions, then passes it on
to the trustees Conference Committee or the appropriate Conference committee. Usually,
the trustees committee determines the most appropriate way of programming it as a
workshop or presentation subject, a proposal, or a committee concern.
Conference Membership
Voting membership of the Conference includes area delegates (who make up at least twothirds of the Conference body), the directors and A.A. staff of A.A. World Services, Inc.
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and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., and the trustees. The Conference may wish to invite visitors
from other countries to attend as nonvoting observers.
Each Conference member has one vote, even if he or she attends in more than one
capacity (for example, a trustee who serves as a director of A.A.W.S. or the Grapevine as
well as on the General Service Board).
Historically, the voting ratio has never been important, since no issue has ever divid
ed Conference opinion along the lines of delegates opposed to other Conference members.
But it could conceivably be important at some time. To take care of that situation, the
Conference Charter provides as a matter of tradition, that a two-thirds vote of Conference
members voting shall be considered binding upon the General Service Board and its relat
ed corporate services, provided the total vote constitutes at least a Conference quorum. But
no such vote ought to impair the legal rights of the General Service Board and the service
corporations to conduct routine business and make ordinary contracts relating thereto.
The Voting Process

Each Conference committee (see Chapter Eight) brings to the Conference floor a report of
its deliberations, which usually includes recommendations for consideration and voting.
In addition, recommendations may come from the floor in the course of discussion. Even
if a committee reports decisively on its solution to a problem, the Conference is not oblig
ated to accept the report. It can refuse a committee decision, and if it does, the matter is
discussed and decided upon in general session. While in the majority of cases the
Conference does accept a committee recommendation, in typical A.A. fashion, a
Conference committee does not represent authority.
The Conference, through ample discussion, always strives for substantial unanimity.
Before a vote is taken, plenty of time is allotted for full discussion, including questions
about the background of a recommendation and the committees reasons for coming to its
conclusions. In order to become an Advisory Action, a recommendation must be approved
by substantial unanimity defined as a two-thirds majority. A simple majority vote of
the Conference shall be considered a suggestion to the General Service Board and to G.S.O.
or the Grapevine.
Discussion, both in general sessions and during committee meetings, can at times be
hot and heavy, but Conference members always strive to reach a group conscience and to
make decisions in the best interests of the Fellowship. After the vote, the Conference chair
person calls for minority opinions and occasionally, a well-reasoned minority opinion
can result in another vote, reversing the first decision. Ideally, of course, that is the rare
exception; any matter should be so thoroughly considered before a vote is taken that the
Conferences original conclusion will stand.
Conference Advisory Actions

Conference Advisory Actions represent recommendations of the standing committees,
or floor actions, that have been approved by the Conference body as a whole with sub
stantial unanimity.
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Can the Conference Act for A.A. as a Whole?

Here is what co-founder Bill W. has to say about that in Concept III of
Twelve Concepts for World Service:
Excepting for its Charter provisions to the contrary, the Conference should
always be able to decide which matters it will fully dispose of on its own respon
sibility, and which questions it will refer to the A.A. groups (or more usually, to
their Committee Members or G.S.R.s) for opinion or for definite guidance.
Therefore it ought to be clearly understood and agreed that our
Conference Delegates are primarily the world servants of A.A. as a whole, that
only in a secondary sense do they represent their respective areas. Consequently
they should, on final decisions, be entitled to cast their votes in the General
Service Conference according to the best dictates of their own judgment and
conscience at that time.
Similarly, the Trustees of the General Service Board (operating of course
within the provisions of their own Charter and Bylaws) should be able at all
times to decide when they will act fully on their own responsibility and when
they will ask the Conference for its guidance, its approval of a recommendation,
or for its actual decision and direction.
Within the scope of their defined or implied responsibilities, all
Headquarters service corporations, committees, staff or executives should also
be possessed of the right to decide when they will act wholly on their own and
when they will refer their problems to the next higher authority.
What kind of business is transacted at the Conference? A quick tour through the
Advisory Actions over the years reveals a wide-ranging collection of issues:
affirmations of the importance of anonymity and actions delineating how anonymi
ty may be applied in relations with the general public;
approval of various methods of contributing to G.S.O. and/or the areas; recom
mendations for increasing area contributions for the support of the annual
Conference meeting;
approval of new Conference-approved literature and changes to literature already
published, including new editions of the Big Book;
solutions to group issues such as that of family groups, special-purpose groups,
and groups meeting in treatment facilities;
recommendations concerning the composition and functioning of the General
Service Board;
suggestions for displaying and selling A.A. literature in groups;
recognition of the A.A. Grapevine as the international journal of Alcoholics
Anonymous;
various recommendations concerning the content of The A.A. Service Manual and
suggested practices in the service structure;
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recommendations against the production or sale of chips and medallions by G.S.O.

or the Grapevine;
recommendations for the development of new literature, as well as films, videos, and
audiocassettes to carry the A.A. message;
guidelines for forming new delegate areas, changing regional boundaries, as well as
the acceptance of new delegate areas;
recommendations regarding carrying the A.A. message to the general public, to mem
bers of the professional community, and to A.A.s in prisons or treatment centers.
A compilation of Conference Advisory Actions is available from G.S.O.
Reporting to the Membership

The most productive Conference sessions are of little value unless area committees and
groups back home hear about them. So the delegates reporting job is as important as the
program for the Conference itself. No delegate could possibly report everything that took
place, and over the years G.S.O. and delegates, working together, have developed a system
of reporting that has proved tremendously helpful in communicating information
throughout the Fellowship.
It begins, in a sense, with the advance information mailed to delegates, which includes
significant questions to take to the areas for input before the Conference. During the
Conference, delegates take reams of notes, and much of the information is provided in
writing in the Conference Handbook. On the last day of the Conference, each delegate
receives the Early Bird edition of Box 4-5-9, a printed bulletin that summarizes out
standing Conference Actions. Every delegate can take home enough copies for each area
committee member. (Chapter Six contains suggestions for reporting techniques that have
worked well.)
The Final Conference Report comes off press during the summer and provides a com
plete record of reports, discussions, workshops, and actions. It is not a verbatim account,
but no significant aspect of the Conference is omitted.
Throughout the year, delegates are kept informed of G.S.O. and Grapevine activities,
results of meetings of the General Service Board, and the work being done by the various
committees of the board.
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Chapter Eight
Conference Committees
ithout committees, it is doubtful that any Conference would be able to function
effectively. Most questions suggested for the Conference agenda are assigned to a
committee, where items can be discussed in a small group before they are forwarded for
discussion to the full Conference body.
Extensive background material is mailed to committee members well in advance of
the actual Conference meeting. Most Conference committees work closely with a corre
sponding committee of the General Service Board, and the two maintain communication
throughout the year and meet at the beginning of Conference week for a joint session. The
joint meeting is designed to share information; no actions are taken.
Committee Meetings
Each delegate committee then meets twice early in Conference week (and occasionally
more often, if necessary), reviews and discusses everything on its agenda, and prepares a
report, which is presented to the full Conference, discussed, and voted on (see the section
on The Voting Process in Chapter Seven). Generally, the committee reaches a conclusion
as a result of its deliberations, and presents a recommendation to the full Conference. On
some items, the committee may choose to make no recommendation, or simply to report
a suggestion or observation. The committee may also defer an item to the next years
Conference, or seek further information from the Fellowship or the trustees before mak
ing a decision at a subsequent Conference.
Selection of Committee Members

Each delegate serves on one Conference committee, the same one for both years of the term.
Normally, a committee is made up of four or five first-year delegates and four or five secondyear delegates. Committee members are selected by lot in December by one or two members
of the trustees Conference Committee and the Conference coordinator. The names of new
delegates are drawn from the hat to replace outgoing delegates on each committee.
Committee chairs and alternate chairs are elected by plurality at the committees last
meeting during Conference week. The new chair takes office as soon as the Conference
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ends, and serves through the end of the next years Conference.
An A.A. staff member serves as the nonvoting secretary of the committee corre
sponding to his or her assignment; the controller of A.A.W.S. is secretary of the Finance
Committee. Staff members help prepare the committee report and serve as resources, shar
ing knowledge gained from their day-to-day work on the assignment.
The Standing Committees

At its first meeting in 1951, the Conference established standing committees, and new ones
have been added when necessary. Currently, these committees are:
AGENDA (trustees committee: General Service Conference): Reviews and approves the
overall format and content of the agenda for the annual Conference meeting; has the yearround job of communicating with G.S.O. on subjects for the Conference agenda and theme.
COOPERATION WITH THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY (trustees committee
on C.P.C./Treatment Facilities): Responsible for suggesting policies and recommending
activities that will help carry the message to the still-suffering alcoholic through sharing
information about the A.A. program with professional groups and individuals who have
contact with alcoholics, furthering mutual understanding and cooperation between A.A.
and professionals, and increasing awareness of members and outside groups and organi
zations on ways of cooperating with others without affiliating.
CORRECTIONS (trustees Corrections Committee): Encourages A.A. members to assume
responsibility for carrying the message to alcoholics behind the walls, reviews all aspects of
service to A.A. groups in correctional facilities, and makes recommendations for changes
and/or improvements. It is also concerned with clarifying what A.A. can and cannot do,
within the Traditions, to help inmate alcoholics both inside and upon release.
FINANCE (trustees Finance and Budgetary Committee): Reviews the budget and
financial reports of A.A. World Services and the Grapevine, and reviews or initiates
Conference recommendations that involve finances. The Finance Committee, since it first
convened in 1951, has kept abreast of the movements needs: it has looked into annual
budgets, been concerned with the income needed to carry out service work, and has almost
invariably recommended the expansion of services to groups and to the public.
GRAPEVINE (meets jointly with members of the Grapevine Corporate Board):
Responsible for reviewing the development and circulation of the Grapevine and La Via
for the past year at the group level; its members also seek suggestions and recommenda
tions in any area of the Grapevine and La Via, including material and format. The
Grapevine Committee has been helpful in clarifying matters of policy for A.A.s interna
tional journal, in helping develop material related to the magazine and, most recently,
enabling the Grapevine to reach Spanish-speaking alcoholics through La Via, a bimonth
ly magazine in Spanish.
LITERATURE (trustees Literature Committee): This Committee is primarily concerned
with recovery literature; material related to specific areas of service e.g., Corrections materi
al is developed by the relevant committee. Reviews new literature and audiovisual needs,
reviews existing pamphlets and new pamphlet drafts as they are prepared, and recommends
special action to the trustees Literature Committee. The Literature Committee has played a
vital part in the development of A.A. pamphlets and books. It has never hesitated to put on
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the brakes if it feels that A.A.s literature is expanding too rapidly or to urge A.A.s pub
lishing operation into action when there is a real need for a new pamphlet or book. In recent
years it has been instrumental in the development of audiovisual materials.
POLICY/ADMISSIONS (no corresponding trustees committee): Responsible for mat
ters of policy pertaining to the Conference itself and for reviewing all requests for admis
sions to the annual meeting of the General Service Conference. All changes in the
Conference plan, all steps in the expansion of the Conference, and all procedures affecting
the cost of the Conference are taken to the Committee on Conference Policy and
Admissions. This committee has the job of approving or disapproving requests for addi
tional delegate areas.
PUBLIC INFORMATION (trustees Public Information Committee): Responsible for
creating greater understanding of and preventing misunderstandings of the A.A.
program through the public media, electronic media, P.I. meetings, and speaking to com
munity groups.
REPORT AND CHARTER (no corresponding trustees committee): Responsible for The
A.A. Service Manual, the Final Conference Report, and the A.A. directories. The Report and
Charter Committee reads drafts of the Conference Report and checks them for accuracy.
This committee receives any suggestions for changes in the Conference Charter and makes
recommendations on them.
TREATMENT FACILITIES (trustees Committee on C.P.C./Treatment Facilities):
Coordinates the work of individual A.A. members and groups who carry the message to alco
holics in treatment facilities, sets up means of bridging the gap from treatment to A.A., and works
to clarify what A.A. can and cannot do, within the Traditions, to help alcoholics in treatment.
TRUSTEES (trustees Nominating Committee): Reviews all resumes of nominees for
the General Service Board and corporate board directors and presents the slates to the
Conference for disapproval, if any. Members of this committee are part of the voting body
that nominates regional and at-large trustees during the week of the Conference.
Secondary Committees
Two committees have been formed to consider matters of importance that do not require
the length of time devoted to standing committee agenda items. Some delegates serve on
one of these secondary committees in addition to their primary assignment.
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS/REGIONAL FORUMS: This committee, com
posed of eight delegates chosen by lot, one from each region, works on plans for forth
coming International Conventions, Regional Forums, and Special Forums. It meets once
during the Conference in a dinner meeting with the trustees Committee on International
Conventions/Regional Forums. Direct action may be taken by the Conference committee
at this meeting.
ARCHIVES: The 1998 General Service Conference approved the formation of this
committee as a secondary committee assignment to consider matters of practice and pol
icy related to A.A. archives. Members, chosen by lot, meet once during the Conference at
a dinner meeting with the trustees Archives Committee. Direct action may be taken by the
Conference committee at this meeting.
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Chapter Nine
The General Service Board
The General Service Board (the trustees) is the chief service arm of the
Conference, and is essentially custodial in its character. . .
Excepting for decisions upon matters of policy, finance, or A.A. Tradition liable
to seriously affect A.A. as a whole, the General Service Board has entire freedom
of action in the routine conduct of the policy and business affairs of the
A.A. service corporations. . . .
excerpt from the Conference Charter*

he trustees of Alcoholics Anonymous are concerned with everything happening inside
and outside A.A. that may affect the health and growth of the movement. However,
as the Charter points out, their duties are essentially custodial. Whenever a decision on
movement-wide policy is needed, they turn to the Conference. And because trustees are
members of the Conference body, they participate in policy-making but as individual
Conference members, not as a group.
The trustees do much of their work through two operating corporations, A.A. World
Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. (see Chapter Ten), and through the trustees
committees.
The chart The General Service Conference Structure (Chapter One) shows how the
General Service Board fits into the whole picture and demonstrates that the trustees derive
from the Conference what authority they have. This relationship was established when
the Conference structure was first set up, and over the years, the only changes considered
necessary have been in the composition of the General Service Board, not in its duties or
responsibilities.
The Bylaws of the General Service Board (see Appendix E) describe fully all aspects of
the workings of the board.
* The two service corporations, A.A.W.S., Inc. and the A.A. Grapevine, Inc., although affiliates of the General
Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., are organized as separate, not-for-profit corporations, and,
as such, the routine conduct of policy and business affairs of each resides in the respective boards of the
two corporations.
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Composition
The Board of Trustees
today consists of 21 men
and women, 14 alcoholics
(Class B) and seven nonal
coholics (Class A), who
bring varying talents and
backgrounds to their service responsibilities. There is always a careful balance on the board
between trustees who are elected primarily to bring regional and A.A. service experience
to the board and those selected primarily for business or other professional backgrounds.
Two major changes in board composition have taken place over the years. The first
was in 1962, when because of the Fellowships growth, it was necessary to broaden the base
of trusteeship to bring in A.A.s who had service experience in different areas of the U.S.
and Canada. At that time, the board was increased in size to make room for several A.A.
trustees from states and provinces away from New York City.
In 1966 came the next major change. From the beginning, there had been a majority
(of one) of nonalcoholics on the board. By the mid-1960s, however, A.A. had solid expe
rience in running its own affairs and had developed a practical method for bringing in
trustees from a distance. So the Fellowship took the next major step and reorganized its
board to include seven nonalcoholics and fourteen A.A.s.
Qualifications of an Effective Trustee

A.A. has been fortunate over the years in having many competent trustees, both A.A.
members and nonalcoholics, and the choice of trustees remains one of the most impor
tant factors in ensuring A.A.s future. There are no hard-and-fast rules governing qualifi
cations. In general, though, there are certain things to look for.
NONALCOHOLIC TRUSTEES: In seeking candidates for Class A trustee, the board
looks for men and women with a proven track record in their own fields, and with a
demonstrated interest in Alcoholics Anonymous and some experience in working with
A.A. and its members. It would be safe to say that the busiest people have made the largest
contribution and shown the greatest dedication and judgment.
ALCOHOLIC TRUSTEES: Experience has shown that A.A. trustees who are strong in one
or more of the following areas have contributed most to matters that come before the board:
Length of sobriety: The Conference feels that ten years of continuous sobriety is right
for regional and at-large trustees, though it is not mandatory. For general service trustees,
the Conference has approved seven years of continuous sobriety.
Business or professional background: While business experience is not necessary for all
alcoholic trustees, it has proved essential for general service trustees, who deal with the busi
ness affairs of the two corporate boards. Regional and at-large trustees with sound profes
sional qualifications are always valuable to the board, but may also be stronger in other areas.
Leadership: In A.A. this seems to mean qualities enabling a member to deal with A.A.
growth and affairs with good feeling and a minimum of friction. Good leaders can bring
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to the board the quality of resoluteness and the courage of their convictions, along with
good judgment, objectivity, and the willingness to stand up and express themselves. Such
candidates generally have the love and respect of A.A.s in their community, state, or
province, and can represent the board and interpret its actions back home.
Grasp of A.A. structure: Some A.A.s have special aptitude for the A.A. structure and
are thoroughly familiar with all its elements, from the group through the area to the board
and the Conference. They are usually familiar with A.A.s history and the trends that affect
its future.
Availability: Trustee candidates need to think long and hard about the time they have
available, without hurting family or career. Regional and at-large trustees have especially
time-consuming jobs. In addition to the quarterly board meetings, each of which takes two
or three days, plus travel time, they are required to attend the week-long Conference in
April and often have demanding travel schedules within their regions. Throughout the
year, these trustees keep in touch with their colleagues on the board and with G.S.O.
General service trustees must be available for all meetings of their respective boards (eight
or more each year), for quarterly trustee weekends and the Conference, and for consulta
tion with G.S.O. or Grapevine staff members at any time.
Nonalcoholic (Class A) Trustees

A.A.s debt to those who do not share our disease but willingly share our problems is
immense, going back to the beginning. Bill W. wrote: In the days when A.A. was
unknown, it was the nonalcoholic trustees who held up our hands before the general pub
lic. They supplied us with ideas. . . . They voluntarily spent hours on end, working side by
side with us and among the grubbiest of details. They gave freely of their professional and
financial wisdom. Now and then they helpfully mediated our difficulties. Written in 1966,
those words hold true today. Nonalcoholic trustees remain a rich source of wisdom and
perspective, and since they need not maintain anonymity, they are available to appear in
public on behalf of A.A..
The ratio plan calls for seven nonalcoholics, each of whom may be elected to serve
two consecutive three-year terms. If necessary, the chair of the General Service Board
after approval by that board can extend the term of a Class A trustee by one additional
term. The chair serves for no more than four consecutive years.
Board members make an effort to choose Class A trustees from a variety of profes
sional backgrounds, and the board has included doctors, lawyers, clergy, sociologists,
business people, and financial experts among its members. Whatever their backgrounds,
the bylaws make one key provision for nonalcoholic trustees: they shall be persons who
are not and have not been afflicted by the disease of alcoholism and who express a pro
found faith in the recovery program upon which the Fellowship of Alcoholics
Anonymous is founded.
ELECTION PROCEDURE: Class A trustees are nominated and elected by the General
Service Board itself, after an extensive search and interview process that begins by asking
current and past members of the board, directors, delegates, and G.S.O. and Grapevine
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staff to submit names and background information for friends of A.A. to fill a vacancy.
The list is narrowed down by the trustees Nominating Committee, and the best qualified
prospects are invited to a quarterly trustees meeting to meet all members of the board.
The Nominating Committee then recommends the election of one person for each vacan
cy, and after approval by the full board of trustees, the name (along with a resume) goes to
the Conference for disapproval, if any. The board of trustees then elects the new trustee(s)
at their meeting following the Conference.
Regional Trustees
There are eight regional trustees, six from the United States and two from Canada (see
regional map), who serve a four-year term. While no trustee can be said to represent a
geographical section all trustees represent only the Fellowship as a whole regional
trustees bring to the boards discussions a regional A.A. point of view and experience that
is invaluable.
Candidates for regional trustee are proposed by the areas, either one candidate from
each area or, in some cases, a candidate is put forward by two or more areas acting togeth
er. This responsibility should be considered carefully by the A.A.s involved. It is suggested
that the bylaws of the General Service Board, along with the qualifications and responsi
bilities required to fill the trustee position, be carefully reviewed before a selection is made.
Delegates and committee officers in a region scheduled to select a regional trustee
candidate are informed by G.S.O. in a May mailing. G.S.O. notifies all A.A. groups in the
region of the opening and of suggested procedures through the June-July issue of the
newsletter Box 4-5-9 (mailing date: May 15).
The schedule of elections is as follows:
Region
Eastern Canada
Western Canada
Northeast U.S.
Southeast
Election Years
2010-2014-2018-2022
2008-2012-2016-2020
2007-2011-2015-2019
2009-2013-2017-2021
Region
East Central
West Central
Southwest
Pacific
Election Years
2009-2013-2017-2021
2008-2012-2016-2020
2007-2011-2015-2019
2010-2014-2018-2022
In the event of the resignation or death of a trustee, the region elects a trustee to fill
the vacancy at the next Conference, if possible.
ELECTION PROCEDURE
1. At the area level, the delegate(s) or area committee(s) should decide whether the
candidate will be selected at a meeting of the area committee or by an area assem
bly. In either case, Third Legacy Procedure should be used.
2. Two Conference Actions should be kept in mind. In 1977, the Conference recom
mended that a delegate not be eligible as a trustee candidate until one year after his
or her last Conference. And in 1983, it was recommended that no area shall sub
mit an individual as candidate for both regional trustee and trustee-at-large
U.S./Canada in the same year.
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3. A resume of the candidate, covering professional, business, and A.A. service qual
ifications, with name and address, should be forwarded to G.S.O., by the area del
egate only, prior to January 1 by registered mail return receipt requested. A spe
cial form is available for this purpose and should be completed by someone other
than the candidate.
4. Any resumes received after the January 1 deadline will be returned by G.S.O. to the
delegate and will not be considered. If an areas candidate withdraws after the
deadline, the area may not submit another candidate.
The trustees Nominating Committee reviews all candidates for eligibility. Then, at
the Conference, a nominating session chooses one regional trustee nominee from the can
didates. The session is co-chaired by the chairpersons of the trustees Nominating
Committee and the Conference Committee on Trustees. It meets in a roped-off section
and can be observed by all Conference members.
Voting members of the nominating session are: 1) delegates from the region, and 2)
an equal number of voters one-half from the Conference Committee on Trustees and
one-half from the trustees Nominating Committee.
The slate of candidates is posted on a board, and the session follows the Third Legacy
Procedure (see page S20).
Trustees-at-Large
In addition to the eight regional trustees, two trustees-at-large, one from the U.S. and one
from Canada, ensure that the entire Fellowship is well represented on the board. They, too,
serve a four-year term. The trustees-at-large are members of the trustees International
Committee and other trustees committees, and can be appointed as directors of one of the
corporate boards. They may fill in for regional trustees, as needed or requested.
Trustees-at-large also serve as the World Service Meeting delegates representing the
U.S. and Canada. As such, they participate in two World Service Meetings, which are held
every two years. W.S.M. delegates should have the same qualifications as any trustees, and
also have time both to attend the World Service Meetings and to present and carry out any
decisions reached at these meetings.
Each trustee-at-large is requested to attend Regional Forums in both the U.S. and
Canada. If schedules permit, each trustee-at-large could attend one Regional Forum in
each of the eight North American regions over the course of their four-year term. They are
also available for other A.A. service activities as requested by areas or regions, and addi
tional activities as requested by the board of trustees. In the year between the World
Service Meetings, the trustees-at-large may attend a Western Hemisphere zonal meeting,
the Meeting of the Americas, as delegates representing the U.S. and Canada.
ELECTION PROCEDURE: All areas in the U.S. or Canada are notified of a vacancy
and asked to submit qualified candidates. In the areas, the same procedure used in select
ing a regional trustee candidate is followed. No area should submit the same name for
regional and at-large trustee in the same year.
The trustees Nominating Committee reviews all candidates for eligibility, and at
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some time before the nominating session during Conference week, delegates from each
region caucus (generally at a regional lunch) and reduce the list of names to one for each
U.S. region, or two for each region in Canada. The names are given to the secretary of the
trustees Nominating Committee following the regional lunches. A maximum of six can
didates for trustee-at-large U.S. or four for trustee-at-large Canada will be presented to the
voting members of the Conference for election. The Third Legacy Procedure as used in the
nomination of regional trustees is used at the Conference to select one nominee for each
vacancy, with the delegates from either the U.S. or Canada and the members of the
trustees Nominating Committee participating in the voting.
General Service Trustees

There are four general service trustees, two from the A.A. World Services Board and two
from the Grapevine, who serve on these boards and are available at any time for the solu
tion of problems on which G.S.O. or Grapevine staff members need help. Because of this
requirement, all general service trustees originally came from New York City or its com
muting area and were sometimes known as in-town trustees. With the advent of faster
and more efficient communication by telephone, express mail and electronic media, these
positions are no longer restricted to residents of New York City and its vicinity.
While there are no specialists in A.A., only recovered drunks, it has been possible to
choose, for general service trusteeships, men and women with the kind of business or pro
fessional acumen that is particularly applicable to the problems at hand, whether their
backgrounds are in publishing, public relations, or administration. General service
trustees can share with the General Service Board the operations of A.A.W.S. and the
Grapevine, thus increasing the awareness of all trustees on these matters. They serve as
trustees for four years.
ELECTION PROCEDURE: General service trustees are chosen from among current
or past nontrustee directors of the two corporate boards, A.A. World Services and The A.A.
Grapevine. Since they are already serving (or have served) on one of the corporate boards,
their qualifications are well known to the members of the respective boards, and it has
been the privilege of those boards to propose the name of a candidate to represent them
on the General Service Board.
The resume of one qualified candidate, who has served for at least one year on the
A.A.W.S. or Grapevine board, is submitted to the trustees Nominating Committee in a
single recommendation. If the candidate is acceptable to the Nominating Committee the
nominees name is then forwarded to the Conference Committee on Trustees for review,
and the nominee is presented to the General Service Conference for disapproval, if any. If
the candidate is not acceptable to the Nominating Committee, then the committee may
select another qualified candidate, or request that the affiliate corporate board submit
another qualified candidate for consideration. Once the candidate is acceptable to the
nominating committee, the candidates resume will be forwarded to the Conference
Committee on Trustees, as indicated above. The nominee is then elected by the General
Service Board at its meeting following the Conference.
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(See Chapter Ten for the method of selecting directors for the A.A.W.S. and Grapevine
corporate boards.)
Trustees Service Committees

There are eleven standing committees of the Board of Trustees, most of which are the
opposite numbers of Conference committees and stay closely in touch with delegate mem
bers of those committees throughout the year. Trustees committees meet quarterly, with
subcommittees and individuals assigned to work on projects throughout the year.
Membership averages about six or seven per committee and consists of trustees and direc
tors of A.A.W.S. and the Grapevine; a few committees also include appointed committee
members with particular expertise in the subject area. The chairperson is a trustee, and the
secretary is usually a G.S.O. staff member.
PUBLIC INFORMATION: Has responsibility for determining policies and supervis
ing activities that increase public understanding of A.A. or preventing misunderstand
ing of the program.
FINANCE AND BUDGETARY: Oversees all G.S.O. and Grapevine financial matters
and the General Fund. The treasurer of the board serves as chairperson and the A.A.W.S.
controller as secretary.
AUDIT COMMITTEE: The committee meets once a year with the independent auditor
of the General Service Board, Inc., A.A.W.S., Inc. and the A.A. Grapevine, Inc. to receive
the audit report. The committee will confirm and assure the independence of the inde
pendent auditor. It will discuss any weaknesses in internal controls, whether there were any
adjustments not recorded on the books, whether the organizations are following the most
appropriate and best accounting principles and whether or not management conducts
itself with the highest level of integrity.
INTERNATIONAL: Suggests to the trustees policies and actions that result in carry
ing the message to alcoholics overseas, particularly in countries where there is no estab
lished structure.
NOMINATING: Reviews and passes on all candidates for trustee, for directors of A.A.
World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. and for general service trustees nomi
nated by the two corporate boards. In addition, some of its members serve as part of the
Conference session that selects regional trustees and trustees-at-large.
LITERATURE: Develops new and revised Conference-approved recovery literature
and evaluates literature needs. It may also assess the need for, and develop, audiovisual
materials as needed. The Literature Committee is very active, and while its regular meet
ings are held quarterly, its members spend a great deal of the intervening time working on
a variety of committee projects.
COOPERATION WITH THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY/TREATMENT
FACILITIES (formerly separate committees, combined in 1998): Seeks to create mutual
understanding and cooperation between the Fellowship and those professional groups and
individuals concerned with alcoholism and the still-suffering alcoholic, to further the
acceptance of A.A. in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and similar facilities, and to bring
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additional help to alcoholics under treatment there.

CORRECTIONS: Recommends to the General Service Board actions that support
carrying the message to alcoholics confined in correctional institutions; develops written and
visual materials and coordinates a program of correspondence with inmates.
GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE: Works on procedures, agenda, and theme for
the annual Conference meeting.
ARCHIVES: Oversees the preserving and organizing of A.A. historical material
already on hand as well as the search for further historical records.
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS/REGIONAL FORUMS: Develops plans for
each forthcoming Convention and for all Regional Forums and Special Forums.
THE GENERAL SHARING SESSION (successor to the original Policy Committee):
During each quarterly trustees weekend meeting, time is set aside for a sharing session
among trustees, directors, committee members, and A.A. staff on a wide range of topics
that concern A.A. as a whole.
Appointed Committee Members

Several trustees committees seek the participation of A.A. members with strong experi
ence A.A. service or professional in such areas as corrections, treatment facilities,
cooperation with the professional community, public information, or literature.
Suggestions for candidates are sought from trustees, delegates, staff members, directors,
and committee members past and present. The committee chairperson makes sure that all
resumes received are carefully evaluated, using the following criteria: special qualifications,
service experience, and dedication. (If the candidate is a past Conference delegate, he or
she is not eligible until one year after rotation.) Eligible candidates are then interviewed by
the chairperson or someone designated by the chairperson.
The name of the candidate selected is referred to the trustees Nominating Committee
for approval, and is then appointed by the chairperson of the General Service Board. The
term of service is four years, renewed on a yearly basis.
World Service Meeting Delegates

World Service Meeting delegates participate in two World Service Meetings, which are held
every two years, in locations alternating between New York City and another country. The
World Service Meeting serves as a forum for sharing the experience, strength, and hope of
delegates who come from all parts of the world. It seeks ways and means of carrying the
A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers, in any nation and any language. It can also
represent an expression of the group conscience worldwide. It encourages the planning of
sound service structures and exploration of expanding A.A. services to reach the alcoholic
through internal communication, literature distribution, sponsorship, public information,
community relations, and institutions work.
Two W.S.M. delegates, one from the United States and one from Canada, are appoint
ed by the chairperson of the General Service Board. Both delegates serve four-year terms;
generally the trustees-at-large from the two countries are appointed.
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QUALIFICATIONS: At least one of the delegates from each of the member confer
ence structures should come from the General Service Board or overall service committee.
Delegates should have leadership qualities, genuine service interest, organizational ability,
a knowledge and love of A.A., time to attend the World Service Meetings, and they should
be fully informed about A.A. in their countries or zones. Perhaps even more important, the
delegates should have the time to present and carry out the decisions reached at the World
Service Meetings.
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Chapter Ten
The Boards Operating Corporations
he General Service Board is responsible for the General Service Office and the
Grapevine, and it takes care of its administrative duties through two operating corpo
rations. One is A.A. World Services, Inc., which oversees the General Service Office and
publishes A.A.s books and pamphlets. The other is The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., which over
sees the Grapevine office and publishes and distributes the A.A. Grapevine magazine, the
Spanish edition, La Via, and related items. The two entities need to be incorporated in
order to accomplish such tasks as publishing and distributing literature, handling funds,
and conducting other vital aspects of A.A.s business.
The General Service Board has custodial oversight over both of these corporations,
which it exercises by its right to elect the directors of each. While the board does not inter
fere with the daily operation of either corporation, it does have the ultimate responsibility
for seeing that both operate in the best interests of the movement as a whole. The trustees
Finance and Budgetary Committee reviews and approves the finances of both corporations,
and on an annual basis, cash in excess of operating needs for both A.A.W.S. and the
Grapevine is transferred to and invested with the General Service Board Reserve Fund.
In the makeup of both directorates, the principle of participation as described in the
Fourth Concept is strictly adhered to. In fact, both are good examples of the application of
this Concept. If it wishes, the board could elect none but its own trustees to these corpo
rate directorships. But a powerful tradition has grown up to the effect that this never ought
to be done, Bill W. wrote. The principle of participation has resulted in well-informed
and highly unified boards of directors, and ruled out authoritarian and institutional oper
ating styles that would conflict with A.A. principles.
The General Service Board Reserve Fund

In 1954, the Board of Trustees established a Reserve Fund, whose principal purpose is to pro
vide the financial resources necessary to continue the essential services of G.S.O. and the
Grapevine in the event of emergency or disaster. Currently, the fund is limited to no more
than one years combined operating expenses of A.A. World Services, Inc., The A.A.
Grapevine, Inc., and the General Fund of the General Service Board of A.A., Inc. If the Reserve
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Fund exceeds the 12-month upper limit, a one-year period is allowed to review the Reserve Fund
level, followed by a second year to formulate actions to adjust the Reserve Fund below 12
months operating expenses.
In practice, however, the office, as well as the trustees FinanceCommittee, continu
ously monitors the Reserve
Fund balance, as well as the
number of months of oper
ating expenses, in an attempt
to allow for orderly manage
ment of the Fellowships
financial affairs, keeping in
mind our primary goal of
carrying the message to the
alcoholics who still suffer.
Use of the Reserve Fund
may be authorized by the board of trustees (on recommendation of the trustees Finance
and Budgetary Committee) for extraordinary expenses. It has been used to cover the costs
of moving, related construction, and refurbishing of the G.S.O. and Grapevine offices, and
to fund the costs of major technological upgrades. Its use was also authorized for a limit
ed period of time to underwrite the development of the Spanish-language Grapevine mag
azine, La Via.
A.A. World Services, Inc.

CORPORATE BOARD: Currently, A.A. World Services, Inc. has nine directors: two gener
al service trustees, two regional or at-large trustees, three nontrustee directors, one paid
staff member, and the general manager of G.S.O., who is president of the corporation. The
board meets ten times a year and considers agenda items such as budget preparation for
the service and publishing operations, pricing of new and revised publications, G.S.O. ser
vice activities, implementation of Conference and General Service Board recommenda
tions, copyright concerns, and reprint permissions.
Committees of the board: Because of the number and complexity of the issues A.A.W.S.
must deal with, the board does much of its work through four committees, which meet
separately from the full board meeting and make reports and recommendations to the full
board. These committees are:
Services: Addresses the needs of all service assignments and seeks to improve com
munication between the A.A.W.S. Board and the Fellowship. This committee is
responsible for G.S.O.s A.A. Web site, has developed the service piece Memo to an
A.A. Group Treasurer, and came up with the idea of the G.S.O. video.
Finance: Has responsibility for salary and budget, and audit reviews.
Publishing: Addresses reprints, foreign literature, and publications concerns (for
example, deciding on formats that are suggested by the Fellowship).
Nominating: Selects new A.A.W.S. directors and general service trustees. All mem
bers of this committee are trustee-directors.
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FINANCIAL SUPPORT: According to the Seventh Tradition, every group should be

self-supporting, and the Tradition includes such pooled services as those provided by the
General Service Office.
A.A. World Services has two sources of revenue: group contributions donated to the
General Service Boards General Fund, and income from the publishing operation. For
reporting purposes, activities at G.S.O. are lumped into two categories: service and pub
lishing expense. In recent years, A.A. groups have contributed enough to cover about twothirds of the service expenses (services are provided to all registered groups, whether or
not they make a contribution). The rest has been covered by publishing income, which was
in excess of that required for publishing expenses.
In 1986, the General Service Board asked for a special effort to inform the Fellowship of
the dangers inherent in this situation; particularly that a substantial fraction of the publishing
income was, at that time, derived from outside sources. The effort was begun to inform the
groups about this growing problem. The challenge was to make G.S.O.s service work self-sup
porting through contributions of the membership and to sell literature at cost to everyone.
The number and extent of group services have increased over the years, but the real
cost of service per group has decreased consistently owing to the growth of the Fellowship.
However, all groups do not contribute to the support of the service work. About 55% do
not. This places a heavier burden on the groups that do. More important than the dollar
amount of contributions, however, is group participation in this part of A.A. service work,
as in the other activities that make groups members of the A.A. community. Making reg
ular contributions to G.S.O. ties a group to A.A. worldwide.
Many groups have found it convenient to set up a regular contribution plan whereby
they send in a predetermined percentage each month or each quarter. For part of this or
to make additions to it they use various methods. The Birthday Plan is one: On their A.A.
birthdays each year, group members make their personal contributions (through group
treasuries) on the basis of $1.00 for each year of sobriety. G.S.O. will send special Birthday
Plan envelopes on request.
Many groups have their own ways of getting their regular or special contributions
together. In Memoriam contributions honor the memory of a deceased member. Of
course contributions of this type, like those of any other, can be accepted from A.A. mem
bers only. In keeping with the Traditions, G.S.O. accepts contributions only from A.A.
members, groups or other A.A. entities. Furthermore, the General Service Conference lim
its individual contributions to $2,000 per year. This limit also applies to a one-time
bequest of $2,000 in the wills of deceased members.
The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.

CORPORATE BOARD: The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. currently has nine directors: two general
service trustees, two regional trustees, one Class A trustee, three nontrustee directors, and
the executive editor, who serves as president of the corporation. The board meets quarterly
to consider such matters as circulation enhancement, finance, and development of new
related items. It also holds four meetings a year as a planning committee of the whole.
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FINANCIAL SUPPORT: The Grapevine is supported entirely by revenues from sales

of the magazine and related materials. In contrast to G.S.O., where group contributions are
applied to support group services, the Grapevine does not accept contributions from indi
viduals or groups, and accepts donations only for a fund set up to provide subscriptions
for inmates or other A.A.s who cannot afford the cost.
Choosing Nontrustee Directors

For A.A. World Services and The A.A. Grapevine
Vacancies are announced to the Fellowship through the delegates. Candidates also come
from the following sources: resumes still on file from previous searches; past and present
appointed committee members and Grapevine Editorial Advisory Board members; rec
ommendations from past and present trustees, directors, and G.S.O. and Grapevine staff.
The nominating committee of the corporate board then reduces the number of can
didates by considering business or professional background, length of sobriety, A.A. ser
vice experience, and the candidates availability for commitments. The specific skills need
ed to administer the affairs of a corporation are a consideration.
The remaining candidates are interviewed by the corporate boards nominating com
mittee, which recommends a nominee to the full board. The name and resume of the
nominee are then forwarded to the trustees Nominating Committee, for approval by the
General Service Board and the General Service Conference.
Trademarks, Logos and Copyrights

A.A. World Services and the Grapevine have registered a number of trademarks and logos,
and the guidelines for using them are based partly on legal considerations and partly on
the nature of A.A.
The following is a complete list of registered trademarks and service marks that sym
bolize Alcoholics Anonymous, its work and its purpose: A.A.; Alcoholics Anonymous; The
Big Book; Box 4-5-9; The Grapevine; A.A. Grapevine; GV; Box 1980, La Via, AA Grapevine
Digital Archive.
Use of these marks on goods or services that do not emanate from A.A., and have not
been approved by A.A., both infringes upon and dilutes A.A. marks, in legal terms. The
resulting harm is that the marks and A.A. itself, since A.A. is what the marks symbolize,
will come to be associated with a variety of products and services that are not part of A.A.,
and are not consistent with A.A.s purpose. This will cause the marks to lose their mean
ing and significance as symbols of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Substantially all of the publications and other material produced and distributed by
A.A.W.S. and the Grapevine, including service material, are protected by copyrights that
have been registered by the respective corporations. These materials are valuable Fellowship
assets, and are held for the benefit of A.A. as a whole. Therefore, the reprinting and/or copy
ing of these materials is carefully monitored by A.A.W.S. and the Grapevine in order to
avoid any erosion or loss of the copyrights. In an earlier section of this manual, entitled
Area Newsletters or Bulletins, guidance is provided regarding use of such materials.
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Chapter Eleven
The General Service Office
he General Service Office of A.A. (G.S.O. to most members) and the Grapevine are
located at 475 Riverside Drive in New York City. G.S.O. serves all A.A. groups in the
United States and Canada, and also offers services to A.A. overseas, especially in countries
where there is no service structure. While many other countries have their own G.S.O.s,
the U.S./Canada General Service Office, the earliest to be established, is generally regard
ed as the senior office. It serves as a clearinghouse and exchange point for the wealth of
A.A. experience accumulated over the years, coordinates a wide array of activities and ser
vices, and oversees the publication, all translations of, and distribution of A.A. Conferenceapproved literature and service materials.
Visitors to New York are invited to take a guided tour of the G.S.O. and Grapevine
offices, and to attend the A.A. meeting that takes place every Friday morning in the con
ference room. Following the A.A. meetings there is a Language of the Heart meeting in the
Grapevine offices.
SERVICES
The general manager, an A.A. member, is responsible for the day-to-day direction of the
office and the efficient operation of group services, the publishing department, the G.S.O.
Archives, and G.S.O.s financial affairs.
The senior advisor to the general manager, also an A.A. member, reports to, and sup
ports, the general manager in a broad spectrum of activities that are critical to the opera
tions and management of the General Service Office. Acts on behalf of the general man
ager in his absence.
A.A. staff members help with group problems by sharing G.S.O.s store of accumulat
ed A.A. experience through extensive correspondence and telephone calls, and by traveling
on request to A.A. events. All staff members have subject assignments (such as literature,
public information, international, and correctional and treatment facilities), which rotate
every two years. Most staff members also handle correspondence for a geographic area.
Staff assistants in the support services department produce correspondence, minutes,
reports, and copy for bulletins.
OTHER SERVICES: In addition to help with group problems, G.S.O. offers an array
of services that include:
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FILES
RECORDS
RESEARCH
ASSISTANTS (2)
ARCHIVES
CLERK
ASSISTANT
ARCHIVIST
HUMAN
RESOURCES
ASSISTANT
PURCHASING
CONTRIBUTIONS
PROJECT MAN
AGEMENT
OFFICE (PMO)
ASSISTANT
CONTROLLER
A.A. STAFF
ACCOUNTING
ACCOUNTING
MANAGER/
INTERNAL
AUDITOR
DIRECTOR OF
FINANCE
MAIL
INVENTORY
CONTROL
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
ORDER ENTRY
EDITORIAL/
TRANSLATIONS
DIRECTOR OF
PUBLICATIONS
1:32 PM
SUPPORT
SERVICES
SUPPORT
SERVICES
MANAGER
ARCHIVIST
8/4/06
HUMAN
RESOURCES
MANAGER
SENIOR ADVISOR
TO THE
GENERAL MANAGER
GENERAL
MANAGER
GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

AND A.A. WORLD SERVICES, INC.
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Group services: Provides complimentary literature packages, the Group Handbook,

and the A.A. directories. Equal services are provided in Spanish and French, when
ever possible.
Help for groups in treatment and correctional facilities: Corresponds with groups;
provides bulletins, films, the correctional facilities directory; helps in bridging the
gap from treatment and prisons into regular A.A. groups.
A.A. overseas: Communicates with members and groups in countries that have no
structure and with overseas service offices, coordinates the World Service Meeting
every other year, and helps with translations of A.A. literature.
Loners and Internationalists: Supplies bulletins, letters, and directories for members
who cannot attend meetings and for seagoing A.A.s.
Public information: Provides accurate information for the media, answers inquiries
from the general public, and coordinates with local P.I. committees.
Anonymity breaks: Upon learning that an A.A. members anonymity has been bro
ken in the media, G.S.O. communicates with the area delegate, who can either
remind the member of the anonymity Tradition or ask G.S.O. to send a reminder.
Cooperation with the professional community: Supplies information to professionals
who work with alcoholics, sends the professional exhibit to their conferences on
request, and works with local C.P.C. committees.
Idea exchange for central offices/intergroups: A staff member acts as liaison between
G.S.O. and local offices, sharing common problems and solutions.
Self-support: Encourages groups and members to support their area committees,
local intergroups/central offices, and G.S.O.
General Service Conference: Coordinates the program and arrangements for the
annual meeting in April, gathers ideas and solutions from Conference committees,
and helps delegates keep their areas informed.
Regional Forums: Works on the agenda and arrangements with the regional trustee
and current delegates in each region where a Forum is scheduled.
International Conventions: Arranging programming, finances, and Convention facilities
requires considerable advance work each year. Conventions are held every five years.
Area, state, and provincial conventions: G.S.O. helps by exchanging programming
ideas; often, A.A. staff and trustees are invited as speakers.
Alcoholics Anonymous Web site: A Web site (www.aa.org), in English, Spanish, and
French, offers information for anyone interested in A.A., including newcomers, pro
fessionals, and students, and provides services for members, lists of U.S./Canada cen
tral offices/intergroups and international general service offices.
THE A.A. ARCHIVES: The Archives a high spot of any tour of G.S.O. opened in
1973 and serves as a repository for every aspect of A.A. history. Under the direction of a pro
fessional archivist, archival projects include digitizing old records, collecting oral histories
from early members and re-recording older tapes, gathering material on local histories from
members and groups, and being available to researchers, both A.A.s and nonalcoholics.
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FILES: The File Department has a folder for every A.A. group known to G.S.O., and
in addition to information about group origins, many are full of correspondence aimed at
solving a variety of critical problems.
GROUP RECORDS: A manager and several assistants handle the job of maintaining
and updating records on groups, delegates, committee members, G.S.R.s, Loners and
Internationalists, and so on. This is where the job of producing the A.A. directories is
largely done a job that relies on accurate information provided by the groups.
PUBLISHING
Very early, A.A. made the decision to be its own publisher, a decision that has meant a great
deal to the unity, growth, and good health of the movement. By acting as its own publish
er, A.A. can be sure that its recovery program is not tampered with by those who may be
well-meaning but uninformed.
A.A. publishes all its own books and pamphlets, as well as its own magazine (see
Chapter Twelve). The addition of a new book or pamphlet is not approached lightly.
Usually, the need is well researched by Conference and trustees committees, the
Publications Department, and the A.A. staff. If the need does not appear to be urgent or
broad enough to justify a new publication, the project is abandoned or deferred; if the
need is clear, work is started. The first four books were written by Bill W. Since then, all
literature has been written by thoroughly knowledgeable A.A.s. From the first draft to the
last, committee and staff members and occasionally a broadly representative special
panel are free to criticize and to suggest, underlining what they feel will best express the
A.A. point of view. This process takes time months or even years. When all the prepa
ration work is completed, a manuscript is forwarded to the appropriate Conference com
mittee for discussion. When the committee recommends approval and two-thirds of
Conference members agree, the new piece of literature is entitled to bear the designation,
This is A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature. The same process is used
for developing audiovisual materials.
In addition to Conference-approved materials, G.S.O. publishes service materials
such as guidelines, bulletins, reports, and A.A. directories.
The Publications Department at G.S.O. manages the logistics of this process, hiring
writers when a piece of literature needs to be developed, then implementing the printing
and distributing of completed and approved manuscripts. A publications director oversees
the department, which includes editors, translators for Spanish materials, production peo
ple, and support staff. Processing literature orders is also a responsibility of this department.
In addition to the routine translation of most A.A. literature into French and Spanish,
there are translations of A.A. material into many other languages as well. When A.A.W.S.
produces a translation, the translation is created by a professional linguist; and when the
translation is created overseas, it is checked by professional linguists. All of these transla
tions are copyrighted, and all of the copyrights are assigned to A.A.W.S.
Much of the material published by A.A.W.S. is also available in different formats, rang
ing from pocket editions, to CD-ROM editions.
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BUSINESS SERVICES
ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT: Managed by a Director of Finance, this department

is responsible for receiving and acknowledging contributions from A.A. groups and
individuals, setting up and supervising annual budgets, and in general keeping accurate
financial records.
ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING DEPARTMENT: A comprehensive computer
system permits all departments, such as accounting and records, to process their work
simultaneously. The computer stores information on group records, group contributions,
literature inventory, and sales records and dates. From these records, departments process
literature sales, produce labels for mailings, process group contribution statement mail
ings, and reduce the production of directories to a less monumental task than it would
otherwise be.
MAIL ROOM AND SHIPPING AND RECEIVING DEPARTMENT: The mail room
handles thousands of pieces of correspondence, incoming and outgoing, and sends out
complimentary materials for new groups, service committees, and Loners. Shipping is
responsible for shipping literature orders by the hundreds (large orders are handled by an
outside service).
Literature Published by A.A.W.S.*

we have seen the Foundation (the board of trustees), the A.A. book, the development
of pamphlet literature, the answered mass of pleas for help, the satisfied need of groups
for counsel on their problems, the beginning of our wonderful relations with the public,
all becoming part of a growing service to the whole world of A.A. At last, our Society
really began to function as a whole.
Bill W. in his introduction to this manual
*(Note that A.A.W.S. publishes most of its literature in French and Spanish, as well as English.)
BOOKS
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
As Bill Sees It
Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers

Pass It On
Daily Reflections
Experience, Strength and Hope
BOOKLETS
Came to Believe
A.A. in Prison: Inmate to Inmate
Living Sober
PAMPHLETS
A.A. and the Armed Services

A.A. as a Resource for the Health
Care Professional
A.A. at a Glance (flyer)

A.A. for the Gay/Lesbian Alcoholic
A.A. for the Native North American
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A.A. for the Woman

The A.A. Group
A.A. in Correctional Facilities
A.A. in Treatment Facilities
A.A. Membership Survey
The A.A. MemberMedications and
Other Drugs
A.A. TraditionHow It Developed
Bridging the Gap
A Brief Guide to A.A.
Carrying the Message Inside the
Walls (flyer)
Can A.A. Help Me Too? Black/African
Americans Share Their Stories
Circles of Love and Service
The Co-founders of A.A.
Do You Think Youre Different?
44 Questions
G.S.R.
How A.A. Members Cooperate
If You Are a Professional
Inside A.A.
Is A.A. for Me?
Is A.A. for You?
Is There an Alcoholic in Your Life?
Is There an Alcoholic in the Workplace?
It Happened to Alice
It Sure Beats Sitting in a Cell
Page S78
The Jack Alexander Article

Lets Be Friendly With Our Friends
A Members-Eye View of A.A.
Members of the Clergy Ask about A.A.
Memo to an Inmate Who May Be
an Alcoholic
A Message to Corrections
Professionals
A Newcomer Asks
Problems Other Than Alcohol
Questions and Answers on Sponsorship
Speaking at Non-A.A. Meetings
Self-Support: Where Money and
Spirituality Mix
This is A.A.
Three Talks to Medical Societies
by Bill W.
A.A. for the Older Alcoholic
Never Too Late
Too Young?
The Twelve Concepts Illustrated
Twelve Steps Illustrated
The Twelve Traditions Illustrated
Understanding Anonymity
What Happened to Joe
Young People and A.A.
Your A.A. General Service Office
SERVICE LITERATURE
Many groups rely on G.S.O. service literature; others dont know it is available. It deals
solely with the experience A.A. has had with problems that affect group unity and growth.
One set of the A.A. Guidelines is available free.
1. Central or Intergroup Offices
2. Clubs
3. Conferences and Conventions and other area or regional A.A. get-togethers. These
Guidelines are sent when news of conferences or conventions is received at G.S.O.
a. Material for assembling a 4x4 Literature Display
b. It is suggested Responsibility Placards also be displayed (see Literature Order Form).
4. Cooperating with Court, D.W.I., and Similar Programs
5. For A.A. Members Employed in the Alcoholism Field
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6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
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Page S79
Cooperation With the Professional Community

Corrections Committees
Treatment Facilities Committees
Public Informationways A.A. members work together to carry the message to the public
Relationship between A.A. and Al-Anonways of cooperating but not affiliating
Carrying the A.A. Message to the Deaf Alcoholic
Finance
Literature Committees
A.A. Answering Services
Serving Alcoholics With Special Needs
SPECIAL LITERATURE AND SERVICE MATERIAL

A trilingual (English, French and Spanish) Literature Catalog and Order Forms, sent
on request, lists items that may be ordered from G.S.O. A Special Needs catalog is
also available.
A.A. AUDIOVISUAL MATERIAL

VIDEOS
*Bills Own Story
*Bill Discusses the Twelve Traditions
Alcoholics AnonymousAn Inside View
It Sure Beats Sitting in a Cell
Young People and A.A.
*Markings on the Journey
Hope: Alcoholics Anonymous
A.A.Rap With Us
Alcoholics Anonymous (in American Sign Language)
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (in American Sign Language)
Carrying the Message Behind These Walls
Your A.A. General Service Office, the Grapevine, and the General Service Structure
CD & CD-ROM
Alcoholics Anonymous
TAPE CASSETTES
Three Legacies, by Bill
Voices of Our Co-Founders
Bill Discusses the Twelve Traditions
Alcoholics Anonymous (The Big Book)
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
A.A. Comes of Age
A.A. in Prison; Inmate to Inmate
A Brief Guide to A.A.
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DIRECTORIES
*A.A. directories: four-part annual listings of A.A. offices, groups, and contacts;
International A.A. Directory; Eastern U.S.; Western U.S.; Canada
REPORTS
*Conference Report: annual summary of proceedings at the April meeting of the General
Service Conference (U.S. and Canada)
*World Service Meeting Report: biennial summary of proceedings.
BULLETINS FROM G.S.O.

Box 4-5-9: bimonthly; general and notes; special departments cover public information,
cooperation with the professional community, and correctional and treatment facili
ties activities; English, French, and Spanish editions.
About A.A.: three issues a year; newsletter designed to inform professionals interested in
alcoholism (the only bulletin aimed primarily at non-A.A.s).
*Loners-Internationalist Meeting: confidential bimonthly bulletin of A.A. Loners (Lone
Members) Homers (housebound members) and Internationalists (seagoing A.A.s);
excerpts of correspondence and lists of names and addresses of LIM members who
wish to correspond with each other.
*Quarterly Report: covers activities of the General Service Board, including A.A. World
Services Inc., and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
*Sharing from Behind the Walls: four issues a year; contains excerpts from inmate letters
received at G.S.O., and distributed by local correctional facilities committees to A.A.
groups behind the walls.
Markings on the Journey: three issues a year; newsletter designed for sharing A.A.
archived news and information.
*For A.A. internal use only.
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Chapter Twelve
The A.A. Grapevine
he A.A. Grapevine is the Fellowships principal magazine, with a circulation of about
120,000 around the world. It was started by a group of six volunteers in June 1944 as
a newsletter for A.A.s in the New York City area, but immediately reached a wider reader
ship when the editors sent free copies to A.A.s serving in the armed forces during World
War II. In 1945, the groups in the U.S. and Canada voted it their A.A. magazine, and since
January 1949 its masthead has read the international monthly journal of Alcoholics
Anonymous.
Most of Bill W.s early writings, notably those in which he explained the Twelve
Traditions to the groups, first appeared in the Grapevine. Bill also used the Grapevine to
try out his proposal to change the ratio of alcoholic to nonalcoholic trustees on the
General Service Board and to introduce the General Service Conference to the Fellowship.
For him, the magazine was a primary means of communication with the groups; and in
later years, his Grapevine articles explained and clarified many of A.A.s fundamental spir
itual principles.
The Preamble (based on the foreword to the first edition of the Big Book) was writ
ten by the first editor of the Grapevine, and a number of Grapevine articles have been
reprinted as stories in the second, third and fourth editions of the Big Book and in other
Conference-approved books and pamphlets.
Nature of the Magazine

When the Grapevine was a year old, Bill W. told readers: We of the Grapevine once more
affirm that this is your periodical. It will be the vehicle for your thoughts, your feelings, your
experiences, and your aspirations if you care to make it that. While we can only publish
a fraction of the material which will come to hand you may be sure that we shall do our
fairest and best in making the selections. Always wishing to reflect A.A. and nothing but
A.A., it will be the ideal of the Grapevine to always serve, never to dictate or command.
As a basic editorial statement, those words still hold true. The Steps, Traditions, and
Concepts are the magazines guidelines, and Grapevine articles articulate these unchang
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Page S82
ing principles through the current experiences and informed opinions of individual mem
bers/writers. In addition to personal experiences of gaining sobriety and working the pro
gram, articles deal with sensitive issues often in topical sections grouping different
points of view. Wide participation is ensured through PO Box 1980 (letters from read
ers) and an occasional Your Move section, which collects brief pro and con opinions on
a given subject. The Around A.A. pages, published several times a year, contain news and
information about the Fellowship as a whole.
Structure and Support

The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., is one of two operating entities of the General Service Board.
(See Chapter Ten for information on corporate structure and financial support.)
Grapevine staff, directors, and trustees are voting members of the Conference, and there is
a Conference Committee on the Grapevine.
AA GRAPEVINE, INC.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Editorial Advisory Board

(Volunteer)
Office Manager
GvR/RLV Coordinator
Receptionist
Controller
Fulfillment/
Customer Service
Production Manager
Bookkeeping/
Accounts Payable
Senior Editor
Editorial/Art Staff
Director of
Internet Operations
La Via
Editor
Editorial/Art Staff
Shipping
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: In addition to the corporate board, a volunteer

Editorial Advisory Board is an important part of the Grapevine structure. Its members,
A.A.s with expertise in publishing, communications, and the graphic arts, with at least
four years of sobriety, serve a maximum of three years.
The board meets six times a year. A nonvoting body, it makes no formal recommenda
tions to staff, the Grapevine Board, or the General Service Board, and has no direct respon
sibility for the day-to-day operation and production of the magazine. Its members advise the
editorial staff by lending their experience, insight, and perspective, both as professionals and
as A.A. members, to various aspects of the editorial content, graphics, and readership of the
magazine. Members review current issues; make suggestions for special sections, features, or
related books, CDs, and cassettes; suggest ways to increase reader participation in the maga
zine; and read and review manuscripts when there is a question whether language and con
tent are appropriate to the Grapevine and adhere to A.A.s primary purpose.
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What Gets Done at the Grapevine

All of the Grapevine and La Via staff are salaried employees. The work of the Grapevine
office is primarily distributed into four different departments: editorial, circulation, book
keeping, shipping and finance. The executive editor has oversight responsibility for the
entire organization and reports directly to the Grapevines board of directors. The finan
cial operation of the office is supervised by the Grapevines controller, as is fulfillment. All
members of the editorial department, with the exception of the associate editor, are mem
bers of the Fellowship.
All articles for the magazine are contributed by A.A. members, with the exception of
a few by nonalcoholic friends of A.A. Articles are evaluated by A.A. staff members, and
while some editing is done for purposes of clarity, styling, and length, the editors encour
age all writers to express their own experience in their own unique way. Articles are select
ed for publication only after discussion and the consensus of the editorial staff, and when
needed, the Editorial Advisory Board.
The Grapevine receives nearly 300 manuscript submissions a month, and whether or
not a manuscript or art work is published, the contributor receives a reply from the
Grapevine editorial department.
La Via
In 1995, the General Service Conference addressed the expressed need within the United
States and Canada for a Spanish-language edition of the Grapevine and gave its approval
to the idea. After presentation of a business plan for the new magazine to the trustees
Finance Committee (which was approved), the Grapevine began preparations for La Via,
planned as a bimonthly publication for Spanish-speaking members of A.A., drawing pri
marily on translations from the monthly English edition. Nowadays, however, La Via
publishes mostly original material in Spanish, and appropriate material can be translated
into English and appear in the Grapevine as well.
In June of 1996, the first issue came off press and copies were distributed to subscribers
in the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and Europe. Many
subscriptions have been received from correctional and treatment facilities committees, and
the magazine has been well received through the U.S./Canada service structure. Many
groups now have a RLV (La Via representative).
In 2001, the General Service Conference unanimously recommended that La Via
continue to be published by the AA Grapevine with the support of the General Service
Board, as a service to the Fellowship.
Grapevine and La Via Items

The Grapevine message is also published in alternative media, ranging from anthologies
of articles to CDs, and service items such as the Serenity Prayer. These are spinoffs from
the magazine.
The Grapevine Workbook, produced in response to a 1986 Conference Advisory Action,
shares historical information and experience drawn from the work of individual A.A.s and
Grapevine committees. It is available in edited format for downloading from the web.
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A Grapevine Web site (www.aagrapevine.org) provides current information about the

Grapevine and the products it provides. It seeks to make a selection of articles available on
the web, provide an interactive forum for discussion, and encourage submission of articles
to the magazine. It is independent of G.S.O.s Web site, though the two are connected with
a hyperlink.
The A.A. Grapevine Digital Archive

In June 2004, Grapevine articles were preserved electronically and posted on the Web site,
making it possible for A.A. members, professionals working in the field of alcoholism, and
others interested in the Fellowship to access almost every Grapevine article and letter
ever published.
With articles written by A.A. members from June 1944, when the magazine was first
published, to the present, the digital archive offers a vivid account of A.A. history as well
as a view of the Fellowship today. It also makes stories easy to find. Using keywords, visi
tors can search the archive by location, author, or subject to find the first version of the
Traditions, to learn what A.A.s have said about such topics as sponsorship and selfsupport, and to explore how much and how little A.A. has changed. Readers may also
browse through the collection by department, topic, or date to find hundreds of jokes and
cartoons, along with thousands of articles.
What Does a Grapevine/La Via Representative Do?

The GvRs (or RLVs) job is to make sure that members are aware of the Fellowships inter
national journal and the enhancements to sobriety it offers. The GvR/RLV is the groups
contact with the Grapevine office.
New GvRs/RLVs should send their name, address, group name and group service
number to the Grapevine, 475 Riverside Dr., New York, NY 10115. They will receive a
GvR/RLV kit containing information about the magazine, its history and goals, as well as
subscription forms and ideas for carrying this portable meeting to other alcoholics. It is
hoped that the GvR will keep the group informed of the varied themes and recovery
stories shared in the pages of the magazine, its books and CDs. It is anticipated that each
A.A. group would have a GvR and at least one subscription to the magazine. La Via rep
resentatives (RLVs) perform the same function as the GvRs in Spanish-speaking groups
and districts. Some districts or groups may also combine GvR and RLV functions.
Most areas have a Grapevine committee, or a combined Grapevine/La Via commit
tee, and GvRs/RLVs are active participants in efforts to make the Grapevine/La Via avail
able to other service committees, such as corrections, treatment, and cooperation with the
professional community.
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Literature Published by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.

Magazines
The A.A. Grapevine monthly
La Via bimonthly
Books
Best of the Grapevine, Vols. 1, 2 & 3
*Best of Bill
*The Language of the Heart
I Am Responsible: The Hand of A.A.
The
Home Group: Heartbeat of A.A.

A.A. Around the World:
Adventures in Recovery
Spiritual Awakenings: Journeys of
the Spirit from the Pages of the
A.A. Grapevine
Thank You for Sharing: Sixty years of
Letters to the A.A. Grapevine
Compact Discs
Pathways to Spirituality CD
Classic Grapevine CDs, Vols. 1, 2, 3
Not for Newcomers Only CD
Partners on the Journey
Historias de La Via
Historias de La Via II: Pasos 1 a 6; III, 7 a 12
What It Was Like
The Story of A.A.
Cassette Tapes
Around the Tables, #1 & #2
Back to Basics, #1 & #2
Classic #1, #2 & #3
Spirituality, #1 & #2
Sponsorship, #1 & #2
Our Experience Has Taught Us
Pathways to Spirituality
Maintaining Spirituality
Practice These Principles

History Lights the Way
What We Were Like
Les sons de la sobrit (French)
Sonidos de Sobriedad (Spanish)
Youth Enjoying Sobriety
Old-Timers Corner
Not for Newcomers Only, #1 & #2
Grapevine items and discount packages available. Catalog and order form available upon
request.
*Also available in Spanish.

Also available in French.
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General Guidelines for Reprinting Art and

Articles from the A.A. Grapevine
Permission to reproduce articles or other A.A. Grapevine or La Via material, either in
print or via electronic media (such as web pages), must be obtained from the A.A.
Grapevine, Inc. Each article or item must be reprinted in its entirety and carry the follow
ing credit line:
Copyright (Month, Year) A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
Reprinted with permission
Organizations, publications, or Web sites outside A.A. must add the following:
Permission to reprint the A.A. Grapevine, Inc., copy
righted material [in this publication, organization, or
Web site] does not in any way imply affiliation with or
endorsement by either Alcoholics Anonymous or AA
Grapevine, Inc.
Logo and Artwork

Only the Grapevine cartoons Victor E. and Clara T. may be reprinted with permission.
The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., does not grant permission to reproduce either its logo or
registered trademarks (The AA Grapevine, Inc., Box 1980, The Grapevine, La Via, etc.) or
its artwork or any other cartoons on any other Web site or in any other publication.
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Appendix A
Original Conference Charter 1955

(North American Section)
1. Purpose: The General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous is the guardian
of the World Services and of 1 the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The
Conference shall be a service body only; never a government for Alcoholics Anonymous.
2. Composition: The Conference (North American Section) shall be composed of
State and Provincial Delegates, the Trustees of the General Service Board, Directors and
staff members of the New York Headquarters and such ex-Trustees or foreign Delegates as
the Conference may wish to invite.2
Other Sections of the Conference may sometimes be created in foreign lands as the
need arises out of language or geographical considerations. The North American Section
of the General Service Conference will then become the Senior Section, related to the other
Sections by ties of mutual consultation and a cross linking of Delegates.
But no Conference Section shall ever be placed in authority over another. All joint
1
2
Updated by the 1969 Conference to include the words: the Twelve Steps.
Revised by the 1979 Conference to read: Composition: The Conference (U.S. and Canada) shall be composed
of area delegates, the trustees of the General Service Board, directors of A.A. World Services and A.A Grapevine,
and staff members of the Grapevine and General Service Office.
3 Updated by the 1987 Conference to read:
Foreign lands in many cases have created autonomous General Service Conferences of their own, which rely
on the Steps and Traditions protected by the Conference (U.S. and Canada) and in other ways often turn to
the actions of the Conference for guidance.
Consultation between Conferences is encouraged. And a formal meeting the World Service Meeting of
delegates from the various Conferences is held once every two years. The US./Canada delegates are chosen
from the General Service Board.
In countries where General Service structure exists, the U.S./Canada Conference will delegate sole right to
publish our Conference-approved literature to the General Service Board of the structure.
Only matters seriously affecting A.A.s worldwide needs shall be the subject of joint consideration.
Further clarified by the 1988 Conference to read:
Other countries have created autonomous General Service Conferences of their own, which rely on the Steps
and Traditions that are protected by the United States/Canada Conference. In addition, these other
Conferences often turn to the actions of the United States/Canada Conference for guidance.
Consultation between Conferences is encouraged, and a World Service Meeting of delegates from the vari
ous Conferences is held once every two years. The United States/Canada delegates to the World Service
Meeting are chosen from the General Service Board.
In countries where a General Service Structure exists, the United States/Canada Conference will delegate
sole right to publish our Conference-approved literature to the General Service Board of that structure.
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action shall be taken only upon two-thirds vote of the combined Sections. Within its
boundaries each Conference ought to be autonomous.3 Only matters seriously affecting
A.A.s worldwide needs shall be the subject of joint consideration.
3. Conference Relation to A.A.: The Conference will act for A.A. in the perpetuation
and guidance of its World Services, and it will also be the vehicle by which the A.A. move
ment can express its views upon all matters of vital A.A. policy and all hazardous devia
tions from A.A. Tradition. Delegates should be free to vote as their conscience dictates;
they should also be free to decide what questions should be taken to the group level,
whether for information, discussion or their own direct instruction.
But no change in the A.A. Tradition itself may be made with less than the written con
sent of two-thirds of all the A.A. groups.4
4. Conference Relation to A.A. Headquarters: The Conference will replace the
founders of Alcoholics Anonymous who formerly functioned as guides and advisors to
The General Service Board and its related Headquarters services. The Conference will be
expected to afford a reliable cross-section of A.A. opinion for this purpose.
To effectively further this same purpose it will be understood, as a matter of tradition,
that a two-thirds vote of a Conference quorum shall be considered binding upon the the
General Service Board and its related corporate services. A quorum shall consist of twothirds of all the Conference members registered.5
But no such vote ought to impair the legal rights of the General Service Board and the
service corporations to conduct routine business and make ordinary contracts relating
thereto.
It will be further understood that, as a matter of tradition, a three-quarters vote of all
Conference members may bring about a reorganization of the General Service Board and
the Headquarters, if or when such reorganization is deemed essential.
Under such a proceeding, the Conference may request resignations, may nominate
new Trustees and may make all other necessary arrangements regardless of the legal pre
rogatives of the General Service Board.
5. State and Provincial Assemblies: Composition of: State and Provincial Assemblies
are composed of the elected Representatives of all A.A. groups desiring to participate, in
each of the United States and each of the Provinces of Canada.
Revised by the 1957 Conference as follows: Bill has suggested that the third article of the Conference Charter,
i.e., Conference Relation to A.A. (Second paragraph page 58 of the Third Legacy Manual), be amended to read:
But no change in Article 12 of the Charter or in A.A. Tradition or in the Twelve Steps of A.A. may be made
with less than a written consent of three-quarters of the A.A. groups, as described in the resolution adopted by
the 1955 Conference and Convention. If this amendment is made the seventh paragraph on page 57 of the
Third Legacy Manual must also be amended to read: excepting, however that any amendment of Article 12 of
the Charter or of A.A.s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions must have the consent of A.A. groups as provided
in Article 3 of the Charter. It was recommended that these amendments be made. Subsequently revised by the
1969 Conference to replace the words A.A. Tradition with The Twelve Traditions of A.A.
5 Revised by the 1986 Conference as follows: A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of all the Conference mem
bers registered. It will be understood, as a matter of tradition, that a two-thirds vote of Conference members
voting shall be considered binding upon the General Service Board and its related corporate services, provided
the total vote constitutes at least a Conference quorum.
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Each State and Province will always be entitled to one Assembly. But States and
Provinces of large A.A. populations will be entitled to additional Assemblies, as provided
by this Manual of World Service, or by any future amendment thereto.6
6. State and Provincial Assemblies: Purpose of: State and Provincial Assemblies con
vene every two years for the election of State and Provincial Committeemen, from which
are selected Delegates to the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous held at
New York. Such State or Provincial Assemblies are concerned only with the World Service
affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous.
7. State and Provincial Assemblies: Method of Electing Committeemen and Delegates:
Whenever practicable, Committeemen are elected by written ballot without personal
nomination. And Delegates are selected from among such Committeemen by a two-thirds
written ballot or by lot, as provided in the Manual of World Service.
8. State and Provincial Assemblies: Terms of Office for Group Representatives,
Committeemen and Delegates: Unless otherwise directed by the Conference, these terms of
office shall all be concurrent and of two years duration each. In half the States and
Provinces, Assembly elections will be held in the even years; the remaining half of the
Assemblies will elect in the odd years, thus creating rotating Panels One and Two of the
Conference as further described in the Manual of World Service.
9. The General Service Conference Meetings: The Conference will meet yearly in the
City of New York, unless otherwise agreed upon. Special meetings may be called should
there be a grave emergency. The Conference may also render advisory opinions at any time
by a mail or telephone poll in aid of the General Service Board or its related services.
10. The General Service Board: Composition, Jurisdiction, Responsibilities: The
General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous shall be an incorporated Trusteeship
composed of alcoholics and nonalcoholics who choose their own successors, these choic
es being subject, however, to the approval of the Conference or a committee thereof.
Alcoholic out-of-town Trustees are, however, first nominated by their areas or by their
State or Provincial Committees after being cleared by the Conference Nominating
Committee.7
They are then elected to the General Service Board, the Trustees being obligated by
tradition so to do.8
6 Article
5, paragraph 2 reworded by the 1971 Conference to read: Generally speaking, each state and province
will be entitled to one assembly. However, more than one state or province may be joined to another state or
province to form one assembly area. But states and provinces of large A.A. populations and/or whose geogra
phy presents communication problems may be entitled to additional assemblies, as provided by the A.A. Service
Manual, or by any further amendment thereto.
Subsequently, the 1978 Conference made a further amendment to Article 5 as follows:
Area Assemblies: Composition of: Assemblies, designated as area assemblies, are composed of the elected
general service representatives of all A.A.groups desiring to participate, district committee members, and area
committee officers in each of the delegate areas of the United States and Canada.
7 The 1970 Conference revised the title indicated here as Alcoholic out-of-town Trustee (later appearing as
General Service Trustee-at-Large) to be Regional General Service Trustee. By 1978, this Board title appeared
as Trustee-at-Large.
8 By 1969, the following sentence had been added: The same procedure is followed for general service trustees
in the United States and Canada, except that the Board will specify certain business or professional qualifica
tions. The 1979 Conference substituted the word will with may.
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The General Service Board is the chief Service Arm of the Conference, and is essen
tially custodial in its character.
Excepting for decisions upon matters of policy, finance, or A.A. Tradition, liable to
seriously affect A.A. as a whole, the General Service Board has entire freedom of action in
the routine conduct of the policy and business affairs of the A.A. General Headquarters at
New York and may name suitable committees and elect directors to its subsidiary corpo
rate service entities in pursuance of this purpose.9
The General Service Board is primarily responsible for the financial and policy
integrity of its subsidiary services: A.A. Publishing, Inc. and A.A. Grapevine, Inc.10 and for
such other service corporations as the Conference may desire to form, but nothing herein
shall compromise the Grapevine editors right to accept or reject material for publication.
The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board, or any amendments thereto,
should always be subject to the approval of the General Service Conference by a two-thirds
vote of all its members.11
Except in a great emergency, neither the General Service Board nor any of its related
services ought ever take any action liable to greatly affect A.A. as a whole, without first
consulting the Conference. It is nevertheless understood that the Board shall at all times
reserve the right to decide which of its actions or decisions may require the approval of
the Conference.
11. The General Service Conference: Its General Procedures: The Conference will hear
the financial and policy reports of the General Service Board and its related Headquarters
Services. The Conference will advise with the Trustees, Directors and Staff members of the
Headquarters upon all matters presented as affecting A.A. as a whole, engage in debate,
appoint necessary committees and pass suitable resolutions for the advice or direction of
the General Service Board and the Headquarters.
The Conference may also discuss and recommend appropriate action respecting seri
ous deviations from A.A. Tradition or harmful misuse of the name, Alcoholics
Anonymous.
The Conference may draft any needed bylaws and will name its own officers and com
mittees by any method of its own choosing.
The Conference, at the close of each yearly session, will draft a full report of its pro
ceedings to be supplied to all Delegates and Committeemen; also a condensation thereof
which will be sent to A.A. Groups throughout the world.
12. General Warranties of the Conference: In all its proceedings, the General Service
Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the
09
The two service corporations, A.A.W.S., Inc. and the A.A. Grapevine, Inc., although affiliates and not sub
sidiaries, of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., are organized as separate, not-for-prof
it corporations, and, as such, the routine conduct of policy and business affairs and the creation of suitable
committees, respecting each, resides in the respective boards of the two corporations. However, the trustees of
the General Service Board, when acting in their capacity as members of the A.A. World Services, Inc., and/or
the A.A. Grapevin, Inc., do elect the directors of the two service corporations.
10 See preceding footnote.
11 The approval of the Bylaws by the Conference is a matter of tradition, rather than a legal requirement.
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Conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that 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 serious public controversy; that though the Conference may act for the
service of Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that,
like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always
remain democratic in thought and action.
The principles on which this Charter operates are outlined in Twelve Concepts and
they should be read.12
12
The 1981 Conference recommended that this note appear immediately following the Conference Charter.
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Appendix B
A Resolution
Offered by Bill W. and Adopted at the
20th Anniversary Convention of A.A., in 1955.
(This Resolution Authorizes the General Service Conference
to Act for Alcoholics Anonymous
and to Become the Successor to Its Co-Founders.)
We, the members of the Twentieth Anniversary Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous,

here assembled at St. Louis in July of the year 1955, declare our belief that our
Fellowship has now come of age and is entirely ready to assume full and permanent
possession of the Three Legacies of our A.A. inheritance the Legacies of Recovery,
Unity and Service.
We believe that the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, as created in
1951 by our co-founders, Doctor Bob S. and Bill W., and authorized by trustees of the
Alcoholic Foundation, has now become entirely capable of assuming the guardian
ship of A.A.s Twelve Traditions and of taking over full guidance and control of the
world service of our Society, as provided in the Third Legacy Manual of World
Service10 recently revised by our surviving co-founder, Bill W.,11 and of the General
Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
We have also heard with approval Bill W.s proposal that A.A.s General Service Conference
should now become the permanent successor to the founders of Alcoholics
Anonymous, inheriting from them all their former duties and special responsibilities,
thus avoiding in future time all possible strivings for individual prestige or personal
power; and also providing our Society with the means of functioning on a per
manent basis.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: That the General Service Conference of Alcoholics
Anonymous should become, as of this date, July 3, 1955, the guardian of the
Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, the perpetuators of the world services of our
10
11
Now called The A.A. Service Manual.

Bill died January 24, 1971.
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Society, the voice of the group conscience of our entire Fellowship, and the sole suc
cessors of its co-founders, Doctor Bob and Bill.
AND IT IS UNDERSTOOD: That neither the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
nor the warranties of Article XII of the Conference Charter shall ever be changed or
amended by the General Service Conference except by first asking the consent of the
registered A.A. groups of the world. [This would include all A.A. groups known to the
general service offices around the world.]12 These groups shall be suitably notified of
any proposal for change and shall be allowed no less than six months for considera
tion thereof. And before any such Conference action can be taken, there must first be
received in writing within the time allotted the consent of at least three-quarters of all
those registered groups who respond to such proposal.
WE FURTHER UNDERSTAND: That, as provided in Article XII of the Conference
Charter, the Conference binds itself to the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous by the
following means:
That in all its proceedings, the General Service Conference shall observe the spirit of
the A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the Conference never becomes the seat of
perilous wealth or power; that 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 deci
sions be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimi
ty; that no Conference action ever be personally punitive, or an incitement to public
controversy; that though the Conference may act in the service of Alcoholics
Anonymous and may traditionally direct its world services, it shall never enact laws
or regulations binding on A.A. as a whole or upon any A.A. group or member there
of, nor shall it perform any other such acts of government; and that, like the Society
of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain
democratic in thought and action.
(This Resolution was adopted by the Convention by acclamation and, in the
Conference, by formal resolution by vote.)
St. Louis, Missouri, July 3, 1955
12
Resolution: It was resolved by the 1976 General Service Conference that those instruments requiring consent
of three-quarters of the responding groups for change or amendment would include the Twelve Steps of A.A.,
should any such change or amendment ever be proposed.
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Appendix C
Current Conference Charter

(United States and Canada)
1. Purpose: The General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous is the
guardian of world services and of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics
Anonymous. The Conference shall be a service body only; never a government for
Alcoholics Anonymous.
2. Composition: The Conference (U.S. and Canada) shall be composed of area del
egates, the trustees of the General Service Board, directors of A.A. World Services and A.A.
Grapevine, and staff members of the Grapevine and General Service Office.
Other countries have created autonomous General Service Conferences1 of their own,
which rely on the Steps and Traditions that are protected by the United States/Canada
Conference. In addition, these other Conferences often turn to the actions of the United
States/Canada Conference for guidance.
Consultation between Conferences is encouraged, and a World Service Meeting of del
egates from the various Conferences is held once every two years. The United States/Canada
delegates to the World Service Meeting are chosen from the General Service Board.
In countries where a General Service Structure exists, the United States/Canada
Conference will delegate sole right to publish our Conference-approved literature to the
General Service Board of that structure.
Only matters seriously affecting A.A.s worldwide needs shall be the subject of joint
consideration.
3. Conference Relation to A.A.: The Conference will act for A.A. in the perpetuation
and guidance of its world services, and it will also be the vehicle by which the A.A. move
ment can express its view upon all matters of vital A.A. policy and all hazardous deviations
from A.A. Tradition. Delegates should be free to vote as their conscience dictates; they
should also be free to decide what questions should be taken to the group level, whether
1
The word Conference, as used in paragraph 2 of the Current Conference Charter, appears to be synonymous
with General Service Conference, or General Service Structure, in its application to national A.A. entities
outside of the U.S./Canada; and, while the Charter may provide guidance to other G.S.O.s, they are still
autonomous, and not bound by its mandates, except where the law might require it (e.g., copyright law).
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for information, discussion, or their own direct instruction.

But no change in Article 12 of the Charter or in the Twelve Traditions of A.A. or in
the Twelve Steps of A.A. may be made with less than the written consent of three-quarters
of the A.A. groups, as described in the Resolution adopted by the 1955 Conference
and Convention.2
4. Conference Relation to the General Service Board and its Corporate Services: The
Conference will replace the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, who formerly functioned as
guides and advisers to the General Service Board and its related service corporations. The
Conference will be expected to afford a reliable cross section of A.A. opinion for this purpose.
A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of all the Conference members registered.
It will be understood, as a matter of tradition, that a two-thirds vote of Conference
members voting shall be considered binding upon the General Service Board and its relat
ed corporate services, provided the total vote constitutes at least a Conference quorum. But
no such vote ought to impair the legal rights of the General Service Board and the service
corporations to conduct routine business and make ordinary contracts relating thereto.
It will be further understood, regardless of the legal prerogatives of the General Service
Board, as a matter of tradition, that a three-quarters vote of all Conference members may
bring about a reorganization of the General Service Board and the directors and staff
members3 of its corporate services, if or when such reorganization is deemed essential.
Under such a proceeding, the Conference may request resignations, may nominate
new trustees, and may make all other necessary arrangements regardless of the legal pre
rogatives of the General Service Board.
5. Area Assemblies, Composition of: Assemblies, designated as area assemblies, are
composed of the elected general service representatives of all A.A. groups desiring to par
ticipate, district committee members, and area committee officers in each of the delegate
areas of the United States and Canada.
Generally speaking, each delegate area will be entitled to one assembly.4 But areas of
large A.A. populations and/or whose geography presents communication problems will be
entitled to additional assemblies, as provided by The A.A. Service Manual, or by any fur
ther amendment thereto.
6. Area Assemblies, Purpose of: Area assemblies convene every two years for the elec
tion of area committee members, from which are elected delegates to the General Service
Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous. Such area assemblies are concerned only with the
world service affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous.5
2
This applies to the original English version only.

Employees at G.S.O. are employees of A.A. World Services, Inc., rather than the General Service Board of
Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc. In any case, a reorganization of staff members would have to comply with
applicable laws affecting employees.
4 Paragraph 5 is a carry-over from the original Charter and the words delegate area replaced the words State
or Province. The sentence originally read, Each State or Province will always be entitled to one Assembly,
where the word Assembly meant one Area structure and one Delegate vote at the General Service Conference.
States or Provinces with large A.A. populations would be entitled to additional Assemblies.
5 Areas assemblies still meet every two years in order to elect a delegate to the General Service Conference, but
they typically meet far more frequently in order to conduct on-going area business.
3
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7. Area Assemblies, Methods of Electing Area Committee Members and Delegates:

Whenever practicable, committee members are elected by written ballot without personal
nomination. And delegates are selected from among such committee members by a twothirds written ballot or by lot, as provided in The A.A. Service Manual.
8. Area Assemblies, Terms of Office for Group General Service Representatives, Area
Committee Members and Delegates: Unless otherwise directed by the Conference, these
terms of office shall all be concurrent and of two years duration each. In approximately
half the areas, assembly elections will be held in the even years; the remaining assemblies
will elect in the odd years, thus creating rotating Panels of the Conference, as further
described in The A.A. Service Manual.
9. The General Service Conference Meetings: The Conference will meet yearly in the
City of New York, unless otherwise agreed upon. Special meetings may be called should
there be a grave emergency. The Conference may also render advisory opinions at any time
by a mail or telephone poll in aid of the General Service Board or its related services.
10. The General Service Board: Composition, Jurisdiction, Responsibilities: The
General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous shall be an incorporated trusteeship,
composed of alcoholics and nonalcoholics who elect their own successors, these choices
being subject, however, to the approval of the Conference or a committee thereof.
Candidates for alcoholic regional trustee are, however, first selected by the areas in the
region. Then, at the General Service Conference, voters consisting of delegates from the
region involved, plus an equal number of voters one-half to come from the Conference
Committee on Trustees and one-half to come from the trustees Nominating Committee
make a selection of a nominee by two-thirds written ballot or by lot. This nominee is then
elected to the General Service Board, the trustees being obligated by tradition to do so. For
trustees-at-large in the U.S. and Canada, the Board may specify certain business or profes
sional qualifications. The procedure is then as follows. Each Conference area may select
one candidate via Third Legacy procedure. Resumes of all candidates will be reviewed for
eligibility by the trustees Nominating Committee. At the General Service Conference, del
egates from each region will caucus prior to the nomination, using Third Legacy proce
dure, to reduce the number of candidates to one for each region in the U.S. and two for
each region in Canada. A maximum of six candidates for trustee-at-large, U.S., and a max
imum of four candidates for trustee-at-large, Canada, will be presented to the voting
members of the Conference for nomination. Voting members of the Conference will be all
delegates from the nominating country (U.S. or Canada) and all members of the trustees
Nominating Committee. These nominees are then elected to the General Service Board,
the trustees being obligated by tradition to do so.
The General Service Board is the chief service arm of the Conference, and is essen
tially custodial in its character.
Excepting for decisions upon matters of policy, finance, or A.A. Tradition, liable to
seriously affect A.A. as a whole, the General Service Board has entire freedom of action in
the routine conduct of the policy and business affairs of the A.A. service corporations and
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may name suitable committees and elect directors to its subsidiary corporate service enti
ties in pursuance of this purpose.6
The General Service Board is primarily responsible for the financial and policy integri
ty of its subsidiary services: A.A. World Services Inc., and A.A. Grapevine, Inc.,7 and for such
other service corporations as the Conference may desire to form, but nothing herein shall
compromise the Grapevine editors right to accept or reject material for publication.
The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board, or any amendments thereto,
should always be subject to the approval of the General Service Conference by a two-thirds
vote of all its members.8
Except in a great emergency, neither the General Service Board nor any of its related
services ought ever take any action liable to greatly affect A.A. as a whole, without first con
sulting the Conference. It is nevertheless understood that the board shall at all times
reserve the right to decide which of its actions or decisions may require the approval of
the Conference.
11. The General Service Conference, Its General Procedures: The Conference will hear
the financial and policy reports of the General Service Board and its related corporate
services. The Conference will advise with the trustees, directors, and staff members upon
all matters presented as affecting A.A. as a whole, engage in debate, appoint necessary com
mittees, and pass suitable resolutions9 for the advice or direction of the General Service
Board and its related services.
The Conference may also discuss and recommend appropriate action respecting serious
deviations from A.A. tradition or harmful misuse of the name Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Conference may draft any needed bylaws and will name its own officers and com
mittees by any method of its own choosing.
The Conference at the close of each yearly session will draft a full report of its pro
ceedings, to be supplied to all delegates and committee members; also a condensation
thereof which will be sent to A.A. groups throughout the world.
12. General Warranties of the Conference: In all its proceedings, the General Service
Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the
Conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that 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
6
The two service corporations, A.A.W.S., Inc. and the A.A. Grapevine, Inc., although affiliates and not sub
sidiaries, of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., are organized as separate, not-for-prof
it corporations, and, as such, the routine conduct of policy and business affairs and the creation of suitable
committees, respecting each, resides in the respective boards of the two corporations. However, the trustees of
the General Service Board, when acting in their capacity as Members of the A.A. World Services, Inc., and/or
The Grapevine, Inc., do elect the directors of the two service corporations.
7 See previous footnote.
8 The approval of the Bylaws by the Conference is a matter of tradition, rather than a legal requirement.
9 Suitable resolutions are now termed Conference Advisory Actions.
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of Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the
Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain
A RESOLUTION
Offered by Bill W. and Adopted at the
20th Anniversary Convention of A.A., in 1955.
(This Resolution Authorizes the General Service Conference
to Act for Alcoholics Anonymous
and to Become the Successor to Its Co-Founders.)
We, the members of the Twentieth Anniversary Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous,

here assembled at St. Louis in July of the year 1955, declare our belief that our
Fellowship has now come of age and is entirely ready to assume full and permanent
possession of the Three Legacies of our A.A. inheritance the Legacies of Recovery,
Unity and Service.
We believe that the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, as created in
1951 by our co-founders, Doctor Bob S. and Bill W., and authorized by trustees of the
Alcoholic Foundation, has now become entirely capable of assuming the guardian
ship of A.A.s Twelve Traditions and of taking over full guidance and control of the
world service of our Society, as provided in the Third Legacy Manual of World
Service10 recently revised by our surviving co-founder, Bill W.,11 and of the General
Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
We have also heard with approval Bill W.s proposal that A.A.s General Service
Conference should now become the permanent successor to the founders of
Alcoholics Anonymous, inheriting from them all their former duties and special
responsibilities, thus avoiding in future time all possible strivings for individual pres
tige or personal power; and also providing our Society with the means of function
ing on a permanent basis.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: That the General Service Conference of Alcoholics
Anonymous should become, as of this date, July 3, 1955, the guardian of the
Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, the perpetuators of the world services of our
Society, the voice of the group conscience of our entire Fellowship, and the sole suc
cessors of its co-founders, Doctor Bob and Bill.
AND IT IS UNDERSTOOD: That neither the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
nor the warranties of Article XII of the Conference Charter shall ever be changed or
amended by the General Service Conference except by first asking the consent of the
10
11
Now called The A.A. Service Manual.

Bill died January 24, 1971.
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registered A.A. groups of the world. [This would include all A.A. groups known to the
general service offices around the world .]12 These groups shall be suitably notified of
any proposal for change and shall be allowed no less than six months for considera
tion thereof. And before any such Conference action can be taken, there must first be
received in writing within the time allotted the consent of at least three-quarters of all
those registered groups who respond to such proposal.
WE FURTHER UNDERSTAND: That, as provided in Article XII of the Conference
Charter, the Conference binds itself to the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous by the
following means:
That in all its proceedings, the General Service Conference shall observe the spirit of
the A.A. Tradition, taking great care that the Conference never becomes the seat of
perilous wealth or power; that 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 deci
sions be reached by discussion, vote and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimi
ty; that no Conference action ever be personally punitive, or an incitement to public
controversy; that though the Conference may act in the service of Alcoholics
Anonymous and may traditionally direct its world services, it shall never enact laws
or regulations binding on A.A. as a whole or upon any A.A. group or member there
of, nor shall it perform any other such acts of government; and that, like the Society
of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain
democratic in thought and action. (This Resolution was adopted by the Convention
by acclamation and, in the Conference, by formal resolution by vote.)
St. Louis, Missouri, July 3, 1955
12
Resolution: It was resolved by the 1976 General Service Conference that those instruments requiring consent
of three-quarters of the responding groups for change or amendment would include the Twelve Steps of A.A.,
should any such change or amendment ever be proposed.
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Appendix D
Conference Panels
In any one year, about half of the A.A. groups are busy electing G.S.R.s and half of all area
assemblies are electing qualified delegates to the annual Conference meeting, depending
on whether the area is an odd or even panel.
The Conference started in 1951 (an odd year) and included 37 delegates.
The following year (an even year) there were 38 delegates added. Since then, there
have been additional areas added to states and provinces total count, 93 with about
half elected in an odd year and half in an even year. You can look at the table below and
easily determine whether your area is odd or even.
The two-year cycle applies to committee officers as well, and to committee members
and G.S.R.s. They are all elected to start serving in an odd or even year, depending on
the area.
DELEGATES ELECTED FOR ODD YEARS

State or Province
Number of Delegates
Area Represented
Alabama
Arkansas
British Columbia/
Yukon Territory
California
One
One
One
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
One
One
One
Two
Hawaii
Illinois
One
Two Odd Years (Total 3)
Indiana
One Odd Years (Total 2)
Alabama/Northwest Fla.
Arkansas
British Columbia/
Yukon Territory
Central
Northern Coastal
Southern
Colorado
Connecticut
D.C.
Northern
Southern/Bahamas/
Virgin Islands/Antigua
Hawaii
Chicago
Southern
Northern
Three Odd Years (Total 6)
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State or Province
Number of Delegates
Area Represented
Iowa
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
One
One
Minnesota
Missouri

Two
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
One
One
North Carolina
North Dakota
Nova Scotia/Nfld./
Labrador
Ohio
One
One
One
Oklahoma
Ontario
One
Three Odd Years (Total 4)
Pennsylvania
Two
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Texas
One
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
One
One
One
Iowa
Louisiana
Eastern
Southeastern
Central
Southern
Eastern
Western
Montana
Nevada
Northern
Southeastern
Central
North Carolina
North Dakota
Nova Scotia/Nfld./
Labrador
Central/Southeastern
Northeastern
Oklahoma
Eastern
Northeastern
Northwestern
Eastern
Western
Southeastern
Northeastern
Saskatchewan
Northeastern
Southeastern
Utah
Virginia/Cuba
Western Washington
West Virginia
Southern Wisconsin
DELEGATES ELECTED FOR EVEN YEARS

State or Province
Number of Delegates
Area Represented
Alaska
Alberta/ N.W.T.
Arizona
California
One
One
One
Three Even Years (Total 6)
Alaska
Alberta/ N.W.T.
Arizona
Mid-Southern
Northern Interior
San Diego/Imperial
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State or Province
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Manitoba
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Brunswick/P.E.I.
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Number of Delegates
One
One
One
One Even Years (Total 3)
One
One
One
One
One
One
One
One
One
One
Two Even Years (Total 4)
Ohio
Ontario
Oregon
Puerto Rico
Quebec

One
One
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
One
One
One
One
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
One
One
Area Represented
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Northern
Southern
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Manitoba
Maryland
Western
Western
Northern
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Brunswick/P.E.I.
New Hampshire
Southern
New Mexico
Western
Hudson/Mohawk/
Berkshire
N.W. Ohio/S.E. Mich.
S.W. Ohio
Western
Oregon
Puerto Rico
Southwestern
Northwestern
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Southwestern/
Northwestern
Vermont
Washington East
N. Wis./Upper Pen. Mich.
Wyoming
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Appendix E
BYLAWS of the General Service Board, Inc.

As Bill W. explains in the introduction to this manual, the General Service Board (the trustees)
was originally the Alcoholic Foundation, with bylaws as broad as the continent. When the
corporate name was changed to General Service Board of A.A., new bylaws were needed which
would reflect more clearly the scope and direction of Alcoholics Anonymous. The new bylaws,
adopted in 1957, are the work of the late Bernard B. Smith, noted international lawyer, long
a nonalcoholic trustee, chairman of the board from 1951 to 1956. Bern Smith composed the
bylaws out of his great love and respect for our Fellowship. They contain both the Twelve Steps
and the Twelve Traditions. They are good reading for all A.A.s and friends of A.A.
(Adopted April 22, 1957, by the General Service Board following consideration
by the General Service Conference of A.A.; amended 1962, 1966, 1968, 1970,
1971, 1972, 1978, 1985, 1991, 1992 and 1994.)
The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., now has but one purpose, that
of serving the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is in effect an agency created and
now designated by the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous to maintain services for those
who should be seeking, through Alcoholics Anonymous, the means for arresting the dis
ease of alcoholism 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
Alcoholics Anonymous is founded. These Twelve Steps are as follows:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives had become unman
ageable.
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 under
stood 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.
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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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous (hereinafter referred to as either
the General Service Board or the 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 alcoholism, the General
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 Alcoholics Anonymous in keeping with the Charter of the
General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous as the same may from time to time
be amended (hereinafter referred to as the Charter).
Members of the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous are hereinafter
referred to as Conference delegates.
The General Service Board in its deliberations and decisions shall be guided by the
Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, hereinafter referred to as the Traditions,
which are as follows:
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 and 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 cen
ters may employ special workers.
9. A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or com
mittees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought
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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 General Service Board shall use its best efforts to insure that these Twelve
Traditions are maintained, for it is regarded by the Fellowship of Alcoholics 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 General Service Board also shall be guided by the spirit of the Twelve Concepts
of Alcoholics Anonymous, hereinafter referred to as the Concepts which, in their short
form, are as follows:
1. Final responsibility and ultimate authority for A.A. world services should always
reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
2. The General Service Conference of A.A. has become, for nearly every practical pur
pose, the active voice and the effective conscience of 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 corporations, staffs, committees, and
executives with a 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 by the trustee members of the Conference act
ing as the General Service Board.
7. The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal instruments, empow
ering the trustees to manage and conduct 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 trustees.
10. Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority, with the
scope of such authority well defined.
11. The trustees should always have the best possible committees, corporate service direc
tors, executives, staffs and consultants. Composition, qualifications, induction procedures,
and rights and duties will always be matters of serious concern.
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12. The Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. tradition, taking care that it never
becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient operating funds and reserve
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 govern
ment, and that, like the Society it serves, it will always remain democratic in thought and
action.
The membership of the General Service Board shall consist of the trustees. Each trustee
shall automatically become a member upon qualifying as a trustee, and shall automatically
cease to be a member upon ceasing to be a trustee of the General Service Board. The sole
reason for constituting trustees members is in order to comply with the laws of the State of
New York, which require a membership corporation to be composed of members.
Accordingly, except where distinctions must be made under these bylaws or as a matter of
law, the words member and trustee shall be employed in these bylaws collectively.
As a condition of election as a member and election as a trustee of the General Service
Board, each person shall before qualifying to serve as a member and trustee, execute an
appropriate instrument addressed to the General Service Board of Alcoholics 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 the General Service Board divides member
trustees into two categories, viz., nonalcoholics and ex-alcoholics. The nonalcoholic mem
ber trustees shall be seven (7) in number and are referred to in these bylaws as Class A
member trustees. The ex-alcoholic member trustees shall be fourteen (14) in number and
shall be referred to in these bylaws as Class B member trustees.
Class A member trustees shall be persons who are not and have not been afflicted by
the disease of alcoholism and who express a profound faith in the recovery program upon
which the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous is founded. Class A member trustees shall
be ineligible to serve for more than two successive three-year terms to be confirmed annu
ally, except that in order to provide the Board with a sufficient degree of flexibility, the
chairman of the General Service Board, subject to the approval of the Board, may extend
the term of a Class A member trustee by one additional three-year term; and, except that
in cases of the impending expiration of the term of office of a Class A trustee serving as
chairman or vice-chairman, the Board has the authority to extend this term if in its judg
ment this is in the best interest of the Fellowship. The foregoing limitation with respect to
the maximum term of service of Class A member trustees shall not be applicable to those
Class A member trustees who were serving as such during the 1993 General Service
Conference.
There shall be fourteen (14) Class B member trustees. These Class B member trustees
are designated in the Certificate of Incorporation as ex-alcoholic, only because in the com
mon speech of man an ex-alcoholic is an individual who at one time imbibed alcoholic
beverages excessively and uncontrollably, but who does not now imbibe at all. For the
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purposes of these bylaws, an ex-alcoholic as designated in the Certificate of Incorporation

shall be referred to as an alcoholic which means within the terminology of the Fellowship
of Alcoholics Anonymous an individual who has arrested his drinking and is living so
far as he finds possible within the concepts of the Twelve Steps which constitute the
recovery program.
All trustees shall be elected or re-elected at an annual meeting of the General Service
Board. Class B member trustees, however, although elected at the annual meeting of the
General Service Board, shall be ineligible to serve for more than four successive annual
terms, except with respect to a Class B member trustee serving as chairman whose term
shall be extended as hereafter provided for. Class B trustees shall be divided into three cat
egories; eight (8) shall be subclassified as regional trustees; four (4) shall be subclassified
as general service trustees; two (2) shall be subclassified as trustees-at-large. One (1)
trustee-at-large shall be from Canada and one (1) from the United States. Class B region
al trustees are expected to contribute their time basically during the four periods of the
years, viz., each three-day period ending on the day of each quarterly meeting of the
trustees of the General Service Board, and, in addition, to advise the Board with respect to
regional views and opinions regarding policy matters. Class B general service trustees, in
addition to providing services at the same time as Class B regional trustees, are expected
to provide continued service to the Board during all of the times of the year.
While in these bylaws we refer to member trustees in order to comply with the laws
of the State of New York, members shall elect the trustees.
In the event that any member trustee shall resign or shall die, the trustees may at any
regular or special meeting elect a new member trustee to fill such vacancy, or, alternative
ly, permit such a vacancy to continue until the next annual meeting of the General Service
Board. In the event that the vacancy is that of a Class B member trustee, the successor
shall be elected for a period of four years from the date of the meeting at which he or
she is elected. In the case of a Class B regional trustee, the position may be filled at the next
annual meeting of the General Service Board by election in accordance with the election
procedures for such regional trustee, or, may be left vacant for the balance of the unfilled
term with regional coverage being provided by the trustees-at-large or by regional trustees
in adjacent regions. If a region chooses to elect a new Class B regional trustee in the event
of the resignation or death of the current regional trustee prior to the end of that trustees
term, the region should be informed that such an election would impact the current rota
tion schedule for Class B regional trustees serving on the A.A. World Services and A.A.
Grapevine Corporate Boards.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Class B member trustees, as Class A member trustees,
are expected, subject only to the laws of the State of New York and to these bylaws, at the
request of the Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, to resign their trusteeships and
memberships, even though their terms of office as member trustees may not have expired.
Proposed new member trustees to the General Service Board shall be nominated by a
nominating committee designated by the chairman. No person shall become a member
trustee of the General Service Board until all Conference delegates have been polled by
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mail or at an annual meeting of the Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, as the Board of

Trustees may determine. If a majority of the Conference delegates disapprove the election
of such proposed member trustee, he shall not be eligible as a member trustee, and the
member trustees shall, unless there is a 100% vote of member trustees present at a meet
ing to the contrary, have no power to elect such person as a member trustee. If, however, a
majority of the Conference delegates do not disapprove the election of such proposed
member trustee, he may be elected as a member and trustee of the General Service Board
upon a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees at a meeting of the Board.
The Board of Trustees shall have all the powers provided for in these bylaws and as are
vested in a Board of Directors under the laws of the State of New York.
The Board of Trustees may by general resolution delegate to committees or to officers
of the General Service Board such powers as they deem appropriate in the service of the
purposes to which the General Service Board is dedicated.
The members of the Board, subject to the laws of the State of New York, are expected
to exercise the powers vested in them by law in a manner consonant with the faith that per
meates and guides the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, inspired by the Twelve Steps
of A.A., in accordance with the Twelve Traditions, and in keeping with the Charter of the
Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Other than the right to participate in the disposition thereof during the period of
membership, no member trustee shall have any right, title, or interest in the property or
assets of the General Service Board, and his right to vote or otherwise participate in the
disposition of property of General Service Board shall cease on the termination of his
membership and his ceasing to be a trustee.
The General Service Board may set up new corporate bodies to serve the purposes of
Alcoholics Anonymous, provided the General Service Board shall own all of the capital
stock of such corporate bodies, and if such corporate body is a membership corporation,
its structure shall be in keeping with that of the General Service Board of Alcoholics
Anonymous. Manifestly, the General 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 General Service Board may more effectively serve the purposes for
which it is formed, the Board of Trustees shall at its annual meeting or at any other meet
ing, if a vacancy shall occur, elect a chairman, a first vice-chairman, second vice-chairman,
secretary, assistant secretary, a treasurer and assistant treasurer. The chairman shall have
those duties generally attributable by law and custom to a president under the laws of the
State of New York, with such other greater or lesser duties as may from time to time be
determined by the Board of Trustees. The term of the chairman shall hereafter be not more
than four (4) successive annual terms. The foregoing limitation with respect to the term of
chairman shall not be applicable to the chairman serving as such at the expiration of the
year 1966. A member trustee, once elected chairman, and if at that time the maximum
period that he would have been eligible to serve as a member trustee would have expired,
but for his period of service as chairman, then upon the date he ceases to serve as chair
S111
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man, he shall cease to be a member trustee. The first and second vice-chairmen shall
in their respective order perform the duties of the chairman in the event of his absence
or disability.
In order to render unto the law that which the law requires, the chairman shall be
president, and the first and second vice-chairmen shall be the first and second vice-presi
dents respectively, but they shall at no time employ such titles, except as may be required
for the execution of legal documents or by reason of other provisions of the law.
The secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, and assistant treasurer shall similarly per
form those duties generally attributed by law and custom to such offices with such other
greater or lesser duties as may from time to time be determined by the Board of Trustees.
An annual meeting of the Trustees of the Board, to be followed by an annual meeting
of the members, shall take place in April or May, no later than the first Saturday in May
each year, and subsequent regular meetings of the Board of Trustees shall take place on the
fifth Monday following the close of a calendar quarter, with the proviso that special meet
ings may be convened at the request of one-third of the Board of Trustees or at the request
of the chairman. The chairman may also postpone a regular meeting to such date as he
may determine, not later, however, than one month prior to the date of the next scheduled
meeting, and at the request of the majority of the Board of Trustees, one or more regular
meetings may be eliminated. All meetings of members and trustees shall take place in the
City and County of New York, unless at a meeting of the Board, the trustees shall decide
to hold a future meeting or meetings outside of the City of New York. The actual place and
time of day of each meeting shall be determined by the chairman.
At least ten days notice of the time and place of all meetings shall be given by mail
signed by the chairman or, at his request, by the secretary or assistant secretary. The chair
man 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 a majority of the trustees present at any meetings
may always decide to modify such order.
Whenever in the judgment of one-third of the member trustees present at a meeting
a decision to take any action involves a matter of principle or basic policy and in the judg
ment of at least one-third of the member trustees a delay in arriving at a decision will not
adversely affect the Fellowship of Alcoholics 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 Trustees 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
chairman and secretary, or in their absence, by a vice-chairman and assistant secretary, at
the end of such two-week period. An announcement of the result of such vote shall there
upon be mailed by the secretary or assistant secretary to Conference delegates and to
member trustees.
At all meetings of member trustees, two-fifths of the member trustees shall be suffi
cient to constitute a quorum for the conduct of the affairs of the General Service Board,
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and the vote of a majority of the member trustees present at any meeting at which there is
a quorum shall, except as otherwise may be provided by these bylaws or by statute, consti
tute a decision of the membership or of the Board of Trustees, 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 trustee.
Because a stratification of the structure of the General Service Board is regarded as
inadvisable and experience has taught this Board the great value of flexibility in serving its
great purpose, no provision is made in these bylaws for standing committees. Committees
shall be formed in keeping with the needs of service by resolution of the Board, with such
powers as the Board may regard as then necessary. Committees may be created, discharged,
eliminated, replaced, their powers expanded or limited, as the Board may from time to
time by appropriate resolution determine. Except as the Board of Trustees may otherwise
decide at any meeting, the chairman of the Board of Trustees shall designate the members
of each committee and the chairman thereof.
No member of the General Service Board shall at any time have any right, title or
interest in and to the funds or property of the General Service Board. Should at any time
in the future the General Service Board be dissolved, the trustees shall distribute the funds
and property of the General Service Board for severance compensation to employees and
to such other purposes as the trustees in their exclusive discretion and judgment shall
determine are calculated to help men and women attain and maintain sobriety.
The Certificate of Incorporation of the General Service Board and these bylaws may
be amended by the affirmative vote of 75% of all the members of the Board of Trustees.
However, in keeping with the spirit and principles of the Fellowship of Alcoholics
Anonymous, the Board is expected, although not legally required, to submit any amend
ment or amendments of the Certificate of Incorporation and of these bylaws to
Conference delegates, either by mail or at the annual meeting of the Conference of
Alcoholics Anonymous as the Board of Trustees may determine, and if a majority of such
delegates disapproves of such amendment or amendments, the member trustees are
expected to refrain from proceeding therewith. Where, however, an amendment or
amendments are submitted to Conference delegates and are not disapproved as aforesaid,
the amendment or amendments shall require the affirmative vote of only a majority of the
members of the Board of Trustees present at a meeting of the General Service Board.
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Page S115
Index
A.A. World Services, Inc., S70-71; as pub

lishers, S76; corporate board, S70;
financial support, S71; literature pub
lished by, S77-79
alternates, area officers, S43; D.C.M., S31;
G.S.R., S26; role of alternate delegate, S47
anonymity, Conference actions, S54; his
tory, S10
appointed committee members, S67
archives, area committees, S37; A.A. (at
G.S.O.), S75
area, definition, S33; forming new, S39;
changing region, S40
area activities, S36-40
area assemblies, agendas, typical, S35
(election); S36 (nonelection); chairper
son, suggestions for, S42; definition, S33;
election of officers, S35; finances, S44;
location, S34; membership, S34; pur
pose, S33; voting eligibility, S34
area committee, alternates, S43; definition,
S41; composition, S41; financial support,
S44; officers, S41-43
area delegate (see delegate)
area maps, S88-S89
audiovisual material, S22
Bill W., AAs Legacy of Service, S1-12; on
Conference, S54; Leadership in A.A.,
S48
board, the (see General Service Board)
Bob, Dr., S3, S9
bulletins, S38
Bylaws of the General Service Board,
S106-113
central offices, S38
Charter, Conference, meaning, S17; origi
nal, S90-94; current, S97-102
Class A (nonalcohlolic) trustees, S61
Class B (alcoholic) trustees, S62-66
committee (area) officers, alternates, S43;
chairperson, S41; secretary and registrar,

S42; treasurer, S43; other officers, S43
committees, Conference, S56-58; trustees,
S66-67
Concepts, short form, S108-109
Conference, actions of, S53-S55; agenda,
S52; area input, S36-37; area financial
support, S46; authority of, S15-18, S51,
S54; charter (original), S90; (current),
S97; committees, S57-58; composition,
definition, S11; Final Conference Report,
S55; history, S2, S11-S12; sources of
agenda items, S52, language of (terms),
S18-20; meetings (annual), S51; mem
bership, S52; panels S103-105; program,
S52; reporting on, S55; resolution, S95,
S101; Smith, Bernard B., on need of,
S19; Third Legacy Procedure, S20-21;
voting, S53, Warranties, S51
Conference approval, S18, S53
Conference committees, duties of, S56;
secondary committees, S58; secretaries
of, S57; selecting members, S56; stand
ing committees, S57-S58
contributions (area) to Conference, S46
conventions (area, state, provincial,
regional), S39
copyrights, S38, S72
D.C.M. (see district committee member)
definitions, Conference language, S18-S20
delegate, alternate, S47; definition, S45;
duties, S45; election, S35; expenses,
S46; history, S11-12; origin (geograph
ical) of, S47; panels, S103; past S43;
preparing for Conference, S47; qualifi
cations, S46; reporting back, S49-50;
term of office, S46
directors, nontrustee, how elected, S72
district, definition S29; linguistic, S29;
redistricting, S31
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district committee member (D.C.M.),

alternate, S31; definition, S29; duties,
S30; election, S31; financial support,
S29; qualifications, S29
elections, alternate delegate, S35; alternate
G.S.R., S26; area committee members
and delegate, S35; D.C.M., S30; Third
Legacy Procedure, S20-21; trustees, S61,
S62-64
expenses, area committee, S44; delegates,
S46
films, (see audiovisual material)
Final Conference Report, S55
General Service Board (see also,
trustees), bylaws, S106; committees of,
S66-67; composition of, S60; and the
Conference, S59; definition and func
tions, S59, S69; funds and property,
S111; jurisdiction, S99; meetings, S110;
operating corporations, S69-72; respon
sibilities, S93-94; vacancies on, S110;
voting, S112
general services, definition, S1, S19; histo
ry, S1-12; stimulating interest in, S21
General Service Conference (see Conference)
General Service Office (G.S.O.), archives,
S75; business services, S77; financial
support, S71; history, S6-11; location,
S73; publishing, S76; services, S73-77;
structure chart, S74
General Service Representative (G.S.R.),
alternate, S26; definition, S24; duties,
S24; election, S26; qualifications, S24
Grapevine, Bill W. and, S81; corporate board,
S71; digital archive, S84; editorial policy,
S81-82; editorial advisory board, S82;
financial support, S72; items, S83-84; La
Via, S83; literature published by, S85;
Grapevine and La Via representatives, S84
group information, S26; information
change form, S28; new group form, S27;
service structure of, S25
S116
G.S.O., see General Service Office

history, of A.A., S1-12; of Big Book, S3-5;
of Conference, S2, S11-12; of G.S.O.,
S8, S10
home group, S23
inactive service workers, S34
intergroups, working with general service
committees, S38
language (Conference or general service
terms), S18-20
leadership in A.A., S48
Legacy of Service, A.A.s, by Bill W., S1-12
literature, Conference approval, S18, S54
55; published by A.A.W.S., S76-79; pub
lished by the Grapevine, S85; service
tools, S22
local committee members, S31
medical profession and A.A., S9
newsletters, S38
panels, delegates, S103-105
past delegate, role of, S43; meetings of, S44
publishing (A.A.), S4, S76
redistricting, S31
region, area changing, S40; changing
boundries, S40; definition, S20; map of
U.S. and Canada, S63
regional map (electoral), S63
reporting on Conference, S55
Reserve Fund (General Service Board), S69
Resolution, S95, S101
rotation, delegates, S11, S46; district com
mittee members, S30; trustees, S61, S62,
S64, S65
seating (assemblies), S34
services (definition), S1
sharing sessions, S37
Smith, Bernard B., on the Conference, S19
structure, General Service Conference,
A.A.s Legacy of Service, by Bill W., S1
12; description, S15-17; chart, S16
Third Legacy of Service, S1, S20
Third Legacy Procedure, S20; chart, S21
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trademarks, logos and copyrights, S72

trustees committees, S66-67
trustees (see also, General Service Board),
at-large, S64; Class A (nonalcoholic),
S61; Class B (alcoholic), S62-65; elec
tion, S61, S62, S64; general service, S65;
qualifications, S60; regional, S62
Twelve Concepts for World Service, S108-109
Twelve Steps, S106-107

Twelve Traditions, and the Conference,
S15; history, S8-9; long form, S13-14;
short form, S107-108
Via, La, S83
voting (see elections)
Warranties, S51
World Service Meeting, S67; delegates, S67
S117
BM-32_TwelveConcepts.qxd
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Page con1
TWELVE CONCEPTS
FOR WORLD SERVICE
by Bill W.
As adopted by the 12th Annual
General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous
on April 26, 1962
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Published by
GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE
of
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
475 Riverside Drive

New York, NY 10115
Mail address: P.O. Box 459
Grand Central Station

New York, NY 10163
Copyright 1962
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
All rights reserved but excerpts from this publication may be reproduced with the written permission of the
publisher. For information write to A.A. World Services, Inc., P.O. Box 459, Grand Central Station, New
York, N.Y. 10163.
1st Printing 1962
24th Printing 1993
25th Printing 1996
26th Printing 1997
27th Printing 1999
28th Printing 2001
29th Printing 2002
30th Printing 2003
31st Printing 2004
32nd Printing 2005
33rd Printing 2006
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Page con3
The Twelve Concepts (Short Form)

I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
Final responsibility and ultimate authority for A.A. world services should
always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship . . . . . . . 6
The General Service Conference of A.A. has become, for nearly every practi
cal purpose, the active voice and the effective conscience of our whole Society
in its world affairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
To insure effective leadership, we should endow each element of A.A.the
Conference, the General Service Board and its service corporations, staffs,
committees, and executiveswith a traditional Right of Decision. . . . . 13
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Throughout our structure, a traditional Right of Appeal ought to prevail,
so that minority opinion will be heard and personal grievances receive care
ful consideration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The Conference recognizes that the chief initiative and active responsibility
in most world service matters should be exercised by the trustee members of
the Conference acting as the General Service Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal instruments,
empowering the trustees to manage and conduct world service affairs. The
Conference Charter is not a legal document; it relies upon tradition and the
A.A. purse for final effectiveness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Good service leadership at all levels is indispensable for our future function
ing and safety. Primary world service leadership, once exercised by the
founders, must necessarily be assumed by the trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority,
with the scope of such authority well defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
The trustees should always have the best possible committees, corporate ser
vice directors, executives, staffs, and consultants. Composition, qualifica
tions, induction procedures, and rights and duties will always be matters of
serious concern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
The Conference shall observe the spirit of A.A. tradition, taking care that it
never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient operating
funds and reserve 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 substan
tial unanimity; that its actions never be personally punitive nor an incite
ment 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
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PREFACE
The Twelve Concepts for World Service were written by Bill W. in 1962. His introduction
to that first printing, following this preface, explains its purpose, as relevant today as at that
time.
Over the years the size of the Fellowship and the responsibilities of its service entities
have grown immensely. Therefore, some details of the original text have become outdated
and were changed in editions of the Concepts since that time, and a number of bracketed
inserts were added.
Following the recommendations of an ad hoc committee of the A.A. General Service
Board, the 1985 General Service Conference recommended that future publication of the
Concepts in The A.A. Service Manual and the booklet Twelve Concepts for World
Service be in the original 1962 version, with required factual changes provided as num
bered footnotes at the end of each chapter. The only exceptions are certain footnotes writ
ten by Bill W. in the years following the first appearance of the Concepts: these are marked
by asterisks that appear on the same pages as the text they refer to.
A short form of the Concepts was prepared by the 1974 General Service Conference
for inclusion in The A.A. Service Manual. It now appears in the Bylaws of the General
Service Board, printed in that manual, and also precedes the introduction to the Twelve
Concepts.
General Service Office
September 1985
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Page con5
The Twelve Concepts (Long Form)

I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
The final responsibility and ultimate authority for A.A. world services should
always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
When, in 1955, the A.A. groups confirmed the permanent charter for their
General Service Conference, they thereby delegated to the Conference com
plete authority for the active maintenance of our world services and thereby
made the Conferenceexcepting for any change in the Twelve Traditions or
in Article 12 of the Conference Charterthe actual voice and the effective
conscience for our whole Society.
As a traditional means of creating and maintaining a clearly defined working
relation between the groups, the Conference, the A.A. General Service Board
and its several service corporations, staffs, committees and executives, 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.
Throughout our Conference structure, we ought to maintain at all responsi
ble levels a traditional Right of Participation, taking care that each classifi
cation or group of our world servants shall be allowed a voting representa
tion in reasonable proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge.
Throughout our world service structure, a traditional Right of Appeal ought
to prevail, thus assuring us that minority opinion will be heard and that peti
tions for the redress of personal grievances will be carefully considered.
On behalf of A.A. as a whole, our General Service Conference has the princi
pal responsibility for the maintenance of our world services, and it tradi
tionally 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 General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Conference recognizes that the Charter and the Bylaws of the General
Service Board are legal instruments: that the Trustees are thereby fully
empowered to manage and conduct all of the world service affairs of
Alcoholics 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 A.A. purse for its final effectiveness.
The Trustees of the General Service Board act in two primary capacities: (a)
With respect to the larger matters of over-all 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 incorpo
rated and constantly active services, the relation of the Trustees is mainly that
of full stock ownership and of custodial oversight which they exercise
through their ability to elect all directors of these entities.
Good service leaders, together with sound and appropriate methods of
choosing them, are at all levels indispensable for our future functioning and
safety. The primary world service leadership once exercised by the founders
X
XI
XII
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Page con6
of A.A. must necessarily be assumed by the Trustees of the General Service

Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
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.
While the Trustees hold final responsibility for A.A.s world service adminis
tration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible standing
committees, corporate service directors, executives, 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 systems of their rotation, the way in which they
are related to each other, the special rights and duties of our executives, 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.
General Warranties of the Conference: in all its proceedings, the General
Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. Tradition, taking great
care that the Conference never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power;
that sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, be its prudent finan
cial 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 substan
tial 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 Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of gov
ernment; and that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves,
the Conference itself will always remain democratic in thought and action.
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Page 3
Introduction
The Twelve Concepts for World Service to be described in this Manual are an interpre
tation of A.A.s world service structure. They reveal the evolution by which it has arrived
in its present form, and they detail the experience and reasoning on which our operation
stands today. These Concepts therefore aim to record the why of our service structure in
such a fashion that the highly valuable experience of the past, and the lessons we have
drawn from that experience, can never be forgotten or lost.
Quite rightly, each new generation of A.A. world servants will be eager to make oper
ational improvements. Unforeseen flaws in the present structure will doubtless show up
later on. New service needs and problems will arise that may make structural changes nec
essary. Such alterations should certainly be effected, and these contingencies squarely met.
Yet we should always realize that change does not necessarily spell progress. We are
sure that each new group of workers in world service will be tempted to try all sorts of
innovations that may often produce little more than a painful repetition of earlier mis
takes. Therefore it will be an important objective of these Concepts to forestall such repe
titions by holding the experiences of the past clearly before us. And if mistaken departures
are nevertheless made, these Concepts may then provide a ready means of safe return to
an operating balance that might otherwise take years of floundering to rediscover.
There will also be seen in these Concepts a number of principles which have already
become traditional to our services, but which have never been clearly articulated and
reduced to writing. For example: the Right of Decision gives our service leaders a prop
er discretion and latitude; the Right of Participation gives each world servant a voting
status commensurate with his (or her) responsibility, and Participation further guaran
tees that each service board or committee will always possess the several elements and tal
ents that will insure effective functioning. The Right of Appeal protects and encourages
minority opinion; and the Right of Petition makes certain that grievances can be heard,
and properly acted upon. These general principles can of course be used to good effect
throughout our entire structure.
In other sections, the Concepts carefully delineate those important traditions,
customs, relationships and legal arrangements that weld the General Service Board into a
working harmony with its primary committees and with its corporate arms of active
service A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. This is the substance
of the structural framework that governs the internal working situation at A.A.s
World Headquarters.
Concern has been expressed lest the detailed portrayal of our internal structure might
not later harden down into such a firm tradition or gospel that necessary changes would
be impossible to make. Nothing could stray further from the intent of these Concepts. The
future advocates of structural change need only make out a strong case for their recom
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Page 4
mendations a case convincing to both the Trustees and to the Conference. This is no
more than would be required for the transaction and passage of any other important piece
of A.A. business. Save for an exception or two, it is noteworthy that the Conference Charter
itself can be easily amended.
Perhaps one more precaution ought to be observed when a proposed structural
change is to be specially far-reaching. In such an event, the alteration should for an appro
priate period be labeled as experimental. On final approval, an alteration of this charac
ter could be entered into a special section of this Manual which might be entitled
AMENDMENTS. This would leave the original draft of the Twelve Concepts intact as an
evidential record of our former experience. Then it could always be clearly seen by our
future service workers just what did happen and why.
In other chapters great emphasis is laid on the need for a high order of personal lead
ership, on the desirability of careful induction methods for all incoming personnel, and
upon the necessity for the best possible personal relations between those who work in our
services. The Concepts try to design a structure in which all may labor to good effect, with
a minimum of friction. This is accomplished by so relating our servants to their work and
to each other that the chances of personal conflict will be minimized.
In the A.A. services we have always had to choose between the authoritarian setup,
whereby one group or one person is set in unqualified authority over another, and the
democratic concept which calls for checks and balances that would prevent unqualified
authority from running unrestrained. The first approach is that of the institutional or
authoritarian type. The second is the method of constitutional governments and many
large business corporations in their upper echelons.
Well knowing our own propensities for power driving, it is natural and even impera
tive that our service concepts be based on the system of checks and balances. We have had
to face the fact that we usually try to enlarge our own authority and prestige when we are
in the saddle. But when we are not, we strenuously resist a heavy-handed management
wherein someone else holds the reins. Im the more sure of this because I possess these
traits myself.
Consequently ideas like the following pervade the Concepts: No group or individual
should be set in unqualified authority over another, Large, active and dissimilar opera
tions should be separately incorporated and managed, each with its own staff, equipment
and working capital, We ought to avoid undue concentration of money or personal
influence in any service group or entity,At each level of service, authority should be equal
to responsibility,Double-headed executive direction should be avoided. These and other
similar provisions define working relations that can be friendly and yet efficient. They
would especially restrain our tendency to concentrate money and power, this being near
ly always the underlying (though not always the conscious) motivation of our recurrent
passion for the consolidation of world service entities.
Because of the large range of topics which had to be included, these Concepts have
been difficult to organize and write. Since each Concept is really a group of related princi
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ples, the kind of abbreviated statements used in A.A.s Twelve Steps and Twelve
Traditions have not been possible. However, these Concepts do represent the best sum
mation that I am able to make after more than twenty years experience in the creation of
our service structure and in the conduct of A.A.s world affairs. Like the earlier written
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and the Conference Charter, these service principles
are also the outcome of long reflection and extensive consultation.
It is much to be hoped that these Twelve Concepts will become a welcome addition to
our Third Legacy Manual of A.A. World Service, and that they will prove to be a reliable
working guide in the years that lie ahead.
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Concept I
The final responsibility and the ultimate authori

ty for A.A. world services should always reside in
the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
The A.A. groups today hold ultimate responsibility and final authority for our world ser
vices those special elements of over-all service activity which make it possible for our
Society to function as a whole. The groups assumed that responsibility at the St. Louis
International Convention of 1955. There, on behalf of Dr. Bob, the Trustees and A.A.s oldtime leaders, I made the transfer of world service responsibility to our entire Fellowship.
Why, and by what authority was this done? There were reasons of stark necessity for
it, and there were further reasons which have to do with A.A.s fundamental structure and
tradition.
By the year 1948 our necessities had become clear enough. Ten years earlier in 1938
helped by dedicated friends, Dr. Bob and I had commenced work upon a world service
structure. Our first step was the creation of a trusteeship for A.A. as a whole. We called this
body The Alcoholic Foundation; and in 1954 it was renamed The General Service Board
of Alcoholics Anonymous.
This trusteeship was designed to inaugurate and maintain all of those special services
for A.A. as a whole that could not well be performed by single groups or areas. We envi
sioned the writing of a uniform A.A. literature, the development of a sound public rela
tions policy, and a means of handling the large numbers of pleas for help that might fol
low in the wake of national and international publicity. We thought in terms of aiding new
groups to form and of furnishing them with counsel based upon the experience of the
older and already successful groups. We thought there would be a need for a monthly mag
azine and also for translations of our literature into other languages.
By 1950 nearly all of these dreams for world service had come true. In the dozen years
following the creation of The Foundation, A.A. membership had jumped from 50 to
100,000. The A.A. Traditions had been written and adopted. A confident unity had pretty
much replaced fear and doubt and strife. Our services had unquestionably played a large
and critical role in this unfoldment. World service, therefore, had taken on crucial mean
ing for A.A.s future. If these vital agencies were to collapse or bog down, our unity within
and the carrying of our message to innumerable alcoholics without, would suffer serious
and perhaps irreparable damage. Under all conditions and at any sacrifice, we would have
to sustain those services and the flow of life blood that they were pumping into the world
arteries of our Fellowship. Among the A.A. groups it had been proven that we could sur
vive great strain and stress. But could we stand heart failure at our world center?
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And so we asked ourselves: What further precautions could we take that would defi
nitely guard us against an impairment or a collapse? Nevertheless the period 1945 to 1950
was one of such exuberant success that many A.A.s thought that our future was completely
guaranteed. Nothing, they believed, could possibly happen to our Society as a whole,
because God was protecting A.A. This attitude was in strange contrast to the extreme vig
ilance with which our members and groups had been looking after themselves. They had
quite prudently declined to charge Providence with the entire responsibility for their own
effectiveness, happiness, and sobriety.
When, at A.A.s Service Headquarters, some of us began to apply this tested principle
of stop, look, and listen to A.A.s world affairs, it was widely thought that we must be fool
ish worriers who lacked faith. Many said, Why change? Things are going fine! Why call
in delegates from all over the country? That means expense and politics, and we don't want
either. And the clincher was always, Lets keep it simple.
Such reactions were natural enough. The average member, preoccupied with his
group life and his own twelfth stepping, knew almost nothing of A.A.s world services.
Not one member in a thousand could tell who our Trustees were. Not one in a hundred
had the least idea what had been done for A.A.s general welfare. Tens of thousands already
owed their chance at sobriety to the little noticed activity of our Trustees and general ser
vices. But few realized that this was true.
Among the Trustees themselves, a sharp division of opinion was developed. For a long
time most of them had strongly opposed calling together a representative conference of
A.A. delegates, to whom they would become accountable. They thought that the risks were
immense and that politics, confusion, expense, and fruitless strife surely would result. It
was true that the woes of much lesser undertakings, such as local A.A. services and clubs,
had sometimes been great. Hence the conviction was widespread that calamity would be
in the making if ever a conference representing all of A.A. were assembled. These argu
ments were not without merit; they were difficult to contest.
However, in 1948, there occurred an event that shook us all. It became known that Dr.
Bob was suffering from a fatal illness. As nothing else could, this news drove home the hard
fact that he and I were almost the sole links between our virtually unknown Trustees and
the movement they served. The Trustees always had relied heavily upon Dr. Bob and me
for advice. They had taken a firm grip on money expenditures, but they necessarily turned
to us every time that A.A. policy questions arose. Then, too, the groups of that time did not
really rely much on the Trustees for the management of their service affairs; they were still
looking to Dr. Bob and me. So here was a society whose total functioning was still largely
dependent upon the credit and the confidence which, for the time being, its founders hap
pened to enjoy.
The fact had to be faced that A.A.s founders were perishable. When Dr. Bob and I had
gone, who would then advise the Trustees; who could link our little-known Board to our
thousands of groups? For the first time it was seen that only a representative conference
could take the place of Dr. Bob and me. This gap simply had to be filled without delay.
Such a dangerous open end in our affairs could not be tolerated. Regardless of trouble or
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expense, we had to call an A.A. General Service Conference and deliver our world services
into its permanent keeping. It took little imagination to see that future collapse would be
the certain penalty if we did not act boldly and decisively. Thus propelled by events, we did
take the necessary action. Now that the Conference is in its second decade, we find that our
former fears of the troubles a Conference might involve were largely groundless. The
results of the Conference have exceeded our highest expectations. It now stands proven
that the A.A. groups can and will take the final responsibility for their world services.
There were other reasons for this basic shift of ultimate responsibility and authority to
A.A. as a whole. These reasons center around Tradition Two, which declares, 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.
Tradition Two, like all the A.A. Traditions, is the voice of experience, based upon the
trials of thousands of groups in our pioneering time. The main principles of Tradition Two
are crystal clear: the A.A. groups are to be the final authority; their leaders are to be
entrusted with delegated responsibilities only.
Tradition Two had been written in 1945, and our Trustees had then authorized its
publication. But it was not until 1951 that the first experimental General Service
Conference was called to see whether Tradition Two could be successfully applied to A.A.
as a whole, including its Trustees and founders. It had to be found out whether the A.A.
groups, by virtue of this Conference, could and would assume the ultimate responsibility
for their world service operation. It took five years more for all of us to be convinced that
Tradition Two was for everybody. But at St. Louis in 1955, we knew that our General
Service Conference truly representing the conscience of A.A. world-wide was going
to work and work permanently.
Perhaps many of us are still vague about the group conscience of Alcoholics
Anonymous, about what it really is.
Throughout the entire world today we are witnessing the breakdown of group con
science. It has always been the hope of democratic nations that their citizens would always
be enlightened enough, moral enough, and responsible enough to manage their own
affairs through chosen representatives. But in many self-governing countries we are now
seeing the inroads of ignorance, apathy, and power-seeking upon democratic systems.
Their spiritual resources of right purpose and collective intelligence are waning.
Consequently many a land has become so helpless that the only answer is dictatorship.
Happily for us, there seems little prospect of such a calamity in A.A. The life of each
individual and of each group is built around our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. We
very well know that the penalty for extensive disobedience to these principles is death for
the individual and dissolution for the group. An even greater force for A.A.s unity is the
compelling love that we have for our fellow members and for the principles upon which
our lives today are founded.
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Therefore we believe that we see in our Fellowship a spiritualized society character

ized by enough enlightenment, enough responsibility and enough love of man and of God
to insure that our democracy of world service will work under all conditions. We are con
fident that we can rely upon Tradition Two, our group conscience and its trusted servants.
Hence it is with a sense of great security that we old-timers have now fully vested in A.A.s
General Service Conference the authority for giving shape through the labors of its cho
sen Delegates, Trustees, and service workers to the destiny that we trust God in His wis
dom is holding in store for all of us.
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Concept II
When, in 1955, the A.A. groups confirmed the per

manent charter for their General Service
Conference, they thereby delegated to the
Conference complete authority for the active
maintenance of our world services and thereby
made the Conference excepting for any change
in the Twelve Traditions or in Article 12 of the
Conference Charter the actual voice and the
effective conscience for our whole Society.
It is self-evident that the thousands of A.A. groups and the many thousands of A.A. mem
bers, scattered as they are all over the globe, cannot of themselves actually manage and con
duct our manifold world services. The group conscience is out there among them, and so
are the needed funds. The power of the groups and members to alter their world service
structure and to criticize its operation is virtually supreme. They have all of the final
responsibility and authority that there is. The operation is really theirs; they really own it.
This has been true ever since the groups took over from the founders and old-timers at St.
Louis in 1955.
But an ultimate authority and responsibility in the A.A. groups for world services
if that is all there were to it could not amount to anything. Nothing could be accom
plished on that basis alone. In order to get effective action, the groups must delegate the
actual operational authority to chosen service representatives who are fully empowered to
speak and to act for them. The group conscience of A.A. could not be heard unless a prop
erly chosen Conference were fully trusted to speak for it respecting most matters of world
service. Hence the principle of amply delegated authority and responsibility to trusted
servants must be implicit from the top to the bottom of our active structure of service.
This is the clear implication of A.A.s Tradition Two.
Even from the beginning, large delegations of service authority had to be the rule. It
will be recalled how, in 1937, the Akron and New York Groups authorized Dr. Bob and me
to create over-all services which could spread the A.A. message world-wide. Those two
fledging groups gave to us the authority to create and manage world services. Following
their action, we held both the final responsibility and the immediate authorization to get
this project underway and keep it going. On our own, however, we knew we could do lit
tle, and so we had to find trusted servants who in turn would help us. As time went by, we
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found that we had to delegate to these friends a very large part of our own authority and
responsibility. That process of delegation was as follows:
First of all, Dr. Bob transferred nearly all of his immediate responsibility for the cre
ation of world service to me. In New York we stood a better chance of finding friends and
funds, and we saw that our world service center consequently would have to be located in
that city. I started the search for trusted nonalcoholic friends who could help, and in 1938
The Alcoholic Foundation was formed as a small trusteeship of A.A. members and our
nonalcoholic friends.
At first the Trustees of our new Foundation took jurisdiction over money matters
only. Little by little, however, they were obliged to assume many other responsibilities,
because I alone could not discharge these on any permanent basis. Hence I gave the
Trustees added responsibility and corresponding authority as fast as possible.
For example, in 1940, a year after the book Alcoholics Anonymous was published,
we all saw that this great new asset had to be put in trust for our whole Fellowship.
Therefore the stock ownership of Works Publishing, Inc.* (a publishing corporation which
I had helped to separately organize) was turned over to the Board of Trustees.
Nearly all the income from the A.A. book was then needed to finance the over-all
service office that we had set up for A.A. The Trustees, therefore, presently took over the
primary management of office operation, because they were now responsible for the funds
upon which its support depended. Consequently, so far as financial decisions were con
cerned, I became an adviser only. Another sizable chunk of my original authority was thus
delegated. When, in 1941, the A.A. groups began to send contributions to The Alcoholic
Foundation for the support of our over-all service office, the Trustees control of our world
service monies became complete.
After some time it became apparent that A.A.s public relations, a vital matter indeed,
could not continue to be entrusted to me alone. Therefore the A.A. groups were asked to
give the Trustees of the Foundation complete control in this critical area. Later on, the
Trustees took jurisdiction over our national magazine, The A.A. Grapevine, which had
been separately organized by another group of volunteers.
Thus it went with every one of our world services. I still functioned in an advisory
capacity in our Headquarters operation, but the Board of Trustees was in full legal charge
of all our affairs. As Dr. Bob and I looked to the future, it was clear that ample delegation
to the Board was the only possible way.
Notwithstanding these delegations, Dr. Bob and I did quite properly feel that we still
held an ultimate responsibility to A.A., and to the future, for the proper organization and
structuring of our A.A. world services. If anything were to go wrong with them, we would
be held accountable, because the groups still looked to us, rather than to their then littleknown Trustees, for leadership in A.A.s world affairs.
In the course of these developments the great difference between ultimate and imme
diate service authority became apparent.
*Works Publishing, Inc. was later renamed A.A. Publishing, Inc. Today A.A. Publishing is a division of A.A. World
Services, Inc.
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As early as 1945 it began to be evident that the co-founders ultimate responsibility

and authority for services should never be wholly vested in a Board of Trustees. Certainly
our Trustees must be given a large share of the active and immediate responsibility. But the
ultimate and final responsibility which Dr. Bob and I still possessed simply could not be
transferred to a self-appointing Board which was relatively unknown among A.A.s as a
whole. But where, then, would our ultimate responsibility for world services finally be
lodged? And what would become of my own leadership in world service matters? A.A.s
history now shows where the ultimate authority finally went. At St. Louis it went from Dr.
Bob and me to the A.A. groups themselves.
But the groups acceptance of ultimate service authority and responsibility was not
enough. No matter what authority the groups had, they could not meet their new respon
sibilities until they had actually delegated most of the active ones. It was precisely in order
to meet this need that the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous was given
the general responsibility for the maintenance of A.A.s world services and so became the
service conscience for A.A. as a whole.
Exactly as Dr. Bob and I earlier had found it necessary to delegate a large part of our
active authority to the Trustees, so have the A.A. groups since found it necessary to dele
gate these same powers to their General Service Conference. The final say the ultimate
sanction in matters of large importance has not been given to the Trustees alone. By the
Conference Charter, confirmed at St. Louis, this authority is now delegated to the A.A.
groups and thence to their Conference, a body which is a representative cross section of
our entire Fellowship.
Therefore the General Service Conference of A.A. plus any later formed sections has
become for nearly every practical purpose the active voice and the effective conscience of our
whole Society in its world affairs.
In making this momentous transfer, we old-timers deeply hope that we have avoided
those pitfalls into which societies have so often fallen because their originators have failed,
during their lifetimes, to properly delegate and distribute their own authority, responsibil
ity and leadership.
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Concept III
As a traditional means of creating and maintain

ing a clearly defined working relation between the
groups, the Conference, the A.A. General Service
Board and its several service corporations, staffs,
committees and executives, 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.
Within the framework of their general responsibilities, whether these be defined by char
ter, by resolution, or by custom, it should be the traditional right of all world service
boards, committees, and executives to decide which problems they will dispose of them
selves and upon which matters they will report, consult, or ask specific directions. We
ought to trust our world servants with these discretions, because otherwise no effective
leadership can be possible. Let us consider in detail, therefore, why the need for a right of
decision in our leadership is imperative, and let us examine how this principle can be
applied practically in all levels of our structure of world service.
We have seen how the A.A. groups, under the concept of the group conscience, are
today holding the ultimate authority and the final responsibility for world services. We
have also noted how, by reason of the Conference Charter and the trusted servant pro
vision of Tradition Two, the groups have delegated to their General Service Conference full
authority to manage and conduct A.A.s world affairs.
The Conference and General Service Board Charters in broad terms define the respon
sibility of the Conference to act on behalf of A.A. as a whole. In these two documents a nec
essarily large area of delegated service authority and responsibility has been staked out.
These instruments, in a general way, describe the relation between the groups, the
Conference, the Trustees and the active service units. These broad definitions and descrip
tions are an indispensable frame of reference, and we could not function without them.
Nevertheless it has long been evident that these highly important Charter provisions
cannot by themselves ensure smooth functioning and proper leadership at the several dif
ferent levels of service which are involved. This has become crystal clear, and we need not
seek very far for the reasons.
For example: knowing that theirs is the final authority, the groups are sometimes
tempted to instruct their Delegates exactly how to vote upon certain matters in the
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Conference. Because they hold the ultimate authority, there is no doubt that the A.A.
groups have the right to do this. If they insist, they can give directives to their Delegates on
any and all A.A. matters.
But good management seldom means the full exercise of a stated set of ultimate rights.
For example, were the groups to carry their instruction of Delegates to extremes, then we
would be proceeding on the false theory that group opinion in most world service matters
would somehow be much superior to Conference opinion. Practically speaking, this could
almost never be the case. There would be very few questions indeed that instructed
Delegates could better settle than a Conference acting on the spot with full facts and debate
to guide it. Of course it is understood that complete reporting of Conference actions is
always desirable. So is full consultation with Committee Members and Group
Representatives. Nevertheless the instructed Delegate who cannot act on his own conscience
in a final Conference vote is not a trusted servant at all; he is just a messenger.
Now the Conference Charter does not actually solve typical problems like this. It is a
broad document which can be variously construed. Under one interpretation, the groups
can instruct the Delegates all they like. Under another, the Delegates and Trustees actually
can ignore such instructions, whenever they believe that to be desirable. How, then, shall
we practically understand and reconcile such a condition?
Let us look at two more illustrations: the Conference, as will be later demonstrated, is in
a state of nearly complete practical authority over the Trustees, despite the legal rights of the
Board. Suppose the Conference Delegates began to use this ultimate power of theirs unwise
ly? Suppose they began to issue hasty and flat directives to the Trustees on matters respect
ing which the Trustees would be far more knowledgeable than the Delegates? What then?
This same kind of confusing problem used to beset the relations between the Trustees
and their wholly-owned active service corporations, entities which are nowadays partly
directed by non-Trustee volunteers and paid service workers. But the Board of Trustees
certainly does own these outfits. Therefore the Trustees can hire and fire; their authority is
final. Yet if the Trustees were constantly to exert their really full and absolute authority, if
they were to attempt to manage these operating entities in detail, then the volunteers and
Staff members working in them would quickly become demoralized; they would be turned
into buck-passers and rubber stamps; their choice would be to rebel and resign, or to sub
mit and rot.
Therefore some traditional and practical principle has to be devised which at all lev
els will continuously balance the right relation between ultimate authority and delegated
responsibility. How, then, are we going to accomplish this?
There are three possible attitudes that we might take toward such a state of affairs. We
could, for instance, throw away all corporate charters, bylaws, job definitions, and the like.
This would leave it entirely to each group of trusted servants to figure out what its author
ity and responsibility really is. But such an absence of any chartered structure would be
absurd; nothing but anarchy could result.
Then of course we could take the opposite tack. Refusing to give our leadership any
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worthwhile discretion at all, we could add to our present Charters great numbers of rules,
regulations, and bylaws that would attempt to cover every conceivable action or contin
gency. That would be altogether too much red tape more than we A.A.s could stand.
The right A.A. solution for this problem is to be found, however, in the latter part of
Tradition Two, which provides for trusted servants. This really means that we ought to
trust our responsible leaders to decide, within the understood framework of their duties,
how they will interpret and apply their own authority and responsibility to each particular
problem or situation as it arises. This sort of leadership discretion should be the essence of
The Right of Decision, and I am certain that we need not have the slightest fear of grant
ing this indispensable privilege at nearly every level of world service.
There will always be plenty of ultimate authority to correct inefficiency, ineffective
ness, or abuse. If the Conference does not function well, the groups can send in better
Delegates. If the Trustees get badly out of line, the Conference can censure them, or even
reorganize them. If the Headquarters services go sour, the Trustees can elect better direc
tors and hire better help. These remedies are ample and direct. But for so long as our world
services function reasonably well and there should always be charity for occasional mis
takes then trust must be our watchword, otherwise we shall wind up leaderless.
These are the reasons for my belief that we should forthwith invest in all of our ser
vice bodies and people a traditional Right of Decision. In our structure of world service
this Right of Decision could be practically applied as follows:
A. Excepting its Charter provisions to the contrary, the Conference always should be
able to decide which matters it will fully dispose of on its own responsibility, and
which questions it will refer to the A.A. groups (or more usually, to their
Committee Members or G.S.R.s) for opinion or for definite guidance.
Therefore it ought to be clearly understood and agreed that our Conference
Delegates are primarily the world servants of A.A. as a whole, that only in a sec
ondary sense do they represent their respective areas. Consequently they should,
on final decisions, be entitled to cast their votes in the General Service Conference
according to the best dictates of their own judgment and conscience at that time.
B. Similarly the Trustees of the General Service Board (operating of course within the
provisions of their own Charter and Bylaws) should be able at all times to decide
when they will act fully on their own responsibility and when they will ask the
Conference for its guidance, its approval of a recommendation, or for its actual
decision and direction.
C. Within the scope of their definitely defined or normally implied responsibilities,
all Headquarters service corporations, committees, staff or executives should also
be possessed of the right to decide when they will act wholly on their own and
when they will refer their problems to the next higher authority.
This Right of Decision should never be made an excuse for failure to render proper
reports of all significant actions taken; it ought never be used as a reason for constantly
exceeding a clearly defined authority, nor as an excuse for persistently failing to consult
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those who are entitled to be consulted before an important decision or action is taken.
Our entire A.A. program rests squarely upon the principle of mutual trust. We
trust God, we trust A.A., and we trust each other. Therefore we cannot do less than trust
our leaders in service. The Right of Decision that we offer them is not only the prac
tical means by which they may act and lead effectively, but it is also the symbol of our
implicit confidence.
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Concept IV
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.
The principle of Participation has been carefully built into our Conference structure.
The Conference Charter specifically provides that the Trustees, the Directors of our service
corporations, (A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.) together with their
respective executive staffs, shall always be voting members of the General Service
Conference itself.
Exactly the same concept is borne in mind when our General Service Board elects the
Directors of its wholly-owned active service corporations, A.A. World Services, Inc. and
The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. If it wished, the General Service Board could elect none but its
own Trustees to these corporate directorships. But a powerful tradition has grown up to
the effect that this never ought to be done.
For example, A.A. World Services, Inc. (which also includes the A.A. Publishing divi
sion) currently has seven directors, only two of whom are Trustees.1 The other five nonTrustee directors comprise three volunteers, both expert in office management and pub
lishing, and two directors who are paid staff members: the general manager and his assis
tant. The general manager is traditionally the president of A.A. World Services, Inc. and his
assistant is a vice president. For communication linkage, the editor or a staff member of
the Grapevine or his nominee is invited to attend A.A. World Services, Inc. meetings.
Therefore the active management of A.A. World Services, Inc. and its publishing divi
sion is composed of Trustees whose mission is to see that these projects are properly man
aged; of volunteer experts who contribute their advice and professional experience; and of
two paid office executives who are charged with getting most of the work done. It will be
seen that each member of every classification, is a director, and so has a legal vote; that each
corporate officer bears a title which, both practically and legally, denotes what his (or her)
actual status and responsibility is.
Such a typical corporate business management easily permits a proper degree of vot
ing participation. Every skilled element to do the allotted job is present. No class is set in
absolute authority over another. This is the corporate or participating method of doing
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business, as distinguished from structures so common to many institutional, military and

governmental agencies wherein high-level people or classes of people often are set in
absolute authority, one over the other.
We should also note that the seven2 A.A. Grapevine directors are elected on the same
principle as those of A.A. World Services, Inc. Here too we see Trustees, volunteer experts
and paid staff members acting in concert as the active managers of that operation. And a
world service nominee should be present at all GV meetings, both corporate and editorial.
The General Service Board, furthermore, rigorously abides by the principle of
Participation whenever its chairman makes appointments to the Boards principal
standing committees. Numbers of non-Trustees and paid staff workers are customarily
chosen for these important posts. As with the active service corporations, the same ele
ments are nearly always present in these committees, viz., representatives of the General
Service Board, non-Trustee experts, and one or more staff members who must do most of
the leg work. All can vote, and therefore all can truly participate. When the time comes
to ballot, there are no superiors, no inferiors, and no advisers.
To this highly effective and unifying principle of Participation at all responsible lev
els, there is one regrettable but necessary exception. Members holding paid staff positions
cannot become Trustees. This cannot be permitted because such a practice would interfere
with the four-year rotation of the A.A. Trustees. And if ever the General Service Board had
to be reorganized by the Conference, paid A.A. Trustees might prove to be a vested inter
est most difficult to dislodge.
Nevertheless our Trustees of today traditionally invite paid executives, staff members,
accountants, and any others whose reports or advice may be required, to attend each quar
terly meeting of the General Service Board. Thus the Trustees are put into direct commu
nication with these workers who are thus made to feel that they are wanted and needed.
Although they do not vote, these workers may freely participate in debate.
The preservation of the principle of Participation in our service structure is, to
those of us who already understand its application and benefits, a matter of the highest
importance to our future. Experience suggests, however, that some of each new generation
of Delegates and Trustees will inevitably try to weaken, modify or toss out the principle of
corporate participation. Every year, a few Delegates will question the right of the cor
porate directors, staffs and even of the Trustees to vote in Conference. New volunteer cor
porate directors will ask why any paid woman staff member should also be a director and
thereby have a vote as good as their own. Every now and then a move will be made to abol
ish A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. It will be urged that these sep
arate corporations ought to become departments or committees of the General Service
Board, mainly managed by Trustees. To my view, it is so vital that we preserve this tradi
tional Right of Participation in the face of every tendency to whittle it down that we
should here bring some of our pioneering experience to bear upon the problem.
In its early days the A.A. Headquarters was run on authoritarian and institutional
lines. At that time the Trustees saw no reason to delegate their managerial powers or to
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work in voting participation with any others outside their own body. The result was
often grievous trouble and misunderstanding, and it was out of this rough going that the
principle of Participation finally emerged. This lesson was learned the hard way, but it
was learned.
We have seen how Dr. Bob and I had placed our Board of Trustees in full legal pos
session of all of our service assets. This had included our book literature, our funds, our
public relations, and our A.A. General Service Office. This is how our early Trustees came
to have all of the authority there was. But most of the actual responsibility for the conduct
of A.A.s Headquarters nevertheless fell on me, my assistant, and her staff. On the one hand
we had Trustees who possessed complete authority, and on the other hand there were
founders and office managers who had great responsibility but practically no authority. It
was a kind of schizophrenia, and it caused real trouble.
It was natural for the Trustees, who had all of the authority and all of the money, to
feel that theirs was the duty to directly manage the office and to actively superintend
practically everything that was done. To accomplish this, two Trustee committees were
formed, a policy and an administrative committee. We at the office had no membership
on these committees and hence no real participation. Of course I could go to Trustee
meetings to persuade or advise, and the same was true of the committee meetings. But
my assistant, who really carried the greater part of the office load, couldnt get inside a
Trustees meeting, and she was called into committee meetings only to make suggestions
and reports, answer questions and receive orders. Sometimes these committees issued us
conflicting directives.
The situation was complicated by yet another wheel in the management machine. Our
publishing company (then Works Publishing, Inc.) was of course wholly owned by the Board
of Trustees. Except in one important particular, Works Publishing, Inc. had, however,
become a pure dummy. It had nothing to do with the active management except to issue
checks for office and publishing expenses. An old A.A. friend of mine, its Trustee-treasurer,
signed those checks. Once, when he was a bit out of sorts, he tore up all of our paychecks
because my assistant had issued them a couple of days early so that the gals in the back office
could buy Easter bonnets. Right then and there we began to wonder how much absolute
authority over money and people any one of us drunks could handle. Also, how much of this
type of coercion we alkies on the receiving end could sit and take. In any case it had become
dead sure that our Headquarters could not be run by two executive committees and a
dummy corporation, each able to issue point-blank nonparticipating directives.
The point may be made that nowadays we drunks can dish it out or take it better
than we used to. Even so, I would sure hate to see us ever go back to a nonparticipating
setup. Now that we have more service people involved and more money to handle, I am
afraid the result would be much the same and maybe worse. There was really nothing
exceptional about the incident of the torn-up checks. Every time an absolute authority is
created it always invites this same tendency toward over-domination respecting all things,
great and small.
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It was years before we saw that we could never put all authority in one group and vir
tually all responsibility in another and then expect efficiency of operation, let alone real
harmony. Of course, no one is against the idea of final authority. We are only against its
misapplication or misuse. Participation can usually stop this sort of demoralizing non
sense before it starts.
Let us look at another aspect of this participation problem. The final authority for
services must lie in the A.A. groups; but suppose the groups, sensing their great power,
should try to over-exercise it by sending in Delegates irrevocably instructed as to how to
vote on most questions. Would the Delegates feel that they were participants, trusted ser
vants? No, they would feel like agents and order-takers.
The Delegates themselves, of course, could also give the Trustees this same treatment.
The Delegates power is so great that they could soon make the Trustees feel like rubber
stamps, just as the Trustees unknowingly did to workers at Headquarters. If, therefore, the
Conference ever begins to refuse the Trustees vote in it, and if the Trustees ever again refuse
to let corporate service volunteers and staff members vote at the level of their own corpo
rate and Conference work, we shall have thrown all past experience to the winds. The prin
ciple of allowing a proper voting participation would have to be painfully relearned.
One argument for taking away the Trustee and service worker vote in the Conference
is this: it is urged that there is danger if we allow service people and Trustees to vote on
their own past performance; for example, their annual reports. To a certain extent this
argument is sound. As a matter of tradition, there is no doubt that Trustees and service
workers alike should refrain from voting on reports on their own past activities.
But those who would do away entirely with the votes of Trustees and service workers
in the Conference overlook the point that such reports of past performance constitute only
a fraction of the business of that body. The Conference is far more concerned with poli
cies, plans, and actions which are to take effect in the future. To take away the votes of
Trustees and service workers on such questions would obviously be unwise. Why should
our Conference be deprived of the votes of such knowledgeable people as these?*
Perhaps someone will object that, on close votes in the Conference, the combined
Trustees and service worker ballots may decide a particular question. But why not?
Certainly our Trustees and service workers are no less conscientious, experienced and wiser
than the Delegates. Is there any good reason why their votes are undesirable? Clearly there
is none. Hence we ought to be wary of any future tendency to deny either our Trustees or
our service people their Conference votes, except in special situations that involve past per
formances, job qualifications or money compensation, or in case of a sweeping reorganiza
*There is another very practical reason for not giving Conference Delegates absolute voting authority over
trustees, service directors, and staff members. It should be borne in mind that our delegates can never be like a
Congress in constant session, having its own working committees, elected leaders, etc. Our delegates cannot pos
sibly function in this manner for the simple reason that they meet for a few days only, once a year. Hence they
cannot have an extensive firsthand acquaintance with many of the problems on which they are expected to vote.
This is all the more reason for allowing the sometimes better-informed minority of trustees and Headquarters
people the balloting privilege in all cases where no self-interest is involved.
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tion of the General Service Board itself, occasioned by misfunction of the Board. However,
this should never be construed as a bar to Trustee vote on structural changes. It is also note
worthy that in actual practice our Trustees and Headquarters people have never yet voted
in a bloc. Their differences of opinion among themselves are nearly always as sharp and
considerable as those to be found among the Delegates themselves.
There is another good reason for participation, and this one has to do with our spir
itual needs. All of us deeply desire to belong. We want an A.A. relation of brotherly part
nership. It is our shining ideal that the spiritual corporation of A.A. should never include
any members who are regarded as second class. Deep down, I think this is what we have
been struggling to achieve in our world service structure. Here is perhaps the principal rea
son why we should continue to ensure participation at every important level. Just as
there are no second-class A.A.s, neither should there be any second-class world service
workers, either.
The Right of Participation is therefore a corrective of ultimate authority because it
mitigates its harshness or misuse. It also encourages us who serve A.A. to accept the nec
essary disciplines that our several tasks require. We can do this when we are sure that we
belong, when the fact of our participation assures us that we are truly the trusted ser
vants described in A.A.s Tradition Two.
1
2
Currently A.A.W.S. has nine directors, of which four are trustees.

Currently eight.
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Concept V
Throughout our world service structure, a tradi

tional Right of Appeal ought to prevail, thus
assuring us that minority opinion will be heard
and that petitions for the redress of personal griev
ances will be carefully considered.
In the light of the principle of the Right of Appeal, all minorities whether in our staffs,
committees, corporate boards or among the Trustees should be encouraged to file
minority reports whenever they feel a majority to be in considerable error. And when a
minority considers an issue to be such a grave one that a mistaken decision could serious
ly affect A.A. as a whole, it should then charge itself with the actual duty of presenting a
minority report to the Conference.
In granting this traditional Right of Appeal, we recognize that minorities frequent
ly can be right; that even when they are partly or wholly in error they still perform a most
valuable service when, by asserting their Right of Appeal, they compel a thorough-going
debate on important issues. The well-heard minority, therefore, is our chief protection
against an uninformed, misinformed, hasty or angry majority.
The traditional Right of Appeal should also permit any person in our service struc
ture, whether paid or unpaid, to petition for the redress of a personal grievance, carrying
his complaint, if he so desires, directly to the General Service Board. He or she should be
able to do this without prejudice or fear of reprisal. Though in practice this will be a sel
dom exercised right, its very existence will always tend to restrain those in authority from
unjust uses of their power. Surely our workers should cheerfully accept the necessary direc
tion and disciplines that go with their jobs, but all of them should nevertheless feel that
they need not silently endure unnecessary and unfair personal domination.
Concerning both Appeal and Petition, I am glad to say that in A.A.s world services
these valuable practices and rights have always been put to good use. Therefore I am com
mitting them to writing only by way of helping to confirm and enlarge their future appli
cations.
The Rights of Appeal and Petition of course aim at the total problem of protecting
and making the best possible use of minority feeling and opinion. This has always been,
and still is, a central problem of all free governments and democratic societies. In
Alcoholics Anonymous individual freedom is of enormous importance. For instance, any
alcoholic is a member of A.A. the moment he says so; we cannot take away his right to
belong. Neither can we force our members to believe anything or pay anything. Ours is
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indeed a large charter of minority privileges and liberties.

When we look at our world services, we find that here we have also gone to great
lengths in our trust of minority groups. Under Tradition Two, the group conscience is the
final authority for A.A. world service, and it will always remain so respecting all the larger
issues that confront us. Nevertheless the A.A. groups have recognized that for world ser
vice purposes the group conscience of A.A. as a totality has certain limitations. It cannot
act directly in many service matters, because it cannot be sufficiently informed about the
problems in hand. It is also true that during a time of great disturbance the group con
science is not always the best possible guide because, temporarily, such an upset may pre
vent it from functioning efficiently or wisely. When, therefore, the group conscience can
not or should not act directly, who does act for it?
The second part of Tradition Two provides us with the answer when it describes A.A.
leaders as trusted servants. These servants must always be in readiness to do for the
groups what the groups obviously cannot or should not do for themselves. Consequently
the servants are bound to use their own information and judgment, sometimes to the
point of disagreeing with uninformed or biased group opinion.
Thus it will be seen that in world service operations A.A. often trusts a small but truly
qualified minority the hundred-odd members of its General Service Conference to
act as A.A.s group conscience in most of our service affairs. Like other free societies, we
have to trust our servants, knowing that in the unusual event that they should fail their
responsibilities, we shall still have ample opportunity to recall and replace them.
The foregoing observations illustrate, in a general way, A.A.s concern for the freedom
and protection of individual members and the whole memberships willingness to trust
able and conscientious servants to function in their several capacities, for us all. As the
longtime recipients of this kind of trust, I am sure that many of A.A.s old-timers would
like me to record their gratitude along with my own.
By 1951, when the General Service Conference was put into experimental operation,
these attitudes of trust already were an essential part of A.A. life. In drafting the Charter
for our Conference, therefore, we naturally infused that document with provisions which
would insure protection and respect for minorities. This is exemplified, for instance, in our
Third Legacy method of selecting Delegates. Unless the majority candidate can poll a
two-thirds vote of his State or Provincial Assembly, he must place his name in a hat with
one or more of the choices of the Assembly minority. By thus drawing lots, the minority
candidates have an equal chance with the majoritys choice.
Strictly speaking, a democracy operates on the will of the majority, no matter how
slim that majority may be. So when making special concessions to the feelings and the
often-demonstrated wisdom of minorities, we occasionally may deny democracys cher
ished principle of final decision by a simple majority vote. Nevertheless we actually have
found that our Third Legacy method of electing Delegates has much strengthened the spir
it of democracy among us. Unity has been cemented, cooperation has been increased, and
when the Delegate is finally chosen, no discontented minority can trail in his wake. To
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increase the actual spirit of democracy by special deference to minority opinion is, we think,
better than to follow blindly the rule which always insists on an unqualified dominance by
a slight majority vote.
Consider another example: our respect for the minority position, plus a desire for
unity and certainty, often prompts A.A.s General Service Conference to debate at length
on important questions of policy, provided there is no need for an immediate or early
decision. On many occasions the Conference has insisted on a continuing discussion even
in certain cases when a two-thirds majority easily could have been obtained. Such a tradi
tional voluntary practice is evidence of real prudence and courteous deference to minori
ty views. Unless it has been absolutely unavoidable, the Conference has usually refused to
take important decisions on anything less than a two-thirds vote.
This same kind of consideration for the minority position can be found in the
Charter provision that no Conference vote can be considered binding on the Trustees of
the General Service Board unless it equals two-thirds of a Conference quorum. This gives
the Trustees a power of veto in cases where the majority is not great. By reason of this pro
vision the Trustees, if they wish, can insist on further debate and so check any tendency to
haste or emotionalism. In practice the Trustees seldom exercise this option. More often
they go along with a simple majority of the Delegates, especially when prompt action on
less critical matters is clearly needed. But the choice is always theirs whether to veto a sim
ple majority or to act with it. Here again is a recognition of the constructive value of a
trusted minority.
If to such a generous recognition of minority privileges we now add the traditional
Rights of Appeal and Petition, I believe we shall have granted to all minorities, whether
of groups or of individuals, the means of discharging their world service duties confidently
harmoniously and well.
More than a century ago a young French nobleman named De Toqueville came to
America to look at the new Republic. Though many of his friends had lost their lives and
fortunes in the French Revolution, De Toqueville was a worshipful admirer of democracy.
His writings on government by the people and for the people are classics, never more care
fully studied than at the present time.
Throughout his political speculation De Toqueville insisted that the greatest danger
to democracy would always be the tyranny of apathetic, self-seeking, uninformed or
angry majorities. Only a truly dedicated citizenry, quite willing to protect and conserve
minority rights and opinions, could, he thought, guarantee the existence of a free and
democratic society. All around us in the world today we are witnessing the tyranny of
majorities and the even worse tyranny of very small minorities invested with absolute
power. De Toqueville would have neither, and we A.A.s can heartily agree with him.
We believe that the spirit of democracy in our Fellowship and in our world service
structure will always survive, despite the counter forces which will no doubt continue to
beat upon us. Fortunately we are not obliged to maintain a government that enforces con
formity by inflicting punishments. We need to maintain only a structure of service that
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holds aloft our Traditions, that forms and executes our policies thereunder, and so steadi
ly carries our message to those who suffer.
Hence we believe that we shall never be subjected to the tyranny of either the major
ity or the minority, provided we carefully define the relations between them and forthwith
tread the path of world service in the spirit of our Twelve Steps, our Twelve Traditions, and
our Conference Charter in which I trust that we shall one day inscribe these tradition
al Rights of Appeal and Petition.
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Concept VI
On behalf of A.A. as a whole, our General Service

Conference has the principal responsibility for the
maintenance of our world services, and it tradi
tionally 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 mat
ters should be exercised primarily by the Trustee
members of the Conference when they act among
themselves as the General Service Board of
Alcoholics Anonymous.
Just as the A.A. groups find themselves unable to act decisively respecting world service
affairs unless they delegate a great amount of active authority and responsibility to their
Conference, so must the Conference in turn delegate a liberal administrative authority to
the General Service Board, in order that its Trustees may act freely and effectively in the
absence of the Conference itself.
This critical need for Trustee liberty of action raises several important questions.*
Next to the Conference, A.A.s Board of Trustees should be the most influential group of
world servants that we have, and therefore we shall have to consider carefully the kind and
degree of authority, responsibility, leadership, and legal status the Trustees must possess in
order to function at top effectiveness over the years to come. We shall need to review and
perhaps amend somewhat our present methods of choosing Trustees. We shall need to
define clearly the several kinds of professional and financial skills that will always be
required for a balanced trusteeship. Only by so doing can we permanently insure the
Boards capability of future leadership.
In order to avoid continuous confusion, it will also be necessary to show precisely how
the Trustees ought to be related to the Conference and just how they in turn should relate
themselves to their active service corporations, A.A. World Services, Inc. (including its
division of A.A. Publishing) and the A.A. Grapevine, Inc., our monthly magazine. In a gen
eral way these relations already are indicated in our Conference Charter, and to some
*See Concept VIII for a definition of the Trustees powers and activities.
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extent they have been discussed on preceding pages. Nevertheless there still remains a real
need to interpret and spell them out in detail. Of course there is no desire to freeze these
relations into a rigid pattern. However satisfactory and right our present arrangements
seem, the future may reveal flaws that we do not yet envision. New conditions may require
refinements or even considerable alterations. For this reason our service Charter is capa
ble in most respects of being readily amended by the Conference itself.
It ought to be recalled, however, that all of our present arrangements, including the
status of A.A.s Trustees, are based on a great amount of experience, which it is the purpose
of these writings to describe and make clear. When this is done, we shall not be hampered
later on by such a lack of understanding that we could be tempted into hasty or unwise
amendments. Even if we do someday make changes that happen to work out poorly, then
the experience of the past will not have been lost. These articles can then be relied upon as
a point of safe return.
Let us therefore make a more specific examination of the need of a wide latitude of
administrative freedom for the Trustees of the General Service Board.
As we have seen, the Conference Charter (and also the Charter of the General Service
Board, and its Bylaws) has already staked out a large area of freedom of action for our
Trustees. And we have re-inforced these Charter provisions by granting to all world service
bodies, including of course our Trustees, the traditional Rights of Decision,
Participation, and Appeal. A careful review of these legal and traditional rights can
leave little doubt what the actual administrative responsibilities of the Trustees are; nor can
there be any question that their authority in this area is large indeed.
Why should our Trustees be given this very wide latitude of judgment and action? The
answer is that we A.A.s are holding them mainly responsible for all our service activities:
A.A. World Services, Inc. (including A.A. Publishing) and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. These
entities (as of 1960) have combined gross receipts approaching one-half million dollars
annually.1 Our Trustees are also responsible for A.A.s world-wide public relations. They
are expected to lead in the formulation of A.A. policy and must see to its proper execution.
They are the active guardians of our Twelve Traditions. The Trustees are A.A.s bankers.
They are entirely responsible for the investment and use of our substantial reserve funds.
The very wide range of their activities will be still further seen under Concept Xl, where
in the work of their five2 standing committees is described.
While the Trustees must always operate under the close observation, guidance and
sometimes the direction of the Conference, it is nevertheless true that nobody but the
Trustees and their wholly-owned service corporations could possibly pass judgment upon
and handle the very large number of transactions now involved in our total world service
operation. In view of this very large responsibility, they must therefore be given a corre
spondingly large grant of authority and leadership with which to discharge it. We should
quite understand, too, that the conduct of our world services is primarily a matter of pol
icy and business. Of course our objective is always a spiritual one, but this service aim can
only be achieved by means of an effective business operation. Our Trustees must function
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almost exactly like the directors of any large business corporation. They must have ample
authority to really manage and conduct A.A.s business.
This is the basic corporate concept on which our structure of world service rests. We
have deliberately chosen the corporate form rather than the institutional or governmental
model, because it is well known that the corporation is a far superior vehicle when it comes
to the administration of policy and business.
From top to bottom, our whole service structure indeed resembles that of a large cor
poration. The A.A. groups are the stockholders; the Delegates are their representatives or
proxies at the annual meeting; our General Service Board Trustees are actually the direc
tors of a holding company. And this holding company, the General Service Board, actu
ally owns and controls the subsidiaries which carry on our active world services.
This very real analogy makes it even more clear that, just like any other board of direc
tors, our Trustees must be given large powers if they are to effectively manage the princi
pal world affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous.
1
2
The 2005 revenue of A.A. World Services and the Grapevine was approximately 20 million dollars.
There are now eleven standing committees.
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Concept VII
The Conference recognizes that the Charter and

the Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal
instruments: that the Trustees are thereby fully
empowered to manage and conduct all of the
world service affairs of Alcoholics 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
A.A. purse for its final effectiveness.
This concept may appear to be contradictory; it may look like the collision of an irresistible
force with an immovable object. On the one hand we see a Board of Trustees which is
invested with complete legal power over A.A.s funds and services, while on the other hand
we find that A.A.s General Service Conference is clothed with such great traditional influ
ence and financial power that, if necessary, it could overcome the legal rights of the Board
of Trustees. It can therefore give the Trustees directives and secure compliance with them
practically speaking.
This means that the practical power of the Conference will nearly always be superior
to the legal power of the Trustees. This superior power in the Conference flows from the
powerful traditional influence of the Charter itself. It derives from the large majority of
group-chosen Delegates in the Conference. And finally, in any great extremity, it would rest
upon the undoubted ability of the Delegates to deny the General Service Board the monies
with which to operate viz., the voluntary contributions of the A.A. groups themselves.
Theoretically, the Conference is an advisory body only, but practically speaking it has all of
the ultimate rights and powers that it may ever need.
When we reflect that our Trustees have no salaried financial interest in their posts, we
can be quite sure that such a Board would never think of legally contesting the clear and
sustained will of the Conference Delegates and the A.A. areas they represent. If someday
the chips were really down, there would be little chance of a stalemate. The Conference
would find itself in complete control of the situation. As the conscience of A.A., the
Delegates would find themselves in ultimate authority over our General Service Board and
also its corporate arms of active world service.
The history of this development is interesting and important. When in 1950 the
Conference Charter was drawn, this question of where the final authority ought to rest was
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a very moot matter. Would the Conference have the last word, or would the Trustees? By
then we knew for sure that complete and final authority over our funds and services
should never continue to reside in an isolated Board of Trustees who had an unqualified
right to appoint their own successors. This would be to leave A.A. world services in the
hands of a paternalistic group, something entirely contradictory to the group conscience
concept of Tradition Two. If the Trustees were to be our permanent service administrators
and the guardians of A.A.s Twelve Traditions, it was evident that they must somehow be
placed in a position where they would necessarily have to conform to our Traditions, and
to the desires of our Fellowship.
To accomplish this objective we considered all kinds of devices. We thought of incor
porating the Conference itself, thus placing it in direct legal authority over the Board. This
would have meant that all Conference members would have had to have a legal status. It
would have been much too cumbersome an arrangement, involving really the incorpora
tion of our whole Fellowship, an idea which the Conference itself later repudiated.
We also considered the idea of country-wide elections for all Trustees. But this proce
dure would have produced a political shambles, rather than the top flight managerial tal
ent the Board had to have. So that notion was abandoned.
We next inquired whether the Conference itself could not both nominate and direct
ly elect our Trustees. But how could several scores of Delegates do this? They would come
from all over the country. They would not be too well acquainted with each other. Their
terms would be short and their meetings brief. How, then, could such a body nominate
and elect alcoholic and nonalcoholic Trustees of a top managerial caliber? Clearly there
could be no reliable method for doing this. Very reluctantly, we had to drop this idea.
It thus became obvious that new Trustee choices subject to Conference approval
would still have to be left pretty much to the Trustees themselves. Only they would be
capable of understanding what the Board needed. Except in a time of reorganization, this
method of selection would have to continue certainly as to the larger part of the Boards
membership. Otherwise the Board could not be held accountable for management results.
We might wind up with no effective management at all. For these reasons, the Conference
was given the right to reject, but not to elect, new Trustee candidates.1
It was out of these considerations that our present Conference Charter was developed,
a structure which clearly gives the Conference a final and ultimate authority but which
nevertheless legally preserves the right of the Trustees to function freely and adequately,
just as any business board of directors must. This arrangement is in strict conformity with
the trusted servant provision of Tradition Two, which contemplates that our servants,
within the scope of their duties, should be trusted to use their own experience and judg
ment. Trusted servants at all A.A. levels are expected to exercise leadership, and leadership
is not simply a matter of submissive housekeeping. Of course leadership cannot function
if it is constantly subjected to a barrage of harassing directives.
Up to the present time our experience shows that this balance of powers between the
Trustees and the Conference is thoroughly workable. We have taken great pains to reserve
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final authority to the Conference by practical and traditional means. By legal means we
have delegated ample functional and discretionary authority to the Trustees. We believe
this balance can be maintained indefinitely, because the one is protected by tradition and
the other by law.
Now we come to another interesting question often raised by new General Service
Board Trustees. They say, We Trustees have certain rights and duties which are legally
established by our Charter. Are we not violating this Charter when we accept a Conference
opinion or directive? We should have a perfect legal right to say no to anything and every
thing that the Conference wants.
Our Trustees certainly do have this absolute legal authority, but there is nothing in
their Charter that compels them to use all of their authority all of the time. They are quite
at liberty to accept advice or even direction from anyone at all. They can simply refrain
from using their absolute legal right to say no when it would be much wiser, all things
considered, to say yes. Just as the Conference should avoid the overuse of its traditional
authority, so should the Trustees avoid overuse of their legal rights. The President of the
U.S., for example, has an absolute legal right to veto congressional legislation. Yet ninetynine percent of the time he does not do it, because (a) he likes a piece of legislation or (b)
he does not like the legislation but believes a veto would nevertheless be unwise or impos
sible of success. Whether or not he will exercise his veto is determined by circumstances.
It is just like that with A.A.s Board of Trustees.
Clearly, then, our Board of Trustees does reserve a veto power over any Conference
action; this is legally necessary and right in principle, even though the veto will seldom be
used. At certain times, however, the Trustees veto could be of important and constructive use.
Here, for instance, are three typical examples in which it would be the duty of the
Trustees to veto Conference action:
1. If, in a time of haste or heavy stress, the Conference should take an action or issue
a directive to the Trustees in clear violation of its own Charter, or that of the
General Service Board; or if the Conference were to pass any measure so ill-con
sidered or so reckless as to seriously injure, in the judgment of the Trustees, A.A.s
public relations or A.A. as a whole, it would then be the duty of the Trustees to ask
for a Conference reconsideration. In event of a Conference refusal to reconsider,
the Trustees could then use their legal right of veto. And, if desirable, they could
appeal the issue directly to the A.A. groups themselves.
2. Although traditionally the Trustees never should substantially exceed a
Conference-approved budget without consulting the Conference, they should feel
entirely free to reduce the Conference budget figure during any fiscal year, even
though such an action might curtail or cancel special plans or projects initiated
and directed by the Conference itself.
3. If, by reason of unforeseen conditions, any particular plan, project or directive of the
Conference should become impractical or unworkable during a fiscal year, the
Trustees should without prejudice, be able to use their right of veto and cancellation.
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If, therefore, in the years ahead, the Conference will always bear in mind the actual
rights, duties, responsibilities and legal status of the General Service Board, and if the
Trustees in their deliberations will constantly realize that the Conference is the real seat of
ultimate service authority, we may be sure that neither will be seriously tempted to make
a rubber stamp out of the other. We may expect that in this way grave issues will always
be resolved and harmonious cooperation will be the general rule.
Trustee elections are now held during Conference week for regional and at-large trustees; to that extent the
Conference now chooses trustees according to the procedure described in the Service Manual.
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Concept VIII
The Trustees of the General Service Board act in

two primary capacities: (a) With respect to the
larger matters of over-all policy and finance, they
are the principal planners and administrators.
They and their primary committees directly man
age these affairs. (b) But with respect to our sepa
rately incorporated and constantly active services,
the relation of the Trustees is mainly that of full
stock ownership and of custodial oversight which
they exercise through their ability to elect all direc
tors of these entities.
Since our Trustees bear the primary responsibility for the good conduct of all our world
service affairs, this discussion deals with the basic concepts and methods by which they can
best discharge their heavy obligations. Long experience has now proved that our Board as
a whole must devote itself almost exclusively to the larger and more serious questions of
policy, finance, group relations, public relations and leadership that constantly confront it.
In these more critical matters, the Board must of course function with great care and delib
eration. Here the Board is expected skillfully to plan, manage, and execute.
It follows, therefore, that the close attention of the Board to such large problems must
not be subject to constant distraction and interference. Our Trustees, as a body, cannot
be burdened with a mass of lesser matters; they must not concern themselves with the
endless questions and difficulties which arise daily, weekly and monthly in the routine con
duct of the World Service Office and of our publishing enterprises. In these areas the Board
cannot possibly manage and conduct in detail; it must delegate its executive function.
Here the Boards attitude has to be that of custodial oversight; it cannot be the exec
utive. Hence the Trustees are the guarantors of the good management of A.A. World
Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. They discharge their custodial obligation by
electing the directors of these services, a part of whom must always be Trustees. By this
means, the executive direction of these functions is securely lodged in the active service
corporations themselves rather than in the General Service Board. Each corporate service
entity should possess its own charter, its own working capital, its own executive, its own
employees, its own offices and equipment. Except to mediate difficult situations and to see
that the service corporations operate within their budgets and within the general frame
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work of A.A. and Headquarters policy, the Board will seldom need to do more, so far as
routine service operations are concerned.
This arrangement is in line with modern corporate business practice. The General
Service Board is in effect a holding company, charged with the custodial oversight of its
wholly-owned and separately incorporated subsidiaries, of which each has, for operating
purposes, a separate management. We have demonstrated to our satisfaction that this cor
porate basis of operation is superior to any other.
This lesson, as we have observed before, has been learned the hard way. When dis
cussing Participation in Concept IV, we saw that earlier attempts to manage the A.A.
General Service Office and A.A. Publishing Company through a multiplicity of Trustee
committees did not work well. These were really efforts to make our services into depart
ments of the old Alcoholic Foundation (now the General Service Board). It was found dif
ficult to define the powers of these several Trustee service committees respecting each
other and respecting the work at hand. Responsibility and authority rarely could be kept
in balance. Point-blank directives, rather than participating decisions, were the rule. In
these committees nobody held titles that fully denoted what individual responsibilities
actually were; and, naturally enough, those who handled money and signed checks
assumed the greater authority. The control of money, therefore, too often determined A.A.
policy, regardless of the views of the workers and volunteers at the office who sometimes
understood these matters better.
But the moment we consolidated our service office function into a single and perma
nent corporate structure wherein officers and directors had legally defined titles and duties
and responsibilities the moment such a corporation was provided with its own work
ing capital, employees and facilities the moment its directors could legally vote in pro
portion to their actual responsibilities the moment we were able in this way to define
clearly executive authority from that moment we began to see great improvement.
More harmonious and effective conduct of our business has been the result ever since.
We finally learned what the business world well knows: that we could not, at the level
of top management, run a large, active and full-fledged business entity with loose-jointed
committees and departments. For example, how could our Trustees function today if they
were to become a mere committee or department of the General Conference instead of
the legally chartered and carefully defined body that they necessarily are?
Neither can our General Service Board be made into an operating corporation. Any
corporation conducting a large and active business always must have a single executive
head who is familiar with every department, who is actually on the job most of the time,
and who therefore can directly co-ordinate the several departments and mediate their dif
ferences. This would mean (if we tried it) that the General Service Board divisions would
have to report to the General Service Board Chairman, as their chief executive. But unless
he was an executive in fact, and constantly available to them, how could they do so? In the
very nature of our particular setup, our Board Chairman can never be such an executive.
He is usually a nonalcoholic and could not give the required time. Nor, as a Trustee, could
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he be paid a salary for the work that would be required of him as the top executive of all
our services.
Suppose, however, that the Trustees engaged a full-time manager who would actively
conduct all three of our service enterprises as departments of the Board. An immediate
difficulty would be that such a person could never be a Trustee and could therefore never
act as the Chairman of the General Service Board. He would therefore have no real status.
He would become a man of all work under the absentee direction of the Board Chairman.
Consider, too, the fact that half of our Board of Trustees normally live out of town1 and
the further fact that we cannot well ask our nonalcoholic Trustees to give the active ser
vices close and continuous supervision. Altogether, these are weighty reasons why we
should never turn the General Service Board into an operating corporation.
Nor would we be much better off if we formed one big subsidiary service corporation,
wholly-owned by the General Service Board and designed to encompass under a single top
executive all of our active services, including The A.A. Grapevine. This plan would also cre
ate executive difficulties because it would overconcentrate executive authority. And final
ly, an individual executive having the many diverse talents required would be hard to find
and hard to replace.
A further consideration is that we have always rigorously avoided any great money or
executive concentration by placing our reserve funds with the Trustees and by dividing our
total working capital between the A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.,
each entity having its separate executive. There is always a powerful connection between
money and authority. Whenever we concentrate money, we shall inevitably create the
temptation for the exercise of too much executive authority, an undesirable condition for
us. Therefore we should strenuously avoid placing too much money or too much author
ity in any one service entity. These are potent reasons for maintaining separate incorpora
tions for each of our active services.
However, experience dating from our earliest days strongly suggests that future
Trustees and service workers, in the supposed interests of accounting simplicity, tax sav
ings, and hoped-for efficiency, will be periodically tempted to go in for concentrations and
consolidations of one kind or another. Should this be again attempted, we know that the
risk of making an administrative shambles out of the total operation will be great indeed.
These observations are not intended to bar any future needful change. It is urged only
that we avoid unnecessary repetitions of those painful experiences and mistakes of the past
which sometimes resulted from too much concentration of money and authority. It can
only be left on the record that we still see no workable way to convert the Board of Trustees
into an active, all-purpose service corporation.
In 2005, about 95% of the trustees live out of town.
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Concept IX
Good service leaders, together with sound and

appropriate methods of choosing them, are at all
levels indispensable for our future functioning and
safety. The primary world service leadership once
exercised by the founders of A.A. must necessarily
be assumed by the Trustees of the General Service
Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
No matter how carefully we design our service structure of principles and relationships, no
matter how well we apportion authority and responsibility, the operating results of our
structure can be no better than the personal performance of those who must man it and
make it work. Good leadership cannot function well in a poorly designed structure. But
weak leadership can hardly function at all, even in the best of structures. But once we have
created a basically sound structure, that job is finished, except for occasional refinements.
With leadership we shall have a continuous problem. Good leadership can be here
today and gone tomorrow. Furnishing our service structure with able and willing workers
has to be a continuous activity. It is therefore a problem that in its very nature cannot be
permanently solved. We must continuously find the right people for our many service
tasks. Since our future effectiveness must thus depend upon ever-new generations of lead
ers, it seems desirable that we now proceed to define what a good service leader should be;
that we carefully indicate in each level of service, especially in our Board of Trustees, what
special skills will always be required; and that we review our present methods of finding
and choosing that leadership.
First lets remember that the base for our service structure rests on the dedication and
ability of several thousand General Service Representatives (G.S.R.s), several hundred area
Committee Members, and nearly a hundred Delegates. These are the direct agents of the
A.A. groups; these are the indispensable linkage between our Fellowship and its world ser
vice; these are the primary representatives of A.A.s group conscience. Without their sup
port and activity we could not operate permanently at all.
When making their choices of G.S.R.s, the A.A. groups should therefore have such
facts well in mind. It ought to be remembered that it is only the G. S. R.s who, in Group
Assembly meetings (or in caucus) can name Committee Members and finally name the
Delegates. Hence great care needs to be taken by the groups as they choose these
Representatives. Hit-or-miss methods should be avoided. Groups who name no G.S.R.s
should be encouraged to do so. In this area a degree of weakness tends to persist. The need
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ed improvement seems to be a matter of increased care, responsibility and education.

As the G. S. R.s meet in their Assemblies to name Delegates, an even greater degree of
care and dedication will be required. Personal ambitions will have to be cast aside, feuds
and controversy forgotten. Who are the best qualified people that we can name? This
should be the thought of all.
Thus far our Third Legacy method of naming Delegates by a two-thirds vote or by lot
has proved highly satisfactory. This system of choosing has greatly reduced political fric
tion; it has made each Delegate feel that he or she is truly a world servant rather than just
the winner of a contest. In Committee Members and Delegates alike, our Third Legacy
methods have generally produced people of a high level of dedication and competence. In
this area of service we are in good shape. Our Area Assemblies need only to continue to act
with care and in selfless good spirit.
It should be reported that some members still doubt whether choice by lot is ever a
good idea. They say that the best man does not always win. In answer it must be pointed
out that each time we have abandoned the two-thirds vote or lot in naming Delegates,
there has been a sense of defeat and disturbance in the minority camp which is nowhere
nearly offset by the advantage of naming the supposedly best man. Indeed the second-best
man can often be as good a Delegate as the Assemblys first choice; he may even be a bet
ter Delegate.
We now come to the principal theme of this particular Concept: How can we best
strengthen the composition and the leadership of the future Board of Trustees, the Board
which in years to come will have to exercise A.A.s primary leadership in world service
administration, the trusteeship which will in fact have to assume most of my former duties
and responsibilities in connection with A.A.s world services?
As previously noted, the actual transference of authority and responsibility from me
to the Trustees has been going on for a long time. I am still around and still serving as an
adviser, and I have also been finishing a few remaining chores (for example, the develop
ment of these Concepts) which were left over from the 1955 St. Louis Convention. But the
time approaches when I shall have to withdraw from nearly all world service activity. This
is why I feel a great interest now in doing everything possible to strengthen the adminis
trative composition and A.A. leadership of our General Service Board, so that future
Trustees may be better able to cope with the problems and dangers which time will no
doubt bring.
My admiration for what A.A.s alcoholic and nonalcoholic Trustees have done for us
all is boundless. During the time of our infancy and adolescence, nothing could have been
structurally better than the setup we have had. Looking at this record, many A.A.s natu
rally feel that what was good for the past will surely be good for the future; that any change
in the induction methods, in the Trustee ratio of alcoholics to nonalcoholics, or in the pre
sent composition of our Board will prove dangerous rather than beneficial.
But change has been pressing upon us right along, and it is still doing so. For exam
ple, our Board operated in all the years between 1938 and 1951 without the support of a
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Conference. But it was finally and reluctantly realized that this relatively unseen and
unknown Board could not continue without a permanent linkage to A.A., something that
Dr. Bob and I could not give it forever. We did not like to face this change, but we had to.
The trusteeship had to be securely anchored to A.A. or it eventually would have collapsed.
The Conference simply had to come into being.
This change profoundly altered the position of the Trustees. Their former authority
was modified; they were firmly linked to A.A. and were thus made directly accountable to
our Fellowship. Nobody today questions the wisdom of that momentous change, because
everybody can now see that it has provided an essential protection for the service effec
tiveness and security of A.A.s future. Experience has refuted the idea that changes which
are needed to meet altered conditions are necessarily unwise.
We now stand on the edge of still another great change. Though we have already
solved the problem of the Trustees authority, their responsibility and their linkage to A.A.,
we have by no means solved, in my belief, the question of the Boards future role in service
leadership. Hence it is my deep conviction that the administrative and A.A. leadership
strength of the Board should be considerably increased; that these and other improve
ments can place it in a much better position, practically and psychologically; that such
changes are truly necessary to meet the conditions which will be certain to follow when my
own world service leadership has been terminated.
Students of history recognize that the transference of the original leadership of a soci
ety to its successors in leadership is always a critical turning point. This difficult question
of leadership, this problem of transference, must now be faced.
* * * * *
Let us finally consider what specific personal qualities a world service leader ought to
have. For whatever use it may be to future generations of our trusted servants, I here offer
a discussion on this subject published in a 1959 issue of The A.A. Grapevine.
LEADERSHIP IN A.A.: EVER A VITAL NEED

No society can function well without able leadership in all its levels, and A.A. can be
no exception. It must be said, though, that we A.A.s sometimes cherish the thought that
we can do without much personal leadership at all. We are apt to warp the traditional idea
of principles before personalities around to such a point that there would be no per
sonality in leadership whatever. This would imply rather faceless automatons trying to
please everybody, regardless.
At other times we are quite as apt to demand that A.A.s leaders must necessarily be
people of the most sterling judgment, morals, and inspirations; big doers, prime examples
of all, and practically infallible.
Real leadership, of course, has to function in between these entirely imaginary poles
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of hoped-for excellence. In A.A. certainly no leader is faceless, and neither is any leader
perfect. Fortunately our Society is blessed with any amount of real leadership the active
people of today and the potential leaders of tomorrow as each new generation of able
members swarms in. We have an abundance of men and women whose dedication, stabil
ity, vision, and special skills make them capable of dealing with every possible service
assignment. We have only to seek these folks out and trust them to serve us.
Somewhere in our literature there is a statement to this effect: Our leaders do not
drive by mandate, they lead by example. In effect, we are saying to them, Act for us, but
dont boss us.
A leader in A.A. service is therefore a man (or woman) who can personally put prin
ciples, plans and policies into such dedicated and effective action that the rest of us want
to back him up and help him with his job. When a leader power-drives us badly, we rebel;
but when he too meekly becomes an order-taker and he exercises no judgment of his own
well, he really isnt a leader at all.
Good leadership originates plans, policies, and ideas for the improvement of our
Fellowship and its services. But in new and important matters, it will nevertheless consult
widely before taking decisions and actions. Good leadership will also remember that a fine
plan or idea can come from anybody, anywhere. Consequently, good leadership will often
discard its own cherished plans for others that are better, and it will give credit to the source.
Good leadership never passes the buck. Once assured that it has, or can, obtain suffi
cient general backing, it freely takes decisions and puts them into action forthwith, pro
vided of course that such actions be within the framework of its defined authority
and responsibility.
A politico is an individual who is forever trying to get the people what they want.
A statesman is an individual who can carefully discriminate when and when not to do this.
He recognizes that even large majorities, when badly disturbed or uniformed, can, once in
a while, be dead wrong. When such an occasional situation arises, and something very vital
is at stake, it is always the duty of leadership, even when in a small minority, to take a stand
against the storm, using its every ability of authority and persuasion to effect a change.
Nothing, however, can be more fatal to leadership than opposition for oppositions
sake. It never can be Lets have it our way or no way at all. This sort of opposition is often
powered by a visionless pride or a gripe that makes us want to block something or some
body. Then there is the opposition that casts its vote saying, No, we dont like it. No real
reasons are ever given. This wont do. When called upon, leadership must always give its
reasons, and good ones.
Then, too, a leader must realize that even very prideful or angry people can sometimes
be dead right, when the calm and the more humble are quite mistaken.
These points are practical illustrations of the kinds of careful discrimination and
soul-searching that true leadership must always try to exercise.
Another qualification for leadership is give and take, the ability to compromise
cheerfully whenever a proper compromise can cause a situation to progress in what
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appears to be the right direction. Compromise comes hard to us all-or-nothing drunks.

Nevertheless we must never lose sight of the fact that progress is nearly always character
ized by a series of improving compromises. We cannot, however, compromise always. Now
and then it is truly necessary to stick flat-footed to ones conviction about an issue until it
is settled. These are situations for keen timing and careful discrimination as to which
course to take.
Leadership is often called upon to face heavy and sometimes long-continued criti
cism. This is an acid test. There are always the constructive critics; our friends indeed. We
ought never fail to give them a careful hearing. We should be willing to let them modify
our opinions or change them completely. Often, too, we shall have to disagree and then
stand fast without losing their friendship.
Then there are those whom we like to call our destructive critics. They power-drive,
they are politickers, they make accusations. Maybe they are violent, malicious. They pitch
gobs of rumors, gossip, and general scuttle-butt to gain their ends all for the good of
A.A., of course! But in A.A. we have at last learned that these folks, who may be a trifle sick
er than the rest of us, need not be really destructive at all, depending very much on how
we relate ourselves to them.
To begin with, we ought to listen carefully to what they say. Sometimes they are telling
the whole truth; at other times, a little truth. More often, though, they are just rationalizing
themselves into nonsense. If we are within range, the whole truth, the half truth, or no truth
at all can prove equally unpleasant to us. That is why we have to listen so carefully. If they
have got the whole truth, or even a little truth, then we had better thank them and get on
with our respective inventories, admitting we were wrong. If it is nonsense, we can ignore
it. Or we can lay all the cards on the table and try to persuade them. Failing this, we can be
sorry they are too sick to listen, and we can try to forget the whole business. There are few
better means of self-survey and of developing genuine patience, than the work-outs these
usually well-meaning but erratic brother members afford us. This is always a large order
and we shall sometimes fail to make good on it ourselves. But we must keep trying.
Now we come to the all-important attribute of vision. Vision is, I think, the ability to
make good estimates, both for the immediate and for the more distant future. Some might
feel this sort of striving to be a sort of heresy, because we A.A.s are constantly telling our
selves, One day at a time. But that valuable principle really refers to our mental and emo
tional lives and means chiefly that we are not foolishly to repine over the past nor wish
fully to day-dream about the future.
As individuals and as a fellowship, we shall surely suffer if we cast the whole job of
planning for tomorrow onto a fatuous idea of Providence. Gods real Providence has
endowed us human beings with a considerable capacity for foresight, and He evidently
expects us to use it. Therefore we must distinguish between wishful fantasy about a happy
tomorrow and the present use of our powers of thoughtful estimate. This can spell the dif
ference between future progress and unforeseen woe.
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Vision is therefore the very essence of prudence, an essential virtue if ever there was
one. Of course we shall often miscalculate the future in whole or in part, but that is better
than to refuse to think at all.
The making of estimates has several aspects. We look at past and present experience
to see what we think it means. From this we derive a tentative idea or policy. Looking first
at the nearby future, we ask how our idea or policy might work. Then we ask how our poli
cies or ideas might apply under the several differing conditions that could arise in the
longer future. If an idea looks like a good bet, we try it on experimentally when that is
possible. Later we revalue the situation and ask whether our estimate is working out.
At about this stage we may have to take a critical decision. Maybe we have a policy or
plan that still looks fine and is apparently doing well. Nevertheless we ought to ponder
carefully what its longtime effect will be. Will todays nearby advantages boomerang into
large liabilities for tomorrow? The temptation will almost always be to seize the nearby
benefits and quite forget about the harmful precedents or consequences that we may be
setting in motion.
These are no fancy theories. We have found that we must use these principles of esti
mate constantly, especially at world service levels where the stakes are high. In public rela
tions, for example, we must estimate the reaction both of A.A. groups and the general pub
lic, both short-term and long-term. The same thing goes for our literature. Our finances
have to be estimated and budgeted. We must think about our service needs as they relate
to general economic conditions, group capability, and willingness to contribute. On many
such problems often we must try to think months and years ahead.
As a matter of fact, all of A.A.s Twelve Traditions were at first questions of estimate
and vision for the future. Years ago for example we slowly evolved an idea about A.A. being
self-supporting. There had been trouble here and there about outside gifts. Then still more
trouble developed. Consequently we began to devise a policy of no outside gifts. We
began to suspect that large sums of this kind would tend to make us irresponsible and
could divert us from our primary aim. Finally we saw that for the long pull, outside money
could really ruin us. At this point, what had been just an idea or general policy crystallized
firmly into an A.A. tradition. We saw that we must sacrifice the quick, nearby advantage
for long-term safety.
We went through this same process on anonymity. A few public breaks had looked
good. But finally the vision came that many such breaks eventually could raise havoc
among us. So it went: first a tentative idea, then an experimental policy, then a firm poli
cy, and finally a deep conviction a vision for tomorrow.
Such is our process of estimating the future and responsible world leadership must be
proficient in this vital activity. It is an essential ability, especially in our Trustees. Most of
them, in my view, should be chosen on the basis that they have already demonstrated an
aptness for foresight in their own business or professional careers.
We shall be in continual need of these same attributes tolerance, responsibility,
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flexibility, and vision among our leaders of A.A. services at all levels. The principles of
leadership will be the same whatever the size of the operation.
Maybe this seems like an attempt to stake out a specially privileged and superior type
of A.A. member. But it really is not so. We simply are recognizing that our talents vary
greatly. The conductor of an orchestra is not necessarily good at finance or foresight. And
it is quite unlikely that a fine banker could be a great musical performer. So when we talk
about A.A. leadership we only declare that we ought to select that leadership on the basis
of obtaining the best talent we can find.
While this article was first thought of in connection with our world service leadership,
it is possible that some of its suggestions can be useful to anyone who takes an active part
in our Society.
This is true particularly in the area of Twelfth Step work, in which nearly all of us are
actively engaged. Every sponsor is necessarily a leader. The stakes are about as big as they
could be. A human life and usually the happiness of a whole family hang in the balance.
What the sponsor does and says, how well he estimates the reactions of his prospects, how
well he times and makes his presentation, how well he handles criticisms, and how well he
leads his prospect on by personal spiritual example these qualities of leadership can
make all the difference, often the difference between life and death.
We thank God that Alcoholics Anonymous is blessed with so much leadership in all
of its affairs.
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Concept X
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.
Nearly all societies and governments of today exhibit serious deviations from the very
sound principle that each operational responsibility must be accompanied by a correspond
ing authority to discharge it.
This is why we have been at such pains in preceding discussions to define the several
authorities and responsibilities of the A.A. groups, the Conference, the Trustees, and our
active service corporations. We have tried to make sure that authority in each of these lev
els is equal to responsibility. Then we have tried to relate these levels one to another in such
a way that this principle is maintained throughout.
An outstanding characteristic of every good operational structure is that it guarantees
harmonious and effective function by relating its several parts and people in such a way
that none can doubt what their respective responsibilities and corresponding authorities
actually are. Unless these attributes are well defined; unless those holding the final author
ity are able and willing properly to delegate and maintain a suitable operational authori
ty; unless those holding such delegated authority feel able and willing to use their delegat
ed authority freely as trusted servants; and unless there exists some definite means of inter
preting and deciding doubtful situations then personal clashes, confusion, and ineffec
tiveness will be inevitable.
The matter of responsibility and its necessary and co-equal authority is of such urgent
importance that we might profitably recapitulate what has already been said, meanwhile
taking a birds-eye-view of our entire structure to better envision how this principle does,
and always must, apply in our every activity and attitude.
The first characteristic that any working structure must have is a point, or succession
of points, where there is an ultimate responsibility and therefore an ultimate authority. We
have already seen how, for A.A.s world services, this kind of final responsibility and
authority resides in the A.A. groups themselves. And they in turn have apportioned some
of their ultimate authority to the Conference and the Trustees.
We have observed how the Conference Delegates, directly representing the groups, are
actually in a position of ultimate authority over the Trustees. We have seen further how the
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Trustees are in ultimate authority over the General Service Boards wholly-owned service
corporations A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. Likewise we know
that the directors of these corporations are in ultimate authority over their officers who,
on their part, are in like authority over their staffs.
The principle of ultimate authority runs clear through our structure. This is neces
sary, because all of our service affairs and activities have to head up somewhere for final
responsibility. Ultimate authority is also needed so that each worker or each classification
of servants knows where and who the final boss is.
If however, ultimate authority is not carefully qualified by delegated authority, we
then have the reverse result. Were there no delegated authority, the groups would be direct
ing their Delegates on every important vote, the Delegates would similarly turn the
Trustees into a timid committee which would receive point-blank direction on just about
everything; the Trustees would then install themselves as the sole directors of the service
entities and would commence to run them by directives. The corporate executives would
become small czars, pushing the working staffs about. In short, such a misuse of ultimate
authority would add up to a dictatorship wherein nearly every classification of A.A. ser
vants would have large responsibilities but no real or certain authority, and hence no capa
bility of effective decision and leadership with which to operate. Big or little tyrannies and
buck-passing would be the inevitable penalties.
Therefore it becomes clear that ultimate authority is something which cannot be used
indiscriminately. Indeed ultimate authority should practically never be used in full, except
in an emergency. That emergency usually arises when delegated authority has gone wrong,
when it must be reorganized because it is ineffective, or because it constantly exceeds its
defined scope and purpose. For example, if the groups are dissatisfied with the Conference,
they can elect better Delegates or withhold funds. If the Delegates must, they can censure
or reorganize the Trustees. The Trustees can do the same with the service corporations. If
a corporation does not approve of the operations of its executives or staff, any or all of
them can be fired.
These are the proper uses of ultimate authority, because they rightly discharge a truly
ultimate responsibility. The influence of ultimate authority must always be felt, but it is
perfectly clear that when delegated authority is operating well it should not be constantly
interfered with. Otherwise those charged with operating responsibility will be demoralized
because their authority to do their work will be subject to arbitrary invasion, and because
their actual responsibility will be made greater than their real authority.
How have we structurally tried to restrain the natural human tendency of those in
ultimate authority to usurp and take over the needed operational or delegated authority?
Well, this has been a large order, and several structural devices have been required. Let us
review them, noting how they apply.
In our structure we have tried to create at each level accurate definitions of authority
and responsibility. We have done this (a) by legal means, (b) by traditional means, and (c)
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by principles under which doubtful and seemingly or really conflicting situations can be
interpreted and readily resolved.
Take the Conference Charter. It is not a legal instrument, but practically speaking it is
the substance of a contract between the A.A. groups and their Conference. The Charter
makes clear in a general way that the A.A. groups have delegated some of their ultimate
authority and all needed operational authority to the Conference, which includes the
Trustees and the active services. It is further suggested, in these present articles, that each
Conference member on a final vote be entitled to cast his ballot according to the dictates
of his own conscience; that the Conference itself also be granted, under the traditional
Right of Decision, the privilege of choosing which matters it will decide by itself and
which it will refer back to the groups for their discussion, guidance or direction. These are
the traditional definitions which can check the natural tendency of the groups to overinstruct Delegates. This gives the Conference an authority equal to its real responsibility.
Consider next the position of the Trustees. In previous articles we have made it clear
that although the Conference has the ultimate authority, the Trustees at most times must
insist on their legal right to actively administer our service affairs. Their legal right has
been further strengthened and its use encouraged by the traditional Right of Decision.
In these articles we also recognize that the Trustees have a legal right of veto over the
Conference when, in rare cases, they feel this be should used. By these means we have guar
anteed the Trustees an administrative authority equal to their actual responsibility. This
has of course been done without denying in any way the ultimate authority of the
Conference, or of the Delegates, should it be really necessary to give the Trustees directives
or censures, or to reorganize the Board. It should also be noticed that the position of the
Trustees is still further strengthened by their voting participation in the Conference and
by the recognition that they are A.A.s primary world service administrators.
Much care has also been taken to guarantee the Directors of A.A. World Services, Inc.
and the A.A. Grapevine, Inc. an ample operating authority that fully matches their respon
sibility for the routine conduct of our active services. The Charter provisions of their
corporations legally protect their rights; the tradition that the Trustees must elect nonTrustee experts to these boards strengthens them further. Besides, the traditional Right of
Decision adds still more substance to their position. In these Concepts the perils of turn
ing the General Service Board back into a departmentalized operating corporation have
also been emphasized.
These are the extraordinary precautions we have taken to maintain the operating
authority and integrity of the active services themselves. These safeguards are necessary
because the General Service Board owns these corporations. Therefore the authority of the
Trustees over them is not only ultimate, it is absolute the moment the Trustees want to
make it that way. They can elect new boards of directors at any time; they control the cor
porate budget; they can withhold operating funds. All these powers are needed and right.
Nevertheless, so long as things go well, it is highly important that the Trustees do not
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unnecessarily interfere with, or usurp the operating authority of these entities. Hence the
care we have taken in constructing these definitions of delegated authority.
To a considerable degree, the standing committees of the General Service Board
Policy, Finance, Public Relations, and the like have a similar latitude. Under the princi
ple of the Right of Decision, each primary committee may choose what business it will
dispose of on its own and what matters it will refer to the Board. The position of these
committees is also fortified by the appointment of a generous proportion of non-Trustee
members. Here, too, we try to make the authority of these committees equal to their
responsibility.1
Now we come to the matter of conflicting authorities and to the question of how these
conflicts are to be resolved. Most routine conflicts in the active services are easily settled,
because we have provided ready communication between all service corporations and the
committees of the General Service Board. For example: at every meeting of The Grapevine
Boards or staff, a representative of A.A. World Services, Inc. is present, and vice versa. The
General Policy Committee always contains one or more members of the Finance and
Budgetary Committee, and vice versa. Such interlocking provides easy communication.
Each entity knows what the other is doing. This practical arrangement irons out many
conflicts of authority but not all.
Suppose, for example, that the framing and execution of an important A.A. policy is
involved. In such a case the General Policy Committee naturally assumes the primary
jurisdiction, taking on the job of planning and of making recommendations to the Board
of Trustees.
Let us suppose, however, that a considerable sum of money will be needed. In such a
case the plan also will have to be placed before the Finance and Budgetary Committee. If
this committee agrees that the expenditure is warranted and is in line with the over-all
budget, it tells the Policy Committee to go ahead and make its recommendation to the
Trustees. But if the Finance and Budgetary Committee objects, then it must file its objec
tion with the Trustees, who will settle the issue. Or if they think it necessary, the Trustees
will refer the matter to the Conference.
The principle of primary and a secondary jurisdiction also works the other way
round. If the Finance Committee, for example, proposes a large expenditure that may
strongly affect A.A. feeling and policy, it must be sure to check with the Policy Committee,
even though the main jurisdiction still lies with the Budget and Finance people.
In all matters of joint or conflicting authority, therefore, a senior jurisdiction must be
established. The junior jurisdiction must be heard and, regardless of the question involved,
there must be an understood point or body where a final settlement can be had. It is
understood that lesser conflicts are not to be loaded upon the Trustees for final decision.
But it should always be clear where the point of final decision is located.
A condition to be avoided at all costs is double-headed business or policy manage
ment. Authority can never be divided into equal halves. Nowhere does such split authori
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ty or double-headed management so bedevil a structure as in its executive departments.

The vital need of avoiding double-headed executive management will be fully discussed
under Concept XI.
In addition to the methods we use to make delegated authority equal to delegated
responsibility, we have two more guarantees the Right of Appeal and the Right of
Petition. As we know, a bare majority is apt to constitute itself as a pseudo-ultimate
authority on many occasions when it should not do so. Likewise, executives are apt to overboss their assistants. Therefore we use the concepts of appeal and petition to insure that
every minority, and every worker doing a job, has an authority and a status commensurate
with the responsibility involved.
To sum up: Let us always be sure that there is an abundance of final or ultimate
authority to correct or to reorganize; but let us be equally sure that all of our trusted ser
vants have a clearly defined and adequate authority to do their daily work and to discharge
their clear responsibilities.
All of this is fully implied in A.A.s Tradition Two. Here we see the group conscience
as the ultimate authority and the trusted servant as the delegated authority. One cannot
function without the other. We well know that only by means of careful definitions and
mutual respect can we constantly maintain a right and harmonious working balance.
In the years since Bill wrote on the General Policy Committee (see also p. 52), its functions have changed
markedly. Now known as the General Sharing Session, it meets three times a year for about two hours on the
Saturday preceding the General Service Board meeting, and considers the long-range plans of board commit
tees and other topics of special interest. Its membership comprises all the trustees, the A.A.W.S. and Grapevine
directors and staffs, and the appointed members of the board committees.
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Concept XI
While the Trustees hold final responsibility for

A.A.s world service administration, they should
always have the assistance of the best possible
standing committees, corporate service directors,
executives, 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 ser
vice, the systems of their rotation, the way in which
they are related to each other, the special rights
and duties of our executives, staffs and consul
tants, together with a proper basis for the financial
compensation of these special workers, will always
be matters for serious care and concern.
The longtime success of our General Service Board will rest not only on the capabilities of
the Trustees themselves; it will depend quite as much upon the competent leadership and
harmonious association of those non-Trustee committee members, corporate service
directors, executives and staff members who must actively carry on A.A.s world services.
Their quality and dedication, or their lack of these characteristics, will make or break our
structure of service. Our final dependency on them will always be great indeed.
Far more than most of the Trustees, these servants will be in direct contact with A.A.
world-wide, and their performance will be constantly on view. They will perform most of
the routine labor. They will carry on most of our services. They will travel widely and will
receive most visitors at the Headquarters. They will often originate new plans and policies.
Some of them will eventually become Trustees. Because this group will form the visible
image of world service, most A.A.s will measure our service values by what they see and
feel in them. Members of this group will not only support the world leadership of the
Trustees; in the nature of the case they will be bound to share world leadership with them.
Fortunately we already have a sound internal structure of service in which a very com
petent group of non-Trustee servants are now working. Only a few refinements and
changes will still be needed in A.A. World Services, Inc. and at The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.,
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the latter being a comparatively recent comer to our service scene. The main outlines of
this underlying structure are now defined, and the effectiveness of this arrangement has
been well proven. Of what, then, does our underlying structure of service consist?
It is composed of the following elements: the five1 standing committees of the General
Service Board, plus our two active service corporations, A.A. World Services, Inc. (includ
ing its A.A. publishing division) and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. Lets have a look at each of
these operations.
The standing committees of the General Service Board are Nominating, Finance and
Budgetary, Public Information, Literature, and General Policy the titles clearly denot
ing the direct administrative responsibilities of the General Service Board. These commit
tees are appointed yearly by the General Service Board Chairman, and each committee, as
we have seen, includes a suitable proportion of Trustees, non-Trustee experts in the work
to be done, a Headquarters executive and a staff worker.
The Nominating Committee: This committee aids the Trustees in discharging their
prime obligation to see that all vacancies whether within their own ranks or
among key service directors, executives, staff members are properly filled with
members and workers of the greatest possible competence, stability and industry.
The recommendations of this committee to a large extent will determine the
continuous success of our services. Its members will have the primary voice in
choosing our future Trustees and non-Trustee workers. Careful deliberation,
painstaking investigation and interviewing, refusal to accept casual recommen
dations, preparation well in advance of lists of suitable candidates these will
need to be the principal attitudes and activities of this committee. All temptation
to haste or snap judgment will need to be faithfully and constantly resisted.
Another problem that future committees may have to face is the subtle ten
dency toward deterioration in the caliber of personnel due to the very natural
and usually unconscious tendency of those who suggest nominees to select indi
viduals of somewhat less ability than themselves. Instinctively we look for asso
ciates rather like ourselves, only a little less experienced and able. For example,
what executive is likely to recommend an assistant who is a great deal more com
petent than he is? What group of staff members will suggest a new associate
whose capabilities are a great deal above their own average? The reverse is the
more likely. Government bureaus, institutions and many commercial enterpris
es suffer this insidious deterioration. We have not yet experienced it to any
extent, but let us be sure that we never do. All of us need to be on guard against
this ruinous trend, especially the Nominating Committee, whose first and last
duty is to choose only the best obtainable for each vacant post.
The Finance and Budgetary Committee: The main responsibility of this body is to see
that we do not become money-crippled or go broke. This is the place where
money and spirituality do have to mix, and in just the right proportion. Here we
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need hard-headed members with much financial experience. All should be real
ists, and a pessimist or two can be useful. The whole temper of todays world is
to spend more than it has, or may ever have. Many of us consequently are infect
ed with this rosy philosophy. When a new and promising A.A. service project
moves into sight, we are apt to cry, Never mind the money, lets get at it. This is
when our budgeteers are expected to say Stop, look and listen. This is the exact
point where the savers come into a constructive and healthy collision with the
spenders. The primary function of this committee, therefore, is to see that
our Headquarters operation is always solvent and that it stays that way, in good
times and bad.
This committee must conservatively estimate each years income. It needs to
develop plans for increasing our revenues. It will keep a cold and watchful eye on
needless cost, waste and duplication. It will closely scrutinize the yearly budgets
of estimated income and expense submitted by A.A. World Services, Inc. and The
A.A. Grapevine, Inc. It will recommend amendments of the estimates when nec
essary. At mid-year it will ask for budget revisions if earlier estimates have gone
too much wrong. It will scrutinize every new and considerable expenditure ask
ing Is this necessary or desirable now? Can we afford it, all considered?
This committee, in good times, will insist that we continue to set aside
substantial sums to our Reserve Fund. It will pursue an investment policy in that
fund which will guarantee the immediate availability of at least two-thirds of
it at any time, without loss, thereby enabling us to meet hard times or even
a calamity.
This is not to say that our Finance and Budgetary Committee constantly says
no and fearfully hoards our money. I can remember an earlier day when we were
so intent on building up the Reserve Fund out of book earnings that we let the
office services run down badly for sheer lack of enough help to cope with our fast
growth. Confidence was thereby lost out in the groups, and contributions suffered
severely; they dropped by tens of thousands a year. By the time the office had been
reorganized and confidence restored, we had used all our current book earnings
and a large part of our Reserve Funds besides. This sort of false and unimagina
tive economy can prove very costly in spirit, in service and in money.
Future committees, therefore, will ponder the difference between real pru
dence (which is neither fear nor hoarding and which may indeed require us some
times to run temporary deficits) and that kind of persistent recklessness which
could someday result in the severe contraction or collapse of our vital services.
The safe course will usually lie midway between reckless budget-slashing
and imprudent spending.
The Public Information Committee: This one, too, is of top importance. Of course
most of its members should be experts in the field of public relations. But
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emphasis should also be laid on the fact that sheer commercial expertness will
not be quite enough. Because of A.A.s traditional conservatism, reflected in the
maxim Attraction rather than promotion, it is evident that the professional
members of the committee should be capable of adapting their business experi
ence to A.A.s needs. For instance, the techniques used to sell a big time person
ality or a new hair lotion would not be for A.A. The committee should always
include a certain number of A.A.s who, because of long experience, really do
have A.A. sense, that is, a thorough grasp of our total picture and what it needs
public relation-wise.
At the same time let us not overlook the need for high professional skill.
Dealing with the huge complex of public communications as it exists today is not
a job wholly for amateurs. Skill in this area implies much technical experience,
diplomacy, a sense of what is dangerous and what is not, the courage to take cal
culated risks, and a readiness to make wise but tradition-abiding compromises.
These are the skilled talents we shall always need.
We are trying our best to reach more of those 25 million alcoholics who
today inhabit the world. We have to reach them directly and indirectly. In order
to accomplish this it will be necessary that understanding of A.A. and public
good will towards A.A. go on growing everywhere. We need to be on even better
terms with medicine, religion, employers, governments, courts, prisons, mental
hospitals, and all those conducting enterprises in the alcohol field. We need the
increasing good will of editors, writers, television and radio channels. These pub
licity outlets local, national and international should be opened wider and
wider, always forgoing, however, high pressure promotion tactics. It is to, and
through, all these resources that we must try to carry A.A.s message to those who
suffer alcoholism and its consequences.
This accounts for the importance in which we hold the work and the rec
ommendations of our Public Information Committee. It is a critical assignment;
a single large public blunder could cost many lives and much suffering because
it would turn new prospects away. Conversely, every real public relations success
brings alcoholics in our direction.
The Literature Committee: This body is charged with the revision of existing books and
pamphlets; also with the creation of fresh pamphlet material to meet new needs
or changing conditions. Broadly speaking, its mission is to see that an adequate
and comprehensive view of A.A. in its every aspect is held up in writing to our
members, friends, and to the world at large. Our literature is a principal means by
which A.A. recovery, unity and service are facilitated. Tons of books and pam
phlets are shipped each year. The influence of this material is incalculable. To keep
our literature fully abreast of our progress is therefore an urgent and vital work.
The Literature Committee constantly will have to solve new problems of
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design, format and content. Here our policy is to aim at only the best; we firmly
believe that cheap looking, cheap selling, and poorly conceived literature is
not in A.A.s best interest from any standpoint, whether effectiveness, economy
or any other.
Like other General Service Board Committees, this one must be expert in
the work to be done. A key figure in its operation will necessarily be a paid writer
and consultant. The creative work that is, the initial form and draft and the
final development of new undertakings will be for this specialist to make. The
role of the other committeemen will be of constructive criticism and amendment
of the consultants effort. Here, too, we should remember that the committee
must certainly include persons of wide A.A. experience. This matter of getting
the A.A. feel into all our writings is absolutely vital. What we say so well by word
of mouth we must also communicate in print.
The Literature Committee consequently will find it desirable to test careful
ly each new creation by asking a number of A.A.s who are sensitive to A.A. feel
ing and reaction, to offer their criticism and suggestions. If the new material is to
affect the nonalcoholic world, especially the fields of medicine and religion, a
consultation should be held with those nonalcoholic Trustees or other qualified
friends who are knowledgeable in these areas.
The General Policy Committee Perhaps this is the most important of all of the General
Service Board Committees, and it is regarded as the senior one. It can take
jurisdiction of practically all problems or projects which involve A.A. policy,
public information, or A.A. Traditions that may arise in the other committees or
service corporations.2
Several years ago it became evident that the mass of business coming before
the quarterly Trustees meetings had become too big to handle. We therefore had
to devise a committee that could filter all these matters, disposing of the lesser
and fully examining the larger. The object was to break the jam at Trustees meet
ings and to present the Board with carefully discussed recommendations, includ
ing minority reports, on the more serious issues. Thus the attention of the
General Service Board could be accurately focused on what it really had to do.
This committee, with ample time at its disposal, could also strengthen our
process of planning and policy formation. It could avert blunders, both large and
small, due to haste.
This was our original concept, and it has worked wonderfully well. Because
this committee is designed to be super-sensitive to A.A. opinion and reaction, its
hard core is composed of (a) the out-of-town A.A. Trustees, one of whom is
traditionally named chairman, (b) two staff members of the World Service
Office, (c) the president of the A.A. World Services, Inc., who is also general man
ager of the World Office, (d) the president of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., who is
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the editor, and (e) those Trustees and service directors known to be long experi
enced with our Fellowship.
All other Trustees, committee members and directors and staffs are invited
to attend meetings the Trustees because they can thus get a preview of the
questions that will confront them at their own meeting to follow the com
mitteemen and directors because in this way they will get a comprehensive pic
ture of what other Headquarters units have been doing.
This is a large committee and it operates town meeting-style, requiring
four to six hours each Sunday afternoon preceding the Monday quarterly meet
ing of the General Service Board. A carefully worked out agenda is always pre
pared. The committee issues to the Trustees a full report of its recommendations,
together with any minority views. Its report also shows the actual disposition of
minor matters.
This General Policy Committee has greatly strengthened our Headquarters
unity. All participants get the feeling that they are on the team. The size of the
meeting is no obstacle. Many minds, plenty of time, and real sensitivity to A.A.
insure a remarkable effectiveness of policy and planning.
Again it is emphasized that none of these five General Service Board
Committees are executive in character. They do not manage and conduct the
active affairs of the service corporations. They may, however, make any recom
mendations they wish to the service corporations themselves or to the
Trustees. It will be noted that the General Policy Committee always examines the
quarterly reports of the corporate services and such reports of the other General
Service Board Committees as may be available at meeting time. The committee
can and does comment upon these reports and makes recommendations
respecting them.
Next to be considered will be our active service corporations. A.A. World Services, Inc.
and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. Their activities probably represent nine-tenths of our direct
Headquarters effort.
The General Service Board owns the stock of these entities.3 Therefore the Trustees
yearly elect all of their directors, seven (at present) in each corporation. This means that
so far as the routine direction of our established services is concerned, the Trustees have
fully delegated their executive function in these constantly active service areas.
The directorate of A.A. World Services, Inc. (including the A.A. Publishing division)
is traditionally composed of two Trustees for custodial oversight, three non-Trustee
experts in the work to be done, and two executives, the general manager of the World
Office and one of his staff assistants, who are president and vice president respectively. The
two Trustee directors usually have seen past service on the Board as non-Trustee experts,
and one of them is customarily named Treasurer. A.A. directors thus are those thorough
ly experienced with these operations.4
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The Grapevine situation is similarly structured, with two exceptions. The two Trustee
directors of the Grapevine are (1) an ex-editor of the Grapevine, and (2) a finance man
who has previously served on the Grapevine Board. The latter Trustee traditionally is made
its chairman, and he presides at corporate meetings. This is because neither the editor, who
is traditionally the Grapevine president, nor his staff member director, the vice president,
ordinarily will have the needed business experience to chair the Grapevine corporate
board. This arrangement also places the chairman in a favorable position to mediate dif
ferences that may arise between the editorial and business departments of the enterprise.
The Grapevine also has an Editorial Board which names its own successors, subject to the
approval of the corporate Board.5
The Editorial Board assists the editor and his staff in determining the editorial policy,
slant and content of the magazine. It relieves the editor (up to now, a volunteer) of some of
his work load. It surveys and makes recommendations respecting Grapevine promotional
material going to the groups. It gives our makeup men, artists and writers both status and
coherence in their joint efforts. And it is a training ground for future editors. Our Editorial
Board therefore is the chief guarantor of the magazines quality and editorial continuity.
Every new generation of workers will raise certain questions about these two corporate
questions: Why cant both of them be consolidated into the General Service Board? Or,
Why cant the Grapevine be merged into A.A. World Services, Inc., thus placing all active
Headquarters operations under a single management? These questions have already been
discussed under previous Concepts. We have concluded that the General Service Board is
an unsuitable vehicle for an operating corporation; that because the Grapevine is such a dis
similar operation, and because we ought not concentrate too much money and executive
authority in a single entity, there should be no merger of A.A. World Services and The A.A.
Grapevine. Upon these points we seem well agreed at least, as of now.
But this question has some other variations. It will often be asked, If it is desirable to
separately incorporate dissimilar enterprises, why then shouldnt the A.A. Publishing divi
sion of A.A. World Services be separately incorporated and managed by a board of direc
tors specially skilled in book and booklet publishing? Offhand, this looks logical.
Today, however, A.A. Publishing is mostly a business operation. Unlike a commercial
publisher, we do not have to ensure the selection, writing and publication of a lot of new
books each year. Most of our A.A. books are already written, and it is probable that not
many more will be published. Of course we shall issue new pamphlets now and then and
revisions of older material occasionally are desirable. But this relatively small amount of
creative publishing work can be handled easily by the Literature Committee. Hence the
operation of the A.A. Publishing division of A.A. World Services, Inc., is now mostly a mat
ter of printing, distribution, accounting and finance. For management purposes there is
therefore no present need for a separate corporation; it is only required that the books of
A.A. World Services, Inc. show a separate accounting for its A.A. Publishing division. Only
in the highly unlikely event of a large and protracted entry into the new book business
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would we really ever need a separate corporate management.

Another question will be this: Why dont we merge A.A. Publishing with The A.A.
Grapevine, so placing all of our literature under a unified management? The answer here
is based on the complete dissimilarity of the two enterprises. The Grapevine has to pro
duce a brand new quality product every month, on the dot. By contrast, A.A. Publishing
success largely depends upon what has already been written.
In the Grapevine the paramount activity is therefore the creative. The Grapevine
requires several paid staff members and the constant aid of a large number of specialized
volunteers without whose help it could not operate. Why, then, should we load up these
people with a lot more straight business activity? Obviously we should not.
Another question often is posed, Why should A.A. World Services, Inc. not take over
all the Grapevines accounting, finances, promotion and distribution. Would not such a
consolidation of financing, employees and routine business be more efficient and eco
nomical? Would not this relieve the Grapevine of all business headaches?
This plan, too, looks reasonable at first glance. Nevertheless the chances are it would
work poorly. It has serious structural defects. It would violate the basic good-management
principle that whoever has the responsibility for a given task must also have the needed
authority, funds, personnel and equipment to carry it out. The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
unquestionably holds full responsibility for its own solvency, promotion, policy, and the
management of its circulation. It is supposed to have four business directors, expert in
these phases of magazine operation. The Conference and the General Service Board will
always hold them accountable. If, therefore, any large part of the Grapevine business
functions are transferred to a completely different corporate management over which
the Grapevine has no authority, what then? This certainly would be double-headed
management and a source of continuous conflict. The Grapevine Board would become
virtually impotent.
Such a situation also would tend to demoralize the editor, his staff and the Editorial
Board, all of them specialized volunteers. This group now has a representation of three
directors on the Grapevine Board. In such a corporate body it is now possible to reconcile
the editorial desire for excellence in the magazine with the financial realities of the
Grapevine situation. But if the business function of the Grapevine was transferred to A.A.
World Services, Inc., the status and influence of the GV editorial people would be reduced
to almost nothing. World Service directors would be mostly interested in business efficien
cy and solvency, while the GV editorial representatives would still be looking for quality and
magazine improvements. There would be no practical way of reconciling these differences.
The business directors of A.A. World Services, Inc., would dominate the editorial workers
and therefore the editorial policy. The editorial group would find that they had become a
mere committee, taking directions from A.A. World Services. Who pays the piper calls the
tune would become the actual working arrangement. Having so split the management of
the Grapevine in halves and having abandoned the principle of Participation, it is doubt
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ful if we could make this setup work at all, especially with all those volunteers. We might
save some money, but we probably could not save the magazine.
Joint arrangements between The A.A. Grapevine and A.A. World Services for routine
operations such as billing, mailing, etc., are not necessarily precluded, though to a lesser
degree the same kind of frictions above described can be expected to develop unless there
is the clearest possible understanding of who controls what and when.
We who now work at A.A.s Headquarters are pretty much in agreement on the fore
going operations. They are recorded in some detail for whatever future benefits they may
be. We deeply realize that we should be on guard always against structural tinkering just
for money-saving purposes. These departures can often result in so much disharmony and
consequent inefficiency that nothing is really saved, and there can often be a real loss.
A detailed description of the active operational side of our General Service Board
Committees and active service corporations is too lengthy to set down here. But we should
take note, however, of several more principles and problems which are common to both
A.A. World Services, Inc. and to The A.A. Grapevine.
1. The status of executives executive direction and policy formation distinguished: No
active service can function well unless it has sustained and competent executive
direction. This must always head up in one person, supported by such assistants as he
needs. A board or a committee can never actively manage anything, in the continu
ous executive sense. This function has to be delegated to a single person. That per
son has to have ample freedom and authority to do his job, and he should not be
interfered with so long as his work is done well.
Real executive ability cannot be plucked from any bush; it is rare and hard to come
by. A special combination of qualities is required. The executive must inspire by
energy and example, thereby securing willing cooperation. If that cooperation is not
forthcoming, he must know when real firmness is in order. He must act without
favor or partiality. He must comprehend and execute large affairs, while not neglect
ing the smaller. He often must take the initiative in plan making.
The use of such executive abilities implies certain realizations on the part of the
executive and those who work with him, otherwise there is apt to be misunder
standing. Because of their natural drive and energy, executives will sometimes fail to
distinguish between routine execution of established plans and policies, and the
making of new ones. In this area they may tend to make new plans and put them into
operation without sufficiently consulting those whose work is to be affected, or those
whose experience and wisdom is actually or officially needed.
A good executive is necessarily a good salesman. But he often wants the fast sell and
quick results on those very occasions where patient consultation with many people
is in order. However this is far better than timid delay and constant requests to be
told by somebody or other what to do. The executive who overdrives can be reason
ably restrained by the structural situation, and definitions within which he has to
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work. But a weak and wobbly executive is of little use at any time.
It is the duty of the good executive therefore to learn discrimination of when he
should act on his own and when limited or wide consultation is proper, and when he
should ask for specific definitions and directions. This discrimination is really up to
him. His privilege of making these choices is structurally guaranteed by the Right
of Decision. He can always be censured after his acts, but seldom before.
In our world services we still have two more important executive problems. One is
the lack of money to hire full-time top executives for A.A. World Services, Inc. and
for the A.A. Grapevine. In our World Services Office, we can now afford only a parttime general manager.6 In the Grapevine we must rely on a volunteer.*7 Of course
each of these executives has paid staff assistants. But the fact that one of our top exec
utives can only give half his time and the other one considerably less, is by no means
an ideal situation.
A chief-executive-in-fact should be constantly on the job, and ours cannot be.
Someday we may be able to correct this defect. Even then, however, we should not
make the mistake of hiring full-time executives who, lacking the necessary experi
ence and caliber, are willing to work cheaply. No more expensive blunder than this
could possibly be made. Outstanding ability in a volunteer, or a part-timer, is defi
nitely preferable to that.
The second executive difficulty is inherent in our A.A. situation. Our key people at
Headquarters are A.A. members; they have to be. Therefore the executives and their
staffs are friends in A.A., members of the same club. This sometimes makes it hard
for an executive to give firm guidance and equally hard for his A.A. friends to accept
it. Our A.A. executives find that they not only have to run a business; they must also
keep their friends. In turn, those working under them have to realize seriously that
we really do have a business to conduct as well as a cooperative spiritual enterprise
to foster. Therefore a reasonable amount of discipline and direction is a necessity.
Those who cannot or will not see this are not well suited for Headquarters work.
Although excessive apartness or roughshod authority is to be rejected in an execu
tive, nobody should complain if he is both friendly and firm. These problems are not
insoluble; we do solve them right along, mostly by the application of A.A. principles.
Problems of this sort occasionally crop up, but General Service Headquarters is not
constantly beset with them. Because of the exceptional dedication of our people, a
degree of harmony and effectiveness prevails that is unusual in the conduct of an
outside business.
2. Paid workers, how compensated: We believe that each paid executive, staff member or
consultant should be recompensed in reasonable relation to the value of his or her
similar services or abilities in the commercial world.
This policy is often misunderstood. Many A.A.s no doubt regard A.A. world ser
* GV finances being much improved, a part-time paid editor was engaged early in 1962.
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vices as a sort of necessary charity that has to be paid for. It is forgotten that our par
ticular charity is just as beneficial to us as it is to the newcomer; that many of those
services are designed for the general welfare and protection of us all. We are not like
rich benefactors who would aid the sick and the poor. We are helping others in order
to help ourselves.
Another mistaken idea is that our paid workers should labor cheaply, just as char
ity workers often do elsewhere. If adopted, this concept would mark our service
workers for unusual financial sacrifices, sacrifices that we would ask no other A.A.s
to make. We A.A.s would be saying to each worker, We send Headquarters $3.00
apiece every year. But it would be just great if you would work for A.A. at $2,000 a
year less than you would be worth elsewhere. Seen in this light, the low-pay theory
appears as absurd as it really is, especially when we remember that A.A.s world ser
vice overhead is about the smallest per capita of any large society on earth. The dif
ference between fair and poor pay at World Headquarters is a matter only of a few
cents a year to each of us.
We should also consider the well-known fact that cheap help is apt to feel insecure
and be inefficient. It is very costly in the long run. This is neither good spirituality
nor good business. Assuming that service money is readily available, we should
therefore compensate our workers well.
3. Rotation among paid staff workers:8 At A.A.s World Office, most staff members
assignments are changed yearly. When engaged, each staff member is expected to
possess the general ability to do, or to learn how to do, any job in the place except
ing for office management where, because of the special skills involved, rotation may
sometimes be limited to part of the A.A. staff. But the basis of compensating all staff
members is identical. Pay increases are based on time served only.
In the business world, such an arrangement would be unworkable. It would prac
tically guarantee indifference and mediocrity, because the usual money and prestige
incentives would be lacking. In our entire operating situation, this is the sole major
departure from the structure of corporate business. Consequently there should be
proved and compelling reasons for such a corporate heresy, and there are.
Our primary reason for the adoption of rotation and equal staff pay was the secu
rity and continuity of the office. We once had the conventional system of one high
ly paid staff member with assistants as much lower pay. Hers had been the principal
voice in hiring them. Quite unconsciously, Im certain, she engaged people who she
felt would not be competitive with her. Meanwhile she kept a tight rein on all the
important business of the place. A prodigy of wonderful work was done. But sud
denly she collapsed, and shortly afterwards one of her assistants did the same. We
were left with only one partly trained assistant who knew anything whatever about
the total operation.
Luckily a good A.A. friend of mine, a fine organizer, pitched in and helped to put
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the office in order. We saw that we had to install a paid staff that simply couldnt
break down. Next time there might be no one around to give the necessary amount
of time for its reorganization. Besides this breakdown had cost us much confidence
out in the field so much so that we must have lost $50,000 in three years of
group contributions.
Thereafter we installed the principle of rotation in a considerably larger staff. Since
then we have experienced sudden departures and collapses of A.A. staff members,
each of which would have demoralized the place under the former conventional sys
tem. But since the remaining staff members always knew every assignment there was,
no trouble at all was experienced. Under such a condition replacements can be care
fully chosen and trained at leisure. And the usual tendency to select less able associ
ates is largely overcome.
By thus putting our staff members on a complete parity, the removal of the usual
money and prestige incentives did not really damage us at all. We A.A.s had what the
commercial venture often lacks: a dedicated desire to serve which replaced the usual
ego drives. At the same time many of the temptations to destructive competition and
office politicking were also removed. The spirit of the Headquarters improved
immeasurably and found it way out into the Fellowship.
In the future at those times when the rotation system does not work perfectly
there will be the natural demand to throw it out in the supposed interest of effi
ciency. Certainly our successors will be at liberty to try, but past experience surely
suggests that they may be jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
One more aspect of rotation: the matter of time. We already know that the more
responsible the assignment, the longer the term of service must be, if we are to have
effectiveness. For example, a group secretary can be changed every six months and
an Intergroup committeeman every year. But to be of any use whatever, a Delegate
has to serve two years, and a Trustee must serve four.
In the World Service Office we have found it impractical and unfair to set any fixed
term of employment. A staff member has to have several years training. Are we then
to throw her out, just as she is getting top grade? And if she realized that she could
only serve for a fixed period, could we have hired her in the first place? Probably not.
These posts are hard to fill because they require just the right ingredients of person
ality, ability, stability, business and A.A. experience. If we insisted on a fixed term of
service we would often be forced to engage A.A.s really not qualified. This would be
both harmful and unfair.
But we need not fear too many staff members getting old in the service. The
emotional pace of A.A. around the clock is too strenuous for most of them to take
for a very long period of time. Already they come and go for this and for other per
sonal reasons. Within reason, most of them can and must rotate from assignment to
assignment. But we should attempt no more rotation than this.
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Because of certain unusual skills required, rotation among Grapevine staff mem
bers is more difficult. If the magazine ever gets a part-time editor who can insist on
and help in their training, we may someday bring this about. But in the Grapevine
there will never be safety in numbers, as in the World Office. The present Grapevine
paid staff of two could serve a circulation of many times todays size.
4. Full Participation of paid workers is highly important: We have already discussed the
necessity of giving key paid personnel a voting representation on our committees
and corporate boards.9 We have seen that they should enjoy a status suitable to their
responsibility, just as our volunteers do. But full participation for paid workers can
not be established by voting rights only. Other special factors usually affect the extent
of their participation. Lets see what these are, and what can be done about them.
The first is the fact of employment for money; the employer-employee relation. In
human affairs authority and money are deeply linked. Possession or control of
money spells control of people. Unwisely used, as it often is, this control can result
in a very unhappy kind of division. This ranges the haves on one side of the fence
and the have nots on the other. There can be no reconciliation or harmony until a
part of that fence is taken down. Only then can proper authority join hands with a
responsible willingness to get on with the job.
In our A.A. structure of service we therefore must do more than give our paid
workers a place at the A.A. council table. We ought to treat them in all respects as we
would volunteers, people who are our friends and co-workers. So long as they work
well, the fact that they are dependent upon the money they receive should never,
consciously or unconsciously, be used as a lever against them. They must be made to
feel that they are on the team. If, however, they cannot or will not do their jobs, that
is something else again. We can and should let them go.
Women workers present still another problem. Our Headquarters is pretty much a
mans world. Some men are apt to feel, unconsciously, that they are womens superi
ors, thus producing a reflex reaction in the gals. Then, too, some of us of both sexes
have been emotionally damaged in the area of man-woman relations. Our drink
ing has made us wrongly dependent on our marriage partners. We have turned them
into our moms and pops, and then we have deeply resented that situation. Perhaps
maladjustment has taken still other turns which leave us with a hangover of hostility
that we are apt to project into any man-woman relatedness that we undertake.
It is possible for these forces to defeat the good working partnerships we would like
to have. But if we are fully aware of these tendencies they can be the more easily over
come, and forgiven. We can be aware also that any sound working relation between
adult men and women must be in the character of a partnership, a non-competitive
one in which each partner complements the other. It is not a question of superiori
ty or inferiority at all. Men, for example, because they are men, are apt to be better
at business. But suppose we replaced our six women staff members with six men?
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In these positions could the men possibly relate themselves so uniquely and so effec
tively to our Fellowship as the women? Of course not. The women can handle this
assignment far better, just because they are women.10
Such are the realizations which we can all use every day of our working lives.
Add to these the further thought that no organization structure can fully guarantee
our Headquarters against the depredations of clashing personalities, that only the
sustained willingness to practice spiritual principles in all our affairs can accomplish
this, and we shall never need to have any fear for our future harmony.
In the years since this was written, seven other specialized committees have been added: Cooperation With the
Professional Community/Treatment Facilities, General Service Conference, Archives, International
Convention/ Regional Forums, Correctional Facilities and International.
2 The Policy Committee is now known as the General Sharing Session, and its makeup and functions have
changed, as explained in foot note on p. 47.
3 Both A.A. World Services, Inc., and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. are now membership corporations; their mem
bers are the trustees.
4 The directorate of A.A. World Services, Inc. is now composed of: the G.S.O. general manager, who is the pres
ident of A.A.W.S.; a G.S.O. staff member, who is a vice-president; two regional trustees; two general service
trustees; three nontrustee directors. Its rotating chairperson is a trustee.
5 Today A.A. Grapevine, Inc., has nine directors. The Corporate Board is publisher of the magazine; the chief
operating officer is president. Two members of the board are general service trustees; two are regional trustees;
one is a nonalcoholic trustee; three are nontrustee directors. Production and management of the Grapevine
are given over to a full-time paid staff. One staff member is a member of the Corporate Board.
6 Since 1960 G.S.O. has had a full-time general manager.
7 Today there is a full-time editorial staff of four people and a part-time art director.
8 In order to meet the changing conditions since the writing of this section, A.A.W.S., Inc., with the approval of
the General Service Board, has implemented a two-year rotation of assignments for most staff members.
9 As a director of the A.A.W.S. Board, the staff member serving as staff coordinator has a vote.
10 These restrictions and gender distinctions ceased to apply in the late 70s when the first male staff member was
employed, and later in the mid-80s, when the first female senior-level manager was employed. Today, four out
of the eleven A.A. staff members are men, and half of the management team are women, reflecting a G.S.O.
hiring policy based on ability, and unrelated to gender and in compliance with all applicable Equal Employment
Opportunity and Fair Employment Practice laws.
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Concept XII
General Warranties of the Conference: in all its

proceedings, the General Service Conference shall
observe the spirit of the A.A. Tradition, taking
great care that the conference never becomes the
seat of perilous wealth or power; that sufficient
operating funds, plus an ample reserve, be its
prudent financial principle; that none of the
Conference Members shall ever be placed in a posi
tion of unqualified authority over any of the
others: that all important decisions be reached by
discussion vote and whenever possible, by substan
tial 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 Alcoholics Anonymous, it shall
never perform any acts of government; and that,
like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous which it
serves, the Conference itself will always remain
The Concept here considered consists of Article 12 of the Conference Charter. There are
good reasons for placing it in this context.
Taken as a whole, our Conference Charter is the substance of an informal agreement
which was made between the A.A. groups and their Trustees in 1955. It is the agreed basis
upon which the General Service Conference operates. In part, the Charter is an elastic doc
ument; its first eleven Articles can be readily amended by the Conference itself at any time.
But Article 12 of the Charter stands in a class by itself. An amendment or a cancellation
of any of its vital Warranties would require the written consent of three-quarters of all the
directory-listed A.A. groups who would actually vote on any such proposals, and the consid
erable time of six months is allowed for careful deliberation. Although changes in the
Warranties of Article 12 thus have been made difficult, they have not been made impossible.
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It is clear that all of these Warranties have a high and permanent importance to A.A.s
general welfare. This is why we believe we should permit change in them only upon posi
tive evidence of their defectiveness and then only by common consent of the A.A. groups
themselves. We have ranked them therefore with A.A.s Twelve Traditions, feeling that they
are quite as important to A.A.s world services as the Traditions are to A.A. as a whole.
The Warranties of Article 12 are a series of solemn undertakings which guarantee that
the Conference itself will conform to A.A.s Twelve Traditions; that the Conference can
never become the seat of great wealth or government; that its fiscal policy shall ever be pru
dent; that it will never create any absolute authority; that the principle of substantial una
nimity will be observed; that it will never take any punitive action; that it never will incite
public controversy; that it can serve A.A. only; and that it shall always remain democratic
in spirit. These Warranties indicate the qualities of prudence and spirituality which our
General Service Conference should always possess. Barring any unforeseen defects, these
are the permanent bonds that hold the Conference fast to the movement it serves.
There are significant aspects of these Warranties which should be considered. Notice,
for example, that all of them are counsels of prudence prudence in personal relatedness,
prudence in money matters, and prudence in our relations with the world about us. For
us, prudence is a workable middle ground, a channel of clear sailing between the obstacles
of fear on the one side and of recklessness on the other. Prudence in practice creates a def
inite climate, the only climate in which harmony, effectiveness, and consistent spiritual
progress can be achieved. The Warranties of Article 12 express the wisdom of taking fore
thought for the future based on the lessons of the past. They are the sum of our protection
against needless errors and against our very natural human temptations to wealth, pres
tige, power, and the like.
Article 12 opens with this general statement: In all its proceedings the General
Service Conference shall observe the spirit of the A.A. Tradition Of all bodies and
groups in Alcoholics Anonymous, the Conference should above all feel bound by the A.A.
Tradition. Indeed the Conference is named the guardian of the Traditions of Alcoholics
Anonymous. The Traditions themselves outline the general basis on which we may best
conduct our services. The Traditions express the principles and attitudes of prudence
that make for harmony. Therefore A.A.s Twelve Traditions set the pattern of unity and
of function which our General Service Conference is expected to exemplify at the highest
possible degree.
The Warranties of Article 12 are as follows:
Warranty One: The Conference shall never become the seat of perilous wealth or
power. What is meant by perilous wealth and power? Does it mean that the Conference
should have virtually no money and no authority? Obviously not. Such a condition would
be dangerous and absurd. Nothing but an ineffective anarchy could result from it. We must
use some money, and there must be some authority to serve. But how much? How and
where should we draw these lines?
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The principal protection against the accumulation of too much money and too much
authority in Conference hands is to be found in the A.A. Tradition itself. So long as our
General Service Board refuses to take outside contributions and holds each individuals
gift to A.A.s world services at a modest figure, we may be sure that we shall not become
wealthy in any perilous sense. No great excess of group contributions over legitimate oper
ating expenses is ever likely to be seen. Fortunately the A.A. groups have a healthy reluc
tance about the creation of unneeded services which might lead to an expensive bureau
cracy in our midst. Indeed, it seems that the chief difficulty will continue to be that
of effectively informing the A.A. groups as to what the financial needs of their world ser
vices actually are. Since it is certain therefore that we shall never become too wealthy
through group contributions, we need only to avoid the temptation of taking money from
the outside world.
In the matter of giving Delegates, Trustees and staffs enough authority, there can be
little risk, either. Long experience, now codified in these Twelve Concepts, suggests that we
are unlikely to encounter problems of too much service authority. On the contrary, it
appears that our difficulty will be how to maintain enough of it. We must recall that we are
protected from the calamities of too much authority by rotation, by voting participation,
and by careful chartering. Nevertheless, we do hear warnings about the future rise of a dic
tator in the Conference or at the Headquarters. To my mind this is an unnecessary worry.
Our setup being what it is, such an aspirant couldnt last a year. And in the brief time he
did last, what would he use for money? Our Delegates, directly representing the groups,
control the ultimate supply of our service funds. Therefore they constitute a direct check
upon the rise of too much personal authority. Taken all together, these factors seem to be
reliable safeguards against too much money and too much authority.
We have seen why the Conference can never have any dangerous degree of human
power, but we must not overlook the fact that there is another sort of authority and power
which it cannot be without: the spiritual power which flows from the activities and atti
tudes of truly humble, unselfish, and dedicated A.A. servants. This is the real power that
causes our Conference to function. It has been well said of our servants, They do not drive
us by mandate; they lead us by example. While we have made abundantly sure that they
will never drive us, I am confident that they will afford us an ever-greater inspiration as
they continue to lead by example.
Warranty Two: Sufficient operating funds, plus an ample Reserve, should be its pru
dent financial principle.
In this connection we should pause to review our attitudes concerning money and its
relation to service effort.
Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with our attitude toward giv
ing money presents an interesting contrast. Of course we give a lot of our time to A.A.
activities for our own protection and growth. But we also engage ourselves in a truly sac
rificial giving for the sake of our groups, our areas and for A.A. as a whole.
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Above all, we devote ourselves to the newcomer, and this is our principal Twelfth Step
work. In this activity we often take large amounts of time from business hours. Considered
in terms of money, these collective sacrifices add up to a huge sum. But we do not think
that this is anything unusual. We remember that people once gave their time to us as we
struggled for sobriety. We know, too, that nearly the whole combined income of A.A.
members, now more than a billion dollars a year, has been a direct result of A.A.s activity.
Had nobody recovered, there would have been no income for any of us.
But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for A.A. service over
head, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We think of the loss of all that earning
power in our drinking years, of those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for
education of the kids. We find, too, that when we drop money in the meeting hat there is
no such bang as when we talk for hours to a newcomer. There is not much romance in pay
ing the landlord. Sometimes we hold off when we are asked to meet area or Intergroup ser
vice expenses. As to world services, we may remark, Well, those activities are a long way
off, and our group does not really need them. Maybe nobody needs them. These are very
natural and understandable reactions, easy to justify. We can say, Lets not spoil A.A. with
money and service organization. Lets separate the material from the spiritual. That will
really keep things simple.
But in recent years these attitudes are everywhere on the decline; they quickly disap
pear when the real need for a given A.A. service becomes clear. To make such a need clear
is simply a matter of right information and education. We see this in the continuous job
now being done with good effect for our world service by Delegates, Committee Members,
and General Service Representatives. They are finding that money-begging by pressure
exhortation is unwanted and unneeded in A.A. They simply portray what the givers ser
vice dollar really brings in terms of steering alcoholics to A.A., and in terms of our over
all unity and effectiveness. This much done, the hoped-for contributions are forthcoming.
The donors can seldom see what the exact result has been. They well know, however, that
countless thousands of other alcoholics and their families are certain to be helped.
When we look at such truly anonymous contributions in this fashion, and as we gain
a better understanding of their continuous urgency, I am sure that the voluntary contri
butions of our A.A. groups, supplemented by many modest gifts from individual A.A.s,
will pay our world service bills over future years, in good times at any rate.
We can take comfort, too, from the fact that we do not have to maintain an expensive
corps of paid workers at World Headquarters. In relation to the ever-growing size of A.A. the
number of workers has declined. In the beginning our World Service Office engaged one
paid worker to each thousand of A.A. members. Ten years later we employed one paid work
er to each three thousand A.A.s. Today we need only one paid helper to every seven thou
sand recovered alcoholics.1 The present cost of our world services ($200,000 annually as of
1960) is today seen as a small sum in relationship to the present reach of our Fellowship.
Perhaps no other society of our size and activity has such a low general overhead.
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These reassurances of course cannot be taken as a basis for the abandonment of the
policy of financial prudence.
The fact and the symbol of A.A.s fiscal common sense can be seen in the Reserve Fund
of our General Service Board. As of now this amounts to little more than $200,000 about
one years operating expense of our World Office.2 This is what we have saved over the last
twenty years, largely from the income of our books. This is the fund which has repeatedly
prevented the severe crippling, and sometimes the near collapse, of our world services.
In about half of the last twenty years, A.A. group contributions have failed to meet our
world needs. But the Reserve Fund, constantly renewed by book sales, has been able to
meet these deficits and save money besides. What this has meant in the lives of
uncounted alcoholics who might never have reached us had our services been weak or
nonexistent, no one can guess. Financial prudence has paid off in lives saved.
These facts about our Reserve Fund need to be better understood. For sheer lack of
understanding, it is still often remarked: (1) that the Reserve Fund is no longer needed, (2)
that if the Reserve Fund continues to grow, perilous wealth will result, (3) that the pres
ence of such a Reserve Fund discourages group contributions, (4) that because we do not
abolish the Reserve Fund, we lack faith, (5) that our A.A. book ought to be published at
cost so these volumes could be cheapened for hard-up buyers, (6) that profit-making on
our basic literature is counter to a sound spirituality. While these views are by no means
general, they are typical. Perhaps, then, there is still a need to analyze them and answer the
questions they raise.
Let us therefore try to test them. Do these views represent genuine prudence? Do we
lack faith when we prudently insist on solvency?
By means of cheap A.A. books should we engage, as a fellowship, in this sort of finan
cial charity? Should this sort of giving not be the responsibility of individuals? Is the
Headquarters income from A.A. books really a profit after all?
As this is written, 1960, our Headquarters operation is just about breaking even.
Group contributions are exceeding our service needs by about 5%. The A.A. Grapevine
continues in the red. Compared with earlier days this is wonderful. Nevertheless this is our
state in the period of the greatest prosperity that America has ever known. If this is our
condition in good times, what would happen in bad times? Suppose that the Headquarters
income were decreased 25% by a depression, or that expenses were increased 25% by a
steep inflation. What would this mean in hard cash?
The World Service Office would show a deficit of $50,000 a year and the Grapevine
would put a $20,000 annual deficit on top of this. We would be faced with a gaping total
deficit of $70,000 every twelve months. If in such an emergency we had no reserve and no
book income, we would soon have to discharge one-third of our thirty paid workers and
A.A. staff members. Much mail would go unanswered, pleas for information and help
ignored. The Grapevine would have to be shut down or reduced to a second-rate bulletin.
The number of Delegates attending our yearly General Service Conference would have to
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be drastically reduced. Practically and spiritually, these would be the penalties were we to
dissipate our Reserve Fund and its book income.
Happily, however, we do not have to face any such slash as this. Our present reserve
and its book income could see us through several years of hard times without the slightest
diminution in the strength and quality of our world effort.
It is the fashion nowadays to believe that America can never see another serious busi
ness upset. We can certainly hope and pray that it will not. But is it wise for us of A.A. to
make a huge bet by dissipating our own assets that this could never happen? Would
it not be far better, instead, for us to increase our savings in this period when the world
about us in all probability has already borrowed more money than can ever be repaid?
Now let us examine the claim that the presence of our Reserve Fund discourages
group contributions. It is said that the impression is created that A.A. Headquarters is
already well off and that hence there is no need for more money. This is not at all the gen
eral attitude, however, and its effect on contributions is probably small.
Next comes the question of whether A.A. as a whole should go in for what amounts
to a money charity to individual newcomers and their sponsors via the selling of our
books at cost or less. Up to now we A.A.s have strongly believed that money charity to the
individual should not be a function of the A.A. groups or of A.A. as a whole. To illustrate:
when a sponsor takes a new member in hand, he does not in the least expect that his group
is going to pay the expenses he incurs while doing a Twelfth Step job. The sponsor may give
his prospect a suit of clothes, may get him a job, or present him with an A.A. book. This
sort of thing frequently happens, and it is fine that it does. But such charities are the
responsibility of the sponsor and not of the A.A. group itself. If a sponsor cannot give or
lend an A.A. book, one can be found in the library. Many groups sell books on the install
ment plan. This is no scarcity of A.A. books; more than a half million are now in circula
tion. Hence there seems no really good reason why A.A. services should supply everybody
with cheap books, including the large majority who can easily pay the going price. It
appears to be altogether clear that our world services need those book dollars far more
than the buyers do.
Some of us have another concern, and this is related to so-called book profits. The
fact that A.A. Headquarters and most of the groups sell books for more than they cost is
thought to be spiritually bad. But is this sort of noncommercial book income really a
profit after all? In my view, it is not. This net income to the groups and to A.A.s General
Services is actually the sum of a great many contributions which the book buyers make
to the general welfare of Alcoholics Anonymous. The certain and continuous solvency of
our world services rests squarely upon these contributions. Looked at in this way, our
Reserve Fund is seen to be actually the aggregate of many small financial sacrifices made
by the book buyers. This fund is not the property of private investors; it is wholly owned
by A.A. itself.
While on the subject of books, perhaps a word should be said concerning my royal
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ties from them. This royalty income from the book buyers has enabled me to do all the rest
of my A.A. work on a full-time volunteer basis. These royalties have also given me the
assurance that, like other A.A.s, I have fully earned my own separate livelihood. This inde
pendent income also has enabled me to think and act independently of money influences
of any kind a situation which has at times been very advantageous to A.A. as well as to
me personally. Therefore I hope and believe that my royalty status will continue to be con
sidered a fair and wise arrangement.
Warranty Three: None of the Conference members shall ever be placed in a position
of unqualified authority over any of the others.
We have learned that this principle is of incalculable value to the harmonious conduct
of our Conference affairs. Its application in our structure has already been extensively dis
cussed under the Concept entitled The Right of Participation, which emphasizes that our
world servants, both as individuals and as groups, shall be entitled to voting rights in rea
sonable proportion to their several responsibilities.
Because this right of participation is so important we have made it the subject of this
Warranty, thus providing insurance that Conference action alone can never overturn or
amend this right. For any such purpose widespread group consent would be needed, which
would probably prove difficult though not necessarily impossible for the Conference to
obtain. We believe that our whole service experience fully justifies the taking of this strong
stand against the creation of unqualified authority at any point in our Conference structure.
It is to be noted, too, that this Warranty against absolute authority is far more gener
al and sweeping in its nature than a guarantee of voting participation. It really means that
we of A.A. will not tolerate absolute human authority in any form. The voting rights urged
under our concept of Participation are simply the practical means of checking any future
tendency to an unqualified authority of any sort. This healthy state of affairs is of course
further re-inforced by our concepts of Appeal and Petition.
Many A.A.s have already begun to call Article 12 of the Conference Charter The A.A.
Service Bill of Rights. This is because they see in these Warranties, and especially in this
one, an expression of deep and loving respect for the spiritual liberties of their fellows. May
God grant that we shall never be so unwise as to settle for anything less.
Warranty Four: That all important decisions be reached by discussion, vote, and,
whenever possible, by substantial unanimity.
Here on the one hand we erect a safeguard against any hasty or overbearing authori
ty of a simple majority; and on the other hand we take notice of the rights and the frequent
wisdom of minorities, however small. This principle further guarantees that all matters of
importance, time permitting, will be extensively debated, and that such debates will con
tinue until a really heavy majority can support every critical decision that we are called
upon to make in the Conference.
When we take decisions in this fashion, the Conference voice speaks with an author
ity and a confidence that a simple majority could never give it. If any remain in opposi
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tion, they are far better satisfied because their case has had a full and fair hearing.
And when a decision taken in substantial unanimity does happen to go wrong, there
can be no heated recriminations. Everybody will be able to say Well, we had a careful
debate, we took the decision, and it turned out to be a bad one. Better luck next time!
Like many very high ideals, the principle of substantial unanimity does, however, have
certain practical limitations. Occasionally a Conference decision will be of such extreme
urgency that something has to be done at once. In such a case we cannot allow a minori
ty, however well-intended, to block a vitally needed action which is evidently in the best
interests of A.A. Here we shall need to trust the majority, sometimes a bare majority, to
decide whether Conference debate is to be terminated and a final action taken. In certain
other cases, the majority will also have to exercise this undoubted right. Suppose, for
example, that a small minority obstinately tries to use the principle of substantial una
nimity to block a clearly needed action. In such an event it would be the plain duty of the
majority to over-ride such a misuse of the principle of substantial unanimity.
Nevertheless our experience shows that majorities will seldom need to take such rad
ical stands as these. Being generally animated by the spirit of substantial unanimity, we
have found that our Conference can nearly always be guided by this valued principle.
In passing it should be noted that the Conference will sometimes have to decide, with
respect to a particular question, what the requirements of substantial unanimity are going
to be whether a two-thirds, three-quarters, or even a greater majority, will be required
to settle a particular question. Such an advance agreement can, of course, be had on a sim
ple majority vote.
Concluding the discussion on this Warranty, it can be said that without question both
the practical and spiritual results of the practice of substantial unanimity already have
been proved to be very great indeed.
Warranty Five: That no Conference action ever be personally punitive or an incite
ment to public controversy.
Practically all societies and governments feel it necessary to inflict personal punish
ments upon individual members for violations of their beliefs, principles, or laws. Because
of its special situation, Alcoholics Anonymous finds this practice unnecessary. When we of
A.A. fail to follow sound spiritual principles, alcohol cuts us down. Therefore no human
ly administered system of penalties is needed. This unique condition is an enormous
advantage to us all, one on which we can fully rely and one which we should never aban
don by a resort to the methods of personal attack and punishment. Of all societies ours
can least afford to risk the resentments and conflicts which would result were we ever to
yield to the temptation to punish in anger.
For much the same reason we cannot and should not enter into public controversy,
even in self-defense. Our experience has shown that, providentially it would seem, A.A.
has been made exempt from the need to quarrel with anyone, no matter what the provo
cation. Nothing could be more damaging to our unity and to the world-wide good will
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which A.A. enjoys, than public contention, no matter how promising the immediate div
idends might appear.
Therefore it is evident that the harmony, security, and future effectiveness of A.A. will
depend largely upon our maintenance of a thoroughly nonaggressive and pacific attitude
in all our public relations. This is an exacting assignment, because in our drinking days we
were prone to anger, hostility, rebellion, and aggression. And even though we are now
sober, the old patterns of behavior are to a degree still with us, always threatening to
explode on any good excuse. But we know this, and therefore I feel confident that in the
conduct of our public affairs we shall always find the grace to exert an effective restraint.
We enjoy certain inherent advantages which should make our task of self-restraint rel
atively easy. There is no really good reason for anyone to object if a great many drunks get
sober. Nearly everyone can agree that this is a good thing. If, in the process, we are forced to
develop a certain amount of honesty, humility, and tolerance, who is going to kick about
that? If we recognize that religion is the province of the clergy and the practice of medicine
is for doctors, we can helpfully cooperate with both. Certainly there is little basis for con
troversy in these areas. It is a fact that A.A. has not the slightest reform or political com
plexion. We try to pay our own expenses, and we strictly mind our single purpose.
These are some of the reasons why A.A. can easily be at peace with the whole world.
These are the natural advantages which we must never throw away by foolishly entering
the arena of public controversy or punitive action against anybody.
Because our General Service Conference represents us all, this body is especially
charged with the duty of setting the highest possible standard with respect to these atti
tudes of no punishments and no public controversy. The Conference will have to do more
than just represent these principles; it will frequently have to apply them to specific situa
tions. And, at times, the Conference will need to take certain protective actions, especially
in the area of Tradition violations. This action, however, never need be punitively or
aggressively controversial at the public level.
Let us now consider some typical situations that may often require Conference con
sideration and sometimes definite action:
Let us suppose that A.A. does fall under sharp public attack or heavy ridicule; and let
us take the particular case where such pronouncements happen to have little or no justifi
cation in fact.
Almost without exception it can be confidently estimated that our best defense in
these situations would be no defense whatever namely, complete silence at the public
level. Unreasonable people are stimulated all the more by opposition. If in good humor we
leave them strictly alone, they are apt to subside the more quickly. If their attacks persist
and it is plain that they are misinformed, it may be wise to communicate with them in a
temperate and informative way; also in such a manner that they cannot use our commu
nication as a springboard for fresh assault. Such communications need seldom be made by
the Conference officially. Very often we can use the good offices of friends. Such messages
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from us should never question the motives of the attackers; they should be purely infor
mative. These communications should also be private. If made public, they will often be
seized upon as a fresh excuse for controversy.
If, however, a given criticism of A.A. is partly or wholly justified, it may be well to
acknowledge this privately to the critics, together with our thanks still keeping away,
however, from the public level.
But under no conditions should we exhibit anger or any punitive or aggressive intent.
Surely this should be our inflexible policy. Within such a framework the Conference and
the Headquarters will always need to make a thoughtful estimate of what or what not
should be done in these cases.
We may be confronted by public violations of the A.A. Traditions. Individuals, out
side organizations, and even our own members sometimes may try to use the A.A. name
for their own private purposes. As A.A. grows in size and public recognition, the tempta
tion to misuse our name may increase. This is why we have assigned to our Conference a
protective task in respect to such conditions. The Conference, as we know, is the
guardian of the A.A. Traditions. There has always been some confusion about this term
guardianship, and perhaps we should try to clear it up.
To the minds of some A.A.s, guardianship of the A.A. Traditions implies the right
and the duty on the part of the Conference to publicly punish or sue every wilful violator.
But we could not adopt a worse policy; indeed such aggressive public acts would place the
Conference in the position of having violated one A.A. Tradition in order to defend anoth
er. Therefore aggressive or punitive action, even in this area, must be omitted.
Privately, however, we can inform Tradition-violators that they are out of order.
When they persist, we can follow up by using such other resources of persuasion as we may
have, and these are often considerable. Manifested in this fashion, a persistent firmness will
often bring the desired result.
In the long run, though, we shall have to rely mainly upon the pressures of A.A. opin
ion and public opinion. And to this end we shall need to maintain a continuous education
of public communications channels of all kinds concerning the nature and purpose of our
Traditions.
Whenever and however we can, we shall need to inform the general public also; espe
cially upon misuses of the name Alcoholics Anonymous. This combination of counter
forces can be very discouraging to violators or would-be violators. Under these conditions
they soon find their deviations to be unprofitable and unwise. Our experience has shown
that continuous and general education respecting our Traditions will be a reliable preven
tive and protection in the years to come.
Feeling the weight of all these forces, certain members who run counter to A.A.s
Traditions sometimes say that they are being censored or punished and that they are there
fore being governed. It would appear, however, that A.A.s right to object calmly and pri
vately to specific violations is at least equal to the rights of the violators to violate. This
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cannot accurately be called a governmental action. Some deviators have suffered rather
severe personal criticism from individual A.A. members, and this is to be deplored.
However this is no reason for us to stop reminding all concerned of the undesirability of
breaking A.A.s Traditions before the entire public. It can be said in all fairness that the dif
ficulties of those who contravene the Traditions are chiefly troubles of their own making.
Another kind of problem that merits consideration is the occasional severe internal
disagreement among us that comes to unwelcome public attention. For example, we once
hit the headlines with a pretty hardbitten lawsuit wherein two factions of A.A.s were com
peting for the possession of the A.A. name for Intergroup use, the name having been incor
porated by one of them. In another instance in an overseas area there was some rather bad
publicity when a considerable section of the groups there became convinced they ought to
accept money subsidies from their countrys government to promote A.A. work, the A.A.
Tradition notwithstanding. This internal difficulty should not have surfaced before the
public because there was certainly nothing about it that mutual understanding and good
temper could not have readily handled.
Fortunately this sort of episode has been infrequent and relatively harmless. But such
difficulties do pose certain questions for the future. What should our General Service
Conference do about this sort of thing?
Always remembering group autonomy and the fact that A.A.s World Headquarters is
not a police operation, the most that can be done in most cases is to make an offer of medi
ation. What the Tradition in this respect means, and what our experience with it has been,
can always be offered as a matter of information. We can always urge the avoidance of any
breakthrough of such disagreements at the public level. All parties can remember that
unfavorable criticism or ridicule which might ensue from such conflicts can so reflect
upon A.A. as to keep new prospects from joining up.
Then, too, a great many of these difficulties with the Tradition are of strictly local con
cern, there being no serious national or international implication. Many of them represent
honest differences of opinion as to how the Tradition should be interpreted: whether a
lenient or a strict observance would be the better thing. Especially when operating below
the public level, our experience with the Traditions reveals gray areas, where neither white
or black interpretations seem possible. Here the violations are often so debatable and
inconsequential they are hardly worth bothering about. Here we usually refrain from
offering suggestions, unless they are insisted upon. We feel that these problems must be
solved chiefly by the local people concerned.
There is, too, a grave problem that we have never yet had to face. This would be in the
nature of a deep rift running clear across A.A. a cleavage of opinion so serious that it
might involve a withdrawal of some of our membership into a new society of their own,
or in their making an alliance with an outside agency in contravention of the A.A.
Tradition. This would be the old story of split and schism of which history is so full. It
might be powered by religious, political, national or racial forces. It might represent an
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honest effort to change A.A. for the better. But it would certainly pose the Conference a
question of what to do, or not to do.
Such a development is hard to imagine. We A.A.s usually assume that we have too
much at stake and too much in common to succumb to this very ordinary ailment of the
world about us. Yet this comforting assurance is no reason for refusing to give this contin
gency some calm forethought. If it ever came, such a development might be a terrific sur
prise and shock. Suddenly aroused passions could flare, making any truly constructive
solution immensely difficult, perhaps impossible.
Because society everywhere is in such a state of fission today, many of us have given
this subject a great deal of consideration. Our considered opinion is this: that the best pos
sible Conference attitude in such a circumstance would be that of almost complete nonre
sistance certainly no anger and certainly no attack. We have no doctrine that has to be
maintained. We have no membership that has to be enlarged. We have no authority that
has to be supported. We have no prestige, power, or pride that has to be satisfied. And we
have no property or money that is really worth quarreling about. These are advantages of
which we should make the best possible use in the event of a threatened major division;
they should make a calm and considered attitude of nonresistance entirely possible and
highly practical.
Indeed we have always practiced this principle on a lesser scale. When a drunk shows
up among us and says that he doesnt like the A.A. principles, people, or service manage
ment; when he declares that he can do better elsewhere we are not worried. We simply
say Maybe your case is different. Why dont you try something else?
If an A.A. member says he doesnt like his own group, we are not disturbed. We sim
ply say Why dont you try another one? Or start one of your own. When our actors and
cops and priests want their own private groups, we say Fine! Why dont you try that idea
out? When an A.A. group, as such, insists on running a clubhouse, we say Well, that
sometimes works out badly, but maybe you will succeed after all. If individual A.A.s wish
to gather together for retreats, Communion breakfasts, or indeed any undertaking at all,
we still say Fine. Only we hope you wont designate your efforts as an A.A. group or enter
prise. These examples illustrate how far we have already gone to encourage freedom of
assembly, action, and even schism. To all those who wish to secede from A.A. we extend a
cheerful invitation to do just that. If they can do better by other means, we are glad. If after
a trial they cannot do better, we know they face a choice: they can go mad or die or they
can return to Alcoholics Anonymous. The decision is wholly theirs. (As a matter of fact,
most of them do come back.)
In the light of all this experience, it becomes evident that in the event of a really exten
sive split we would not have to waste time persuading the dissenters to stay with us. In
good confidence and cheer, we could actually invite them to secede and we would wish
them well if they did so. Should they do better under their new auspices and changed con
ditions, we would ask ourselves if we could not learn from their fresh experience. But if it
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turned out they did worse under other circumstances and that there was a steady increase
in their discontent and their death rate, the chances are very strong that most of them
would eventually return to A.A.
Without anger or coercion we would need only to watch and to wait upon Gods will.
Unless we make a problem where there really is none at all, there need be no difficul
ty. We could still go about our business in good cheer. The supply of drunks in our time
will be inexhaustible, and we can continue to be glad that we have evolved at least one for
mula by which many will come to sobriety and a new life.
We have a saying that A.A. is prepared to give away all the knowledge and all the
experience it has all excepting the A.A. name itself. We mean by this that our princi
ples can be used in any application whatever. We do not wish to make them a monopoly
of our own. We simply request that the public use of the A.A. name be avoided by those
other agencies who wish to avail themselves of A.A. techniques and ideas. In case the A.A.
name should be misapplied in such a connection it would of course be the duty of our
General Service Conference to press for the discontinuance of such a practice always
short, however, of public quarreling about the matter.
The protection of the A.A. name is of such importance to us that we once thought of
incorporating it everywhere throughout the world, thereby availing ourselves of legal
means to stop any misuse. We even thought of asking Congress to grant us the unusual
favor of a Congressional incorporation. We felt that the existence of these legal remedies
might prove to be a great deterrent.
But after several years of deliberation, our General Service Conference decided against
such a course. The dramatic story of this debate and its conclusion may be found in our
history book Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. Those early Conferences believed
that the power to sue would be a dangerous thing for us to possess. It was recognized that
a public lawsuit is a public controversy, something in which our Tradition says we may not
engage. To make our legal position secure, it would have been necessary to incorporate our
whole Fellowship, and no one wished to see our spiritual way of life incorporated. It
seemed certain that we could confidently trust A.A. opinion, public opinion, and God
Himself to take care of Alcoholics Anonymous in this respect.3
Warranty Six: That though the Conference may act for the service of Alcoholics
Anonymous, it shall never perform any acts of government; and that, like the Society of
Alcoholics Anonymous which it serves, the Conference itself will always remain democra
tic in action and in spirit.4
In preceding Concepts, much attention has been drawn to the extraordinary liberties
which the A.A. Traditions accord to the individual member and to his group: no penalties
to be inflicted for nonconformity to A.A. principles; no fees or dues to be levied volun
tary contributions only; no member to be expelled from A.A. membership always to be
the choice of the individual; each A.A. group to conduct its internal affairs as it wishes
it being merely requested to abstain from acts that might injure A.A. as a whole; and final
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ly that any group of alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A.
group provided that, as a group, they have no other purpose or affiliation.
It is probable that we A.A.s possess more and greater freedom than any fellowship in
the world today. As we have already seen, we claim this as no virtue. We know that we per
sonally have to choose conformity to A.A.s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions or else face
dissolution and death, both as individuals and as groups.
Because we set such a high value on our great liberties, and cannot conceive a time
when they will need to be limited, we here specially enjoin our General Service Conference
to abstain completely from any and all acts of authoritative government which could in
any wise curtail A.A.s freedom under God. The maintenance of these freedoms in our
Conference is a great and practical guarantee that the Conference itself will always remain
democratic in action and in spirit.
Therefore we expect that our Conferences will always try to act in the spirit of mutu
al respect and love one member for another. In turn, this sign signifies that mutual trust
should prevail; that no action ought to be taken in anger, haste, or recklessness; that care
will be observed to respect and protect all minorities; that no action should ever be per
sonally punitive; that whenever possible, important actions will be taken in substantial
unanimity; and that our Conference will ever be prudently on guard against tyrannies,
great or small, whether these be found in the majority or in the minority.
The sum of these several attitudes and practices is, in our view, the very essence of
democracy in action and spirit.
Freedom under God to grow in His likeness and image will ever be the quest of the
Alcoholics Anonymous. May our General Service Conference be always seen as a chief
symbol of this cherished liberty.
To a man, we of A.A. believe that our freedom to serve is truly the freedom by which
we live the freedom in which we have our being.
1 2005 about one to seventeen thousand, U.S. and

2 At December 31, 2005, the net assets of the Reserve
Canada.
Fund (exclusing the liabilities for pension benefits and the
obligation for postretirement health benefits) were $9,253,900. In addition, transfers of $600,000 from A.A.
World Services and $26,000 from the A.A. Grapevine for 2005 were pending as of the date of this report.
Accordingly, at December 31, 2005, the net assets of the Reserve Fund (including the expected transfers) were
$9,879,900 and represented 9.3 months of the $12,765,000 of recurring operating expenses of the operating
entities. In 2004, the net assets represented a reserve of 8.5 months of operating expenses.
3 However, the name Alcoholics Anonymous and the abbreviation A.A. were all legally registered in 1972.
4 Bill here, apparently inadvertently, used the phrase in action and spirit, instead of in thought and action, that
appears elsewhere in both the Conference Charter and the statement of Concept XII.
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THE A.A. SERVICE MANUAL TWELVE CONCEPTS for WORLD SERVICE

A.A. SERVICE MANUAL

REFLECTING ACTIONS OF THE

2006 GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE

FOR WORLD SERVICE

AA_ServiceManual (revised 8-4-06) by Daniel R l d

This we owe to A.A.s future; to place our

When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for

A.A. SERVICE MANUAL

Chapter One: Introduction to General Service

Chapter Two: The Group and Its G.S.R.

Chapter Three: The District and the D.C.M.

Chapter Four: The Area Assembly and Activities

Area Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S36

Chapter Five: The Area Committee

Chapter Six: The Delegate

Chapter Seven: The Annual Conference Meeting

Chapter Eight: Conference Committees

Chapter Nine: The General Service Board

Chapter Ten: The Boards Operating Corporations

Chapter Eleven: The General Service Office

Chapter Twelve: The A.A. Grapevine

Area Maps, U.S. and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S88

Original Conference Charter, 1955 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S90

1955 Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S95

Current Conference Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S97

Conference Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S103

Bylaws of the General Service Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .S106

A.A.s Legacy of Service

Vital to A.A.s Growth

Fellowship Ready for Responsibility

Except for 1955 Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri.

Highlights of A.A. Service History

A.A.s Early Money Problems

A.A. Its Own Publisher

A.A. Makes News

A.A. Grows to Two Thousand Members

Beginning of Group Services

Jack Alexander Looks at A.A.

Service to the Whole of A.A.

Traditions Took Persuasion

Medicine Takes an Interest

Now in the pamphlet Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W.

A Rash of Anonymity Breaks

G.S.O. Services Expand

sort of advisory board of A.A.s. Or maybe we needed a conference of larger numbers,

Birth of the Conference

Delegates Encouraged to Question

The Twelve Traditions (Long Form)

THE CONFERENCE STRUCTURE AN OVERVIEW

Communication Through the Structure

The General Service Conference Structure

The Conference Charter

D.C.M. District committee member. An experienced G.S.R. elected by other

Why Do We Need a Conference?

THIRD LEGACY PROCEDURE

STIMULATING INTEREST IN GENERAL SERVICE

Tools Available from G.S.O.