THE A.A.
SERVICE MANUAL
combined with
TWELVE CONCEPTS
FOR WORLD SERVICE
by Bill W.

ALCOHOLZCS ANONIWOUS@ is a fellowship of men and women who shure their qerience,
strength and hope with each other thut they muy solve their common Problem and help others
to recover from alcoholism.
l T%e 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.
l A.A. is not allied with any sec?, denomination, politics, organkation, or institution; does
no? wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any Causes.
l Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Copyright@ by TIte A. A. Grapevine Inc. ; reprinted with permission
A Declaration of Unity 1 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. 1 Want the hand of A.A.
always to be there. And for that: 1 am
responsible.
Copyright@ 1962, 1969, 1986, 1987, 1988
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
468 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016
Mai1 address: Box 459, Grand Central Station
New York, N.Y. 10163
A. A., Alcoholics Anonymous and are registered trademarkso of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
3OM-7/88 (F) Printed in U.S.A.

THE
A.A: SERVICE MANUAL

ALCOHOUCSANOM+MOUS@ 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 j?om alcoholism.
l I’he 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.
l 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.
l 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 1 Am Responsible. . .
This we owe to A.A.‘s future; to place
our common welfare first; to keep our
Fellowship unitcd. For on A.A. unity
depend our lives, and the lives of those
to come.
When anyone, anywhere, reaches out
for help. 1 Want the hand of A.A.
always to be there. And for that: 1 am
responsible.
Copyright@ 1962, 1969, 1986, 1987, 1988
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
468 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016
Mai1 address: Box 459, Grand Central Station
New York, N.Y. 10163
A.A., Alcoholics Anonymous and are registered trademarkso of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
30M-7/88 (F) Printed in U.S.A.

Contents
I
Note: Vertical lines in outer rnurgins (like that at left)
indicate where changes were mude for this edition.
PAGE
A.A.‘S LEGACY OF SERVICE.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S 5
Foreword and historical background, by Bill W., co-founder
THE TWELVE TRADITIONS (lang form) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S17
1
11
111
IV
s2
THE GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE STRUCTURE ...... S20
What is the Conference plan? ............................... S20
What the structure is. How it is built. ........................ S20
Structure Chart. ........................................... S21
What are ”general Services”? ............................... S23
Original Conference Charter- 1955 ........................... S24
1955 Resolution .......................................... S27
Current Conference Charter. ................................ S29
Conference Panels ......................................... S33
Conference language - a glossary ........................... S36
What is ”Third Legacy procedure”? ......................... S38
Why do we need a Conference? - by Bernard B. Smith ........ S39
THE GENERAL SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (the G.S.R.) ... S41
How elected? .............................................. S43
Group information ........................................ S43
THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBER AND THE DISTRICT S45
The altemate committee member ............................ S45
The district .............................................. S46
WhotheD.C.M.is ....................................... S46
How do we elect the D.C.M.? .............................. S47
What does the D.C.M. do? ................................. S48
What if a D.C.M. fades away?. .. .i ......................... S48
Communication and specifics ................................ S49
A handy Checklist - a district committee member’s duties ....... S49
THE AREA COMMITTEE ................................. S52
The committee’s role in A.A. affairs ......................... S52
Who is on the committee? .................................. s53
Committee officers ........................................ S53
Chairperson qualifications .................................. SS3
Secretary qualifications ..................................... S54
Treasurer qualifications .................................... S54

Other officer qualifications ................................. SS5
Alternate committee officers ................................ SS5
The assembly ....................... ...................... SS5
Suggestions for the chairperson on assemblies:
organizing an assembly; assembly agenda ................... S56
Who is seated? ............................ ............... S58
Where held? ........ ..................................... S60
How the committee is supported ............................. S60
V THE DELEGATE ......... ................................ S62
The delegate’s job is a demanding one. ....................... S62
Delegate expenses ......................................... S64
What makes a good delegate? ............................... S64
How do we form a new delegate area? .............. ......... S65
Delegate term ............................................ S66
Where should a delegate come from? ......................... S66
About the altemate .......... .............................. S66
Reporting back home on the Conference ...................... S67
How 1 got interested in General Service ...................... S69
The making of a delegate. .................................. S69
Preparing for the Conference ................................ s70
What makes an A.A. ”leader”? - by Bill W. ................. S71
VI ANNUAL CONFERENCE MEETING (the April Conference). ... 573
What is accomplished for the Fellowship? ..................... s73
Who Conference members are. .............................. S74
What they do (including Sample Advisory Actions) ............. s75
Reporting to the membership ................................ S78
”How do 1 get something discussed at the Conference?” ........ S79
Can the Conference act for A.A. as a whole? by Bill W. ....... S80
A reminder about ”chiefs” in A.A. ......................... S80
VII ,CONFERENCE COMMITTEES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S82
What they are and how they match up with trustees’ committees . . S82
Eleven committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SS2
Making up committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S83
How committees serve A.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SS3
Former committee chairpersons say . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S85
VIII AREA ACTIVITIES ....................................... SS7
Nonelection assemblies ..................................... S87
How frequently are meetings held? ........................... S87
Who presides? Who votes? ................................. SS8
What kind of program? .................................... S88
Some ideas for assembly and district meetings ................. SS9
s3

How to set up a sharing Session ............................. s 90
Help on the annual Conference program ...................... S 92
How areas stimulate interest in general Services ................ S 92
Communication tools ...................................... S 92
Working together - general Services and local intergroup Services S 93
Area, state, provincial and regional conventions ................ S 94
When the Service structure needs rebuilding ................... s 95
Past delegates tan be helpful ................................ s 97
Suggestions for newsletters or bulletins ....................... s 98
THE GENERAL SERVICE BOARD (the trustees) ............. S 99
The board’s responsibility to the movement. ................... S 99
The bylaws of the board ................................... Sloo
Who are the trustees? ...................................... s107
Our nonalcoholic trustees ................................... S108
Eight regional trustees ..................................... S108
Regional map; procedure for requesting Change of region ........ S109
How A.A. chooses regional trustees .......................... SllO
How A.A. chooses general Service trustees and trustees-at-large . . S112
Four general Service trustees and two trustees-at-large ........... S113
Trustee qualifications ...................................... s113
Trustees’ Service committees ................................ s115
World Service Meeting delegates ............................ S116
X THE GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE (G.S.O.) ................. S117
What goes on at G.S.O.? (a trip through the offices in New York) S117
What gets done at G.S.O. .................................. s119
How G.S.O. is structured .................................. s120
A.A. as a publisher ....................................... s121
How G.S.O. is supported .................................. s122
Literature published by A.A.W.S. ........................... S123
Service literature to help your group ......................... S124
A.A. audiovisual material .................................. S125
Periodical A. A. publications ................................ S125
XI THE A.A. GRAPEVINE ...................................S126
Nature of the Magazine .................................... S126
Structure and Support ......................................S127
What gets done at the Grapevine ............................ S127
SpecialItems ............................................. S128
What does a Grapevine Representative do? .................... S128
Literature published by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. .............. S129
Index .......................................................... s130
TWELVE STEPS and TWELVE TRADITIONS:
included in Bylaws of the General Service Board
s4

lhis is A.A. ‘s Service manual - an outgrowth of the ”lhird Legacy Manual”
which served the movement so well beginning with Bill W. ‘SJirst dra@ 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.
T?te Conference Report and Charter Committee is responsible for reviewing and
approving the updating and revision of ”Ihe A. A. Service Manual ’ 7’ ‘Twelve
Concepts for World Services. ”
A.A.3 Legacy of Service
Our 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 existente.
Therefore, A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a Society for alcoholics in
action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves tan wither and those who
haven’t been given the truth may die.
Hence, an A.A. Service is anything whatever that helps us to resch a fellow
sufferer - ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone cal1
and a cup of coffee, and to A.A.‘s General Service Office for national and inter-national
action. The sum total of all these Services is our Third Legacy of Service.
Services include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offrces; they
mean Pamphlets, books, and good Publicity of almost every description. They cal1
for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they
need voluntary money contributions from within the Fellowship.
‘Bill these words in 1951, therefore, his words reflect that time period in their details. I
S5

Vital to A.A. 3 Growth
These Services, whether performed by individuals, groups, areas, or A.A. as a
whole, are utterly vital to our existente and growth. Nor tan we make A.A. more
simple by abolishing such Services. We would only be asking for complication and
confusion.
Conceming any given Service, we therefore pose but one question: ”1s this ser-vice
really 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 fimction 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,
several nonalcoholic fiiends, Doctor Bob, and me. For all the years of A.A.‘s infancy,
we Oldtimers had been the self-appointed 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 couldn’t 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 couldn’t 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
responsibility for the guardianship of A.A. tradition and the direction of our prin-cipal
Service affairs. Otherwise, a virtually unknown board of trustees and our too
little understood Service headquarters operations would someday be bound to face
collapse.
Suppose that future trustees, acting quite on their own, were to make a serious
blunder. 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 Services did fall apart, how could they ever be
reconstructed?
These, briefly, were the conclusions that led to the formation of the General Ser-vice
Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous. Later, 1 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
S6

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.
Highlights of A.A. Service History
To go back to the beginning: One day in 1937, at Dr. Bob’s Akron home, he
and 1 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 1 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 perhaps. (We didn’t 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, 1 found the New York Group
in full agreement with this idea. Several of us went to work at once.
A.A.3 &rly Money Problems
Through my brother-in-law, Dr. L. V. Strong, Jr., my only remaining friend and
the confidant 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. Richard-son
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 1. 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. Richard-son
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 dur-ing
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.
2Except for 1955 Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri.
s7

In spite of Mr. Rockefeller’s 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,
certainly enough to prepare a textbook on our methods and experience.
In the late spring of 1938, 1 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 suc-cess.
About half of the $5,000 Mr. Rockefeller advanced had been used to pay the
mortgage on Doctor Bob’s home. The rest of it, divided between us, would, of course,
soon be exhausted. The outlook was certainly bleak.
A.A. Its Own Publisher
Then Frank Amos remembered his oldtime friend Eugene Exman, religious editor
at Harper’s, the book publishers. He sent me to Harper’s, and 1 showed Mr. Exman
two chapters of our proposed book. To my delight, Mr. Exman was impressed. He
suggested that Harper’s 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
finished, we would be $1,500 in debt to Harper’s. 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 1 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 Reader’s
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 Reader’s 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
fiiends promptly changed their minds about Works Publishing stock. They began
to buy it, mostly on installments.
Ruth Hock, our nonalcoholic secretary, typed away as 1 slowly dictated the chapters
of the text for the new book. Fierte 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. 1 became much more of an umpire than 1 ever was an author.
Meanwhile, the alcoholics at Akron and New York and a couple in Cleveland began
writing their Stories - 28 in all. 8
S8

When the book project neared completion, we visited the managing editor of the
Z?e&er’.s 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 tumed down flat.
With profuse apologies, he admitted he’d 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 Reader2 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 and Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick supplied us with another really good one,
but nothing happened. The book simply didn’t 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 1 lived. She and 1 were dumped
into the street and then onto the charity of A.A. friends.
How we got through the sumrner of 1939, 1’11 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 OUT
great friend-to-be Fulton Oursler, carried an article, ‘ ‘Alcoholics and God,” writ-ten
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 Phin 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 hadn’t 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, smiling 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 collectively worth at least a billion dollars.
The dinner came off early in February at New York’s Union League Club. Dr.
Harry Emerson Fosdick spoke in praise of us, and so did Dr. Foster Kennedy, the
eminent neurologist. Then Doctor Bob and 1 briefed the audience on A.A. Some
of the Akron and New York alcoholics scatterecl among the notables at the tables
responded to questions. The gathering showed a rising warmth and interest. This
was it, we thought; our money Problems 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 begin-ning
of the new Society of Alcoholics Anonymous. Seldom, Nelson continued, had
s9

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 spirits fell. When Mr. Rockefeller had finished, the
whole billion dollars’ worth of capitalists got up and walked out, leaving not a nicke1
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 ,OOO!
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 Society of struggling alcoholics. For these unknowns, he’d 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 frorn the perils of property management
and professionalism. He couldn’t 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 year’s end. Doctor Bob and 1 each began to receive $30 a week out of the dinner
contributions. This eased us greatly. Lois and 1 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 1 tumed 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 continued 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 tumed these lists over to the A.A. traveling businessmen,
members of already established groups. With these couriers, we corresponded con-stantly,
and they started still more groups. For the further benefit of our travelers,
we put out a group directory.
Then came an unexpected activity. Because the newbom groups saw only a little
of their traveling Sponsors, they tumed to the New York Office for help with their
SlO

innumerable 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
incorporated. Hank P. and 1 donated our shares in it to the Alcoholic Foundation
(as our board 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 tumed up in the person of A. LeRoy Chipman. Also a fiiend
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 Outstarrding stock. Two years later, the book ‘ ‘Alcoholics
Anonymous” had done so well that 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-check. But he soon became an A.A. ”convert,”
even though he wasn’t an alcoholic. Working early and late, he spent a whole month
with us. Doctor Bob and 1 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
thousand of them - hit the New York Office. At first, we pawed at random through
the mass of letters, laughing and crying by tums. How could this heartbreaking mail
be answered? It was a cinch that Ruth and 1 could never do it alone. Form letters
wouldn’t be enough. Every Single one must have an understanding personal reply.
Maybe the A.A. groups themselves would help. Though we’d never asked anything
of them before, this was surely their business, if it was anybody’s. 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-I
30wner of Tow s n Hospital in New York; his loan helped to make the Big Book project possible.
I
Sll

tary contribution was at that time set at $1 .OO per member per year. The trustees
of the Foundation agreed to look after these funds, placing them in a special bank
account, earmarking 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 Z?ze Saturdby 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 standstill. But
enthusiastic 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 pro-cess.
After much trial and error, sometimes punctuated by painful mistakes, the
attitudes and practices that would work best for us emerged. The important ones
tan 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 pro-motion
- these were some of the hard-learned lessons.
Service to the whole of A.A.
Thus far in our Society Story, we have seen the Foundation, 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 rela-tions
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 1941-1945 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. Today’s Office has a good many - group, foreign and public rela-tions,
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
40ther Services have been added since 1955.
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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 member-ship,
group autonomy, singleness of purpose, nonendorsement of other enterprises,
professionalism, public controversy, and anonym@ in its several aspects, then such
a code of principles 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 head-quarters
People and, most especially, 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, 1 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. Then 1 wrote 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 quarters there was a violent reaction, especially frorn groups that had
long lists of ”protective” rules and regulations. There was much indifferente. 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 1 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 dur-ing
my early harangues. But after a while 1 got letters containing sentiments like
this: ”Bill, we’d 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 heaven’s Sake, please don’t 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 constituted 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 reading, three of the many physicians present stood up and
gave A.A. their highest endorsement. These were Dr. Harry Tiebout, A.A.‘s first
friend in the psychiatric Profession, Dr. Kirby Collier, also a psychiatrist fiiend 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
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Paper and the recommendations of these three doctors in Pamphlet form. In 1949
the American Psychiatrie Association did exactly the same thing. 1 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?
During the 194O’s, 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 hospital’s 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 fnst 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 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 subsequent 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. Usual-ly
meaning well, members began breaking their anonym@ 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. (I’d 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,
explaining why A.A.‘s shouldn’t break their anonym@ before the public. Nor, we
added, did A.A. solicit money - we paid our own bills.
In a few years the public anonym@-breakers were squeezed down to 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?
Our present array of Services may look like big business to some. But when we
think of the size and resch of A.A. today, that isn’t true at all. In 1945, for example,
we had one paid worker to every 98 groups; in 1955, one paid worker to every
5No~ in the Pamphlet ‘ ‘Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W.
\ %ater, it moved to 305 East 45th Street, then to its present address, 468 Park Avenue South.
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230 groups. 7 It therefore 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 acknowl-edgment
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 1 pointed out earlier, in the 1940’s our headquarters was constantly overhung
by one great threat to its future existente: Doctor Bob and 1 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 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 disruptive 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 afftirs.
Bitih o f t h e C o n f e r e n c e
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 existente.
The tost of holding one was easily dismissed, but how on earth were we going to
tut down destructive politics, 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 related to the board of trustees? What would be
their actual powers and duties?
With these several weighty considerations in mind, and with some misgivings,
1 commenced work on a draft of a plan, much assisted by Helen B., an A.A. staff
member .
‘In 1988, with Services still fbrther expanded, one G.S.O. worker serves more than 700 groups.
s15

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. Esch state
and province might be allowed one delegate. Those containing heavy A.A. popula-tions
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 didn’t, and
the election was close, what then? Well, perhaps the names of the two highest in
the rumring, or the three offrcers 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.
Delegates Encouraged to Question
The first Conference was set for April, 195 1. 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 ”What’s on your mind?” We answered scores of questions of all kinds. The
delegates began to feel at home and reassured. 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, aftemoon, 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 Tradi-tion
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 delegates retumed home, they carried this Same conviction with them.
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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, wonder-ing
why fellow 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, patemalism and maybe
big money. A.A. would have none of these; from here out we could assume full respon-sibility
and pay our expenses ourselves.
As 1 watched all this grow, 1 became entirely Sure that Alcoholics Anonymous was
at last safe - even from me.
The Twelve ‘Ikaditions (Long Form)
Our A.A. experience has taught us thatr
1. Esch 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
He may express Himself in our group conscience.
authority -a loving God as
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 conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety
may cal1 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 concem 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. Esch Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to
oneprimurypwpose - that of carrying its message
be a spiritual entityf huving but
tothealcoholic who still suffers.
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6. Problems of money, proper& and authority may easily divert us from our
primary spiritual 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 spiritual. An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business. Secon-dary
aids to A.A., such as Clubs or hospitals which require much property or
administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they tan
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 fman-cially
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 anyone, such cooperation ought
never to go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group
tan bind itself to no one.
7. The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary con-tributions
of their own members. We think that each group should soon achieve this
ideal; that any 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 obliga-tion
whatever, is unwise. Then, too, we view with much concem those A.A. treasuries
which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A.
purpose. Experience has often wamed us that nothing tan so surely destroy our
spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property, money, and authority.
8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional. We define pro-fessionalism
as the occupation of counseling alcoholics for fees or hire. But we may
employ alcoholics where they are going to perform those Services for which we might
otherwise have to engage nonalcoholics. Such special Services may be well recompens-ed.
But our usual A.A. Twelfth Step work is never to be paid for.
9. Esch 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 com-mittee,
and the groups of a large metropolitan area their central or intergroup com-mittee,
which often employs a full-time secretary. The trustees of the General Ser-vice
Board are, in effect, our A.A. General Service Committee. They are the custo-dians
of our A.A. Tradition and 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 relations 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
govem. 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 tan express no views whatever.
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11. Our relations with the general public should be characterized by personal
anonym@. 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 pro-motion.
We feel it better to let our fiiends recommend us.
12. And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of anonym@
has an immense spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles
before personalities; 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 Hirn who presides over us all.
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VVIMT IS THE CONFERENCE PLAN?
;lihe Conference plan is what this manual is all about. It is a method by which
A. A. ‘s collective group conscience tan speak forcefilly and put its desires for
worldwide Services into effect. It is the structure that takes the place of govem-ment
in A.A. It insures that the jZ1 voice of A.A. will be heard, whether it
represents the great majority or a minority. Ehe Conference plan was established
as a guarantee that our movement-wide sewices would continue to finction under
all conditions. Xhe plan provides a practical successor to the founders of A.A.
CHAmER 1
The General Service
Conference Structure
Hat it is. How it is built.
A.A. Traditions say that our program should never be ”organized,” should always
remain ”nonprofessional.” Also that there is no ”authority in A.A. except that which
expresses itself through the group conscience. Our belief in these principles has worked
wonders for our Fellowship in guiding its growth away from ”bigness” and ”power.”
The same Traditions (-0, Eight, and Nine) then go on to provide for the setting
up of Service Centers, with special workers, and Service boards and committees -all
responsible to those they serve.
The only authority, then, is that which is first expressed in the group conscience
and which is then communicated - and here is where the idea of the Conference
structure begins - by the group to A.A. as a whole.
s20

rules or laws. But it has served the Fellowship well since 1955 and no doubt will
continue to do so into the foreseeable future.
So the Conference structure starts with the group conscience - with the group.
Let us look at the structural chart and see how this can be transmitted all the way
down the line until it affects A.A. worldwide.
(In this manual, we should remember that we are speaking only of the General
Sewice Conference of the United States and Canada. Similar centers of world ser-vices
are now set up in other parts of the globe, and there is a biennial World Service
Meeting, to which the US. and Canada together send two &legates. There is no
attempt to make New York the world capital of A.A.; G.S.O. is regarded as the senior
service center only because of its longer experience.)
The general service structure starts with the group that lets its feelings - approval
or disapproval, for or against change - to be known to the G.S.R. (general service
representative) whom the group has elected.
G.S.R.‘s elect a committee member. G.S.R.‘s and area committee members then
elect a delegate to represent the area in the overall Conference picture. The annual
Conference meeting in April in New York (as explained in Chapter VI) is made up
of area delegates and G.S.O. people in a ratio of about 2 to 1. Area delegates carry
the heavy influence in the Conference, which is felt in two ways: (1) They make up
the Conference committees, covering just about all kinds of A.A. activities; (2) all
delegates have free access to the Conference platform for the discussion of all
actions affecting the movement.
The Conference approves or disapproves the slate for General Service Board
trustees, and its members actually propose and select the regional trustee and trustee-at-
large nominees.
Trustees meet quarterly and pass along their guidance through their own commit-tees,
through A.A. World Services, Inc., and through the Grapevine board. Actions
of the trustees are reported to the Fellowship through Quarterly Reports and the Z?MJZ
Conference Report, sent to all delegates and area committees.
A.A. World Services Inc., is the corporation that employs G.S.O. personnel, directs
G.S.O. services, and is responsible for book and pamphlet publishing. Here are the
general manager (who is also chairperson of general services), the A.A. staff
members, the department managers, and their employees.
The other corporation reporting to the trustees is the Grapevine board, which in
turn employs the Grapevine editorial and business staffs.
So, in keeping with the best tradition of A.A., we find that whatever ”authority”
exists is first expressed in the group conscience - then passed along through the
group representative to the delegate - from Conference to trustees, then to commit-tees
and operating boards - to G.S.O. and Grapevine staffs -all acting as custo-dians
of our Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and all functioning within the
framework of Bill W.‘s Twelve Concepts.
Every two years in every state and province, an A.A. group has the opportunity
to build its share of the Conference structure. It elects a general service represen-tative.
This G.S.R. gets together with other G.S.R.‘s to elect a committee member
s22

for the district.
Methods of election are handled in some detail in the chapters which follow. The
end results are an area committee and an area delegate. Area delegates gather once
a year in New York for a Conference meeting lasting nearly a week. They meet with
A.A.‘s trustees, other corporate directors, and the G.S.O. and Grapevine staffs, all
of whom are also members of the Conference.
The Conference structure is in year-round operation, since the people involved
- G.S.R.‘s, committee members, delegates - are usually very active in area affairs.
The Conference meeting in April then provides a movement-wide forum for the discus-sion
of principles and problems that affect A.A. as a whole.
Every state and province has at least one delegate and one area committee (except
the Atlantic Provinces, which are actually four provinces and have two delegates).
Some populous states and provinces have more than one.
WHAT ARE GENERAL SERVICES?
Newcomers soon learn about the importance of Twelfth Step work - service to
another alcoholic that helps both giver and receiver to stay sober. They then see such
work broadened to include central office or intergroup service, and institutions com-mittee
service. Finally, general services. What are they?
In Bill W.‘s fine introduction to this manual, he tells how general services grew
to fill a need beyond the reach of individual, group, and intergroup. To&y, the term
general services is applied to all kinds of activities within the Conference structure,
carried on by area committees, delegates, trustees, and G.S.O. staff. Usually the ser-vices
affect the Fellowship as a whole. Almost always, they are part of A.A.‘s distinc
tive unity, which allows the movement to function so well.
Meaning of the Conference Charter
The General Service Conference Charter, adopted in 1955, is a body of principles
and relationships through which A.A. can function as a whole. It provides, for ex-ample,
that a majority vote of the Conference shall be considered a suggestion to
the board of trustees and G.S.O., but that a two-thirds vote shall be binding upon
the board, regardless of legal considerations.
The Conference itself, however, is unincorporated, and its charter is not a legal
instrument in the strictest sense. It is truly an informal agreement between the
Fellowship as a whole and its trustees, setting forth the means by which A.A. can
F give worldwide service.
j Such is the practical balance of duties, responsibilities, and powers as they stand
today. Though these arrangements can be changed by Conference action, experience
indicates that they are thoroughly practical and are likely to survice all future strain.
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Original Conference Charter-ES
(North American Section)
1. firpose: The General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous is the guar-dian
of the World Services and ofl 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, Direc-tors
and staff members of the New York Headquarters and such ex-Trustees or foreign
Delegates as the Conference may wish to invite?
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
action shall be taken only upon two-thirds vote of the combined Sections. Within
its boundaries each Conference ought to be autonomous? Only matters seriously
affecting A.A.‘s world-wide needs shall be the subject of joint consideration.
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 perpetua-tion
and guidance of its World Services, and it will also be the vehicle by which the
A.A. movement can express its views upon all matters of vital A.A. policy and all
hazardous deviations from A.A. Tradition. Delegates should be free to vote as their
‘Updated by the 1969 Conference to include the words: ”the Twelve Steps.”
2Revised 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.”
3Updated 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 U.S./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 con-sideration.”
Further clarified bv the 1988 Conference to read:
”Other coukies 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 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.”
S24

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
consent of two-thirds of all the A.A. groupsP
4. Gx$mmce R&ion to A.A. Headquarters: The Conference will replace the bun&m
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 two-thirds of all the Cotierence members registered?
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
prerogatives of the General Service Board.
5. State and Pmvincial 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.
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
vided by this Manual of World Service, or by any future amendment theretoP
P*-4Revisedy
the 1957 Conference as follows: ”Bill has suggested that the third article of the Conference
Charter, i.e., Conference Relations to A.A. (Second paragraph page 58 of the Third Legacy Manual),
be amended to read: ”But no than e in Article 12 of the Charter or in A.A. Tradition or in the Twelve
Steps of A.A. may be made with ess than a written consent of three-quarters of the A.A. groups, as f
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 ‘Ikvelve Steps and Twelve Tradi-tions
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 I969 Conference to replace the words ”A.A.
Tradition” with ”The Twelve Traditions of A. A.”
sRevised by the 1986 Conference as follows: 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 related corporate
services, provided the total vote constitutes at least a Conference quorum.
6Article 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 geography presents communication problems may be entitled to additional assemblies, as
!
rovided by the A.A. Service Manual, or
ubsequently, ”x the 1978 Conference made a
any further amendment thereto.”
rther 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.”
s25

6. State and Provincial Assemblies: Purpose o$ State and Provincial Assemblies
convene 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 Ofice 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 remain-ing
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. lJhe 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
choices being subject, however, to the approval of the
their own successors, these
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
The General Service Board is the chief Service Arm of the Conference, and is
essentially custodial in its character.
Excepting for decisions u
affect A.A. as to seriously
.pon matters of policy,
a whole, the General
finance, or A.A. Tradition, liable
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 corporate service entities in pursuance of this purpose.
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.
‘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.
*By 1969, the o f llowing 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 profes-sional
qualifications.” The 1979 Conference substituted the word ”will” with ”may.”
S26

and for such other service corporations as the Conference may desire to form.
The Charter and By-Laws 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.
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. me 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 resolu-tions
for the advice or direction of the General Service Board and the Headquarters.
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 by-laws and will name its own officers and
committees by any method of its own choosing.
The Conference at the close of each yearly session, will draft a full report of its
proceedings 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 Ser-vice
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 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?
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.)
aonference recommended that this note appear immediately following the Conference Charter.
!
I
S27

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 fidl and perma-nent
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
guardianship 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 Service”lO recently revised by our surviving co-founder, Bill
W. ,1l 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 Con-ference
should now become the permanent successor to the founders of Alcoholics
Anonymous, inheriting from them all their former duties and special respon-sibilities,
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 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 ser-vices
of our Society, the voice of the group conscience of our entire Fellowship,
and the sole successors of its co-founders, Doctor Bob and Bill.
AND IT IS UNDERSTOOD: That neither the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics
Anonymous nor the warran ties of Article XII of the Conference Charter shall ever
be changed
the consent
or amended by the General Service Conference except by first asking
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.] l2 These groups
shall be suitably notified of any proposal for change and shall be allowed no less
than six months for consideration 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
loNow called ”The A.A. Service Manual”
”Bill died January 24, 1971
12Resolution: 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 ‘Ibelve
Steps of A.A., should any such change or amendment ever be proposed.
S28

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 in
the service of Alcoholics Anonymous and may traditionally direct its world ser-vices,
it shall never enact laws or regulations binding on A.A. as a whole or upon
any A.A. group or member thereof, 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
Current Conference Charter
(United States and Canadiz)
1. Purpose: The General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous is the guar-dian
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
delegates, the trustees of the General Service Board, directors of A.A. World Ser-vices
and A.A. Grapevine, and staff members of the Grapevine and General Service
Office.
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 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
to the General Service Board of that structure.
literature
S29

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 perpetua-tion
and guidance of its world services, and it will also be the vehicle by which
the A.A. movement 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 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.
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 related 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 con-tracts
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 members 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
prerogatives of the General Service Board.
5. Area Assemblies, Composition ofi 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.
Generally speaking, each delegate area will be entitled to one assembly. 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 further amendment thereto.
6. Area Assemblies, Purpose ofi Area assemblies convene every two years for
the election of area committee members, from which are elected delegates to the
s30

General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous. Such area assemblies are
concerned only with the world service affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous.
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 commit-tee
members by a two-thirds written ballot or by lot, as provided in ”The A.A.
Service Manual. ’ ’
8. Area Assemblies, Terms of Ofice for Group General Service Representatives,
Area Committee Members and Delegates: Unless otherwise directed by the Con-ference,
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. 7&e 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. 7Jie 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 professional 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, delegates
from each region will caucus prior to the nomination, using Third Legacy procedure,
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-larg, U.S., and
a maximum of four candidates for trustee-at-large, Canada, will be presented to the
voting members of the Conference for nomination. Voting members of the Con-ference
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
s31

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 may name suitable committees and elect directors to its subsidiary
corporate service entities in pursuance of this purpose.
The General Service Board is primarily responsible for the financial and policy
integrity of its subsidiary services: A.A. World Services Inc., and A.A. Grapevine,
Inc., and for such other service corporations as the Conference may desire to form,
but nothing herein shall compromise the Grapevine editor’s right to accept or reject
material for publication.
The charter and by laws 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.
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. Z7re 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 committees, and pass suitable resolutions for the advice or direc-tion
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
committees by any method of its own choosing.
The Conference at the close of each yearly session will draft a full report of its
proceedings, to be supplied to all delegates and committee members; also a conden-sation
thereof which will be sent to A.A. groups throughout the world.
12. General Warranties of the Conference: In all its proceedings, the General Ser-vice
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 suffi-cient
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 discus-sion,
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.
S32

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 Cotierence meeting,
depending on whether the area is an ”odd” or ”even” panel. Complicated? Not
really. . .
The Conference started in 1951 (an odd year) and included 37 delegates.
DELEGATES ELECTED FOR ‘ODD’ YEARS
State or Province
Alabama
Arkansas
British Columbia/
Yukon Territory
California
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Hawaii
Illinois
Southern
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Nova Scotia/Nfld./
Labrador
Ohio
Oklahoma
Ontario
Pennsylvania
Number of Delegates
One
One
One
Two Odd Years (Total 5)
One
One
One
TWO
One
Two Odd Years (Total 3)
One Odd Years (Total 2)
One
One
One Odd Years (Total 2)
Two Odd Years (Total 3)
One Odd Years (Total 2)
TLVO
One
One Odd Years (Total 2)
Two Odd Years (Total 4)
One
One
Two Odd Years (Total 4)
One
Three Odd Years (Total 4)
Area Represented
Alabama/Northwest Fla.
Arkansas
British Columbia/
Yukon Territory
Southern
Northern Coastal
Colorado
Connecticut
DC.
Southern/Bahamas
Northern
Hawaii
Chicago
Northern
Iowa
Louisiana
Eastern
Southeastern
Central
Southern
Eastern
Western
Nevada
Northern
Southeastern
Central
North Carolina/Bermuda
Nova Scotia/Nfld./
Labrador
Central/Southeastern
Northeastern
Oklahoma
Eastern
Northeastern
Northwestern
Eastern
Western
s33

Shzte or Province
Quebec
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Number of Delegates
Two Odd Years (Total
Two Odd Years (Total
One
One
One
One
One Odd Years (Total
Area Represented
4)
4)
2)
Southeastern
Northeastern
Northeastern
Southeastern
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Southern Wis.
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, 91 - 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.
s34

‘EVEN’ YEARS
State or Province
Alaska
Alberta/N.W.T.
Arizona
California
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentuclq
Maine
Manitoba
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nebraska
New BrunswickRE.1.
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Ontario
Oregon
Puerto Rico
Quebec
Northwestern
Rhode Island
Saskatchewan
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Number of Delegdes
One
One
One
Three Even Years (Total 5)
One
One
One
One Even Years (Total 3)
One Even Years (Total 2)
One
One
One
One
One
One Even Years (Total 2)
One Even Years (Total 3)
One Even Years (Total 2)
One
One
One
One
One Even Years (Total 2)
One
Two Even Years (Total 4)
One
Two Even Years (Total 4)
One Even Years (Total 4)
One
One
Two Even Years (Total 4)
One
One
One
One
One
Two Even Years (Total 4)
One
One Even Years (Total 2)
One
Area Represented
Alaska
Alberta/N.W.T.
ArizOM
Mid-Southern
San Diego/Imperial
Northern Interior
Delaware
Georgia
Idaho
Northern
Southern
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Manitoba
Maryland
Western
Western
Northern
Mississippi
Nebraska
New BrunswicWP.E.1.
New Hampshire
Southern
New Mexico
Western
Hudson/Mohawk/Berkshire
North Dakota
N.W. Ohio/S.E. Mich.
S.W. Ohio/N. Ky.
Western
Oregon
Puerto Rico
Southwestern
Rhode Island
Saskatchewan
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Southwestern/Northwestern
Vermont
N. Wis./Upper Pen.Mich.
Wyoming
s35

Conference Language
A Glossary of Terms Frequently Used
in General Service Activities
ALTERNATE -AREA-AREA
coMMITTElG
ASSEMBLY -CONFERENCE
-CONFERENCE
APPROVED
LITERATURE
ANDF’ILMS-DELEGATE
-
A service worker who, at group, district, or area level,
assists, supports, and participates in service responsibilities
where feasible,, depending on local autonomy and local
needs.
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 the state or province.
A committee made up of district committee members,
elected by the general service representatives (G.S.R.‘s) in
each district, and the area committee officers. The area com-mittee
is a vital element of the general service structure.
A meeting of G.S.R.‘s and committee members to discuss
area aff&s and biennially to elect a delegate and commit-tee
officers.
The General Service Conference. This can mean either the
stnccture involving committee members, G.S.R.‘s, and
delegates in an area, or the annual meeting of Conference
delegates each April in New York.
Pamphlets, books, and films which the appropriate
Conference committees have reviewed and reported favor-ably
to the Conference meeting for its approval, and which
have been approved by the Conference.
The man or woman elected at the electoral assembly every
other year to represent the area at the annual meeting of
the Conference in New York, and to bring back to the area
the results of the Conference meeting. (See Chapter V.)
S36

DISTRICT -DISTRICT
COMMITTEE
MEMBER-DISTRICT
MEETINGS-FILMSTRIPS
-GENERAL
SERVICES -G.
S.R. -REGION
-SHARING
SESSION -THIRD
LEGACY -TRUSTEE
-
A division within an area to be represented by a committee
member.
Or D.C.M. - sometimes called committeeman or com-mitteewoman.
He or she is an experienced G.S.R. elected
by the other G.S.R.‘s to represent the groups of their district
in area committee meetings - and to coordinate service
activities in the district. (See Chapter III.)
The meetings of the district committee member and G.S.R.‘s
of the groups in the district.
Presentations made up of slides-on-film, accompanied by
recorded voices, showing work of the General Service
Office (G.S.O.), general service activities, and A.A. history;
available for area, district, group, and intergroup meetings.
Originally, the services performed by A.A.‘s General Ser-vice
Office (G.S.O.), general service activities, and A.A.
history; available for area, group, and intergroup meetings.
The general service representative is an A.A. member so
elected by the group to voice the group’s opinion in discus-sions
at the area level. G.S.R.‘s, in turn, vote for the district
committee member and for the delegate and other officers
at the area level. (See Chapter II.)
A grouping of several states or provinces from which a
regional trustee comes to the board of trustees. There are
six regions in the United States; two in Canada. (See map,
page S109.)
A kind of group, district, area, or co&rence meeting where
everyone is invited to contribute ideas and comments on
A.A. matters. (See page S90.)
Recovery and Unity are A.A.‘s first TV Legacies. Our Third
Legacy is Service, the sum total of all A.A. services, from
a Twelfth Step call to A.A.‘s coast-to-coast and worldwide
service activities.
The usual term for a member of A.A.‘s General Service
Board. Some trustees are A.A.‘s; some are nonalcoholic.
(See Chapter IX.)
s37

What Is ‘Third Legacy Procedure’?
By ”Third Legacy procedure,” we mean a special type of electoral procedure for
the election of delegates.l3 It is considered to be unique with A.A.. . .
All members of the area committee are eligible for delegate; the chairperson
asks whether any are unable to serve, and withdraws those names.
Remaining names are posted on a blackboard. (In rare cases, the meeting, by
a majority vote, agrees to accept additional nominations.) All G.S.R.‘s and com-mittee
members of the area who are present cast written ballots, one choice
to a ballot. The tally for each candidate is posted on the blackboard.
The first candidate to receive TWO-THIRDS of the total vote is elected.
After the second ballot (assuming no candidate receives the necessary two-thirds
on the first ballot), any candidate having less than one-Jifth of the total
vote will be withdrawn automatically, except that the TWO TOP CANDIDATES
must remain. (In case there are ties for second place, the top candidate and
tied second-place candidates remain.)
A fourth ballot is conducted.
After the fourth ballot, if no candidate has two-thirds of the total vote, the
chairperson asks for a motion, second, and majority of hands on conducting
a fifth and final ballot. (If this motion is defeated, balloting is over and we
go to the ”hat” immediately. In case there are ties for second place, the top
candidate and tied second-place candidates remain. If not, the candidate with
the smallest total is dropped. If the motion carries, a fifth and final ballot will
be conducted.)
If no election occurs by this time, the chairperson announces the choice will
be made by lot (from the hat). At this point, balloting usually involves only
the top two or three candidates.
Lots are then drawn by teller, and the first one ”out of the hat” becomes the
delegate.
Those who have witnessed many A.A. elections in all parts of the United States
and Canada are constantly impressed with how well this procedure has worked in
bringing well-qualified and willing delegates to the Conference.
At first glance, the method would seem to introduce a strong element of gamble
into a matter which should depend on the judgment of the majority. However, as
one watches this procedure at work, it appears to be most successful in eliminating
the influence of factions or ”parties” that seem to thrive on most political scenes.
The railroading of a candidate to election is made most difficult, if not impossible,
since voters have a wide selection of candidates to choose from. More important,
the second-place candidate who may be extremely well qualified but be without ear-Iv
ponular support. is encouraged to stav in the balloting rather than withdraw. MA A AA , Y d
”Third Legacy procedure” will be described in further
‘3Also for regional trustee and trustee-at-large nominations
Y
detail on pages S57-58.
S38

Why Do We Need a Conference?
The late Bernard B, Smith, nonalcoholic, then chairperson of our board of trustees,
and one of the architects of the Conference structure, answered that question superbly
in his opening talk at the 1954 meeting: ”We may not need a General Service Con-ference
to insure our own recovery. We do need it to insure the recovery of the alcoholic
who still stumbles in the darkness one short block from this room. We need it to
insure the recovery of a child being born tonight, destined to 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 which brought us back to life.
”We need it because we, more than all others, are conscious of the devastating effect
of the human urge for power and prestige which we must insure can never invade
A.A. We need it to insure A.A. against government, while insulating it against
anarchy; we need it to protect A.A. against disintegration while preventing overintegra-tion.
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 insure 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 insure 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 welcome. We need
it to insure 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.”
s39

CHAPTER II
The General Service
Representative
(The G.S. R.)
The G.S.R. - as the general service representative is known -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 group’s wishes to the committee member and to the delegate,
who passes them on to the Conference and to the movement.
For this, G.S.R.‘s need the confidence of the group. They also need a good ear
for listening. We all realize whatever ”authority” there is in A.A. resides in the group
conscience. Because of this, a G.S.R. can determine exactly what a group needs,
what a group thinks about a situation, and can pass this information along to where
it will be most useful in policymaking.
This is a two-way street, allowing the G.S.R. to bring back to the group the
problems and remedies that affect A.A. unity, health, and growth. To the extent that
a G.S.R. keeps the group informed, then expresses the group conscience, only to
that extent can the Conference feel it is acting for A.A. as a whole. This becomes
more evident each year - whether a G.S.R. speaks for a group of two or three, or
for a 250.member group.
Experience shows the most successful G.S.R.‘s are A.A.‘s who have been active
as group officers, intergroup representatives, or public information or institutions
committee members. From such work, they have already learned that A.A. offers
growth through service, and they become aware of the meaning of our Traditions
to the movement’s future.
Usually, prospective G.S.R.‘s have had two or three years of continuous sobriety
in A.A. and have time available for district and assembly meetings. Eventually, they
may become committee members or area delegates. The group should consider
whether a candidate has the capabilities and the time for possible future assignments.
s41

In order that each group may make a wise selection, it is well for it to know what
its G.S.R. will actually be doing. In the early days of the Conference, the main and
almost only function of G.S.R.‘s seemed to be the election of committee members
and delegates. That is still a very important part of the job, but much more has been
added:
l Today, G.S.R.‘s are the mail contacts with the General Service Of-fice
in New York and are listed in the A.A. directories as contacts
for the individual 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;
and they serve as the mail contacts with their district committee
members and the area committees.
l In return, G.S.R.‘s supply their D.C.M.‘s with up-to-date group in-formation
(see p. S44) to be relayed to G.S.O. in time for inclusion
in the directories. This information is also essential for G.S.O.
mailings.
l They know what material is available from G.S.O.-guidelines,
bulletins, filmstrips, tapes, kits, etc.
l G.S.O. keeps them advised of new literature through Box 43-9 and
by mailing revised orderforms. It is the responsibility of G.S.R.‘s
to make sure their groups are informed of the availability of
Conference-approved pamphlets and books.
l While they are no Supreme Court on A.A. Traditions, they do learn
whatever they can about our vital traditions and customs. They are
usually familiar with the books ”Twelve Steps and Twelve Tradi-tions”
and ”A.A. Comes of Age” and the pamphlets ”The A.A.
Group” and ”A.A. Tradition - How It Developed.”
l They usually serve on group steering committees and help with
financial planning.
l As part of their activities within their own groups, they work with
the treasurers to develop practical plans for groups’ support of
G.S.O., such as the Regular Contribution Plan and the Birthday
Plan. They are equally interested in encouraging the groups to sup-port
the area and district committees and the local central offices
or intergroups, and they are familiar with the leaflet ”Self-Supporting
Through Our Own Contributions.”
l They participate, of course, in district and area service meetings.
They often help with planning, advance registration, and publicity
for area get-togethers and conventions. Following these afirs, they
, 1 make reports to their groups
not attend. Experience is now
financially supporting their
attend service functions.
for the benefit of those who could
indicating that many groups are now
general service representatives to
S42

l They know the Group Handbook through and through and help new
group secretaries and chairpersons to use it. When a new group
is forming nearby, they can be of great help in advising its members
about G.S.O. services.
How Elected?
G.S.R.‘s serve for two years. Each is elected in the fall of an odd or even year
depending on the panel the area is in. (See pages S33-35 for schedule of panels).
The G.S.R.‘s term runs concurrently with those of the district committee members
and the delegate - that is, they are all elected in the same odd or even year. Custo-marily,
all G.S.R.‘s, D.C.M.‘s, and delegates take office January 1, regardless of the
date of election.
Since G.S.R.‘s are elected every two years, a special election may be held. To
emphasize the need for selecting strong G.S.R.‘s, the meeting can well include time
devoted to the role of G.S.R.‘s and their work in the district and area. One of the
G.S.O. filmstrips may be shown; a seasoned committee member may conduct a
question-and-answer session.
An informed group will enjoy a well-planned special meeting. It will emphasize
the meaning of ”the hand of A.A.,” reaching out to bring the group closer to the
Fellowship as a whole.
G.S. R. Alternate: In case a G.S.R. is unable to attend all district and area meetings,
an alternate is needed - elected at the same time, by the same procedure. Alternates
should be encouraged to assist, participate, and share in responsibilities of the G.S.R.,
attending district and area meetings where feasible, depending on local needs.
Election Procedure: There should be time for nominations from the floor, then
for written ballots. A plurality is usually sufficient for election.
Reminder: G.S.R.‘s elected may be in line for election later as district committee
members or officers or area delegates. Are they qualified in terms of experience and
time available?
Notification: As soon as your G.S.R. is elected, notify your area committee and
G.S.O. Be sure to include: (1) your group’s name and, if possible, service number;
(2) the new G.S.R.‘s name, address, and telephone number; (3) the previous G.S.R.‘s
name (so it may be removed from the mailing lists).
G.S. R. Kit: When the above notification is received, the new G.S.R. is sent a kit
containing (1) informative memo, (2) form, For Use in Changing Group Information
(see opposite page), (3) ”The A.A. Service Manual’YTwelve Concepts for World
Service,” (4) chart, Structure of the Fellowship (see p. S21), (5) Regional Map of
U.S. and Canada (see p. SlO9), (6) seven useful pamphlets and leaflets, (7) Literature
Order Form, and (8) Grapevine Order Form.
Group Information
Two simplified forms have been developed (sample of each illustrated below) to
f&ilitate transmittal of information to G.S.O. : (1) laze Nav Group Information Record
s43

is for one-time use only, after a new group is started; (2) the form For Use in Chang-ing
Group Znfomzution is to be filled in appropriately whenever a group changes its
name or meeting address, a new G.S.R. is elected, a current G.S.R. has a new
address and/or phone number, a new second contact is named, or the current second
contact has a new address and/or phone number.
It is important for each group to realize this: If a group is listed at the local
intergroup or central office and that office is kept up-to-date on group information,
this does not mean that G.S.0. has been told of the group’s existence or given correct
current information.
To assure direct and regular communication between the individual group and the
General Service Office, each group is assigned a service number. 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 Record.
NEW GROUP INFORMATION RECORD
(PLEASE PRINT AND PRESS HARD)
tiation of meeting: Town/City
IN ACCORDANCE WlTH A.A.‘S SIXTH TRADITION, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT A GROUP NOT BE NAMED AFTER THE FACILITY IN WHICH tT MEETS.
Group name
Meeting nights/days
Description of meetings
(Open, closed, beginner
Does your group meet in a hospital, treatment center or detox center7 Yes Cl No 0. If YES, is It open to A.A. members In the community as well as to patients in the center? Yes Cl No q .
\
Group Meeting Place
FOR USE IN CHANGING GROUP INPORMATION MTR~~~
TO: Records Department
P.O. Box 459
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163
NOTE: Please type or print clearly. It is not necessary to complete the
entire form. Just give UB the group se-mice number, the old infor-mation
to be deleted, and the new information to be inserted.
GROUP SERVICE NO. ~$lISTRIcT No. -Old
InformationOnly New Information
1. Group Name
2. Group's Meeting Address
city
State/Prov.,Zip/Postal
3. G.S.R'S Name LUCY w
Street/Address/P.O.Box \ 2 2 PErtms mhilz b
city
S44

The District Committee
Member and the District
7he district committee member is an essential link between the group’s G.S.R. and
the area’s delegate to the General Service Conference. As leader of the district com-mittee,
made up of all the 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 this thinking to the area delegate and the area committee. How capably
this is done is the measure of the D.C.M.‘s effectiveness.
The district committee member, too, acts as a safety valve for the Fellowship in
this period of rapid growth. Were it not for adding committee members to take care
of new groups as A.A. grows, the General Service Conference might soon become
unwieldy. As the number of A.A. groups shoots up, more districts are needed, rather
than more areas. So more committee members can be added, rather than more
delegates.
A.A. will have gone far into its future before there are too many district commit-tee
members to be heard in assemblies. Co-founder Bill W., when he conceived our
general service structure, felt that the answer to growth could always be found in
the setting up of more districts (and subdivisions of districts) within an area. The
problem is the same today, and so is the answer.
The Alternate Committee Member
An alternate was found in more than half of the areas that reported, through their
delegates, in a recent study of practices in the U.S. and Canada. The alternate is
a backup for the regular district committee member. If the latter resigns - or for
any reason is unable to serve - the alternate steps in.
Usually, the alternate is elected at the same time as the regular district committee
s45

member, by the same election procedure. (In some areas, no alternates are provided
for, but should a regular district committee member be unable to serve, the G.S.R.‘s
in the district should decide on a method of replacement until the next election.)
Alternate committee members should be encouraged to assist, participate, and share
in the D.C.M.‘s responsibilities, attending district and area meetings where feasible,
depending on local needs.
The District
Since a committee member is responsible for a distn’ct, it is important that we
take a look at one. A district is a geographical unit containing the right number of
groups - right in terms of the committee member’s ability to keep in frequent touch
with them, to learn their problems, and to learn ways to contribute to their growth
and well-being.
In the vast majority of areas, a district includes six to 20 groups. In metropolitan
districts, the number will be 15 to 20. In suburban and rural districts, the number
can be as small as five. When redistricting, approval of the groups within each district
involved is essential. The proposed redistricting should be approved by the area
assembly.
As the number of groups increases, the committee member’s problem is met in
either of two ways: (1) The district is split into two districts, each with a committee
member to head it; or (2) the district is not split, but more committee members
(frequently called ”local committee members”) are elected.
One area reported four to five committee members per district, and each was respon-sible
for a clutch of groups. Another area makes the election of a second committee
member automatic when there are more than 20 groups in a district. A third area
has a fixed policy of providing a committee member for each eight groups. There
are many variations, but the goal is the same: to take care of expansion at the
committee-member level.
Who the D.C.M. Is
The district committee member is an A.A. man or woman who usually has served
as a G.S.R. and whom the other G.S.R.‘s wish to make responsible for their district
activities. (The G.S.R. spot vacated should then be filled. Experience shows that it
is not practical for one to serve as district committee member and G.S.R. at the same
time.) An able, experienced G.S.R. makes a good D.C.M. provided he or she has
the time and urge to work closely with groups within the district.
Actually, the qualifications for a good committee member are not complicated:
(1) a background in A.A. service work that goes with the G.S.R. job (and perhaps
with intergroup aftirs); (2) enough sobriety (say four to five years) to be eligible
for election to delegate; (3) the time and energy to serve the district well.

A committee member’s responsibilities, as covered in this chapter, may seem quite
demanding. But the roster of duties has been put together by Conference delegates,
all of whom have filled the committee member’s shoes at some time in the past -and
well enough to have gained the confidence and approval of their fellow commit-tee
members.
How Do We Elect the D.C.M.?
The term of office is two years. Most areas let this term coincide with those of
G.S.R.‘s and committee officers and area delegates. However, some areas rotate half
their committee members each year.
Committee members are usually elected in the fall of the year, with the election
planned to come after the G.S.R. election and before that of the Conference (area)
delegate. Why? Because the committee member is chosen either from among G.S.R.‘s
currently serving, or from a combination of past and present G.S.R.‘s. (In nearly
all cases, the candidate must first be a committee member before becoming eligible
for election as a committee officer or Conference delegate.)
The committee member who is finishing a term sets up the election meeting and
notifies the G.S.R.‘s who have just been elected and those who are going out of of-fice.
That is the procedure in a great many districts today. Whatever method is used,
it should be decided by the area assembly, not by the outgoing committee member.
Here are some of the options:
l Alternate D.C.M.‘s are eligible to run and vote. I
l Only immediate past and all new G.S.R.‘s are eligible to run and vote.
l Only newly elected G.S.R.‘s are eligible to run and vote.
l Only past G.S.R.‘s are eligible to run - but all G.S.R.‘s, outgoing and new,
should vote.
The last method appears to have some advantages. It gives the A.A. two years
of experience as a G.S.R. before assuming the more responsible role. It is desirable
to have the same procedure for all districts in an area, and to have it approved by
the area assembly.
Election is usually by written ballot with a majority needed to elect. However, a
district may choose to follow Third Legacy procedure and call for a two-thirds vote
to elect. (See p. S38.)
Generally, and for reasons given earlier, district meetings to elect committee
members are held in advance of assemblies and separate from them. But there are
cases where travel distances make this impractical and even a hardship. (This usually
means that more districts should be set up.)
However, where such a condition exists and cannot be corrected immediately,
meetings to elect committee members may be held on the same day as, just before,
and at the same place as assembly meetings held to elect officers and a Conference
delegate.
When notification of election is received, the new D.C.M. is sent the Conference
Kit containing: (1) the Final Conference Report, (2) the ”A.A. Service Manual,” I

(3) the appropriate A.A. Directory, (4) A.A. Guidelines, (5) a variety of A.A.
pamphlets and flyers, (6) service material, lists and charts, (7) order forms and (8)
a Self-support Manual.
Can a committee member be reelected? This question arises occasionally. Of course,
the answer is yes - at a regular election where there is every opportunity for
presenting all available candidates. Fact is, though, A.A.‘s generally feel that
rotation keeps the committee more vital and productive.
What Does the D.C.M. Do?
The duties of a qualified district committee member range from a few to a lot,
depending on how far along an area is in general service work. But there is general
agreement throughout all areas that duties should be spelled out in detail. Not only
does this help clarify what D.C.M.‘s should or should not be doing - it also has
strong morale effect; it makes each of them aware that a D.C.M. is an essential wing
of the area committee.
The job is one of two-way communication, as we know. The D.C.M. gets reports
from the group level through G.S.R.‘s and through frequent personal contacts with
the groups in the district. He or she helps the Conference delegate cover an area
that the delegate could not cover otherwise (on a group-by-group basis). Experience
is now indicating that many districts are now financially supporting their district com-mittee
members to attend service functions.
In what ways is this best done - or in what ways could a better job be done? Ques-tioned
on this point, area delegates were generous with suggestions based on ex-perience
in their areas - and these have been put together in the form of a conve-nient
checklist of duties, to be found on the next page.
What If a D.C.M. Fades Away?
Some areas have never had any problem with committee members who start off
with enthusiasm, then fmd job or family or just plain lack of interest take over. One
area even reported ”100% attendance” all year long. But what happens when the
committee member misses two, then three meetings, and hasn’t taken the trouble
to get the alternate to fill in?
The question: If committee members fail to attend a certain number of meetings,
are they asked to resign, or are they automatically replaced? Or is nothing done about
it? Three out of five areas reported ”yes,” they replaced such committee members
without fuss. And many of those who reported ”no” also pointed out that perhaps
some plan for replacement would be productive.
The number of ”misses” that areas thought critical varied, too. One area allowed
only two unexcused absences. Most of the others felt that three ”misses” were the limit.
Several areas felt that this was a matter for the G.S.R.‘s to worry about. G.S.R.‘s
chose the committee member. It was up to them to check on performance and to
make a replacement if need be.
S48

If there was no alternate, the G.S.R.‘s of the district committee should agree on
the method of replacement to be used, it was suggested.
No hard and f&t conclusions can be drawn from the area reports on this problem,
other than the fact that the problem is understood and is already being dealt with -or
soon will be.
Communication and Specifics
Starting on this page is a very useful checklist of duties and responsibilities. The
list could go on and on, but even a casual reading points up the obvious: General
service work may suffer from weak communication and lack of specifics.
In Twelfth Step work (in which most A.A.‘s are adept), we have no end of corn-munication:
The sponsor talks to the drunk; speakers talk to and at us; we talk to
each other.
There is no problem of specifics, either: pamphlets for everyone, the Big Book,
the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions. They are all there for anyone able to listen
and to read.
When it comes to general service work - the I;hird Legacy that Bill W. felt so
keenly about - the situation is considerably different. We first must get the atten-tion
of the alcoholics who are still busy recovering. Then we must get them to focus
a bit on the service story, on those newly discovered service responsibilities. We are
actually asking them to take time out from the nuts and bolts of recovery to think
about another phase of their new lives - this one seemingly very long-range.
So communication starts off being difficult until the A.A.‘s get service work into
perspective - and until they find their way into this manual and into other service
literature.
But they till learn and they will become interested. And you will find that the
teaching process is rewarding - perhaps not the thrill of your first Twelfth Step suc-cess,
but a thrill nonetheless. Ask any delegate or past delegate!
A HANDY CHECKLIST
A District Committee Member’s Duties
’ Most area delegates report that a district committee member can be most productive
through these measures:
1 .
2.
3.
4.
5.
Holding regular meetings of all GS. R. ‘s in the district. About half of the areas
reporting hold monthly district meetings. Many hold them quarterly; some,
every other month.
Assisting the delegate in obtaining group inform&on in time to meet the
deadline for the appropriate A.A. directory.
Keeping G.S. R. ‘s informed about Conference activities. This would include
setting up time- and expense+aving opportunities for the delegate’s Conference
report.
Getting G.S.R.‘s acquainted with ”The A.A. Service Manual”. . . .
And with Box 4-5-9.
s49

6. Keeping groups informed about Conference-approved books and pamphlets.
7. Holding workshops on almost any service activity.
In the next rank of importance were these duties -other ways in which a district
committee member could become useful - ways that would also prove personally
rewarding:
8.
9.
10.
11.
12 .
Helping make the Conference report to &roups, in situations where the delegate
could not.
Getting G.S.R.‘s acquainted with the Guidelines from G.S.O. . . .
And with ”Twelve Concepts for World Service,” the PI. Workbook, and any
other service material.
Holding sharing sessions on just about any service subject.
And, of course, making a regular practice of talking to groups (new and old)
on the responsibilities of general service work.
That about summed up the D.C.M.‘s basic responsibilities. In addition, delegates
suggested other useful activities. At least one area reported each of the following
duties for a district committee member:
l
l
l
l
0
0
0
0
l
l
0
0
l
0
l
Setting up a public information subcommittee.
Keeping in touch with the alternate D.C.M. and with the delegate by phone or
mail on a regular basis.
Sending all district meeting minutes to alternate and to delegate; also exchang-ing
them with other districts.
Tying mini-service conferences in with some of the regular district committee
meetings.
Inviting delegate to district meetings; interpreting group conscience for delegate
- groups’ opinions, not the D.C.M.‘s own.
Carrying a specific messagetim delegate to each district meeting and workshop.
Arranging for one or more area committee oficers to appear at every district
meeting.
Organizing district and interdistrict meetings; arranging for delegate to speak
at intergroup meeting.
Making sure that minutes of all meetings go to committee oficers, as well as
to delegate, and that copies of correspondence go to delegate.
Making sure that the alternate junctions when the regular D.C.M. cannot.
Bringing Traditions problems to the attention of the delegate.
Stressing with G.S.R.‘s their eligibility for election as district committee member
and as Conference delegate; stressing also the high priority of A.A. service work.
Contributing to the monthly newsletter in the area.
Visiting groups, toJill in holes where G.S.R.‘s are weak - and, prior to elec-tions,
to remind groups of the duties and qualifications of G.S.R.‘s.
Helping G.S.R.‘s to make interesting reports to groups, and encouraging them
to bring new AA. members to sharing sessions as their guests.
sso

l Attending all possible conferences and conventions to get ideas.
l Helping with regional conferences. Though these are sponsored by state or pro-vincial
committees, host cities can use district committee members’ help.
l Encouraging discussion of the Traditions at group meetings regularly.
s51

CHAPTER IV
The Area Committee
The area committee - perhaps more than any other group of people in A.A. -is
responsible for the health of the Conference structure and, by the same token,
for growth and harmony in our beloved Fellowship.
The area for which the committee feels responsible may be part of a state or
province - or all of it. Thus, the area committee is in a fortunate middle position.
Through its elected delegate, it learns firsthand what is happening in A.A. world
services. Through the members of the committee, it is close to district and local scenes.
If G.S.R.‘s are lax, if there is a lack of harmony in the district, the committee member
soon knows it. The D.C.M. can then turn to the whole committee for help in restor-ing
peace or generating more activity among the groups in the district. This middle
position is indeed a vital one.
An active committee is aware of all kinds of service problems and is alert to needs
that are apparent throughout the Fellowship, such as:
Solutions for group problems. Is area experience being shared?
Active institutional work. Is the A.A. message getting into hospitals, prisons, jails,
and rehab centers?
Usefil public information. Are news media informed about A.A. in the district?
Do they know the A.A. sources for news and feature material? Is there an active
public information committee, or is one needed?
Cooperation with the professional community. Are professionals in the area aware
of A.A. as a resource?
New Groups and Loners. Are they being visited and helped?
This is but a sampling of the problems with which an area committee may find
itself involved. (See Chapter VIII for full-dress treatment of area activities.) A par-tial
list has been given here to point up the kind of activity and the kind of active
A.A.‘s the committee needs to accomplish its purpose. In other words, there is much
more to a committee’s work than the election of officers and a delegate to the General .
Service Conference meeting in New York.
s52

Who Is on the Committee?
Basically, the area committee is composed of all district committee members -one
memberfrom each district in the area, whom G.S.R.‘s have elected to represent
their groups. Alternate D.C.M.‘s are also voting members of the committee in the
absence of the D.C.M. There should be enough districts and enough committee
members to insure good communication between the committee and the groups. Fre-quently,
ample districts are needed so that no committee member will be faced with
undue difficulty in reaching the groups.
Those holding committee offices, which vary but usually consist of chairperson,
secretary, and treasurer, are also voting members of the committee - as are the
delegate, the alternate delegate, and the chairpersons of special services such as
finance, institutions, public information, central office liaison, etc.
In some areas, past delegates serve on the area committee - without a vote; in
others, only the outgoing delegates serve on the area committee - without a vote;
in others, only the outgoing delegate is an Ed oflcio member. The decision on the
status of past delegates is left to the group conscience of the area assembly.
Committee Officers
Leadership must come from the officers. They must have the enthusiasm and know-how
of the individual committee member, plus the ability to organize and give the
committee direction and incentive.
In the preparation of this revised manual, a great number of present and past com-mittee
chairpersons were interviewed by letter. They were asked to weigh their suc-cesses
and failures and to decide, judging by the record, what attributes and experience
seemed most helpful to them in fulfilling their jobs. Here are the qualifications for
a good chairperson in the opinions of several experienced chairpersons.
Chairperson Qualifications
A.A. experience. Many chairpersons say five years of continuous sobriety; some,
three. But all agree that a considerable period of sobriety is desirable, plus experience
in group, central office, or institutional affairs. This would normally include a sound
understanding and appreciation of the Steps, the Traditions, and the Concepts - and
better still, the know-how gained by applying these guides successfully to local
problems.
Leadership. A chairperson should be able to organize and to lead - yet act like
a servant, rather than a dictator. This leadership talent should help him or her instill
in others a high interest in Conference service. It should also help to make sure that
some action is taken on all matters coming before the meeting, leaving no troublesome
loose ends. Of course, the ideal chairperson has considerable planning ability. And
certainly, he or she will be able to conduct meetings in an orderly manner.
s53

Ability to communicate. The ideal candidate is sensitive to the wishes of the local
area - but is not too personally sensitive; has an intense desire to see A.A. thrive
and prosper - but is tolerant of those who cannot seem to see beyond their group’s
horizon; has an interesting and meaningful A.A. history to relate at group meetings,
along with the service talk; is skilled in communication and can serve well as the
”stay- at-home delegate” - aware of what goes on in the district, in order to keep
the delegate informed, and also aware of what goes on in world services, to keep
the committee informed.
Living the example. One of the greatest services a chairperson can render A.A.
- without intending or even realizing it - is simply to live in a way that becomes
an example for many members. Through watching such an A.A. in action, they may
come to understand that service to others is part of our personal recovery.
Secretary Qualifications
A good committee secretary can add great vitality and drive to an area committee.
Even the best chairperson can be greatly handicapped by an inefficient secretary,
and can be much more effective with a competent one. Both men and women serve
as secretaries (also true of all other offices). Here is what three former secretaries
have to say regarding qualifications.
Sobriety and business experience. ”Reasonable period of sobriety” may 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 services is useful. So is some background
in general office work. The secretary should be able to type, or have a stenographer-typist
available.
Sense of order. Taking minutes of meetings means sifting through quite a few thou-sand
words to get the kernel, the essence of what has been said. The secretary is
also responsible for keeping mailing lists up-to-date and for getting out mailings.
He or she may also be responsible for preparing lively bulletins that will bring peo-ple
to committee meetings and assemblies.
Zime, interest, and energy. The job demands considerable time and needs to be
carried out on schedule. This takes interest, not to mention devotion. The secretary
is in a good position to act as liaison between officers and committee members,, and
can play the role of arbitrator when necessary.
Treasurer Qualifications
The area treasurer should be a responsible person, a man or woman who can keep
good records.
l”ime in A.A. Experience would indicate choice of a man or woman who has had
a substantial period of sobriety. In addition, the treasurer should be a careful guar-dian
of area funds, with an eye to preventing foolish or extravagant outlays of
committee money.
ss4

Accounting qpmience. If the treasurer’s background includes bookkeeping, so much
the better. Otherwise, this officer will need help in setting up a system, or in under-standing
the present system. If he or she can type, fine! Otherwise, the assistance
of a typist will be needed.
Persuasiveness. In most cases, the treasurer is responsible for raising the money
needed for area support - and the support of G.S.O. This activity calls for firmness
and diplomacy. If the committee includes a finance chairperson, then the treasurer
is free for record keeping and finance controls.
Other Officer Qualifications
An area committee may have other officers who are responsible for special
activities. A public information chairperson, for example, to head up the area PI.
committee is appointed by the area committee chairperson with the approval of the
area committee. Some areas have an institutions chairperson, some a convention
chairperson. Other areas appoint a finance chairperson whose sole job is keeping
contributions coming into area and G.S.O. treasuries. Other assignments handled by
special chairpersons or coordinators include: cooperation with the professional com-munity,
liaison with central offices or intergroups; preparation of news bulletins;
literature; Grapevine, etc.
Alternate Committee Officers
Some areas find it helpful to select alternates for all committee officers, the posi-tion
of alternate chairperson being especially encouraged. The alternate committee
officers may provide continuity at the area level and may or may not be seated as
voting members, depending on local autonomy and area needs.
Where feasible, alternates are encouraged to share and participate in committee
activities as fully as possible. It is suggested that the qualifications of alternates closely
resemble the qualifications for the positions they might be called upon to assume.
The Assembly
Any meeting of area G.S.R.‘s and the area committee is an assembly. The area,
state or provincial amemMy is the mainspring of the Conference structure. It is the
democratic voice of the movement expressing itself. Assemblies are the responsibility
of the area committee, and they are conducted by its chairperson. An assembly is
held at least once every two years to elect a delegate and committee officers.’ This
election meeting is usually scheduled in the fall of the year, prior to November 1.
(The newly elected delegates and officers take office as of January 1.)
‘Election procedure is outlined on pages S57-58.
S55

Nonelection assemblies or meetings may be held at any interval the area wishes.
In some areas they may be called ”workshops” or ”general service sessions.” However,
most areas call them assemblies and include workshops, etc. But the election meeting
is always called an ”assembly.” (More about nonelection assemblies in Chapter VIII.)
SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CHAIRPERSON
ON ASSEMBLIES
Organizing an Assembly
The chairperson consults with his or her committee before setting date, place,
and hour for the assembly meeting.
Making sure that all groups are notified, the chairperson advises them to send
a G.S.R. or to elect a G.S.R. if they have none. Secretary usually handles this
notification. Most areas consider assemblies ”closed” sessions and for A.A.
members only.
He or she consults with officers and committee members on the program for the
assembly, paying particular attention to any need for additional districts and addi-tional
committee members.
Much depends on the chairperson’s ability to conduct a smoothly functioning
meeting. Those with little experience in chairing business meetings will do a good
job if they will bear these simple suggestions in mind:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Be responsible for keeping the issues dear. If a motion is offered, be
sure that 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 and discourage depar-tures
from it.
On simple matters, a majority vote is enough. Even a ”sense of the
meeting” may take the place of a vote if no vote seems essential. In such
a case, the chairperson asks: ”Is it the sense of the meeting that. . .?”
If there are no ”No’s,” it is apparent there is accord.
Meetings may be fairly informal, but the attention of the entire meeting
should be kept on one subject at a time - without the disruptive influence
of private conversations.
An assembly may make its own rules, but the chairperson should make
it clear that the members must decide on any desired change in rules
before a motion is voted on, or before an election is conducted. Be sure
assembly is aware of suggested procedures in the manual, before changes
are made?
2See page S58- ”Who is Seated?”
S56

A ljpical Election Assembly Agenda
Preparations are complete. G.S.R.‘s are registered and manuals are available;
blackboard and chalk are in the front of the room. What next? What is the order
of business? Here is a tvpical agenda:
1 .
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
r
Chairperson opens meetings, asks for a moment of silence, followed by
Serenity Prayer.
Secretary, delegate, and other officers report on the activities since the
assembly.
Chairperson announces procedure for election of committee members
the
last
and
acceptance of members already elected by G.S.R.‘s in their districts. (See Chapter
III for procedure.)
Chairperson introduces district map and asks for suggestions regarding further
districting. He or she then calls for motions or amendments if redistricting is
wanted. Simple majority votes are sufficient.
When a committee member has not been elected in advance of the assembly,
members from each district caucus to elect one. Chairperson announces a recess
for this purpose, and G.S.R.‘s gather in groups by districts. (See Chapter III.)
Chairperson reviews the election procedure (also reviews section entitled ”Who
Presides? Who Votes?” on page S88) and asks approval of it and 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 been chosen first, followed by
the alternate delegate, chairperson, secretary, treasurer, etc. The chairperson also
asks for permission to select the chairpersons of public information, institutions,
and, if needed, other service committees.
The delegate is elected by Third Legacy procedure as follows:
0 a
Co)
0 C
00
0 e
(f)
(8)
The eligible committee members’ names (suggest full names be used) and
districts are written on the blackboard in the front of the room. (Those
eligible may be present or past committee members.)
The chairperson asks whether anyone is unable to serve and if so, that
person’s name is removed.
Paper and pencils are distributed for written ballots.
The secretary calls the roll of voting members. The voting members usually
include all G.S.R.‘s (one for each group) and committee members and
officers.
Two nonvotmg members will be selected as tellers, two are collectors of
ballots, and another to record and tally votes on the blackboard.
Written ballots are cast, collected, and given to tellers to count.
Vote will be written on the blackboard alongside the names of candidates.
s57

0
0 i
.
0)
( 1 m
0 n
The first candidate to receive two-thirds vote is elected.
After the second ballot (assuming no candidate receives the necessary two-thirds
on the first ballot), any candidate having less than one-fifth of the
total vote will be withdrawn automatically? except that the two top can-didates
must remain. (In case there are ties for second place, the top
candidate and tied second-place candidates remain.)
After the third ballot, candidates with less than one-third of total vote will
be withdrawn automatically, except that the two top candidates must
remain. (In case there are ties for second place, the top candidate and tied
second-place candidates remain.)
A fourth ballot is conducted.
After the fourth ballot, if no candidate has two-thirds of the total vote,
the chairperson asks for a motion, second, and majority of hands on con-ducting
a fifth and final ballot. (If this motion is defeated, balloting is over
and we go the ”hat” immediately. In case there are ties for second place;
the top candidate and tied second- place candidates remain. If not, the
candidate with the smallest total is dropped. If the motion carries, a fifth
and fmal ballot will be conducted.)
If no election occurs by this time, the chairperson announces the choice
will be made by lot (from the hat).
Lots are then drawn by teller, and the first one ”out of the hat” becomes
the delegate.
8. The alternate delegate is elected next, by the same election procedure.
9. Committee officers are then elected separately by the Third Legacy procedure.
Officers elected include chairperson, secretary, and treasurer. (See pages S53-55
- officer qualifications.) Tellers list names of the eligible committee members
on the blackboard, and voting continues for each office until one is elected, either
by two-thirds or drawn from the hat.
10. The Chairperson then directs the secretary to send a report of the assembly,
together with names and addresses of delegates, officers, committee members,
and G.S.R.‘s attending, to the Conference secretary at G.S.O. in New York by
December 1. All those elected usually take office January 1.
(The chairperson then adjourns the meeting).
Who Is Seated?
G.S.R.‘s and committee members and area officers make up the assembly. Usually,
the G.S.R. attends the assembly nearest his or her group, but may go to any assembly
the group wishes, even across a state or provincial line or a national boundary, if
3TheGe~eneral Service Conference approved the change fkom optional to automatic withdrawal of
candidates.
S58

deemed advisable and approved by the assembly of the group’s choice.
Uniform procedures throughout the Fellowship are in no way obligatory or even
practical in many cases. Procedures suitable in one area may not be in another. It
is desirable that every area have its own agreed-upon procedure to expedite the con-duct
of its business. Every area, operating on the Fourth Tradition, will decide what
is best for its own needs and capabilities, and each assembly should be the final judge
of whom it will seat.
G.S.O. is frequently asked the following questions:
1 .
2 .
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Who is eligible to vote at assemblies? Do incoming or outgoing district commit-tee
members and G.S.R.‘s vote? Do both incoming and outgoing D.C.M.‘s vote?
How long should a D.C.M. or G.S.R. hold office before being eligible to vote?
The question is usually answered by referring to this manual, page S88, and
suggesting that it is important for each area assembly to decide, through its own
group conscience, the method it plans to use, so that assembly time is not taken
up in the discussion and debate of procedural questions.
As each group has only one vote, what about the vote of D.C.M.‘s or committee
officers who also belong to one or another of the groups?
The experience which has been shared with G.S.O. seems to indicate that, even
though the delegate, committee officers, and district committee members are
each members of a group in the area, they are entitled to vote at the assembly,
and that the G.S.R.‘s vote the conscience of the groups they represent.
If the D.C.M. also serves as the G.S.R., should he or she have two votes - one
as D.C.M. and one as G.S.R.?
This manual (page S46) suggests that when a G.S.R. is elected a district com-mittee
member, the group should then elect another G.S.R.
Do the chairpersons of special committees - public information, institutions,
Grapevine, literature, etc. - have a vote?
In many areas, chairpersons of such committees are voting members of the
assembly. But this is a decision that should be made independently by the assembly
in each area.
How long must a group have been in existence before its G.S.R. is eligible to vote?
Once again, assemblies can establish their own ground rules on this matter;
but usually, if a legitimate A.A. group has submitted the name of a G.S.R. to
represent that group at the assembly, 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., and the G.S.R. should vote for one
group only.
When the G.S.R. cannot be present, can he or she vote by proxy?
If a G.S.R. cannot be present, the alternate votes (see page SSS). A G.S.R.
can vote by proxy, but this is not a common practice; it usually applies in the
case of institutions groups.
s59

8. Are voting restrictions placed on G.S.R.‘s, D.C.M.‘s, and committee officers who
have been absent at the preceding two (or more) assemblies?
It is suggested (page S48) that a committee member be asked to resign if time
does not permit him or her to assume the responsibilities. This, too, is a deci-sion
to be made by the assemblies themselves, and some do have ground rules
relating voting eligibility to attendance at previous assemblies.
Where Held?
Many areas rotate their assembly sites from city to city. Some are held in the same
place - and at the same time - as a state, provincial, or regional convention. This
saves the time and cost of travel to a separate meeting, gives all A.A.‘s who attend
the convention a chance to see general services in action. However, the convention
program and convention traffic sometimes get in the way of the orderly flow of
assembly business, and for this reason the combination site is becoming less popular.
Most areas schedule assemblies monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly. Some are weekends,
some one-day, etc.
How the Committee Is Supported
Typical of most financial undertakings in A.A., the cost of supporting an area corn-mittee
is small in relation to comparable activities in business firms and in many
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. ,
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 expense when
they report to groups following the Conference meeting. Many active area commit-tees
support public information programs, and buy literature for groups in institu-tions.
Each area sends $400.00 (four hundred dollars) to G.S.O. to help defray the
cost of the annual meeting of the Conference. The $400.00 is sent to G.S.O. no later
than March 1 of each year. A reminder is sent in January.
Here are some of the methods areas use to keep their committees solvent and
effective:
l They take collections at assembly and district meetings.
l They ask groups for annual or monthly contributions based on about $1.00 per
year per member, usually with a $5.00 minimum for the group.
l They leave ”dime boxes” with groups, pointing out that each member who puts
a dime in weekly will have contributed $5.20 when the year is done.
l They share in the Regular Contribution Plan whereby groups contribute on a
monthly or quarterly basis to intergroup (central service office), G.S.O., and
area committee.
S60

l Added experience regarding the division for the remaining group funds is con-tained
in the leaflet ”Supporting the A.A. Support System.”
l They also receive contributions from area and state convention treasuries.
S61

CHAPTER V
The Delegate
Because the delegate goes on a trip, gets to see G.S.O., and helps make worldwide
decisions, this has become the golden assignment. Whether this is true or not does
not really matter. The picture attracts some very capable A.A.‘s and exacts a great
deal of work from them.
The Delegate’s Job Is a Demanding One s
Insofar as the Conference is concerned, delegates have these primary duties:
1. Attend the Conference meeting in April prepared, in order that they can vote
intelligently. Every delegate, immediately upon election, is put on the G.S.O.
mailing list to receive all Conference materials, requiring several hours of study.
When delegates attend the Conference meeting, they bring to it the problems
of their areas. They consider and vote on all questions, not as representatives
of particular areas, but as members of the Conference whose duty it is to act
in the best interests of A.A. as a whole.
2. Following the Conference meeting, the delegates’ effectiveness depends on how
well they are able to transmit the world picture to their committee members and
inspire them to pass on this information and the delegates’ own enthusiasm to
G.S.R.‘s, to groups, and to central offices or intergroups. If the territory is too
broad, the delegate will be unable to do the job alone. He or she can, however,
give committee members and G.S.R.‘s the big picture of A.A. general services
and ask them to share the load.
(During the Conference trip, chances are the delegates will have gained a bet-ter
grasp of G.S.O. services, and will now be able to explain the importance of
G.S.O. to the continued health and growth of A.A. They will return home with
facts and figures; but more important, they will have a good understanding of
a great movement in action.)
So much for going to - and
that work is vital, it is not all
reporting on -the Conference meeting. While
of the delegates’ job.
S62

3,
4 .
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11 .
12 .
13.
14.
They must also be prepared to attend all area, state, and provincial service meet-ings
and assemblies. From these meetings, they come to understand the problems
in their areas and are better able to make suggestions for the Conference agenda.
They belong at every convention and get-together the state or province or region
holds. These represent additional opportunities to talk to A.A.‘s about general
services - those A.A.‘s who might never be reached otherwise. Some regions
have an informal get-together put on by past delegates, and one region’s meeting
is described in Chapter VIII and has been of value to new delegates in that region.
They have the job of helping their committees obtain the financial support their
areas and G.S.O. need.
They take pains to remind G.S.R.‘s to tell groups and individuals about the A.A.
Grapevine and Cotierence-approved books and pamphlets. Many groups are still
not in the habit of providing approved A.A. literature at meetings, offering the
pamphlets free or at cost.
They cooperate with G.S.O. in obtaining information. For instance, delegates
help to carry out the membership surveys that provide current data on the range
and effectiveness of A.A. And, with the assistance of their D.C.M.‘s and G.S.R.‘s,
they see that up-to-date information reaches G.S.O. in time to meet the deadline
for each issue of the A.A. directory.
They remind committee members and G.S.R.‘s that G.S.O. is an tiormation center
on A.A. matters. Thousands of groups are in frequent touch with G.S.O. on mat-ters
that affect the group, but there are others who do not yet know what ser-vices
are available.
They provide A.A. leadership in solving local problems involving A.A. Tradi-tions
(particularly when there is no local central office or intergroup to take the
responsibility).
They visit groups and districts in their areas whenever possible. Delegates should
be sensitive to area needs and reactions. After committee members and G.S.R.‘s
have reported on Conference actions, delegates should learn from committee
members how the groups have reacted. Delegates should know this is a two-way
street, with information moving in both directions.
They assume added responsibility if the area committee chairperson and alter-nate
chairperson are unable to serve. A smoothly running area committee is essen-tial
to the work of the delegate. If, for any reason, a committee is not fimction-ing
as it should, that area’s delegate may take on the responsibility of remedying
the situation.
They work closely with committee officers, sharing experience throughout the
year.
They keep alternate delegates fully informed, using the alternates’ help wherever
possible, so an alternate can replace a delegate in an emergency.
Late in their second year, they have the job of working with the newly elected
delegates - their successors - to pass along a basic knowledge of Conference
S63

procedures and problems. This first- year experience can be shared with their
successors at the past delegates’ annual get-together in their region.
15. They maintain communication during the year with G.S.O.
Delegate Expenses
Few things cause more controversy in A.A. than money. A delegate’s expenses
are no exception.
Seldom does an area committee treasury provide enough funds to meet a delegate’s
complete travel expenses. Sometimes it provides a generous, allowance for expenses
to New York to attend the Conference meeting in April - and then fails to cover
the costs of reporting back to the area, certainly equally important to effectiveness
as a delegate.
In many cases, the area treasury recognizes the delegate’s importance in this two-way
communication between the group and the Conference and trustees - and does
put up the money needed. Invariably, this pays off in increased activity, interest, and
group support.
A delegate’s expenses to the Conference meeting are covered in this way. His or
her area contributes $400.00 toward the Conference expenses. The Group Fund of
the General Service Board pays the balance, but this does not take care of the many
incidental expenses encountered by the delegate. Thus, most areas provide some money
to cover these extra expenses.
What Makes a Good Delegate?
If you are available - or are considering your availability - as a candidate for
delegate, ask yourself these questions:
1. How well did you do as a G.S.R.? As a committee member? Did you enjoy the
responsibilities? Were you active?
2. Have you discussed the possibility with your family? Will the time be available
for the amount of work required?
3. Are you familiar with this service manual? With ”A.A. Comes of Age”? And,
of course, with the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts?
4. Have you talked with the past delegates to get an idea of the time and effort re-quired
and the sort of work you will be called on to do? Past delegates in many
regions annually share their experience, strength, and hope at an informal
unofficial meeting (described in Chapter VIII) and invite all newly elected
delegates and alternates to attend.
There is no standard type of delegate. Like every A.A. member, they come in all
shapes and sizes. But there are some characteristics that seem to make for better-qualified
delegates, as they themselves agree - often several years after their terms
when they can more accurately measure the quality of the job they turned in.
S64

It is generally felt that the delegate should have been active in local and area af-fairs
- as a G.S.R. and committee member. The delegate should have time available
- not only for attending the April meeting of the Conference, but for all the efforts
needed before and after the Conference. A quick glance at the review of duties earlier
in this chapter tells all as far as time is concerned.
Some feel that at least six years of continuous sobriety is essential; some say five.
In any event, he or she should have been sober long enough to be considered
responsible.
Delegates should be able to make suggestions - and criticisms, too. Since they
must chair a meeting from time to time, they should be experienced in this respect.
While they do not need to befinal authorities on all A.A. matters, they should know
where to get information. Delegates should know the Traditions and how they apply
to local problems.
If a delegate has leadership qualities, so much the better. Then he or she can
stimulate action in the area, and team well with the committee chairperson in help-ing
the area to become more service-minded.
A delegate should be open-minded, able to sit down with other delegates to discuss
and act on matters affecting A.A. as a whole.
Delegates Are Servants, Not Senators
Assemblies and delegates alike should remember that delegates are representative
of areas in the usual political sense. Delegates do not go to the General Service Con-ference
to logroll special benefits for their respective areas. They go primarily to
render a service to world A.A., to insure that A.A. continues to function as a whole.
However, they should bring with them the viewpoints of their own areas on world
problems or even such local problems as may affect A.A. as a whole. Delegates are
always servants, never senators.
How Do.We Form a New Delegate Area?
If the A.A. population of an area seems to have grown to the point where the cur-rent
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 form for an additional delegate.
This four-page form, painstakingly worked out in 1968 by a special meeting of
the Agenda/Admissions Committee (now the Committee on Conference Policy/
Admissions), requests detailed information about the current service structure, such
as: (a) how often assemblies are held and average attendance; (b) whether there is
an alternate delegate and what his or her specific duties are; (c) how often district
meetings are held and average attendance; (d) the number of active D.C.M.‘s and
whether they assist the delegate in gathering group information and preparing for
and reporting on the General Service Conference; (e) the number of active G.S.R.‘s
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in the area and the number in each district; and (f) geographical and A.A. popula-tion
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 help for the delegate (see the chapter on
”The District Committee Member and the District,” page S45).
When such a request came up at the 1961 Conference, a memo from Bill W. pro-vided
enlightening opinions on the subject. Our co-founder wrote (in part): I
”The Conference Committee on Admissions should weight 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 communications, 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
delegates at the Conference to afford a reliable cross section of A.A. plus enough
more to make sure of good local communications.”
Delegate Term
A delegate serves one term of two years. The Conference is on record in its at-titude
toward delegate rotation. However, the question has arisen: Can a delegate
be reelected at some future date? The Conference strongly recommends limiting the
term of delegate to one two-year term, with the exception of an alternate delegate
who, after filling one year of the delegate’s term, may be elected to serve his or her
own term.
Where Should a Delegate Come From?
Many areas have adopted their own policy of ”rotation” to fend off domination
of an area by one or more heavily populated sections. While no delegate represents
a city or county in the usual political sense, A.A. often thinks it fairer to move the
responsibility around from rural section to city, or from one part of an area to another.
However, no especially eligible A.A. should be passed over in the interests of
geographical rotation.
About the Alternate
The Conference recommends that all areas have alternate delegates. The alternate
serves as a valuable assistant, often traveling with the delegate, or giving reports for
him or her. Also, in some areas, the alternate serves on public information, on
institutions, or in some other special function of the committee.
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An alternate who replaces the delegate at the annual meeting of the General Ser-vice
Conference will remain on the G.S.O. mailing list as that area’s delegate until
G.S.O. is informed otherwise by the area committee.
Reporting Back Home
on the Conference
‘A Delegate’s Job Is Not All Peaches and Cream’
Not by a long shot, say most delegates. There is much work to be done, and there
can be many frustrations. Here four A.A.‘s tell how they went about improving corn-munications
between groups and area committees and G.S.O. while they were
delegates. Each gives highlights of the work in making an interesting - and challenging
- report of the Conference to the groups back home.
* *
”My report to G. S. R.‘s, groups, and the state convention 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 intergroup meetings when possible. My report was given at five such
meetings and was well received. (In a sixth city, where a special Saturday-night
meetings had been called, only the state chairperson and secretary showed up.) I
suggest that the regular intergroup meeting or an extended regular group meeting
be used for reporting the Conference - 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. No, a delegate’s job is not all peaches and cream
-it’s also a God-given privilege.”
‘If You Attract - You Can’t 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.
(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.
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”Give as much of your time to the small group as to the large one. Don’t pass
up the opportunity to share with them all. Let them know about the staff at G.S.O.
and the service 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 two or more past delegates. Hold
meetings often - and in different districts. Remember our key word: attraction. If
you attract, you can’t miss.”
‘How Not to Win a Popularity Contest’
”As the goodbyes were being said, I already knew what my path should be: not
to return home to try to win a popularity contest, but rather to paint the picture the
way it was.
On my return, I traveled some 4,000 miles in the first six weeks visiting groups.
I chose my words carefully, never telling anyone that we must do this or that, merely
pointing out what other states were doing.
”We needed a foundation, I pointed out, from which to pursue a healthy growth.
Lack of unity might be diverting us from our primary purpose. Personalities might
be replacing group conscience.
”Perhaps we were not doing a good job of carrying the message, either. Our state
ranked high in number of alcoholics, yet in A.A. population we were one of the
slowest-growing. When people in our own state reached out for help, the hand of
A.A. was not always there.
”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 state assembly until it all overflowed
our state borders into the Atlantic.
”What were the results? More new groups than in any year in our history. The
assembly used ‘The Third Legacy Manual’ to build a foundation for the state. An
institutional committee, a public information committee, and a convention commit-tee
were formed. The assembly now supplies free Conference-approved literature
to institutions. We put out a monthly bulletin that helps cut through the barrier of
group isolation. We hold monthly sharing sessions and workshops that help us all.
We held our 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.”
‘Taped Talk - Effective - Inexpensive’
”In addition to detailed reporting of the material and spirit of the Conference ses-sions
at our state convention, copies of my notes were made available to the area
committee members upon their request. Fortunately, we were able to make ar-rangements
for my talk to be taped and made available throughout our area - an
inexpensive and effective way of carrying the Conference message in some detail.”
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Personal Views
How I Got Interested in General Service
(Three past delegates report)
”Often I think back to a very dark day in an alcoholic ward, where, in utter despair
and desperation, I asked God to remove only the uncontrollable part of my urge to
drink, and to leave the legwork to me. I thought of this as wanting to ‘do my part.’
Later, after my prayers had been answered, I remembered my commitment to do
my part - but I was never quite sure what I had meant. Still later, the Third Legacy
of Service opened a new door for me and solved the problem of how I could fulfill
the most important contract I’ll ever make.”
* * *
”My A.A. experience taught me in varying degrees the meaning of tolerance, pa-tience,
love of my fellowman, humility. I began to comprehend that we have a
fellowship. My conception of a fellowship is a group or society of human beings con-cerned
with each other. To me, this is A.A. From then on, it was easy to become
interested in general services.”
*
”Early in my A.A. life, I asked myself how I could express my gratitude. The
answer was simple: by dedicating my life to A.A. and its people. I found out that
the more I knew about A.A., the more effectively I could carry the message. The
more I know about A.A. - from the bottom up and the top down, across its scope
worldwide - the more I love it. And the more I love it, the better equipped I am
to carry to message. I feel that my two years as delegate did more to prepare me
for the part I have played in A.A. than any other activity.”
The Making of a Delegate
(Excerpts from a delegate’s talk on ”the world family of A.A.”
”During my first eight years in A. A., I came to believe (subconsciously, perhaps)
that the quality and quantity of A.A. were being determined by my own particular
group. I believe I considered it a shield that might protect me from any harm that
might come to me from outside, and I still had this attitude when I was chosen as
my group’s G.S.R.
After finding out who our delegate was, and filing my name with him, I settled
back into the comfort, safety, and security of my own group, only to be aroused some
weeks later by a call to meet with four other G.S.R.‘s to elect a committee member.
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When this meeting elected me, I was dumbfounded and scared. I felt I was being
forced into a situation that threatened my comfort and complacency - even my
security. But instinctively I began to realize that outside my group there was a much
larger family, of which my group was a part. I started to read all general service
literature available, particularly ‘The Third Legacy Manual.’
”I began to receive phone calls about group problems. I found myself actually
being asked for my opinion. More and more, I recognized the need for practicing
the Eleventh Step.
”One day I presented myself, with 16 other committee members, to a general
assembly. When I was finally selected as the next delegate, never in my life had I
been so aware of my inadequacy, my unpreparedness for such responsibility.
”Through prayer, study, and great help from the outgoing delegate, I got ready
for the April Conference meeting. Months later, in New York, after the opening
dinner, I received a telegram from my group, a message of confidence in me and
assurance that they were with me in spirit. I knew then that the link between my
group, the assembly, the delegates, and the whole Fellowship would never be broken.”
”It is vitally important for me to remember every moment that the door of A.A.
must always be open to all who have not yet arrived. A.A.‘s worldwide services (of
which delegates and committee members and G.S.R.‘s are vital parts) are the instru-ments
that will keep that door open.”
Preparing for the Conference
(A delegate offers practical suggestions)
”Although you may have been involved in A.A. service for some time, don’t take
your knowledge for granted. Do some reviewing as quickly as possible. Read and
reread this 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 you’ll get lots of letters from the Conference
secretary at the General Service Office, containing background information and
requests. Read them thoroughly; make notes on what you’re asked to do; do it. You’ll
receive questionnaires; expedite replies. G.S.O. may request material from you; ex-pedite
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 action.
”Early on, you’ll receive two important communications. One will ask your area
treasurer to send in a check for your area’s 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
most of your local expenses, such as lodging and 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 you’ll give on your return.
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”Upon arrival at the Conference, you’ll receive a complete manual with prepared
reports, rosters, background information, committee assignments, staff reports, and
other necessary information.
”Aside from what happens on the floor of the Conference, in your committee
meetings and workshops, and at the delegates’ meeting, you’ll be enriched by infor-mal
conversations with your colleagues and with trustees and G.S.O. staffers. Many
of your area’s problems and questions can be discussed in this free interchange. At
G.S.O., you may also look through your area’s correspondence files and address lists,
make corrections, take notes, and learn. Throughout the Conference, take notes for
your later reports to your area.
”Finally, don’t plan any big social events in New York or figure you’ll make a few
business calls there. The Conference schedule runs from 9:00 a.m. until about lo:30
p.m. - often later.
”And remember, even if you’re the new kid on the block, you’re just as important
to the Conference proceedings as anyone else. Your voice expresses your informed
area conscience. Your thoughts and your questions must be shared - loud and clear
- for the benefit of all.”
What Makes an A.A. ‘Leader’?
(From Bill W.‘s article in the April 1959 Grapevine)
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 don’t boss us.”
* * *
Therefore, a leader in A.A. service is a man (or woman) who can personally 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 isn’t 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 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,
sufficient general backing, it freely takes decisions and puts them into action forth-with,
provided, of course, that such action be within the framework of its defined
authority and responsibility.
* * *
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Another qualification for leadership is give-and-take, the ability to compromise
cheerfully whenever a proper compromise can cause a situation to progress is 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 one’s 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
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.
Copyrightoby The A.A.
S72
excerpted
Grapevine, Inc. ;
with permission

CHAPTER VI
Annual Conference Meeting
The General Service Conference holds its annual meeting in New York in April.
Just what kind of meeting is this? Is it like a group business meeting - only bigger?
Is it like an area assembly?
Delegates coming to their first Conference say it is beyond anything they have
previously experienced in A.A. To begin with, the Conference spans six days. Then
there is overwhelming evidence of the year-long work that has gone into the prepara-tion
of the agenda or program. The program is meaty; the delegates, trustees, staff
members, and directors who participate are well prepared.
Of course, there is also a great deal of give-and-take discussion. Many people ex-press
themselves, informally and often emotionally. Conference sessions are by no
means stiff. Delegates simply act like themselves - which, we know, is the way
it should be in A.A. While there is full discussion on any question that seems to
have various possible answers, everyone tends not to waste time, but to cover the
agenda and to stick to matters that affect the movement as a whole.
Area delegates come to New York in April well prepared. They have already shared
the experience of past delegates. Then, in the weeks preceding the Conference, G.S.O.
has kept them advised of questions and problems that will be up for discussion. They
receive a deluge of advance information, filling them in on actions of previous Con-ferences,
on what the committees are, and on what reports they will hear (so that
they can ”preview” the Conference with their committees and G.S.R.‘s). They receive
just about everything practicable to let them know what to expect when they get to
the Conference.
Conference committees are of great help in winnowing out the material that belongs
on the Conference floor. These committees first meet early in Conference week, and
go on meeting as frequently as they need to for full discussion of each item on the
committee agenda and a majority opinion to present in the committee report. Or
a subject may be reported as discussed with no conclusion reached. Anyone who
has a problem or a complaint may go to a committee session and present it there.
Frequently, there are hot discussions. Toward the end of the Conference, each
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Conference committee chairperson reads the full committee report to the entire
Conference. Every action of the report is then presented separately. An action may be
accepted or rejected by the Conference, and ample time is allowed for full discus-sion.
The total committee report may then be accepted, or the report may be
accepted after the deletion of one or more items.
A Conference committee may meet jointly with its opposite-number trustee
committee in at least one session. Usually, G.S.O. staff members are secretaries of
Conference and trustee committees corresponding to their assignments.
These men and women from G.S.O. are Conference members (see below) and con-tribute
a great deal of A.A. history and know-how to every committee and Conference
discussion. However, the G.S.O. people are seeking Conference opinion, not trying
to influence Conference action. Many of the matters brought to the Conference are
those that staff, boards, or trustees or their committees have not wished to act upon
during the year. They have felt that these matters were questions of movement-wide
importance and so belonged at the Conference.
While no one can speak for A.A. officially, the Conference comes close to being
A.A.‘s voice. It cannot be an A.A. authority, but it can bring into free discussion
problems and trends and dangers that seem to affect Fellowship harmony, purpose,
and effectiveness. When an entire Conference (or a vocal majority) has expressed
concern about a possible threat to our A.A. program, the Fellowship has listened.
It probably always will.
Who Conference Members Are.. .
At the annual meeting of the Conference in April, the area delegates constitute
more than two-thirds of the voting members. The other voting Conference members
are trustees, directors of A.A. World Services, Inc., and the Grapevine Corporate
Board, and the staffs of both G.S.O. and the Grapevine.
(Such foreign visitors at the Conference may wish to invite may attend as non-voting
observers only.)
A word about the nondelegate members of the Conference:
*The largest number are trustees (the General Service Board), both nonalcoholic
and A.A.
l All A. A. staff members are also members of the Conference.
l The directors of A. A. World Services Inc., include some trustees and staff
members who are Conference members in those capacities.
l The directors of The A.A. Grapevine Inc., include some trustees and members
of the Grapevine staff who are members of the Conference in those capacities.
*It should be made clear that each Conference member has only one vote, no
matter how many positions he or she may hold on boards or staffs.
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Historically, voting ratio has never been important in that no issues have ever divided
Conference decisions along lines of area delegates opposed to other Conference
members. But it could conceivably be important sometimes. To take care of that situa-tion,
the Charter provides that, as a matter of tradition, a majority vote of the
Conference shall be a suggestion to the General Service Board (the trustees), but
a two-thirds vote shall be absolutely binding upon the board, regardless of legal
considerations.
The structure of the Conference has worked out well; experience seems to indicate
that it is practical. The Conference itself is not incorporated. But the General Ser-vice
Board (board of trustees) is. So are A.A. World Services Inc., and The A.A.
Grapevine, Inc. This incorporation is necessary for the handling of funds and the
conduct of business.
. . What They Do
New delegates to the Conference are usually surprised at the heavy work schedule
they face. It is a full agenda; a great deal of A.A. business is transacted in the six
days of the Conference. A typical Conference has six morning sessions, five after-noon
sessions, and several evening sessions - plus an A.A. meeting the evening
before the Conference opens. Every other year, a visit to the home of Bill and Lois
in Westchester County is scheduled.
What kind of business is transacted? Well, here is a random sampling of Conference
Advisory Actions from I951 through 1984. It does not include all the most important
decisions reached, and may not always show the latest Conference opinion on a given
topic; rather, the selection has been made merely to indicate the range of subjects
considered. A summary of Advisory Actions (updated yearly to add the latest) may
be obtained from the General Service Office, and each annual edition of the Final
Conference Report lists the year’s Advisory Actions in full.
(Conference Advisory Actions represent: recommendations made by the standing
committees and approved by the Conference body as a whole; or recommendations
discussed and voted on by all Conference members during general sessions. Reports
of workshops and the delegates’ meeting and answers to Ask-It Basket questions do
not constitute Conference Advisory Actions.)
l Adopted resolution affirming importance of anonymity and approved its wide
distribution to press, broadcasting, and other media. (Reaffirmed by two later
Conferences.)
l In regard to misuse of the World Directory, it was recommended that the atten-tion
of groups again be directed to its purpose as listed on the inside directory cover.
Recommended that this statement be used as a guide and not a rule, as it is not
intended to interfere with free communication between A.A.‘s in sharing experience
and activities. That non-A.A. misuse be handled as in the past. (Recommendation
reaffirmed by two later Conferences. A.A. directories now comprise four separate
volumes.)
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l Recommended that Bill Wdson biography be approved with the title ”Pass It On.”
l Recommended that A.A. literature should have Conference approval. That all
Conference-approved literature show an identifying symbol.
l Recommended that the video ”It Sure Beats Sitting in a Cell” be produced with
closed captions for the hearing impaired, at a cost not exceeding $1,500.
l Approved Regular Contribution Plan and quarterly statements; favored Birth-day
Plan; approved acceptance by G.S.O. of one bequest of not more than $100 from
estate of deceased A.A. member. (A later Conference raised the ceiling to $200;
a still later one to $300; a fourth to $500.)
l Accepted Bill’s manuscript on the Twelve Concepts and recommended that it
be distributed as a supplement to ”The A.A. Service Manual.” (Manual and Con-cepts
were first separate, then combined, separate again, and then reunited.)
l Recommended that a hard-cover book containing Bill’s letters, writings, and
excerpts from the Grapevine, Big Book, ”Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,” etc.
be published, format and contents to be determined by the board of trustees. (Result:
”As Bill Sees It - The A.A. Way of Life.”)
l The restructuring plan was approved 92 to 24 to increase the General Service
Board to 21, seven of whom shall be nonalcoholic and 14 alcoholic. (In 1966).
l Approved guidelines for group separation of A.A. and Al-Anon.
l Approved position paper on rehabilitation centers, to the effect that such rehabs,
rest homes, and hospitals are not a part of A.A. and, therefore, have no responsibility
to adhere to the Traditions of A.A.
l Approved the proposal that the first World Service Meeting be held in New York
in the fall of 1969.
l Recommended that showing the full face of an A.A. member at the level of press,
TV, and films be regarded as a violation of our Tradition of anonymity, even though
the name is withheld. (A later Conference advocated anonymity on videotape, too.)
l Approved a survey within A.A. Delegates agreed to conduct this survey *at
meetings in their areas.
l Agreed that G.S.O. should not accept contributions from clubs, listed or known
as such, whether or not composed solely of A.A. members. Contributions are
welcome from groups meeting in clubs.
l Recommended that when an elected delegate cannot attend the annual meeting
of the General Service Conference, the alternate delegate seated at the Conference
will be considered delegate until notification is sent to G.S.O. by the area committee
that the originally elected delegate is ready to resume duties.
l Suggested that when a local A.A. facility (central office, intergroup, group, etc.)
sells non-Conference-approved literature, it be clearly designated as such.
l Recommended that, ever mindful of A.A.‘s traditional policy of ”cooperation
but not affiliation,” we continue to meet with organizations outside A.A. concerned
with the problem of alcoholism, for the purpose of improving communications.
l Reaffirmed that all requests for A.A. directories from other organizations be
referred to the area delegate. After inquiring about the purpose planned for the direc-tory,
delegate will make decision regarding its availability.
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l Approved the Anonymity Statement presented by the trustees’ Public Informa-tion
Committee, with the following reservations: that it be made clear that disclosing
one’s A.A. membership to those outside A.A. be a matter of personal choice and
not a matter of obligation. . . That the use of full names and addresses, where
indicated, could improve communications within A.A.
l Recommended that family groups and alcohol-and-pill groups not be listed in
A.A. directories or meeting lists.
l Recommended that all G.S.R.‘s receive the group mailings from G.S.O.
l Agreed that G.S.O. should not be asked to intervene in local disputes or
misunderstandings.
l Naming an A.A. group after an individual: approved the suggestion that an A.A.
group should not be named after an A.A. member or nonalcoholic, living or deceased.
l A.A. group policy regarding ”family” groups: reaffirmed that ”Only those with
a desire to stop drinking may be members of A.A. groups; only A.A. members are
eligible to be officers of A.A. groups; nonalcoholics are welcome at open meetings
of A.A,”
l Recommended that the General Service Board and the A.A. World Services
Board of Directors consider reducing the net income from the sales of literature by
appropriate means. Delegates should emphasize that this recommendation is made
in anticipation of increased group participation and that further efforts to control
literature costs to the Fellowship, the Conference structure, and A.A. unity depend
upon a solid base of group support.
l Recommended that delegates be responsible for establishing area Grapevine com-mittees,
using the area and district service structure to achieve the goal of a Grapevine
representative in every group.
l Suggested that groups meeting in treatment facilities try to abide by Tradition
Seven; that, if money for rent is not accepted by a ticility, groups contribute in another
way; that A.A.‘s employed by the facility not run groups at the facility.
l Recommended that delegates never have less than 6602/3 % of total Conference
votes, but no arbitrary ceiling be set on the number of G.S.O./GV staff eligible to vote.
l Recommended that the trustees’ Literature Committee undertake development
of a daily reflections book based on individual A.A.‘s (including Bill W.‘s) sharing
based on the Traditions and Steps, and that a progress report be submitted to the
1988 Conference Literature Committee.
l Recommended that the graphics in the flyer ”A Message to Teenagers” be up-dated
with the new graphics from ”Too Young?”
l Recommended that the consideration of inviting intergroups and central offices
into the general service structure be referred to the Agenda Committee for the 1988
Conference.
0 Recommended that the General Service Board study the practice of rotation in
two corporate boards and committees.
Recommended that the general manager designate a staff person to coordinate
pull together (at the General Service Office) all available information about
our
*
and
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spreading the A.A. message to the native North American population, including but
not limited to (1) translations of their languages and dialects, (2) experiences of various
A.A. groups in their contact with these populations and to explore with a view toward
consolidating and expanding A.A.‘s experience in these areas; to report back to the
1986 Conference through whatever committee the general manager feels is appropriate.
Since each issue of the Grapevine cannot go through the Conference-approval pro-cess,
the Conference recognized The A.A. Grapevine as an international journal of
Alcoholics Anonymous.
l Recommended that all Class B trustees be elected for a four- year term regardless
of when vacancies occur.
l Recommended that the pamphlet ”A.A. in Prisons” be replaced with two separate
revisions of the material: 1. An easy-to-read pamphlet for inmates and outside A.A.s
interested in starting A.A. groups in correctional facilities which will explain how
inside groups are formed and how they function; 2. A brief pamphlet or leaflet to
provide information about A.A. to administrators of correctional facilities.
l Recommended that the cartoon supplement of the pamphlet ”Supporting the A.A.
Support System,” be discontinued.
l Recommended that ample time for Conference Committees to meet and con-duct
their business be provided for on the Conference Agenda.
l Recommended that the Conference Charter should appear in its original 1955
form in future editions of Z?ie A.A. sewice Manual, with General Service Conference
Advisory Action amendments and editorial changes indicated by footnotes, followed
by the current version of the Charter.
l Recommended that an audiovisual presentation for Treatment Facilities including
three minutes of sample footage be made and brought to the 1989 General Service
Conference for further review, and that the film be appropriate for use by all other
related committees, A.A. groups, and as an additional tool for our ‘I3velfth Step work.
Reporting to the Membership
The most productive Conference sessions are of little value unless area commit-tees
and groups back home hear about them. So the delegate’s reporting job, cover-ing
about 40 hours of meetings, becomes as important as the program for the
Conference itself. No delegate could possibly relate everything that took place;
preparations of a digest of significant discussions, reports, and actions is suggested,
and that is no small task.
Over the years, G.S.O., with the aid of area delegates, has developed a system of
reporting that has proved to be a tremendous help to delegates and committee members
eager to keep groups in their areas aware of Conference activities.
In a sense, the system starts with the advance information mailed to delegates. This
gives them the background for Conference sessions. It ”explains” the Conference,
not only telling them what to expect, but providing the facts they need to ”explain”
the Conference to their committees and groups.
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During the Conference, delegates take reams of notes. Much of the reporting
material presented there is available in typed form, but these personal notes are a
vital addition, to give each delegate some points of emphasis in the flood of infor-mation.
They can turn a tedious recitation into a living, breathing report.
On the last day of the Conference, each delegate receives the ”Early Bird” edition
of Box 4-5-9, a printed bulletin that summarizes outstanding Conference actions and
puts service reports into brief form. This seeming miracle is the outcome of plann-ing
and work. It is prepared before and during the Conference, as rapidly as final
material is available. Every delegate can take home enough copies, hot off the press,
to give one to each committee member.
The Conference edition attempts to give only highlights, although it may cover
critical issues in some detail. A more complete report is needed, and this is the Final
Report. It is published in the summer and goes into detail on reports, discussions,
workshops, and actions. It is not a verbatim account, but no significant aspect of
the Conference is deliberately omitted.
Throughout the year delegates and committee members are kept informed on G.S.O.
activities, on the results of meetings of the General Service Board, and on the work
being done by the various committees of the board.
With all this material provided for them, it is up to the delegates and committee
members to get the attention of groups. Each year average group members learn more
and more about the whole A.A. world. They discover that every event in the entire
global service picture affects their own A.A. lives some time, somehow. The Con-ference
is proud of its reporting to the movement. Largely because of this, the member-ship
as a whole is learning to observe and understand the performance of its General
Service Conference.
‘How Do I Get Something Discussed at the
April Conference?’
If the ”I” is a G.S.R., a delegate, or a committee member, chances are he or she
wants to discuss the idea first with his or her group at a district or area meeting.
Then the idea is sent on the the Conference coordinator at G.S.O. That is the normal
routing of problems and suggestions.
* * *
An A.A. who is not part of the Conference structure and wants to reach the Con-ference
can give the idea to the group’s G.S.R. Or the A.A. can write directly to
the Conference coordinator at G.S.O. There, the idea will be looked into, discussed
with other A.A. staff members, and placed among the ideas, criticisms, and problems
being accumulated for the next Conference.
* * *
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Other suggested Conference topics come from staff members at G.S.O. and from
board and committee members. No matter where the topic originates, it follows about
the same path to the Conference agenda: The A.A. staff studies it in the light of
previous Conference actions, then passes it on to the trustees’ Conference Commit-tee
and the Conference Agenda Committee. Usually, the Conference chairperson,
vice-chairperson, and coordinator determine the best way of programming it - as
a workshop subject, a proposal, or a committee concern.
* * *
Complicated as the procedure may sound, it operates effectively to bring ques-tions
to the Conference, where meaty problems are welcomed.
Can the Conference Act
for A.A. as a Whole?
Here is what co-founder Bill W. has to say about this in Concept III, in his ”Twelve
Concepts for World Service”:
Excepting its Charter provisions to the contrary, the Conference always should
be able to decide which matters it willjully dispose of on its own responsibility, and
which questions it will re$er to the A.A. groups (or, more usually, to their committee
members or G.S. R. ‘s) for opinion or for definite guidance.
”lherefore, 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 secon-dary
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 ow 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 Con-ference
for its guidance, for its approval of a recommendation, or for its actual deci-sions
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.”
A Reminder about ‘Chiefs’ in A.A.
The Conference comes closer to ”government” than anything else in our Fellowship.
But, as Bill W. put it in the very first edition of this manual:
”of course it cannot be too often said that while the Conference can issue orders
S80

to the General Service Ojke, it can never mandate or govern the Society of Alcoholics
Anonymous which it serves. The Conference represents us, but cannot rule us.”
S81

Conference Committees
Delegates carry the influence in the Conference, and this is felt in two ways: (1)
They make up the Conference committees, covering just about all kinds of A.A.
activities; (2) all delegates have free access to the Conference platform for discus-sion
of all actions affecting the movement.
Were it not for committees, it is doubtful that any Conference could get over a
fraction of the ground it now covers. As the Conference has grown in size and
influence, the committees’ importance has grown even more. Over the years corn-mittees
have been added; each committee has been strengthened; all have ample time
to meet and consider the problems before them.
However, no annual Conference meeting is ”committee-run.” A committee meets,
deliberates, and may reach a conclusion, which is reported on the Conference floor
for action. Or the committee may decide to pass the problem along to the Conference
floor without adding an opinion of its own. But even if a committee reports decisively
on its solution to a problem, the Conference as a whole need not accept the report.
It can refuse a committee’s decision; if it does, the matter is discussed and decided
in general session. In typical A.A. fashion, a Conference committee does not repre-sent
”authority.”
Eleven Committees
Since the Conference structure was first set up, in 1951, need has developed for
11 Conference committees. Several correspond closely to work committees of the
General Service Board, and each of the teams of committees meets profitably during
Conference week. The joint meeting is designed to exchange information - not,
usually, to take action.
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The 11 Conference committees are:
l Agenda: Its opposite number is the trustees’ Committee on the General Service
Conference, with which it meets jointly during Conference week and maintains con-tact
throughout the year. Of course, this committee also meets on its own, as do all
Conference committees.
l Cooperation with the Professional Community corresponds exactly to the board
committee of that name.
l Finance has the same concerns as the trustees’ Finance and Budgetary Committee.
l Grapevine: At the Conference , this committee meets jointly with the Grapevine
Corporate Board.
l Treatment Facilities has the same concerns as the similarly named trustees’
committee.
0 Correctional Facilities is the counterpart of that board committee.
l Literature meets jointly with the trustees’ Literature Committee.
l Policy and Admissions: This committee examines only Conference policy. It has
no joint meeting with any board committee.
l Public Znjikmation meets each April with the trustees’ P.I. Committee.
l Report and Charter has no counterpart among trustees’ committees.
l On Tncstees: This committee and the board Nominating Committee have parallel
interests and meet together at the Conference.
Making Up Committees
Every delegate serves on a Conference committee. It is impractical to have them
choose their own posts, since some committees might be overloaded; others, short-handed.
Actually, the work of all committees is intensely interesting, as members
discover after they have served. So committee members are selected by lot, and a
delegate serves on the same committee in both years of the term.
At the winter meeting of the trustees’ Committee on the Conference, the names
of new delegates are drawn from the hat to replace outgoing delegates on the Con-ference
committees. At one of its meetings in April, each committee chooses by ballot
its chairperson and alternate chairperson for the next Conference year. The new
chairperson takes office as soon as the current Conference is adjourned. Normally,
a committee is made up of four or five first-year delegates and four or five second-year.
A.A. staff members serve as nonvoting secretaries of the committees; each takes
the committee corresponding with his or her regular staff assignment. If it has a
trustees’ counterpart, the staff member is also secretary of that committee. The con-troller
is secretary of both Conference and trustees’ Finance Committees.
How Committees Serve A.A.
How effective has the pattern of Conference committees been? What Conference
S83

actions have they been responsible for? How well have they functioned between Con-ference
meetings?
As in the case of almost any sort of committee, a great deal depends on the chairper-son.
If he or she is active, the committee starts to hum and keeps on humming.
However, Conference committees have another factor in their favor. And that is
their secretaries, staff members, all vitally interested in the contributions of their
committees. Every day, staff members are involved with the same service areas that
are the committees’ responsibilities. The committees are important to them as a means
of getting answers to problems and indications of new service opportunities, in order
to support their efforts in working with groups all over the world.
Down through the years, Conference committees have brought about many actions
vital to A.A.‘s health and growth.
The Finance Committee, for example, has kept abreast of the movement’s needs
since it first convened in 1951. It has looked into G.S.O. annual budgets, has worried
about the income needed to carry out the service work, and has almost invariably
recommended the expansion of services to groups and to the public.
The Committee on Z’rustees took the brunt of the long- standing argument over
a practical ratio between alcoholic and nonalcoholic trustees - ultimately settled
in 1966. The actual decision was a matter for the Conference as a whole, but the
procedures for electing more alcoholic trustees were a committee matter, and the
success of the procedures was a considerable f&or in the final determination of ratio.
The committee continues to be concerned with elections, slates of candidates, rota-tion
of directors, and other aspects of A.A.‘s unique version of ”government.”
The Literature Committee has played a vital role in the development of A.A. pam-phlets
and books. It has never hesitated to put the brakes on if it thinks A.A.‘s literature
list is expanding too rapidly - or to urge A.A.‘s publishing operation into action
when there is real need for a new pamphlet or book. In recent years, it has supported
the first cartoon-style pamphlets, the publication of ”As Bill Sees It,” ”Living Sober,”
the third edition of the Big Book, and ”Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers,” and ”‘Pass
It On’, the story of Bill Wilson and How the A.A. Message Reached the World”,
and the development of audiovisual materials.
The Report and Charter Committee has always worked quietly but effectively,
reading drafts of the Conference Report, checking them for accuracy of content, and
returning them for printing as quickly as possible after the April meeting. This com-mittee
receives any suggestions for changes in the Conference Charter, and makes
recommendations on them. The committee also reviewed and approved this manual.
In addition, it is now responsible for reviewing changes in the format and composi-tion
of the six A.A. directories.
All changes in the Conference plan, all steps in the expansion of the Conference,
and all procedures affecting the cost of the Conference have been passed before the
Committee on Conference Policy and Admissions. One of its most recent
accomplishments was the project for broadening the size, scope, and opportunities
of Conference committees. It also has the ticklish job of approving or disapproving
requests for additional delegate areas in a state or province, though there are now
S84

few such requests. As A.A. groups multiply, the problem of reaching them via the
Conference structure increases. Sometimes the committee says: Go ahead; set up
another area. Sometimes it says: You need more districts, more committee members,
rather than more delegates.
The Grape&e Committee is a valuable instrument for communication between
the Grapevine and the Fellowship. It has been extremely helpful in clarifying matters
of policy on the occasions when they have arisen. It brings grass-roots opinions to
the staff so that the Grapevine can better serve A.A.
The Agenda Committee has the year-round job of communicating with G.S.O. on
subjects for the Conference agenda and theme.
The Public Inform&on Committee tries to carry the A.A. message and provides
information about the Fellowship to the public. It is also concerned with anonymity
breaks and misinformation about A.A. at the public level. And it helps the trustees’
PI. Committee gear its efforts to those of local committees all over the continent
and abroad.
The Committee on Cooperation with the Professional Community seeks to create
mutual understanding and cooperation between the Fellowship and those professional
groups and individuals concerned with alcoholism and the sick alcoholic.
The Committee on Treatment Ikilities encourages A.A. members to assume respon-sibility
for carrying the message to alcoholics in treatment facilities. The committee
also reviews all aspects of service to A.A. groups in treatment facilities and makes
recommendations for changes and improvements.
The Committee on Correctional Facilities encourages A.A. members to carry the
message to alcoholics confined to long- or short-term institutions and reviews ser-vices
to ”inside” groups and institutions committees. It is also concerned with clari-fying
what A.A. can and cannot do, within our Traditions, to help inmate alcoholics
while they are ”inside” and upon release.
Personal Views
Former Committee Chairpersons Say.. .
”The Agenda Committee is of paramount importance to the Conference. It is the
delegates’ opportunity to make certain that grass-roots items are brought before them.
Work on Policy and Admissions calls for understanding and patience. The Conference
must guard against becoming an unwieldy body - but it cannot afford to become
so restrictive that it fails to meet the needs of an area or cross section of A.A.”
* * *
Our Literature Committee’s goal, I think, is to make A.A. members literature-conscious.
It would help if each delegate arranged the appointment of an area literature
S85

chairperson. Area committee members bring information from the G.S. R. to the area
literature chairperson, who in turn communicates with the delegate. Area delegates
can then make a more comprehensive report to the chairperson of the Conference
Literature Committee.”
* * *
”The greatest problem our Public Information Committee had to deal with was
in the ‘cooperation but not affiliation’ area. The committee worked hard to come
up with better ideas and methods for meeting the problem. Then, we all learned
through our meetings just what constituted an anonymity break - and how to avoid
it and still accomplish our purpose. The experience of being chairperson will always
remain a highlight in my life.”
* *
”Our Report and Charter Committee felt it a privilege to read the rough draft of
the report and to make any suggestions or comments we wished. What impressed
me most was the interest and dedication each of the committee members had for
something they knew little about at the outset. Then, too, this work made me aware
that we had a very meaningful charter.”
S86

CHAPTER VIII
Area Activities
In the beginning, general service assemblies were held only to elect committee of-ficers
and a delegate to the Conference meeting. This was important. Without such
meetings, there might be no service structure in your area today. But today an assembly
(committee officers and members and G.S.R.‘s meeting together) to elect is only a
beginning. The election assembly is covered in detail in Chapter IV, while this chapter
deals with other activities, which are the muscle and blood of general services in
the area. It deals with sharing sessions, public information programs, filmstrips, and
the kind of discussion that makes A.A. strong and vital. It deals with helping groups
grow in number, strength, and influence.
(The district meeting - for the committee member and his or her G.S.R.‘s - can
use many of the same program a&vies; its needs also are considered in this chapter.
Procedure for district election meetings is given in Chapter III.)
How Frequently Are Meetings Held?
The majority of areas hold their assembly meetings quarterly or every other month.
Some report monthly assemblies. When the travel distances are great, assemblies
may be cut to semiannual or even annual - with more emphasis being placed on
district meetings, readily accessible to G.S.R.‘s.
An assembly is usually held in a convenient central spot in the area. But some
areas rotate the meeting from one district to another. Growing in popularity are
weekend assemblies, usually held Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, with all
A.A.‘s invited to attend. Most areas no longer hold assemblies in connection with
state, provincial, or regional conventions; it proves too difficult to tie in business
meetings with the kind of A.A. speaker program that makes conventions so
s87

successful. (On the other hand, most state and provincial conventions are under the
guidance of area committees. Convention programming is discussed later in this
chapter.)
Who Presides? Who Votes?’
Assembly meetings are usually conducted by the area chairperson, with the help
of the other area officers and the Conference delegate. To keep agendas lively and
meaningful, some areas appoint agenda committees, which include the officers and
three, four, or more G.S.R.‘s.
All area committee members and officers, all G.S.R.‘s, and the delegate have one
vote each in an assembly. Alternates normally vote only if the regular committee
member or G.S.R. is not present. Proxy votes can be used, but this is not common
practice.
The assembly should decide whether or not G.S.R.‘s of prison and hospital groups
are to have a vote. (Many do and find it helpful.) It should normally fix the amount
of time permitted for a participant’s discussion, and should determine whether a two-thirds
or a simply majority is needed for an action. (Some assemblies find that a
”sense of meeting” is preferable to the more formal vote on most items of business.)
What Kind of Program?
A typical assembly election meeting is outlined in Chapter IV. This program deals
with area service activities (with or without an election period):
1 .
2 .
3.
4 .
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Chairperson’s report on committee activities since last meeting
Delegate’s Conference report or recent communications from G.S.O.
Secretary’s report
Treasurer’s report (usually a good time to remind everyone of the leaflet
”Supporting the A.A. Support System,” useful for helping each group decide
how to plan its regular contributions to A.A. services)
District reports - from committee members, on district meetings, district
problems, growth, etc.
G.S.R. time - for ideas, opinions, and criticisms from G.S.R.‘s
Sharing session (see page S90 for procedure and suggested subjects)
Filmstrips from G. S.O.
Newsletter editor’s report
Reports from treatment and correctional facilities chairpersons
‘See also Chapter IV, p. S58- ”Who Is Seated?”
S88

11. Public information chairperson’s report
12 . Special chairpersons’ reports - Grapevine, A.A. literature, convention, etc.
13. Brief ”information session” on G.S.O. services - conducted by delegate
14. Report from central offices or intergroups
15. Any local problems, ideas, and suggestions
Some Ideas for Assembly and District Meetings
G.S.O. appreciates copies of assembly and district meeting minutes; also letters
about the meetings. There is no easier way for the office to keep up with what is
happening in the area - and no easier guide to the kind of help it can best render.
Here are some ideas from the mailbag:
”The meeting considered the formation of a statewide institutions committee.
G.S.R.‘s felt they should first study the Guidelines which G.S.O. had provided and
discuss that matter with their home groups.” (Areas are now finding it practical to
replace the general institutions committee with two separate committees: on treat-ment
facilities and on correctional facilities.)
* * *
”At our area assembly, we allow enough time for each committee member to report
on district activities. We also encourage participation by as many G.S.R.‘s as possi-ble.
The more sharing - the greater the exchange of ideas and solutions - the richer
the harmony. Everyone benefits as the message is shared. (In election years, we limit
committee members’ reports to two minutes each.)”
* * *
”We have not shied away from what some think are taboo subjects, like money
. and why we need it, length of sobriety for G.S.R.‘s, etc. We always open the meeting
1
/
with a ‘state of the state’ report - brief, to the point, touching on most of the sub-?
/
jects to come before the meeting. This lets the participants know what is coming
and means better use of allotted time.”
* * *
”Our quarterly meetings are open to all who wish to attend. While the meeting
’ itself is generally called at 1090 or ll:OO a.m. Sun&y and is over by two or three,
many of us arrive by Saturday noon, and have that much more time for A.A. talk.
These Saturday afternoons and evenings have contributed greatly to the success of
our quarterly meetings.”
S89 L

”Our assemblies run Saturday and Sunday. The first morning is a G.S.R. sharing
session with our delegate as moderator, usually with a preannounced topic. We put
out flyers for each assembly. The afternoon is a business session, followed by a short
session with area chairperson as moderator, and past delegates telling how G.S.O.
is set up and how it helps A.A. work around the world.”
* * *
”Each year we have two general assemblies which G.S.R.‘s and alternates attend.
Our assemblies and our area committee have two objectives: first, to help the groups
(this must come first or A.A. will surely die); second, to help support G.S.O.”
* * *
”We found it best to keep business to a minimum and to use most of the time for
sharing sessions. Generally, these sessions are handled by one or two past delegates.
”We call them ‘action meetings.’ One meeting, for example, had two short talks,
each relating the experience of someone overseas and the help received from G.S.O.
These small vignettes bring our worldwide services to light better than anything else.”
* * *
”These (in my opinion) are the three ingredients of progressive service activities:
first, well-planned agenda, with knowledgeable persons participating; second, clear
understanding of which is area business and what is group or intergroup business;
third, getting beyond the hard core of willing-to-serve A.A.‘s and reaching the many
capable people in A.A. to tell them about the rewards of willing service.”
* * *
”One advantage of having district meetings became obvious when we received a
news release from G.S.O. When it came to placing this, G.S.R.‘s seemed much better
informed about the newspapers and editors in their particular towns than did the com-mittee
members.”
* * *
”Our district meetings are held every three months, prior to a regular A.A. meeting
on Sunday afternoon. Location of meeting is rotated. Since beginning this method,
our G.S.R. attendance has increased from 50% to 95 % .”
How to Set Up a Sharing Session
A sharing session is a kind of meeting where everyone gets a chance to contribute
ideas and criticisms about what is best for A.A. It can be set up anywhere for any
group of people, but it is especially useful for assemblies and district meetings. It
is aimed at drawing out the ideas of the shyest A.A., and somehow it keeps the more
articulate from dominating the meeting.
s90

In a sharing session, you may offer your opinion and never need to defend it. You
have a chairperson or a leader, but more as a timekeeper than as a source of great
wisdom. Here is how the session works. Let’s say that the topic is ”How can we
get more A.A.‘s interested in general services?” The leader, armed with a loud bell
and a watch or stopwatch, reads the questions and explains the rules. Each member
present may talk for one and a quarter or one and a half minutes, or more - whatever
limit the group agrees upon. The leader starts with the first A.A. at the left or right.
When that member’s time is up, the bell rings - and on to the next A.A. After
everyone has had a crack at the question, the leader starts around the room again.
On this circuit, it is likely that many people will pass.
A single topic may take from 20 minutes to more than an hour. The session should
not be hurried - nor should it be dragged out after the majority feel the topic has
been exhausted.
An A.A. who knows shorthand should take down just the essence of the meeting.
These notes will provide a mine of good ideas for use by committee officers, com-mittee
members, and G.S.R.‘s.
Good topics for sharing sessions? The field is limitless. A subject arousing
emphatic group interest is always desirable, such as:
l When a group’s meeting attendance has fallen off, what steps can be taken
to rebuild it? How can other groups help?
l Are ”special” groups becoming more important - young people’s groups,
women’s groups, stag groups? Is this trend good or bad?
l Sponsorship.. the hand of A.A.
l Group conscience, the voice of A.A.
l What kind of help do groups want from G.S.O.? How useful are Box 4-5-9
and other regular G.S.O. services? How can they be made more useful?
Or sessions may focus on topics affecting the general service structure, such as:
l How can an area committee work productively with central offices
(intergroups) in the area?
l What painless methods are there for getting a group to provide its share of
the area budget and the G.S.O. budget?
l Are the local groups supporting intergroup or central offices, G.S.O., and
the area committee?
G.S.O. will appreciate a digest of your sharing session ideas, as well as minutes
of all your meetings. Such information on your effective activities can be extremely
helpful when it is relayed to other areas on this continent and abroad.
s91

Help on the Annual Conference Program
Most of the agenda for the annual meeting of the Conference in New York in April
comes from the A.A. groups by the way of G.S.R.‘s, committee members, and the
committee chairperson or the delegate. Every A.A. has something to say about the
Fellowship’s present and future - and a good part of it gets discussed at the General
Service Conference. (Chapter VI covers this in some detail.) So one of the most im-portant
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
your area - but it is surprising how many are found to be common to every corner
of A.A., once someone brings them to light. This cannot be overemphasized; group
problems make up a considerable part of the Conference program. Assemblies and
district meetings are the ideal time to find out what problems and what solutions
are shared by A.A. groups everywhere.
Another important activity of assemblies and district meetings is reporting the
benefits of the annual Conference meeting to the membership. These gatherings pro-vide
ideal opportunities for reporting fully on what took place at the April Conference
meeting, for querying the delegate in detail, and for deciding what problems need
more attention at future Conferences. (More on this in Chapter VI.)
How Areas Stimulate Interest
In General Services
Time and effort have been the principal stimulators in most areas. The primary
interest of A.A.‘s is, as it should be, in their groups, in their own sobriety, in helping
other drunks. While the work of general services has the same objectives, the con-nection
is not always direct and obvious. Some stimulators are usually needed to get
the attention of A.A. members, to show them that Service can mean a number of
activities that they may not yet be aware of. Here are two that committee members,
G.S.R.‘s, and delegates have found useful in arousing an area:
Filmstrip meetings. ”Altogether, we showed the two filmstrips 239 times at group
meetings. We have no record of the hundreds of questions about general services
that were answered during that period.”
Sharing sessions. ”We let committee members be responsible for running sharing
sessions in their districts, then reporting on them at the monthly assembly. We created
as many jobs as possible for G.S.R.‘s and committee members and encouraged visitors
to our assemblies, so they could see what was being done.”
Communication Tools
These ”communicators” are available from G.S.O. (Box 459, Grand Central
Station, New York, NY 10163). By using them, you can show groups in your area
the kind of help being offered to groups everywhere by their own General Service
s92

Office, and thereby get more people interested in service activity.
I;i’lmstrips (full-color, with sound, the first two also available in slide form). ”PO.
Box 459” shows how A.A. services reach out to help drunks all over the world.
”Circles of Love and Service” uses photos, sketches, and graphics to show how the
parts of A.A. work together, from home group and area assembly to General Ser-vice
Conference and Board; accompanying the filmstrip is a leaflet of the same title,
with multicolor diagrams of A.A. service structure. ”Markings on the Journey,” made
up of rare materials from our archives, pictures 45 years of A.A. history.
Literature display. Poster and format for setting up a display of Conference-approved
pamphlets and books, many of which some A.A.‘s have never seen. Also, Literature
Order fim, listing all pamphlets, books and fti. Other order forms list non-English
literature.
Guidelines display. Samples of all available Guidelines, covering service areas com-mon
to most A.A.‘s. (See page S124.)
Newsletters. G.S.O. will send samples of service bulletins. (See page S98).
Sharing sessions. These are of great importance in the programming of district
and assembly meetings. Service pamphlet on sharing sessions available from G.S.O.
Tapes. They include ”Voices of Our Co-Founders,” ”Bill Discusses the Twelve
Traditions,” Big Book (opening section), and ”Twelve and Twelve.”
, AA. Directories. There are now five: Eastern U.S.; Western U.S. ; Canada; Inter-!
national; correctional facilities.
Conference Reports. Each year’s Conference is fully covered in the Final Report
sent to all delegates and area committee members.
Group Handbook. Particularly useful to new groups, which receive it at no charge.
Available to all groups at nominal cost.
List of service material. Covers many other items available from G.S.O.
Working Together - General Services
and Local Intergroup Services
General service committees and central (intergroup) offices traditionally have had
different functions: Central offices provide local services; general service committees
maintain the link between the A.A. groups and the A.A. General Service Board by
means of the General Service Conference. So these two separate but vital service
structures coexist in many areas in mutual cooperation and harmony, to the benefit
of the entire Fellowship.
At the time that the Conference was started, there were already well-established
central offices in some of our large cities, providing local services for A.A. groups
and members. The same local offices still provide these needed services, and they
have been joined by many more such offices throughout the A.A. world. Central
offices are supported by the A.A. groups in the communities they serve. Each group
s93

elects its own representative to attend central office meetings of group representatives.
In some cases, these offices provide the following local services:
1. Receiving, distributing, and following up Twelfth Step calls
2. Answering inquiries about A.A.
3. Establishing local public information committees
4.Maintaining information about local hospitals and recovery facilities for
alcoholics
5. Providing local A.A. meeting lists
6. Providing a newsletter (see p. S98 for suggestions)
7. Ordering, selling, and distributing A.A. Conference- approved literature
The Conference structure is the method through which all A.A. groups in a state
or province (or specified area of either) can provide the most effective communica-tion
within the area and between the groups and their General Service Board and
Office on matters affecting A.A. as a whole. These matters involve A.A. policy on:
1. A. A. Conference-approved literature
2. A.A. public information
3. A.A. cooperation with the professional community
4.A.A. activity in treatment and correctional facilities
5. A.A. finances
6. The A.A. Grapevine
7. The election of trustees to the A.A. General Service Board
The First Concept states: ”The final responsibility and ultimate authority for A.A.
world services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole
Fellowship.” Each group may elect a general service representative (G.S.R.) to repre-sent
it at an assembly where the delegate is elected to represent all groups in the
area of the General Service Conference. Thus, the link between the A.A. groups
and their General Service Board and Office is established and maintained, and the
General Service Conference becomes, as nearly as possible, the voice of A.A.
In areas where there are central offices providing the services mentioned previously,
general service committees do not attempt to duplicate these services; but in those
areas where there is little or no central office activity, the general service committee
has frequently undertaken to provide many of these services.
Area, State, Provincial
and Regional Conventions
Conventions are a special type of A.A. meeting - usually weekend a&irs,
but sometimes extending several days. They are frequently set up and guided by
area committees or by special committees appointed by area chairpersons. As
if was pointed out earlier, experience shows that it is not wise to hold assembly
s94

meetings during conventions, but occasionally they can be held just before or after.
Whether or not your area committee is responsible for conventions, these sugges-tions
from convention chairpersons for setting one up may prove useful. Ask G.S.O.
for Guidelines on Conventions, providing more information.
”We have a lot of geography between our two major cities. Made two mailings
to all groups - offered baby-sitting and some rooms in our own homes. We invited
groups from a distance to run our workshops, and had unexpected response. We
counted heavily on support from local groups and particularly from G.S.R.‘s. We
plotted time of our meetings with anticipated driving time from remote sections. Made
a gentleman’s agreement on turnabout - one year up north and next down south.”
* * *
”The greatest problem was to get interested people from four areas together in
one place to make plans. Finally, it was decided that the area chairpersons and
delegates should meet, with a committee member from the local area to act as
secretary. Our first meeting produced plans for a complete convention, with location
and format settled. Each area treasury put up $50 (which was repaid after the con-vention).
We called it a ‘convention’ rather than a ‘conference’ to avoid confusion
with the Conference. Now the committee meeting is held regularly at the site of the
next convention, so facilities can be surveyed by delegates and chairpersons of the
other three areas. The committee also meets at the close of each convention to sum
up the proceedings and to set a date and place for the next.”
* * *
”The first convention was really a means to an end - we needed some way to
bring groups closer together. We needed something that every A.A. member could
feel part of. Our permanent theme is Unity, so everyone knows our purpose. We
brought as many in on the planning as possible - at least one member of each group.
This approach has met with a great deal of success, arousing the enthusiasm of both
older and younger members. The convention, we hope, will increase their interest
in service work.”
When the Service Structure
Needs Rebuilding
Today, most areas accept the need for general service structure; the chief problem
is how to increase area activity in order to help the Fellowship reach more alcoholics
with the A.A. message. However, every now and then an area committee finds that
it needs to build the Conference structure all over again. Here are two area situations
s95

that chairpersons found very lean - and what was done about each.
”Let’s start with finding yourself elected area chairperson - where there is no
area committee! How do you put one together? There is probably no easy way. Like
our growth in this program, it must be slow and gradual, and a continuing process;
but we have to have a beginning point.
”In our case, activity was started with letters, phone calls, and personal visits to
A.A.‘s and groups all over the area. A.A. members will cooperate if you let them
know that you need them.
”Our area has a small A.A. population; at that time, there were only 30 groups
in five districts. Groups were asked to elect G.S.R.‘s and alternates, and they did.
That gave us 60 for an assembly. Three committee members for each district gave
us 15 more. Then we added five past delegates, four officers, and a current delegate.
Starting from nothing, we now had 84 assembly members.
”Then we picked a central location and started quarterly assemblies. Urgent let-ters
brought out good attendance. But there was still a lot of work to be done -the
entire committee needed service education. District activities were started next.
Round robins brought committee members and G.S.R.‘s closer together. Later, a
Saturday-night open A.A. meeting was scheduled before the Sunday-morning ser-vice
session. A.A.‘s were urged to make a weekend of it. Al-Anon cooperated, holding
its committee meetings separately, of course, but at the same time. The idea caught
on. Three times a year, these ‘little conferences’ built service activities. The annual
area convention took over the fourth meeting.
”It has been encouraging to watch the growth of, and increased interest in, General
Service Conference activities - among individuals and within groups. The picture
has changed from a handful of A.A.‘s getting together to elect a delegate to an en-thusiastic,
living, functioning area committee assuming its service responsibility.
Maybe we are growing up a little and becoming responsible for our service activities.”
* * *
”We pretty well started from scratch in setting up our area, following ‘The A.A.
Service Manual.’ First thing was to reach A.A. friends all over the area, people with
several years’ sobriety who knew something about G.S.O. and the structure of A.A.
We asked them to serve as temporary committee members.
”I worked with each committee member. I visited groups and talked G.S.O. and
G.S.R. to them - and, of course, found many A.A.‘s who did not know what either
meant. This has been time-consuming and tiring, but it has paid off. We have had
many assembly meetings, committee meetings, and sharing sessions.
”All of this has been the most interesting and gratifying experience of my entire
life. In my opinion, A.A.‘s who never get into general services are missing much.
They are not getting what they are entitled to in this program.”
S96

Past Delegates Can Be Helpful
”After I served my term as delegate, the full impact of being a has-been
in Conference affairs hit me, with all of its loneliness and feeling of
being separated from the heart and core of A.A.”
This past delegate did something about it. But many others do not - or feel that
they cannot. It is true that A.A. has in past delegates a mine of experience that may
not be getting used. The A.A. practice of rotation prevents delegates from succeeding
themselves - and rather frowns on their returning later as delegates. Now gradually
emerging is a role for past delegates that involves them in area activities, 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 district committee members, but find
other ways to become involved in area service.
A roundup of area experience shows that past delegates are frequently ex oficio,
nonvoting members of area committees. They are called in from time to time for
consultation or for a special assignment. Frequently, they are in line for committee
chairperson or chairperson of a state or provincial 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
Grapevine.
Another approach is the regular annual meetings of past delegates in a region (several
states or provinces). It originated in the southeastern U.S. and is described here by
one of the ”founders”:
”The idea started with a breakfast meeting for past delegates, held in connection
with the Southeast Convention (for all A.A.‘s). This went on for several years, always
functioning in a somewhat informal manner, avoiding all possibility of growing into
hierarchy. Then it was decided that a single session each year did not meet the grow-ing
needs for complete communication and information. It was suggested that a
weekend of informal meetings be held.
”They were, and have become a regular thing each February. At the first one, we
found ourselves discussing and recommending actions that were not our concern,
but the concerns of the many area committees in our region. We got back on the
track, and now it can be said that we are in no way acting like an authoritarian group,
but are interested in informing ourselves so that we can help interest other A.A.‘s
I in area activities. I think loosely knit bodies like ours can help strengthen the lines
1 / of communication among the General Service Conference, G.S.O., and A.A. as a
1 whole. Newly elected delegates and alternate delegates are invited to attend.”
S97

Suggestions for Newsletters or Bulletins
Newletters or bulletins published by area committees or central offices (intergroups)
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.
Many local publications quote from A.A. literature such as the Big Book, the
”Twelve and Twelve,” ”The A.A. Service Manual,” and Conference-approved
pamphlets. When this occurs, please include the proper credit line, in order to
insure that the copyrights of A.A. literature are protected.
The A.A. Preamble is copyrighted by the A.A. Grapevine (not by A.A. World
Services). Beneath it, these words should appear: Reprinted with permission of A. A.
World Services, Inc. After a quotation from an A.A. book or pamphlet, please state:
Reprinted porn [name of book or pamphlet, page number], with permission of A. A.
World Services, Inc.
Any group or district of the Fellowship is free to use the A. A. symbol, or logo,
of a circle enclosing a triangle, on its newsletters, meeting schedules, or other A.A.
material.
A fourth symbol (shown below) is confined to Conference-approved literature
only, and may not be used.
Perhaps you might consider these ideas, based on local experience with A.A.
newsletters and bulletins: printing your newsletter on 8 l/2” x 14” stock (legal size);
scheduling ”theme issues” on some aspect to the A.A. program and using excerpts
from Conference-approved material (with proper credit) relating to the theme; ask-ing
for and publishing letters from A.A. readers; carrying minutes of various com-mittee
meetings; running a ”Calendar of Events” feature; conducting a subscription
campaign (perhaps making announcements at group meetings), to build paid
readership.
S98

The General Service Board
(The Trustees)
Vze General Service Board (the trustees) is the chief service arm of
the Conference, and is essentially custodial in its character. . . .
Excepting for decisions upon mutters ofpolicy, finance, or A. A. Tradi-tion
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. . l
- excerpts from the Conference Charter
A.A.‘s trustees are, of course, concerned with everything happening inside and out-side
A.A. that may affect the health and growth of the movement. Because the trustees
are close to G.S.O. activities, they are often the first to become aware of trends that
may influence A.A.‘s future. 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 they are a part of the Conference body, they
participate in policy-making - but only as individual Conference members, not as
a group.
The trustees do much of their work through the two corporations, A.A. World
Services Inc., and A.A. Grapevine Inc., and through members of trustees’ commit-tees.
The two service corporations are responsible for the employment and direction
of G.S.O. and GV personnel, and their work is covered in the following chapter. The
work of the trustees’ committees will be explained later on.
The chart ”Structure of the Fellowship” (p. S21) shows how the General Service
Board fits into the whole picture, and how the trustees get from the Conference
whatever ”authority” they may have. This relationship was established when the Con-ference
structure was first set up. It has worked well, and there is every evidence
that it will continue to do so in the future. Over the years, the only changes
s99

considered essential have been in the composition of the General Service Board, not
in its duties or responsibilities.
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, chair-man
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.
BYLAWS of the General Service Board, Inc.
(Adopted April 22, 1957, by the General Service Board following con-sideration
by the General Service Conference of A.A.; amended 1962,
1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1978.)
The General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous Inc., now has but one pur-pose,
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 disease 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 .
2.
3.
4 .
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
SlOO
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become
unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as
we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature
of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends
to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do
so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it.

11 .
12 .
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.
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 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 Welve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, hereinafter referred to as the ”Tradi-tions,”
which are as follows:
1 .
2 .
Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon
A.A. unity.
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.
The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups
or A.A. as a whole.
Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the
alcoholic who still suffers.
An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any
related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property or
prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Every A.A. group ought to be fully self- supporting, declining outside
contributions.
Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, our service
centers may employ special workers.
A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards
or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A.
name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
SlOl

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
us to place principles before personalities.
our Traditions, ever reminding
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 TIvelve Con-cepts
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 shall
always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
2. The General Service Conference of A.A. has become, for nearly every prac-tical
purpose, 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 traditional ‘Right of Decision’.
4. At all responsible levels, we ought to maintain a traditional ‘Right of Par-ticipation’,
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 responsibiity
in most world service matters should be exercised by the trustee members
of the Conference acting as the General Service Board. .
7. The Charter and Bylaws of the General Service Board are legal instruments,
empowering the trustees to manage and conduct world service aftiirs. 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.
s102

9.
10.
11 .
12.
Good service leadership at all levels is indispensable for our future func-tioning
and safety. Primary world service leadership, once exercised by
the founders, must necessarily be assumed by the trustee.
Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority,
with the scope of such authority well defined.
The trustees should always have the best possible committees, corporate
service directors, executives, staffs and consultants. Composition, qualifica-tions
induction procedures, and rights and duties will always be matters
of serious concern.
The Conference shall observe the spirit of A.A. tradition, taking care that
it never becomes the seat of perilous wealth and 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 possi-ble,
by substantial unanimity; that its actions never be personally punitive
nor an incitement to public controversy; that it never petiorm acts of govem-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 Ser-vice
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
member 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 pro-gram
upon which the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous is founded Class A
member trustees shall be ineligible to serve for more than three successive three-year
terms to be confirmed annually, except that in cases of the impending expira-tion
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 judgment this is in the best
s103

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 are serving as such at the expiration of the year 1966.
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 common 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 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 Ser-vice
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 suc-cessive
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 categories; 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. The general service trustees shall be from the
New York commuting area; one (1) trustee-at-large shall be from Canada and one
(1) from the United States. Class B regional 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, alternatively, 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.
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
s104

been polled by 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 meeting 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 permeates 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 termina-tion
of his membership and his ceasing to be a trustee.
The General Service Board may set up new corporate bodies to serve the pur-poses
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 member-ship
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 meeting, 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 six (6) suc-cessive
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
s105

serve as chairman, 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-presidents 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 provi-sions
of the law.
The secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, and assistant treasurer shall similarly
perform 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 no later than the last Monday
in April 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 meetings may be convened at the request of one-third 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 chairman 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 judgment 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 thereupon 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
sufficient to constitute a quorum for the conduct of the affairs of the General Ser-vice
Board, 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
S106

or by statute, constitute 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.
as
Because a stratification of the structure of the General Service Board is regarded
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 com-mittees.
Committees shall be formed in keeping with the needs of service by resolu-tion
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 the Board may from time to time by appropriate resolution deter-mine.
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 com-pensation
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 amendment 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.
Who Are the Trustees?
The trustees are men and women, some A.A.‘s and some nonalcoholics, who bring
varying talents and backgrounds to the board. As the movement grew, the need was
felt for broadening the base of trusteeships to bring in A.A.‘s who had had service
experience in different sections of the United States and Canada. The first major
change was made in 1962, when the board was increased in size to make room for
several A.A. trustees hailing from states and provinces away from New York.
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In 1966 came the next major change. Until then, there had always been a majority
(of one) of nonalcoholics on the board. Now it was felt that A.A. had accrued enough
experience in running its affairs and had developed a practical method for bringing
in trustees from a distance. So the Fellowship took the next big step and reorganized
its board to include seven nonalcoholics1 and fourteen A.A.‘s.
Our Nonalcoholic Trustees
Our debt to those who do not share our disease but willingly share our problems
is immense. It goes back to the beginning, when men like LeRoy Chipman and Dr.
Leonard Strong gave their efforts to help a new and perhaps risky movement. Bill
W., in his introduction, has paid tribute to these ”trusted servants. ” There have
been many whose contributions of time and effort and fortitude may never be
reckoned. Our debt to all our non-A.A. trustees is a great one; it can be repaid only
in terms of love and respect.
The ratio plan calls for seven nonalcoholics, each of whom may be elected to serve
three consecutive three-year terms. They are nominated and elected by the board,
subject to the disapproval of the Conference.
Eight Regional Trustees
The map shows six regions for the United States, two for Canada. Each has a
trustee who normally serves four years. In order that there may be a relatively even
flow of new trustees coming onto the board, the terms have been staggered, and
until 1975 some regions had one three-year tenure, followed by normal four-year
terms. This is the schedule of elections.
Region Election Years Region Election Years
Eastern Canada 1990-1994-1998-2002 East Central 1989-1993-1997-2001
Western Canada 1992-1996-2000-2004 West Central 1992- 1996-2000-2004
Northeast U.S. 1991-1995-1999-2003 Southwest 1991-1995-1999-2003
Southeast 1989-1993-1997-2001 Pacific 1990-1994-1998-2002
While no trustee can be said to ”represent” a geographical section of the country
- since all trustees represent only the Fellowship as a whole - it is true that regional
trustees bring to the board’s discussions a regional point of view which is invaluable.
‘The change was not to affect the tenure of the ten nonalcoholic trustees then holding office.
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REGIONAL MAP
OF U.S. & CANADA
General service trustees, on the other hand, are chosen for their special experience,
talents, or background.
Procedures for Requesting Change of Region
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.
i i s109

2 .
3 .
4 .
5 .
6 .
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.
The delegate from the area requesting a change of region will write, on behalf
of the assembly, to the secretary of the trustees’ Nominating Committee, stating
the request and enclosing the completed form. The delegate will also send copies
of the letter and form to the trustees in the two regions involved.
The delegate will ask the General Service Office to send a letter to all of the a
area delegates in the two regions involved, requesting that they obtain the group
conscience of their respective areas on the proposed change of region, and that
they indicate approval/disapproval on an enclosed card, as soon as possible.
Approval by two-thirds of the delegates from each region involved is required
before the proposal is presented to the General Service Conference for its action.
A change of region will become effective at the end of the Conference at which
it was approved.
How A.A. Chooses Regional Trustees
A regional trustee candidate may be selected from each Conference area, or two
or more of the Conference areas within a state or province may jointly propose a
single candidate. This responsibility should be considered seriously by the A.A.‘s
in the region involved. It is suggested that the bylaws of the General Service Board,
and the qualifications and responsibilities (both outlined in this manual) required
to fill the trustee opening be reviewed carefully. By doing so, an informed group
of A.A.‘s will participate in selecting a candidate.
The following procedure is recommended for use in selecting a regional trustee
candidate.
NOTIFICATION: Delegates and committee officers in region scheduled to select
regional trustee candidate will be informed by G. S .O. in August mailing. G. S .O.
will notify all A. A. groups in the region of the opening and suggested procedures
through the October-November issue of Box 4-5-9 (mailing date: September 15).
PROCEDURE FOR ELECTION:
1 The General Service Conference delegate (or delegates where there is more than
one Conference area) and the area committees should decide how they will select
a candidate.
a. Will the candidate be selected at a meeting of the area committee, or
b. Will the candidate be selected by an area assembly, and, if so, where and
when will the assembly be held?
SllO

2 .
3 .
4 .
5.
The Third Legacy procedure, particularly the principles of ”written ballots,
two-thirds vote, or the drawing of lots if voting fails,” should be used, whether
the selection is made by the General Service Conference area committee or by
the G.S.R.‘s and committee members at an assembly.
The General Service Conference delegate or chairperson of the Conference area
committee should send to the General Service Office a complete report of all
procedures followed in the selection.
A resume of the Class B regional trustee candidate selected, covering profes-sional,
business, and A.A. service qualifications, with name and address, should
be forwarded to the General Service Office, by the area delegate only, prior
to January 1 by registered mail - return receipt requested. A special form is
available for this purpose and should be completed by someone other than the
candidate. Any resumes received after the established January 1 deadline will
be returned by G.S.O. to the delegate in the submitting area, and will not be
considered by the trustees’ Nominating Committee in the current election.
If an area’s candidate for Class B regional trustee withdraws after the January
1 deadline, that area may not submit another candidate.
At the Conference meeting in New York in April, a nominating session chooses
one regional trustee nominee from the candidates. The session is chaired by the
chairperson of the trustees’ Nominating Committee; the co-chairperson is the
chairperson of the Conference Committee on Trustees. It meets in a roped-off sec-tion
and may be observed by all Conference members.
Voting members of the nominating session are: (1) delegates from the region
involved, and (2) 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.
The slate of candidates is posted on a blackboard, and the session follows the Third
Legacy procedure. This Third Legacy procedure providing automatic rather than
optional withdrawal of candidates was approved as standard Third Legacy procedure
by the 19th General Service Conference, and amended by the 24th Conference. This
is the wav it goes:
Withdrawals start after the second ballot. If any candidate has less than one-fifth
of the total vote, his or her name is automatically withdrawn - except
that the top two candidates must remain. (If there are ties for second place, the
top candidate and the two runners- up remain as candidates.)
After the third ballot, candidates with less than one-third are automatically
withdrawn; but again the top two candidates must remain, or the top candidate
and all those tied for second place.
A fourth ballot is then taken. If no candidate has a two-thirds majority, the
chairperson asks for a motion:
(a) to stop balloting and draw from hat.
(b) or to conduct a fifth and final ballot.
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4. If (a) is carried, names go into hat and first one out becomes the trustee nominee.
If (b) is carried, final ballot is taken, and if no candidate has two-thirds, names
go into hat as above.
(The trustee nominee chosen by this session at the Conference is then elected
to the board by the trustees at their annual meeting of members following the
Conference.)
How A.A. Chooses General Service Trustees
and Trustees-at-Large
The four general service trustees, who must come from an area reasonably close
to New York (see bylaws, page S104, paragraph 2) in order to be available for
frequent consultation and meetings, are not elected in the same way as regional
trustees. Bill had a sound reason for this, and one that has worked well over the
years. These candidates are chosen from among the nontrustee directors of the two
corporate board - A.A. World Services Inc., and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. They
have the time and skills needed for the day-by-day affairs of the two corporate boards
and, when elected as trustees, can share with the General Service Board the opera-tions
of A.A.W.S. and A.A. Grapevine, thus increasing the awareness of all the
trustees on these matters.
As 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.
Therefore, the resume of one qualified candidate, who has served for at least one
year on the A.A.W.S. and/or Grapevine boards, is submitted to the trustees’
Nominating Committee in a single recommendation. The trustees’ Nominating Com-mittee
recommends the candidate to the General Service Board in April following
presentation to the General Service Conference for disapproval, if any.
The trustees’ Nominating Committee forwards the resume of the nominee to the
Conference Committee on Trustees for review, and the nominee is then presented
to the General Service Conference for disapproval, if any, in the report of the
chairperson of the Conference Committee on Trustees.
The two trustees-at-large, one (1) from the United States and one (1) from Canada,
are elected by the following procedure.
All areas in the U.S. or Canada (depending on whether the trustee is scheduled
to be from the United States or Canada) will be notified of the vacancy and will
be asked to submit qualified candidates, just as with regional trustee openings. The
same procedure used in selecting a regional trustee candidate (as listed on page Sl 10)
should be followed in the selection of the trustee-at-large candidates (U.S. and
Canada). No area shall1 submit an individualas candidate for both regional trustee
and trustee-at-large U.S./Canada in the same year. .
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Resumes of all candidates will be reviewed for eligibility by the trustees’
Nominating Committee. Prior to the election meeting, each region will caucus
(possibly at regional lunches) during the General Service Conference, with the
regional trustee acting as chairperson of the session. Using Third Legacy procedure,
the number of candidates from the region will be reduced 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 maximum of four for trustees-at-large - Canada will
be presented to the voting members of the Conference for election. The names of
the candidates will be given to the secretary of the trustees’ Nominating Committee
following the regional lunches.
The Third Legacy procedure as employed in the nomination of regional trustees
will be used at the Conference to select one nominee for each vacancy, with the
delegates from either the United States or Canada and the members of the trustees’
Nominating Committee participating in the voting.
There are. . .
Four General Service Trustees and
Two Trustees-at-Large
General service trustees are active on one or more of the service corporation boards
and must be available, not only every quarter, but any week and sometimes any
day for the solution of problems on which G.S.O. or Grapevine staff members need
help. Because of this requirement, all originally came from New York City or its
commuting area and were sometimes known as ”in-town trustees.” With to&y’s
faster transportation, a general service trustee may live either in the metropolitan
area or within a convenient traveling distance from the city.
In 1970 another class of A.A. trustee was instituted, successively known as
‘ ‘general service trustee-at-large, ” ”general service trustee - U. S . /Canada, ’ ’ and
now simply ”trustee-at-large. ” One (1) of these trustees comes from the United
States and one (1) from Canada. They bring to the problems of a growing move-ment
the kind of experience and training that can prove most useful.
While there are no ”specialists” in A.A. - only recovered drunks - it has been
possible to choose for general service and at-large trusteeships men and women with
the kind of business or professional acumen that is particularly applicable to the
problems at hand, whether their backgrounds are in publishing, public relations,
or administration. This brings up the question of what qualifications count most in
the selection of a trustee. . .
Trustee Qualifications
A
both
A. has been fortunate over the
nonalcoholic and A.A. - that
years in having so many competent trustees
it has been possible to set up a ”track record
s113

Nonalcoholic Tmstees. It would be safe to say that the busiest people have made
the largest contribution and have shown the greatest dedication and the best judg-ment
- like Dr. John L. Norris and the late Dr. Harry Tiebout - immensely busy
people who somehow find the time to bring their fine talents to bear on our problems.
We have had wonderful treasurers, too, like Archie Roosevelt, who was not a
banker but was deeply service-minded, Robert Morse, who was a banker and a plan-ner,
and Arthur Miles, their well-qualified successor.
The board has included a number of medical people - physicians, psychiatrists,
and researchers. Each has made a contribution, not only in terms of a special field,
but in the larger world of organization problems. The board has been blessed with
trustees like Bernard Smith, a fine lawyer with a gift for balanced judgment, and
Ivan Underwood, a foreign-marketing expert, with a vast knowledge of the customs
and habits of the whole world.
A.A. Trustees. Experience shows that the A.A. trustee who is strong in one or
more of the following qualifications has been able to contribute most to the solution
of problems that come before the board:
Sound Business or Professional Background: Many trustees have brought exten-sive
business or professional experience to the board. However, a broad background
in these fields is not essential for every one of the 14 A.A. trustees. For the four
general service trustees, it would seem to be a must. For some of the regionals,
this is also true; but others can be light on this count if they are correspondingly
heavy on the next two.
Leadership: In A.A. this seems to mean qualities enabling a member to help his
or her group or city or area to grow with a minimum of friction and a maximum
of good feeling. He or she usually has the love and respect of A.A.‘s in the com-munity,
state, or province, and can represent the board and interpret its actions back
home.
Grasp of&l. Structure: Some A.A.‘s have special aptitude for the A.A. struc-ture
and are thoroughly familiar with all of its elements, from group and G.S.R.
to General Service Board and Conference. They are usually good ”students” of
the movement, familiar with its history and the trends that affect its future. A trustee
with this equipment can bring useful perspective to board discussions.
In addition, there are basic considerations that experience has shown to be impor-tant
to all A.A. trustees. One is maturity or time-in. The Conference feels that ten
years of continuous sobriety is right for the regional trustee and the trustee-at-large,
although not mandatory. For the four general service trustees who have experience
as directors on the corporate boards, A.A. World Services Inc., and The A.A.
Grapevine, Inc., the Conference has approved seven years of continuous sobriety.
Another basic seems to be resoluteness - having the courage of one’s convictions.
The chosen candidates should bring to trustees’ meetings good judgment, objectivity,
and the courage to express themselves.
Another important basic is availability. How much time does the candidate have
to devote to this trusteeship, without hurting family or career? The regional trustees
and trustees-at-large have time-consuming jobs. Each quarterly meeting takes two
s114

or three days, plus travel time. The Conference in April calls for a solid week.
Throughout the year these trustees keep in touch with G.S.O. and with other trustees.
The four general service trustees all serve as directors of the two service boards.
Trustees’ Service Committees
There are several standing committees, and some of these are the opposite numbers
of Conference committees. Membership averages about nine per committee. Nor-mally,
the chairperson of each is a trustee; the secretary, a G.S.O. staff member.
The General Service Board recommended that there be a four-year limitation on
service of an individual on a trustee committee, except for time served as director
or trustee.
The General Sharing Session has replaced the Policy Committee. More and more,
the various standing committees are making recommendations directly to the General
Service Board. These recommendations, when accepted, constitute ”policy.” The
Sharing Session encourages participation by all trustees, all members of board com-mittees,
and the G. S . 0. and Grapevine staffs in discussion of a wide range of topics.
Public Information Committee meets monthly or every other month and is respon-sible
for .determining policies and supervising activities that increase public under-standing
of A.A. - or prevent public misunderstanding of the program. Some of
its members have been selected for their special skills in communica tion. The com-mittee
corresponds to the Conference’s Public Information Committee, with which
it works closely throughout the year.
Finance and Budgetary Committee is a small committee, with the board treasurer
as chairperson and the controller as secretary. It is concerned with all G.S.O. fman-cial
matters - including the Grapevine. It stays in touch with the Conference Com-mittee
on Finance all year, and the two hold joint meetings at Conference-meeting
time.
Nominating Committee. This committee regularly passes on all candidates for
membership of the General Service Board of A.A. (that is, the trustee candidates)
and for directorship of A.A. World Services Inc., and A.A. Grapevine, Inc. In
addition, some of its members become a part of the Conference session that selects
regional trustee and trustee-at-large nominees, and all take part in nomination of
general service trustees. The committee corresponds with the Conference Commit-tee
on Trustees, staying in communication with it between Conferences and meeting
in joint session in April.
Literature Committee. This committee works hand in hand with the Conference
Committee on Literature on a year-round basis. While its regular meetings are held
quarterly, it is a very active committee, and its members spend a great deal of the
intervening time reading manuscripts of new and revised pamphlet material and con-sidering
literature needs. The committee also assesses audiovisual needs and develops
new materials of this type.
Committee on Cooperation with the Professional Community. This comrninee meets
quarterly. It seeks to create mutual understanding and cooperation between the
s115

Fellowship and those professional groups and individuals concerned with alcoholism
and the sick alcoholic.
Committee on the General Service Conference. At its quarterly meetings, this com-mittee
works on Conference procedures, agenda, and theme. Throughout the year,
it shares the last two responsibilities with the Conference Agenda Committee and
meets jointly with it during the Conference.
Archives Committee. It is concerned with preserving and organizing records of
A.A. history already on hand and with seeking out further material. It meets about
four times a year.
International Convention/A. A. Regional Forums. Meeting quarterly, its members
work on plans for each forthcoming Convention and for the Regional Forums held
as an experience in communication, whereby A.A. service people in the region re-questing
such a Forum share directly with people from the General Service Board,
G.S.O., and the Grapevine.
Committee on Treatment Facilities. It meets quarterly, working to further the ac-ceptance
of A.A. in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and similar facilities, and to
bring additional help to alcoholics under treatment there. This committee and the
one following divide between them the functions of the old Institutions Committee.
Committee on Correctional Facilities. At its quarterly meetings, its concern is the
alcoholic ”behind the walls,” whether in a long- or short-term institution.
International, Newest of the trustees’ committees, it meets quarterly. Its aim is
which the board and the General Service Office may assist in the
worldwide, with particular attention to countries having no service
to find ways in
growth of A.A.
structure.
World Service Meeting Delegates
World Service Meeting delegates representing the United States and Canada are
appointed by the chairpersons of the General Service Board. One delegate is ap-pointed
from the U.S. ; one from Canada. Both delegates serve four-year terms, and
are generally trustees-at-large.
World Service Meeting delegates participate in two World Service Meetings, which
are held every two years; one in New York City and the other in another country.
Qualifications for World Service Meeting delegates are: One of the two delegates
should come from the General Service Board or the overall Service committee (in
U.S. and Canada both are trustees of the General Service Board); 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 be fully informed
on 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 meetings.
S116

CHAPTER X
The General Service Office
(G.S.O.)
The General Service Office of A.A. (”G.S.O.” to most members) is located in New
York, as it has been since the beginning. It is the hub of A.A. Activity and as busy
a place as you can imagine. Something like an oversized intergroup or central ser-vice
office? Well, something. . . but it is much bigger than most A.A.‘s expect. It
looks like a business office. It runs like an efficient business office - but definitely
along A.A. lines. The spirit of A.A. is everywhere.
What Goes On at G.S.O.?
A trip through G.S.O. is recommended for every A.A. who can get to New York.
For those who cannot, here is a kind of ”guided tour”:
The reception room features showcases and racks ftied with A.A. books, booklets,
and pamphlets, including translations of the Big Book into 14 languages other than
English. Paintings of Bill W. and Dr. Bob remind us how our Fellowship started,
and also on display are the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions, and the Preamble.
In the office of the general manager, day-byday direction of the office is con-ducted.
He is an A.A. and is responsible for the efficient running of G.S.O.
The SeticeS director shares, with the general manager, management responsibility
for the A.A. staff, the archives, special projects and the files, records and stenographic
departments.
In nearby offices are the A.A. staffmembers, known by sight to thousands of A.A.‘s
who have talked with them and heard them speak at conventions in many states and
provinces - and by name to tens of thousands who have written in about difficult
situations and have usually received helpful answers from these A.A. members. In
this section of G.S.O., you will find all kinds of A.A. services and A.A. problems
s117

being dealt with. This is the clearinghouse for matters affecting the unity and growth
of the movement.
Busy typewriters in the Stenographic Department produce a constant flow of let-ters,
minutes, reports, and copy for bulletins. As each Conference meeting nears,
the pace builds up, to fill the Conference members’ manuals with all the informa-tion
needed for the week’s sessions.
In the File Department, there is a folder for every A.A. group known to G.S.O.,
except in overseas countries having their G.S.O. ‘s. Some are loaded with
correspondence aimed at solving all kinds of critical problems. Other folders are
light. (Perhaps these groups have not discovered that G.S.O. stands ready as their
clearinghouse for problems and ideas. Or perhaps they have no problems?)
You will also find at G.S.O. a treasury of A.A. history, the archives, holding
old correspondence, early Conference programs and reports, and many other records
of the shaky but brave beginnings of our Fellowship.
On the same floor is the board/conference room, where trustees, their commit-tees,
and directors of A.A. World Services meet. Along one wall are ranged
photographs of nonalcoholics who have played important parts of A.A. history; on
the other, pictures of notable places, such as the Old 24th Street Clubhouse and the
tiny upstairs room that was once home to Bill and Lois.
In an average week, the Shipping and Receiving Department processes 500 to 600
literature orders -perhaps including your group’s.
Employees working in the Mail Room handle each year more than 145,000 in-coming
letters and send out almost 38,000 packages - complimentary material for
new groups, Loners, institution groups, P.I. committees, etc.
In the Accounting Department, the responsibility for getting out pamphlet and book
orders begins; here, contributions from groups and individual A.A.‘s are received
and gratefully acknowledged. Here, too, expense budgets are set up and supervised
so that A.A. can live and grow within its means.
The Records Department is next. Here, a manager and several able assistants handle
the outsized job of updating the records on groups, delegates, committee members,
G.S.R.‘s, Loners, and Internationalists. This is where the backbreaking job of get-ting
out the A.A. directories is largely done. Since communication plays such an
important part in keeping our far-flung groups in touch with G.S.O. and with one
another, the value of Records cannot be overstated. Yet this vital work must rely
on the groups to keep G.S.O. informed on changes in their statistics -a thought
to take home with you.
In the Electronic Data Processing Department a modem system permits all user
departments, such as Accounting and Records, to process their work simultaneously.
The computer will store information on group records, group contributions, literature
inventory, and sales records and data. From these records, departments process
literature sales, produce labels for mailings, process group-contribution statement
mailings, and reduce the production of directories to a less monumental task.
S118

What Gets Done at G.S.O.
Perhaps you are more interested in what gets done than in how it gets done. In
much-abbreviated form, here are 17 services that G.S.O. provides regularly. And by
”regularly” is meant just about every day.
1 .
2.
3.
4 .
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Help with group problems. The main line of communication is correspondence
that shares group problems and solutions. Include here the A.A. directories and
the bulletin Box 4.542
Special help to new groups. New groups are encouraged through correspondence,
complimentary literature packages, the Group Handbook, and the A.A.
directories.
Work with groups in treatment and correctional facilities. Correspondence,
bulletins, films, and the correctional facilities directory are regular services
designed to help these groups start and grow.
A. A. overseas. Worldwide A.A. moves ahead rapidly in spite of the differences
in language and customs. Conference-approved literature in languages other than
English helps. So do special bulletins and - most of all - correspondence.
Clearinghouse help to Loners and Internationalists. The former are A.A.‘s without
a group, but many have helped start groups. Internationalists are seagoing A.A.‘s,
ready to lend a hand in a hundred ports. Bulletins, letters, and directories do
their part.
Conference-approved books andpamphlets. A.A. literature has been the lifeblood
of the movement. Editing, publishing, and distributing Conference-approved
literature remain among the most vital of G.S.O. services. A new service is the
development of audio visual materials.
Public informution. Relations with the press, with broadcasting, and with films
are as important to A.A. today as they were in the early days. G.S.O. takes the
responsibility for contact on national levels. To meet local needs, material is
exchanged with local public information committees, with area committees, and
with intergroups and central offices.
Anonymity breaks. Upon learning that an A.A. member’s anonymity has been
broken in the public media, G.S.O. gives this information to the delegate in the
area where the break occurred and asks whether the delegate (1) will remind
the member of our Tradition of anonymity at the media level, or (2) would like
G.S.O. to write to the member. Usually, the Tradition has been violated just
through carelessness or ignorance, and the reminder heads off further, breaks.
Cooperation with the professional community The field of alcoholism is now
highly active. A.A. needs to keep informed and to relate itself to other work
in the field in ways that will not violate its Traditions.
Idea exchange for central oflces/intergroups. A staff member acts as liason
between G.S.O. and central and intergroup offices, so that common problems
and solutions can be shared.
sl19

11 .
12.
13 .
14.
15 .
16.
17 .
Self-support. As A.A. grows and as new services are added, regular financial
support is needed - for G.S.O., for area committees, for central offices and
intergroups. The General Service Board encourages groups and individuals to
keep A.A. self-supporting, insuring a safe future.
General Service Conference. This is a year-round activity, coordinating the pro-gram
and arrangements for the annual meeting in April, gathering ideas and
solutions from Conference committees, helping delegates to keep their areas
informed.
Area, state, andprovincial conventions. G.S.O. helps by exchanging program-ming
ideas. Frequently A.A. staff members and trustees are invited as speakers.
Regional Forums. G. S .O. works on agenda and arrangements with the regional
trustee and current delegates in each region that has requested one of these ex-periences
in communication among A.A. service workers. Several such meetings
are held each year.
Zntemutional Conventions. Responsibility for programming, finances, and Con-vention
facilities involves considerable advance work each year - for the Inter
national Conventions held every fifth year.
Guidelines. A.A.‘s experience with police-court activities, A.A. answering ser-vices,
clubs, etc. now spreads over many years. It is being made available in
the form of Guidelines to any group, central office, or area committee requesting
them.
A.A. history. The archives at G.S.O. go all the way back to the start of A.A.
Early correspondence, directories, Conference data - all are being kept as part
of A.A.‘s living history.
How G.S.O. Is Structured
The board of trustees is responsible for G.S.O. and the Grapevine, and it takes
care of its administrative duties through two operating corporations. One is A. A World
Services Inc., which handles world services or general services, and the publishing
of books and pamphlets. The other is Z’?ze A. A. Grapevine Inc., which does the editing,
publishing, and distribution of the A.A. Grapevine.
The board of trustees ”owns” both of these service corporations and elects the
directors of each. While the board does not interfere with the daily operation of
either corporation, it recognizes its own ultimate responsibility for seeing that both
operate in the best interests of the movement as a whole.
In the makeup of both directorates, the principle of ”participation” as detailed
in Bill W. ‘s Fourth Concept is strictly adhered to. In fact, both are good examples
of the application of this Concept. ”If it wished, the board could elect none but
its own trustees to these corporate directorships. But a powerful traditions has grown
up to the effect that this never ought to be done,” Bill wrote.
A.A. World Services Inc., has nine directors, of whom at least four are not trustees.
Some are volunteers, expert in office management and publishing; one is a paid staff
member; another is the general manager of G.S.O.
s120

Similarly, A.A. Grapevine Inc., directors are trustees, volunteers, and paid staff
members. In the case of A.A. World Services, Inc., its president is the general
manager. This principle of ”participation” has worked splendidly in the cases of
the two service corporations. It has resulted in the development of well-informed
and highly unified directorates. It has ruled out authoritarian and institutional-type
operating directorates, which A.A.‘s generally do not like.
A.A. as a Publisher
Very early, A.A. made the decision to be its own publisher, a decision that has
meant a great deal to the unity and growth and general good health of the move-ment.
By acting as its own publisher, A.A. can be sure that its highly successful
recovery program is not tampered with by those who may be well-meaning but
overzealous. The program and the Traditions go on unchanged - in essence and
in presentation.
A.A, publishes all its own books and pamphlets and its own magazine. The addi-tion
of a new book or pamphlet is not approached lightly. First, the need is well
researched by everyone involved in literature: Conference and trustees’ commit-tees,
the publishing company, and all A.A. staff members. In many cases, the need
does not appear to be urgent or broad enough to justify a new publication. If the
need is strongly apparent, work is started. The first four books were written by Bill
W. Since then, all literature has been written by A.A.‘s who take great pains to
gather their material from all over the movement. From the first draft to the last
(there have been as many as seven), committee and staff members - and frequently
a broadly representative special panel - are free to criticize and to suggest, under-lining
what they feel will best express the A.A. point of view. This process takes
time - months - but the results are worth the effort. When the pamphlet or book
is finally completed, it is entitled to carry the ”Conference-approved” seal, having
fully earned it.
s121

A. A. World Services Inc., takes completed and approved manuscripts and prints
and distributes them. It runs with business-like efficiency and provides additional
funds, from literature sales, to help support services to groups and to carry the
message to the public.
How G.S.O. Is Supported
According to our Seventh Tradition every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting.
That includes such pooled services as G. S .O.
All activities at G.S.O. are lumped into two categories for the purpose of report-ing
expenses: sentice and publishing expense. In the past, A.A. groups contributed
enough to cover about two-thirds of the service expense. The remainder was covered
by publishing income, which was in excess of that required for publishing expense.
So, 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 now comes 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-supporting through contributions of the membership and
to sell literature at cost to everyone.
The number and extent of 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.
Almost one-half do not. This places a heavier burden on the groups that do. What
is more important than the dollar amount of contributions is that groups participate
in this part of A.A. service work, as in the other activities which make groups full-fledged
members of the A.A. community.
Most groups have found it convenient to set up a regular contributionpkzn 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
the best known. On their A.A. birthdays each year, group members make their per-sonal
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 A4emorium contributions honor the memory of a deceased member who
was important to the growth of the group. Of course contributions of this type, like
those of any other, can be accepted from A.A. members only.
In keeping with our traditions G.S.O. only accepts contributions from A.A.
members, groups or other A.A. entities. Furthermore, the General Service Con-ference
limits individual contributions to $1,000 per year. This limit also applies
to a one-time bequest of $1,000 in the wills of deceased members.
s122

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 muss of pleas for
he@, the satisfied need of groups for counsel on their problems, the begin-ning
of our wonder@ 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 finction as a whole.
-Bill W. in his introduction to this manual
BOOKS
Alcoholics Anonymous As Bill Sees It
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions ”Pass It On”
BOOKLETS
Came to Believe. . . Living Sober
PAlMPHtETS
A.A. and Occupational Alcoholism
Programs
A.A. and the Armed Services
A.A. as a Resource for the Medical
Profession
A.A. at a Glance (flyer)
A.A. for the Woman
The A.A. Group
A.A. in Prisons
A.A. in Treatment Facilities
A.A. Membership Survey
The A.A. Member-Medications and
In A.A. for You?
Is There an Alcoholic in Your Life?
It Happened to Alice
It Sure Beats Sitting in a Cell
The Jack Alexander Article
Let’s Be Friendly With Our Friends
Letter to a Woman Alcoholic
A Member&Eye View of A.A.
Memo to an Inmate Who May Be an
Alcoholic
Other Drugs
A Newcomer Asks. . .
Problems Other Than Alcohol
Questions and Answers on
A.A. Tradition-How It Developed
A Brief Guide to A.A.
Carrying the Message Inside the
Sponsorship
Walls (flyer)
Speaking at Non-A.A. Meetings
Supporting the A.A. Support System
This is A.A.
Circles of Love and Service Three Talks to Medical Societies by
The Clergy Ask about A.A. Bill W.
The Co-founders of A.A. Time to Start Living
Do You Think You’re Different? Too Young?
44 Questions The Twelve Traditions Illustrated
S123

G.S.R.
How A.A. Members Cooperate
If You Are a Professional. . .
Inside A.A.
The Twelve Concepts Illustrated
Understanding Anonymity
What Happened to Joe
Young People and A.A.
Your A.A. General Service Office
SERVICE LZXERATURE
Many groups rely on G.S.O. service literature; others don’t know it is available.
It deals solely with the experience A.A. has had with problems that affect group
unitv and growth. Single copies of the following A.A. Guidelines are available free.
1 .
2 .
3 .
4.
5 .
6 .
7 .
8 .
9 .
10.
11 .
12 .
13 .
14.
15.
d
A.A. Answering Servicis - shares experiYences in starting an answering ser-vice,
funding, staflng, administration, and use of volunteers.
Armed Services - based on material received from active groups in the armed
services.
Central or Intergroup Ofices.
Clubs
Conferences and Conventions and other area or regional A.A. get-togethers.
These Guidelines, plus two displays, are sent when news of conferences or con-ventions
is received at G.S. 0.
a. Inside A.A. Display - 4’ x 6’ illustrated poster in color, adapted from
”Inside A. A. ” pamphlet
b. Material for assembling a 4’ x 4’ Literature Display
c. It is suggested Responsibility Placards also be displayed (see Literature Order
Form).
Cooperating with Court, AS. A. P., and Similar Programs
Current Usage of A.A. Directors
For A.A. Members Employed in the Alcoholism Field
Forming Local Committees on Cooperation with the Professional Community
Correctional Facilities Committees
Treatment Facilities Committees
Public Information - ways A.A. members work together to carry the message
to the public
Relationship between A. A. and Al-Anon - ways of cooperating but not afiliating
Carrying the A.A. Message to Hearing-Impaired Alcoholics
Literature Published by A.A. W.S.
Finance
SPECIAL LIlERATURE AND SERVICE MAllERLAL
The Spanish Literature Order Form and the Translation Order Form for
”Alcoholics Anonymous” (Big Book in 14 languages), sent on request, list items
that may be ordered from G. S. 0. Also available: Big Book and Twelve and Twelve
in Braille; service material for work with the hearing-impaired.
S124

A.A. AUDIOVZSUAL, ndMZU?IAL,
FILAMRIPS FILMS TAPE CASSE7lES
*Your G.S. 0. Today
Circles of Love and
Service
Markings on the
Journey
Bill’s Own Story Three Legacies, by Bill
Bill Discusses the Voices of Our Co-Twelve
Traditions Founders
Alcoholics Anonymous- Bill Discusses the
An Inside View Twelve Traditions
It Sure Beats Sitting Alcoholics Anonymous
in a Cell (The Big Book)
Young People and A.A. Twelve Steps and
Twelve Traditions
A.A. Comes of Age
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
*Directory of A.A. Groups in Correctional Facilities: two-part, biennial listing
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.
BULLEUNS FROM G. S. 0.
Box 4-5-9: bimonthly; general news and notes; special departments cover public
information, cooperation with the professional community, and correctional and
treatment facilities activities; English, French, and Spanish editions
About A. A. : threz issues a year; newsletter designed to inform professionals interested
in alcoholism (the only bulletin aimed primarily at non-AA.‘s)
*Loners-Internationalist Meeting: bimonthly bulletin of A.A. Loners (Lone Members)
and Internationalists (seagoing A.A.‘s); excerpts of correspondence and lists of
names and addresses of new Loners and Internationalists who wish to get in touch
with others.
*Quarterly Report: covers activities of the General Service Board, including A.A.
World Services Inc., and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
*For A.A. internal use only.
s125

CHAPTER XI
The A.A. Grapevine
The A.A. Grapevine is the Fellowship’s principal magazine, with a circulation of
about 128,000 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 readership when the editors sent free copies to A.A.s serving in the armed
forces during World Wg, II. In 1945, the groups in the U.S. and Canada voted it
the national A.A. magazine, and since January I949 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 amplified many of A.A.‘s fundamental
spiritual principles.
The Preamble (based on the foreword to the first edition of the Big Book) was
written by the first editor of the Grapevine, and a number of Grapevine articles have
been reprinted as stories in the second and third 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 experience, 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
S126

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 magazine’s guidelines, and Grapevine articles articulate these
unchanging principles through the current experiences and informed opinions of
individual member/writers. In addition to personal experiences of gaining sobriety
and working the program, articles deal with sensitive issues - often in topical sec-tions
grouping different points of view. Wide participation is ensured through ”PO
Box 1980” (letters from readers) and an occasional ”Your Move” section, which
collects brief pro and con opinions on a given subject. The recently revived ”Around
AA” pages, published several times a year, contain news and information about the
Fellowship as a whole, while ”About Alcoholism” (printed each month on gray pages
to distinguish it from A.A. material) brings news and views of the alcoholism field.
Structure and Support C
The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. is one of the two operating entities of the General Ser-vice
Board, with its own corporate board, staff, and financial operation separate from
that of the General Service Office. The board of directors has ten members: five
trustees (two general service trustees, two regional or at-large trustees, and one Class
A), three nontrustee directors and two A.A. staff members.
A volunteer editorial board is also an important part of the Grapevine structure.
Its members, A.A.s with expertise in publishing, communications and the arts, act
in an advisory capacity to the staff.
Grapevine staff, directors and trustees are voting members of the Conference, and
there is a Conference Committee on the Grapevine.
Financially, the Grapevine is supported entirely by revenues from sales of the
magazine and special items. In contrast to G.S.O., which receives group contribu-tions
to support group services, the Grapevine accepts donations only for a fund set
up to provide subscriptions for inmates or other A.A.s who cannot afford the cost.
Grapevine finances are reviewed by the trustees’ Finance Committee, and on an
annual basis cash in excess of current operating needs is transferred to and invested
with the General Service Board Reserve Fund.
What Gets Done at the Grapevine
Primarily, publication and distribution of a monthly magazine; additionally, pro-duction
of occasional special items related to the magazine. The Grapevine occupies
the 11th floor in the same building as the General Service Office and there is an
office force of twenty-plus people. The A.A. staff presently consists of the editor
and managing editor of the magazine; the part-time art director is also an A.A.
member.
sl.27

All articles are contributed by members, with the exception of a few by nonalcoholics
who know and love the Fellowship. Articles are selected for publication only after
discussion and a staff consensus, and when needed, the help of the editorial board
is called on. Whether or not a manuscript is to be published, the contributor receives
a personal reply.
Each month, a group of articles is put together in a varied and balanced issue,
set in type, and titled by the editors. The art director then designs the issue, makes
rough sketches for the illustrations, and assigns the final art to volunteers, A.A.
members who give their time and talent in this form of service.
The circulation department handles processing of subscriptions as well as research-ing
and servicing any subscription problems. The Grapevine shares G.S.O.‘s com-puter
system, which produces mailing labels for the magazine and other mailings.
The magazine is printed and mailed outside of New York City.
The accounting department, supervised by a nonalcoholic controller, handles orders
for incoming subscriptions and special items, makes disbursements for expenses, and
keeps the corporation’s financial records.
A small mail and shipping department handles all incoming mail and ships out
Grapevine materials.
Special Items
Grapevine special items, ranging from anthologies of cartoons and articles to a
wall calendar f~turing member-submitted photographs, are spinoffs of the Grapevine.
In recent years, cassette tapes have made significant magazine articles available to
A.A.s who cannot read, who cannot get to meetings, or who simply want a meeting
between meetings at home or on the road.
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.
What Does a Grapevine Representative Do?
The GvR’s job is to make sure that members are aware of the Fellowship’s intema-tional
journal and the enhancements to sobriety it offers. The GvR is the group’s
contact with the Grapevine office.
New GvRs should send their name, address, group name and group service number
to the Grapevine (I?O. Box 1980, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163). They
will receive quarterly mailings containing order forms for the magazine and special
items, along with occasional special announcements and updates. Of course, the GvR
reads the magazine regularly, announces its arrival at the group each month, and
lets members know how to order subscriptions. The GvR also encourages the group
to take out a subscription in quantity to sell at meetings-and if the group grows,
to increase its order.
In most areas there is a Grapevine committee, and GvRs are active participants.
Sl28

Literature Published by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
Magazine
The A. A. Grapevine-monthly
Books
A. A. Today Best of the Grapevine, Vols. 1 & 2
Best Cartoons from the Grapevine Best of Bill
Cassette Tapes
Around the Table, #l & #2
Classics, #1, #2 & #3
Spirituality, #1 & #2
Not for Newcomers Only, #l & #;
Special items and discount packages available. Catalog and order form available upon
request.
2x29

A.A. World Services, Inc., S22, S77; as
publisher, Sl21-122; directors as Con-ference
members, S6-7, S24, S74
alternate delegate, role of, S66-67
anonymity, Conference Approval of, S75;
history, S14
area, definition, S36
area activities, S87-97 (also see meetings)
area assemblies (see assemblies)
area committee, definition, S36, S52-53;
members, term of office, S31; officer
qualifications, S53-55; problems with, S63
area conventious, S94-95
area delegate (see delegate)
area meetiugs, S87-88
assemblies, agenda, S57-58; area, S30,
S88-90; chairperson, suggestion for, S56;
definition of, S55; election of officers, S55;
finances of, S60; location of, S60;
members of S58-59; organization of, S56;
purpose of, S30; sharing sessions, HO-91;
who votes, S59
audiovisual material, S37, S43, S76, S84
authority of the conference, S29-31, S80
Biii W., VA.A.‘s Legacy of Service,” S5-17;
on conference, S80; ”What Makes an
A. A. ‘Leader’?”, S71-72
board, the (see General Service Board)
Bob, Dr., S7, S14
bulletins, S98
bylaws, of the General Service Board,
SlOO-107
cassettes (see audiovisuai materiai)
central offkes, general service and, S93-94
chairperson of area committee, S53-54
Chart of Structure, S21
Charter, Conference, meaning, S23; original,
S24-27; current, S29-32
Class A trustees, S103-104, S108, SIl4
Class B trustees, S104, Sl14
committee (area) officers, qualifications of:
chairperson, S53-54; secretary, S54,
treasurer, 354-55; others, S55; alternate of-ficers,
S55
committees (Conference), S82-85
committees (trustees’), SlI5-116
Concepts (short form), S102-103
Conference, actions of, S75-78, agenda, S75;
authority of, S23-29, S80; chart, S21;
charter (original), S24-S27; (current),
S29-32; committees, S82-85 (see
delegates); definition, S6-7, S20-33; ex-panding
services of, S94-95; Find Con-ference
Repoti, S22, S75, S79; history,
Sl5-17; how to get something discussed at,
sl30
S79; language of (terms), S36-37;
meetings, S25 (annual), S73-74; members’
duties, S75-78; panels, S33-34; procedures,
S32; program, S79; program, help on,
S92; reporting on, S67-68, S78-79; resolu-tion,
S27-29; Smith, Bernard B., on need
of S39; structure of, S75; Third Legacy
procedure, S31, S34, S38, S57-58, Sill,
voting, S75; Warranties, of charter, S27-28
Conference committees, duties of, S73; how
they serve, S83-85; list of, S83-85;
secretaries of, S74; selecting members, S83
contributions (area), to Conference, S64
conventions, S9495
D.C.M. (see district committee member)
definitions, Conference language, S36-37
delegate, alternate, S66-67; application for
new area, S65-66; assistance for, S62-64;
Conference duties, S75-80; deftition,
S36-37; duties of, S62-64; election of, S38,
(Third Legacy procedure in), S57-58; ex-penses
of, S64; history, Sl5-16; meetings
of S23; origin (geographic) of, S66; panels,
S33-35; past, S97; personal views of, S69-
70; preparing for conference, S70-74;
qualifications, S64-65; reporting back,
S67-68, S78-79; term of office, S31, S66;
when elected, S33-35
district, definition, S36; and district commit-tee
member, S45-51; redistricting, S46
district committee, S45
district committee member (D.CM.), alter-nate,
S45-46; definition, S37, S45-47; elec-tion
of, S47; functions of, S45-50, quali-fications,
S46-47; replacement, S48
district meetings, S37, S47, S51
duties, alternate delegate, S66; area commit-tee
and offkers, S52-61; (D.C.M.) S46,
S49-53; delegate, S62-65; G.S.R., S41-43
elections, alternate delegates, S58; alternate
G.S.R., S43; area committee members and
delegates, S30, S57-58; D.C.M., S48;
G.S.R., S43; Third Legacy procedure,
S38-39, S57-58; tNSteeS, SlOS-113 (s e e
General Service Board)
electoral map (regional), SlO9
expenses, area committee’s NO-61; dele-gate’s,
S64, G.S.O.‘s S122
films, filmstrips (see audiovisual material)
final Conference Report, S22, S75, S79 General Service Board (trustees), bylaws,
SlOO-107; Class A ‘and Class B trustees,
S103-104; committees of, SlO7, SlI5-116;
composition, S31-32; and the Conference,

S75; definition and functions, S99-116;
election of, S104-105, SllO-l13; funds and
property, SlO7; general service trustees,
Sll2-115; jurisdiction, S30-31; meetings,
S106; nonalcoholic trustees, S114; quali-fications
of, S103, S113-115; regional
trustees, SllO, Sll2-113 ; responsibilities,
S24, S25-26; selection of, S22, SllO-113;
terms served by, S108, Sll2-115; trustees-at-
large, Sll2-113; vacancies on, S104;
voting, S107-108
general services, S23; area interest in, S92,
definition, S37; history of, S5
general service committees, and intergroups,
s93-94
General Service Conference (see Con-ference)
General Service Office, activities of, S14,
Sll7-121; communications (literature, films,
etc.), S92-93; and delegates, S62-64, S70;
financial support of, S122; history, S14;
location, S14, S117; structure of, Sl20-121
General Service Representative (G.S.R.),
S41; alternate, S43; definition, S37; duties
S41-43; election of, S43; and election of
delegates, S22; and election of D.C.M.,
S22, S47-48; qualifications, S41-43
general service trustees, Sll2-116
Grapevine, Sl26-128; Conference committee,
S83; delegates informing groups of, S63;
staff Conference members, S74
group conscience, as authority, S22
group information, S43-44
G.S.O. (see General Service Office)
G.S.R. (see general service representative)
history, of A.A., SS-19; of Big Book, SB-9; of
Conference, S15, S16; of G.S.O., SlO-12, Sl5
intergroups, working with general service
committees, S93-94
language (Conference or general service
terms), S36-37
leadership in A.A., S71
Legacy of Service, A.A.‘s, by Bill W., S5-17
literature, booklets, S123; books, S123;
Conference-approved, definition of, S36;
Conference recommendation on, S76;
delegates informing groups of, S63
map (electoral, regional), S109
medical profession and A.A., S13-14
meetings, assembly meetings, S55-58;
S87-90; Conference, S73; on Conference
program, S92; district meetings, S45-51,
S87; meeting materials, S92-93; sharing
sessions, S90-91; trustees’ meetings, S104;
World Service Meeting, S22
newsletters, S98
nonalcoholic trustees, S108, S109
panels, delegates’, S33-34
past delegate, role of, S97
preparing for Conference, S70
provincial conventions, S94-95
publications, Sl21-129
publishing (A.A.), S8-11, Sl21-122
qualifications, area committee officers,
S53-55; delegate, S64-65; General Service
Board, S103-104, Sll4-115; G.S.R., S41-43,
”Making of a Delegate,” S69-70; trustees,
s103-104, s114-115
rebuilding service structure, S95-96
redistricting, S45-46
region, changing of, SlO9-110; definition, S37;
map of U.S. and Canada, S109
regional conventions, S94-95
regional map (electoral), S109
regional trustees, S108-112
reporting on Conference, S78-79
rotation, delegates, S16, S33-35, S66, S96-97,
district committee members, S47; regional
trustees, S108; trustees, SlO4-105
seating (assemblies), S58-60
service structure, ”A.A.‘s Legacy of Service,”
by Bill W., S5-17; birth of, S6-7, Sl5-16;
chart, S21; rebuilding, S95-96
services, definition, S5-6
sharing sessions, definitions, S37; how to
set up, NO-91
state conventions, S94-95
Steps, Twelve, SlOO-101
tapes (see audiovisual material)
Third Legacy-Service, S5, S49; procedure
s31, s37, S38, s57, S58, Sill
Traditions, Twelve (see Twelve Traditions)
trustee committees, Sll5-116; joint meeting
with Conference committees, S74
trustees (see General Service Board)
trustees-at-large, Sll2-114
Twelve Steps, SlOO-101
Twelve Traditions, and the Conference, S20;
history, Sl2-13; long form, S17-19; prob-lems
with, S63; Traditions, SlOl-102
voting (see elections)
World Service Meeting delegates, Sll6
sl31

TWELVE CONCEPTS
FOR WORLD SERVICE
by Bill W.

as adopted by the 12th Annual
General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous
on April, 26 1962

Published by
GENERAL SERVICE OFFICE
of
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS@
468 Park Avenue, South
New York, N.Y. 10016
Mail address: P.O. Box 459
Grand Central Station
New York, New York 10163
Copyright 0 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
16th Printing 1985
17th Printing 1986
18th Printing 1987
19th Printing 1988

The ‘Twelve Concepts for World Service” were written by Bill W. in 1962. His in-troduction
to that first printing, following this preface, explains its purpose, as rele-vant
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 Ser-vice
Board, the 1985 General Service Conference recommended that future publica-tion
of the Concepts be in the original 1962 version, with required factual changes
provided as numbered footnotes at the end of each chapter. The only exceptions are
certain footnotes written 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 Con-ference
for inclusion in the ”A.A. Service Manual.” It now appears in the Bylaws
of the General Service Board, printed in that Manual.
General Service Office
September I985

CONTENTS
I .
II .
III .
Iv.
V.
VI .
VII.
VIII.
Ix.
X.
XI.
XII .
The Ultimate Responsibility for A.A. World Services
Belongs to the A.A. Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The A.A. Groups Have Delegated Complete Adminis-trative
and Operational Authority to Their Conference
and Its Service Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The ”Right of Decision” Makes Effective Leadership
Possible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
”Participation” Is the Key to Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Rights of ”Appeal” and ”Petition” Protect
Minorities and Insures That They Be Heard . . . . . . . . . . .
The Conference Acknowledges the Primary
Administrative Responsibility of the Trustees . . . . . . . . . .
How the Legal Rights of the Trustees Are Related to
the Traditional Rights of the Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Trustees Function as the Direct Managers of
Over-All Finance and Policy: Also as the Custodians
but not as the Immediate Managers of the Active
Service Corporations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Good Personal Leadership at All Conference Levels Is a
Primary Necessity. In the Area of World Service, the
General Service Board and Its Leaders Must Neces-sarily
Replace the Founders of A.A. This Is the Most
Critical Structural Problem That We Still Face . . . . . . . . .
Service Authority Should Equal Service Responsibility.
Executive Authority Should Always Be Single:
”Double-Headed Management” Should Be
Carefully Avoided. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A Description of the Primary Committees and Service
Corporations of the General Service Board:
The Personal Status of Corporate Directors, Executives
and Staff Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Spiritual Foundation for A.A.‘s World Services-”
Article 12” of the Conference Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
10
13
17
22
26 1
29
33
36
43
48
61

The ”Twelve Concepts for World Service” to be described in this Manual are an
interpretation 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
operational improvements. Unforeseen flaws in the present structure will doubtless
show up later on. New service needs and problems will arise that may make struc-tural
changes necessary. Such alterations should certainly be effected, and these con-tingencies
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 mistakes. Therefore it will be an important objective of these Concepts
to forestall such repetitions by holding the experiences of the past clearly before
us. And if mistaken departures are nevertheless made, these Concepts may then pro-vide
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 proper discretion and latitude; the ”Right of Participation” gives each world
servant a voting status commensurate with his (or her) responsibility, and ”Partici-pation”
further guarantees that each service board or committee will always possess
the several elements and talents 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 situa-tion
of 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
3

case for their recommendations - 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 appropriate period be labeled as ”experimental.” On final approval, an alteration
of this character 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 tir a high order of personal leader-ship,
on the desirability of careful induction methods fbr 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 minim&l.
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 im-perative
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. I’m the more sure
of this because I possess these traits myself.
Consequently ideas like the following pervade the Concepts: ”No group or in-dividual
should be set in unqualified authority over another,” ”Large, active and
dissimilar operations 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 direc-tion
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 nearly 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
principles, 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
4

summation 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 addi-tion
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.
5

CONCEPT I
The final responsibility and the ultimate authority
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
services - 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 old-time leaders, I made the transfer of world service respon-sibility
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 struc-ture
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 ser-vices
for A.A. as a whole that could not well be performed by single groups or areas.
We envisioned the writing of a uniform A.A. literature, the development of a sound
public relations policy, and a means of handling the large numbers of pleas for help
that might follow 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 magazine 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 meaning 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 survive great strain and stress. But
could we stand heart failure at our world center?
6

And so we asked ourselves: What further precautions could we take that would
definitely 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 vigilance 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 prin-ciple
of ”stop, look, and listen” to A.A.‘s world affairs, it was widely thought that
we must be foolish worriers who lacked faith. Many said, ”Why change? Things
are going fine.1” ”Why call in delegates from all over the country? That means ex-pense
and politics, and we don’t want either.” And the clincher was always, ”Let’s
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 ser-vices.
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 services. 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 con-ference
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 arguments 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 ex-penditures,
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 happened 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 represen-tative
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.
7

Regardless of trouble or 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 Tradi-tion
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 Con-ference
was called to see whether Tradition ‘IJvo 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 to&y we are witnessing the breakdown of ”group
conscience.” 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 coun-tries
we are now seeing the inroads of ignorance, apathy, and power-seeking upon
democratic systems. Their spiritual resources of right purpose and collective in-telligence
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.
Therefore we believe that we see in our Fellowship a spiritualized society char-acterized
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 condi-tions.
We are confident 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 chosen Delegates, Trustees, and service workers
- to the destiny that we trust God in His wisdom is holding in store for all of us.
9

CONCEPT II
When, in 1955, the A.A. groups confirmed theper-manent
charter for their General Service Con-ference,
they thereby delegated to the Conference
complete authority for the active maintenance of
our world se&es and thereby ma& the Conference
excepting for any change in the Twelve Tadi-rons
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.
members, scattered as they are all over the globe, cannot @themselves actually manage
and conduct 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
accomplished 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 properly 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 fledgling groups gave to us the authority to create and manage world
services. Following their action, we held both the final responsibility and the imme-diate
authorization to get this project underway and keep it going. On our own,
however, we knew we could do little, and so we had to find trusted servants who
in turn would help us. As time went by, we found that we had to delegate to these
10

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
creation 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 I938 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 helped to separately organize) was turned over to the Board of Trustees.
Nearly all of 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 responsi-ble
for the funds upon which its support depended. Consequently, so far as financial
decisions were concerned, 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 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 in-deed,
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 aftis. 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 organiza-tion
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 little-known Trustees, for leadership in A.A.‘s world affairs.
In the course of these developments the great difference between ultimate and im-mediate
service authority became apparent.
*Works Publishing, Inc. was later renamed A.A. Publishing, Inc. Ibday A.A. Publishing is a division of
A.A. World Services, Inc.
11

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 respon-sibility.
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 respon-sibility
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
responsibilities until they had actually delegated most of the active ones. It was pre-cisely
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 delegate 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 Geneml Service Conference of A.A. - plus any later formed sec-tions
- has become for nearly every practical purpose the active voice and the effec-tive
conscience of our whole Society in its world affairs.
In making this momentous transfer, we old-timers deeply hope that we have avoid-ed
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, responsibility, and leadership.
12

CONCEPT III
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, st&ffs,
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
charter, 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 themselves and upon which matters they will report, consult, or ask specific direc-tions.
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 ser-vices.
We have also noted how, by reason of the Conference Charter and the ”trusted
servant” provision of Tradition Two, the groups have delegated to their General Ser-vice
Conference full authority to manage and conduct A.A.‘s world affairs.
The Conference and General Service Board Charters in broad terms define the
responsibility of the Conference to act on behalf of A.A. as a whole. In these two
documents a necessarily 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 descriptions are an indispensable frame of reference, and we
could not function without them.
Nevertheless it has long been evident that these highly important Charter provi-sions
cannot by themselves ensure smooth functioning and proper leadership at the
several different 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
Conference. Because they hold the ultimate authority, there is no doubt that the A.A.

groups have the tight 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 ex-tremes,
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. Prac-tically
speaking, this could almost never be the case. There would be very few ques-tions
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 unwisely? Suppose they began to issue hasty and flat directives to
the Trustees on matters respecting 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 submit and rot.
Therefore some traditional and practical principle has to be devised which at all
levels 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 authority 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 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
14

action or contingency. 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 No, 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 respon-sibility
to each particular problem or situation as it arises. This sort of leadership
discretion should be the essence of Vze Right of Decision,” and I am certain that
we need not have the slightest fear of granting this indispensable privilege at nearly
every level of world service.
There will always be plenty of ultimate authority to correct inefficiency, ineffec-tiveness,
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 directors and hire better help. These remedies are ample and direct.
But for so long as our world iervices function reasonably well - and there should
always be charity for occasional mistakes - 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
service bodies and people a traditional ”Bight of Decision.” In our structure of world
service this ”Bight 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 responsi-bility,
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 Ser-vice
Conference according to the best dictates of their own judgment and con-science
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
15

failing to consult 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 practical means by which they may act and lead effectively, but it is also the
symbol of our implicit confidence.
16

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 struc-ture.
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 tradi-tion
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
division) currently has seven directors, only two of whom are Trustees? The other
five non-Trustee directors comprise three volunteers, both expert in office manage-ment
and publishing, and two directors who are paid staff members: the general
manager and his assistant. 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
division is composed of Trustees whose mission is to see that these projects are
properly managed; 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 prac-tically
and legally, denotes what his (or her) actual status and responsibility is.
Such a typical corporate business management easily permits a proper degree of
voting ”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 business, as distinguished from structures so common to many
17

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 ”Par-ticipation”
whenever its chairman makes appointments to the Board’s 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
elements 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
levels, 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 interest 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 quarterly meeting of the General Service Board. Thus the Trustees are
put into direct communication 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 ”participation.” Every year, a few Delegates will question
the ”right” of the corporate directors, staffi, and even of the Trustees to vote in Con-ference.
New volunteer corporate 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 abolish A.A. World Services, Inc. and The A.A.
Grapevine, Inc. It will be urged that these separate 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 traditional ”Bight 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
18

or to 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
possession 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 super-intend
practically everything that was done. To accomplish this, two Trustee com-mittees
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, couldn’t get inside a Trustees meeting, and she was called into commit-tee
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 manage-ment
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. Bight 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 non-participating
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 tom-up checks. Every time
an absolute authority is created, it always invites this same tendency toward over-domination
respecting all things, great and small.
It was years before we saw that we could never put all authority in one group and
I.9

virtually all responsibility in another and then expect efficiency of operation, let alone
real harmony. Of course, no one is against the idea of fmal authority. We are only
against its misapplication or misuse. ”Participation” can usually stop this sort of
demoralizing nonsense 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 par-ticipants,
trusted servants? No, they would feel like agents and order-takers.
The Delegates themselves, of course, could also give the Trustees this same treat-ment.
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 corporate and Conference work, we shall have thrown all
past experience to the winds. The principle 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 Con-ference
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 cer-tain
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 policies, 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 un-wise.
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 performances, job qualifications, or money compen-*
There&&r 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 possibly 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.
20

pensation, or in case of a sweeping reorganization 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 noteworthy 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
spiritual needs. All of us deeply desire to belong. We want an A.A. relation of brotherly
partnership. 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 reason 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 necessary 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 servants” described in A.A.3 Tradition Two.
‘Currently A.A.W.S. ha nine directory, of which four are ~I-US~W.
2Currently ten.
21

CONCEPT V
llzroughout our world service structure, a trzuli-tional
”Right of Appeal” ought to prevail, thus
assuring us that minority opinion will be heard and
that petitions for the redress of personal grievances
will be carefully considered.
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 en-couraged
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 seriously 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
frequently 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
structure, 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 seldom exercised right, its very existence will always tend to restrain
those in authority from unjust uses of their power. Surely our workers should cheer-fully
accept the necessary direction 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 alvs been put to good use. Therefore
I am committing them to writing only by way of helping to confirm and enlarge their
future applications.
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 indeed a large charter of minority privileges and liberties.
22

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 service purposes the ”group conscience of A.A.” as a totality has cer-tain
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 conscience is not always the best possible guide because,
temporarily, such an upset may prevent it from functioning efficiently or wisely. When,
therefore, the group conscience cannot or should not act directly, who does actfor it?
The second part of Tradition Two provides us with the answer when it describes
I A.A. leaders as ”trusted servants.” These servants must always be in readiness to I 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 Con-ference
- 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 membership’s will-ingness
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 opera-tion,
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 ex-emplified,
for instance, inour ”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 majority’s 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 democracy’s
cherished 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 spirit of democracy among us. Unity has been cemented, coopera-tion
has been increased, and when the Delegate is finally chosen, no discontented
minority can trail in his wake. To increase the actual spirit ofdemocracy by special
deference to minority opinion is, we think, better than to follow blindly the rule which
23

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 traditional voluntary practice is evidence of real prudence and
courteous deference to minority 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 o!a Conference quorum. This gives
the Trustees a power of veto in cases where the majority is not great. By reason of
this provision 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 simple 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 carefully 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 in-vested
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 con-tinue
to beat upon us. Fortunately we are not obliged to maintain a government that
enforces conformity by inflicting punishments. We need to maintain only a structure
of service that holds aloft our Traditions, that forms and executes our policies
thereunder, and so steadily carries our message to those who suffer.
24

Hence we believe that we shall never be subjected to the tyranny of either the ma-jority
or the minority, provided we carefully define the relations between them and
forthwith tread the path of world service in the spirit of our ‘ILvelve Steps, our Twelve
Traditions, and our Conference Charter - in which I trust that we shall one day
inscribe these traditional Rights of ”Appeal” and ”Petition.”
25

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 genercllpolicy andfinance. But the Con-ference
also recognizes that the chief initiative and
the active responsibility in most of these matters
should be exercised primarily by the Tncstee
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 respon-sibility
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 finan-cial
skills that will always be required for a balanced trusteeship. Only by doing so
can we permanently insure the Board’s 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 general way these relations already are indicated in our Con-ference
Charter, and to some 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
*See Concept VIII for a defhition of the Trustees’ powers and activities.
26

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 con-siderable
alterations. For this reason our service Charter is capable 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 reinforced these Charter provisions by grant-ing
to all world service bodies, including of course our Trustees, the traditional Bights
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! 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 XI,” wherein 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 judg-ment
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 correspondingly 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 policy 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 oneration. Our Trustees must function almost exactly like the directors of
any
and
large business corporation
conduct A.A.‘s business.
. They must have ample authority to really manage
27

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 govem-mental
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
corporation. The A.A. groups are the stockholders; the Delegates are their represen-tatives
or proxies at the ”annual meeting”; our General Service Board Trustees are
actually the directors of a ”holding company.” And this holding company, the General
Service Board, actually 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 directors, our Trustees must be given large powers if they are to effectively manage
the principal world affairs of Alcoholics Anonymous.
1 ‘Thereceipts of A.A. World Services and the Grapevine are almost ten million.
*There are now eleven standing committees.
28

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 fur-ther
understood that the Conference Charter itself
is not a legal document: that it relies instead upon
the force of trtulition 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 influence 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 fmally, in any great ex-tremity,
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 repre-sent.
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 a very moot matter. Would the Conference have the last word, or would
the Trustees? By then we knew for sure that complete and fmal authority over our
29

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 con-tradictory
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 Tradi-tions,
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
incorporating 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 incorporation 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
procedure would have produced a political shambles, rather than the top flight
managerial talent the Board had to have. So that notion was abandoned.
We next inquired whether the Conference itself could not both nominate and directly
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 the 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 reorganiza-tion,
this method of selection would have to continue - certainly as to the larger
part of the Board’s 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.’
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 judgment. 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 harrassing 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 final authority to the Conference by practical and traditional means. By
30

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 Con-ference
opinion or directive? We should have a per&t legal right to say ‘no’ to anything
and everything 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 alZ 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 ninety-nine 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 impossible 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 con-structive
use.
Here, for instance, are three typical examples in which it would be the duty of
the Trustees to veto Conference action:
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-considered 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 Con-ference
refusal to reconsider, the Trustees could then use their legal right to
veto. And, if desirable, they could appeal the issue directly to the A.A. groups
themselves.
I
Although traditionally the Trustees never should substantially exceed a
Conference-approved budget without consulting the Conference, they should
feel entirelyfiee to reduce the Conference budgetfigure during any fiscal year,
even though such an action might curtail or cancel special plans or projects
initiated and directed by the Conference itself.
If, by reason of unforeseen conditions, any particular plan, project, or direc-tive
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.
31

If, therefore, in the years ahead, the Conference will always bear in mind the ac-tual
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 serious-ly
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&ions 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.”
32

CONCEPT VIII
The Tncstees of the General Service Board act in
two p&nary capacities: (a) Wuh respect to the larger
matters of over-all policy and finance, they are the
principal planners and administrators. They and
theirprimary committees directly manage these af-fairs.
(b) But with respect to our separately incor-porated
and constantly active services, the relation
of the Trustees is mainly that of full stock owner-ship
and of custodial oversight which they exercise
through their ability to elect all directors 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 leader-ship
that constantly confront it. In these more critical matters, the Board must of
course function with great care and deliberation. 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 conduct 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 Board’s attitude has to be that of custodial oversight; it cannot be the
executive. 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.
Bach corporate service entity should possess its own character, 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 framework of A.A. and Headquarters policy, the Board will
33

. seldom need to do more, so f$r as routine service operations are concerned.
This arrangement is in line with modem 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 satisfac-tion
that this corporate basis of operation is superior to any other.
This lesson, as we have observed before, has been learned the hard way. When
discussing ”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 ser-vices
into departments of the old Alcoholic Foundation (now the General Service
Board). It was found difficult 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 par-ticipating
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 per-manent
corporate structure wherein officers and directors had legally defined titles
and duties and responsibilities - the moment such a corporation was provided with
its own working capital, employees, and facilities -- the moment its directors could
legally vote in proportion 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 func-tion
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 coordinate the several departments
and mediate their differences. This would mean (if we tried it) that the General Ser-vice
Board ”divisions” would have to report to the General Service Board Chair-man,
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 he be paid a salary
34

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 town’ and the further fact that we cannot well ask our
nonalcoholic Trustees to give the active services 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 corpora-tion,
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 create executive difficulties, because it would over-concentrate ex-ecutive
authority. And finally, 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 authori-ty,
an undesirable condition for us. Therefore we should strenuously avoid placing
too much money or too much authority in any one service entity. These are potent
reasons for maintaining separate incorporations 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
savings, and hoped-for efficiency, will be periodically tempted to go in for concen-trations
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 opera-tion
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 con-vert
the Board of Trustees into an active, ”all-purpose” service corporation.
‘In 1988, about eighty percent of the trustees live ”out of town.”
35

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 necessatily
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 relation-ships,
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 leaders, 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 let’s 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 service; these are the primary representatives of A.A.‘s group
conscience. Without their support 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 needed improvement seems to be a matter of increased care, respon-sibility,
and education.
36

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 shuz21d 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 friction; it has made each Delegate feel that he or she is truly a world ser-vant
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 Assembly’s first
choice; he may even be a better Delegate.
We now come to the principal theme of this particular Concept: How can we best
strengthen the composition and 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 ser-vice
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 development 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 administrative composition and A.A. leader-ship
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 naturally 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 present 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 ex-ample,
our Board operated in all the years between 1938 and 1951 without the sup-port
of a 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
37

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 authori-ty
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 momen-tous
change, because everybody can now see that it has provided an essential protec-tion
for the service effectiveness 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 Board ‘sjkture
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 improvements 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
society 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 ”personality” 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 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 leader-ship
- the active people of today and the potential leaders of tomorrow as each new
38

generation of able members swarms in. We have an abundance of men and women
whose dedication, stability, 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 don’t boss us.”
A leader in A.A. service is therefore a man (or woman) who can personally 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 isn’t 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
sufficient general backing, it freely takes decisions and puts them into action forth-with,
provided 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
uninformed, can, once in a while, be dead wrong. When such an occasional situa-tion
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 opposition’s
sake. It never can be ”Let’s 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 somebody. Then there is the opposition that casts its vote saying, ”No, we don’t
like it.” No real reasons are ever given. This won’t do. When called upon, leader-ship
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
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
39

always. Now and then it is truly necessary to stick flat-footed to one’s 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
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.
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 sicker 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 con-stantly
telling ourselves, ”One day at a time.” But that valuable principle really refers
to our mental and emotional lives and means chiefly that we are not foolishly to repine
over the past nor wishfully 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. God’s real Providence
has endowed us human beings with a considerable capacity for foresight, and He
evidently expects us to use it. Therefbre we must distinguish between wishful fantasy
about a happy tomorrow and the present use of our powers of thoughtful estimate.
This can spell the difference between future progress and unforeseen woe.
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. Look-ing
first at the nearby future, we ask how our idea or policy might work. Then we
40

ask how our policies 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 today’s 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 con-sequences
that we may be setting in motion.
These are no fancy theories. We have found that we must use these principles of
estimate constantly, especially at world service levels where the stakes are high. In
public relations, for example, we must estimate the reaction both of A.A. groups
and the general public, 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 A1A. 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
policy, 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,
flexibility, and vision - among our leaders of A.A. services at all levels. The prin-ciples
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 fmance
or foresight. And it is quite unlikely that a fine banker could be a great musical per-former.
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 fmd.
41

While this article was first thought of in connection with our world service leader-ship,
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 a leader. The stakes are about as big as
they could be. A human life and usually the happiness of a whole ftily 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.
42

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 tradi-tion,
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 corresponding 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 levels 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 authority are able and willing properly to delegate and maintain a suitable
operational authority; unless those holding such delegated authority feel able and
willing to use their delegated authority freely as trusted servants; and unless there
exists some definite means of interpreting and deciding doubtful situations-then per-sonal
clashes, confusion, and ineffectiveness 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 bird’s_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 succes-sion
of points, where there is 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 appor-tioned
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 fur-ther
how the Trustees are in ultimate authority over the General Service Board’s
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.
I 43

The principle of ultimate authority runs clear through our structure. This is
necessary, 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 directing 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 direc-tors
of the service entities and would commence to run them by directives. The cor-porate
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. servants would have large responsibilities but no
real or certain authority, and hence no capability 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, acept 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 inter$kred 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) by principles under which doubtful and seemingly or really conflicting situa-tions
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
44

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 over-instruct 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 rights to actively administer our service affairs. Their
legal rights 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 should be
used. By these means we have guaranteed 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
really be 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 recogni-tion
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 responsibility for the routine conduct of our active services. The Charter provi-sions
of their corporations legally protect their rights; the tradition that the Trustees
must elect non-Trustee 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 turning the General Service Board back into a ”depart-mentalized”
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 corporate 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 unnecessarily interfere with, or usurp the operating
authority of these entities. Hence the care we have taken in constructing these defini-tions
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
principle 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
45

proportion of non-Trustee members. Here, too, we try to make the authority of these
committees equal to their responsibility!
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 Committees, 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 recom-mendation
to the Trustees. But if the Finance and Budgetary Committee objects, then
it must file its objection 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 a 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 Com-mittee,
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 JinaZ 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
authority 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 over-boss 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.
46

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
servants have a clearly defined and adequate authority to do their daily work and
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 since Bill wrote on the General Policy Committee (see also p. 52), its fbnctions have changed
markedly. Now known as the General Sharing Session, it meets three times a year for about two hours
on the Sunday preceeding the General Service Board meeting, and considers the long-range plans of board
committees 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.
47

CONCEPT XI
While the Tmcstees hold final responsibility for
A.A.3 world service administration, they should
always have the assistance of the best possible
standing committees, corporxzte service directors, ex-ecutives,
staffs, and consultants. Therefore the com-position
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 consultants,
together with a proper basis for the financial com-pensation
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 com-petent
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 per-form
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
competent 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., 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 struc-ture
of service consist?
It is composed of the following elements: the five’ standing committees of the
General Service Board, plus our two active service corporations, A.A. World Ser-vices,
Inc. (including its A.A. publishing division) and The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
Let’s 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 .
denoting the direct administrative responsibilities of the General Service Board. These
committees 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.
?lze 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 fill-ed
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 tempta-tion
to haste or snap judgment will need to be tithfully and constantly resisted.
Another problem that future committees may have to face is the subtle tenden-cy
toward deterioration in the caliber of personnel due to the very natural and
usually unconscious tendency of those who suggest nominees to select in-dividuals
of somewhat less ability than themselves. Instinctively we look for
associates 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 competent 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 enterprises suffer this insidious deterioration. We have not yet ex-perienced
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 Commit-tee,
whose first and last duty is to choose only the best obtainable for each
vacant post.
Zhe 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 need hardheaded members with much financial experience. All should
be realists, and a pessimist or two can be useful. The whole temper of today’s
world is to spend more than it has, or may ever have. Many of us consequently
49

are infected with this rosy philosophy. When a new and promising A.A. ser-vice
project moves into sight, we are apt to cry, ”Never mind the money, let’s
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 com-mittee,
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 year’s 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 necessary. At mid-year it will ask for budget revisions if earlier
estimates have gone too much wrong. It will scrutinize every new and con-siderable
expenditure, asking ”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 substan-tial
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 con-tributions
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 f&e and unimaginative economy can prove very costly - in spirit,
in service, and in money.
Future committees, therefore, will ponder the difference between real
prudence (which is neither fear nor hoarding and which may indeed require
us sometimes 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.
7Yze Public Inform&on Committee: This one, too, is of top importance. Of course
most of its members should be experts in the field of public relations. But
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 profes-sional
members of the committee should be capable of adapting their business
experience to A.A.‘s needs. For instance, the techniques used to sell a big time
50

personality 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 relations-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 calculated 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 than-nels.
These publicity outlets - local, national, and international - should be
opened wider and wider, always foregoing, 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 recom-mendations
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 suc-cess
brings alcoholics in our direction.
77ze 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 pamphlets 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
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
51

to make. The role of the other committeemen will be of constructive criticism
and amendment of the consultant’s 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 carefully
each new creation by asking a number of A.A.‘s who are sensitive to A.A.
feeling 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.
Z%e 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 com-mittees
or service corporations?
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’
meetings and to present the Board with carefully discussed recommendations,
including 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
manager of the World Office, (d) the president of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.,
who is the editor, and (e) those Trustees and service directors known to be
long experienced 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
picture of what other Headquarters units have been doing. a
This is a large committee,Aand it operates ”town meetmg-style,” requiring
four to six hours each Sunday afternoon preceding the Monday quarterly meeting
of the General Service Board. A carefully worked out agenda is alws prepared.
The committee issues to the Trustees a full report of its recommendations,
together with any minority views. Its report also shows the actual disposition
52

of minor matters.
This General Policy Committee has greatly strengthened our Headquarters
unity. All participants get the feeling 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 Com-mittees
are executive in character. They do not manage and conduct the active
affairs of the service corporations. They may, however, make any recommen-dations
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 Ser-vices,
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? 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 Divi-sion)
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. direc-tors
thus are those thoroughly experienced with these operations?
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 experi-ence
to chair the Grapevine corporate board. This arrangement also places the chair-man
in a tiorable position to mediate differences 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?
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 magazine’s quality
53

and editorial continuity.
Every new generation of workers will raise certain questions about these two
corporate questions: ”Why can’t both of them be consolidated into the General Ser-vice
Board?” Or, ”Why can’t 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 con-cluded
that the General Service Board is an unsuitable vehicle for an operating
corporation; that because the Grapevine is such a dissimilar 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 shouldn’t the A.A.
Publishing division of A.A. World Services be separately incorporated and managed
by a board of directors specially skilled in book and booklet publishing?” Offhand,
this looks logical.
Today, however, A.A. Publishing is mostly a business operation. Unlike a com-mercial
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 matter 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 would we
really ever need a separate corporate management.
Another question will be this: ”Why don’t 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 produce 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 Grape-vine
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 Grapevine’s accounting, finances, promotion, and distribution. Would
not such a consolidation of financing, employees, and routine business be more effi-cient
and economical? Would not this relieve the Grapevine of all business headaches?”
This plan, too, looks reasonable at first glance. Nevertheless the chances are it
54

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, pro-motion,
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 anda 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 would be reduced to almost nothing. World Service directors would
be mostly interested in business efficiency and solvency, while the GV editorial repre-sentatives
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 doubtful 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
foregoing 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 com-mon
to both A.A. World Services, Inc. and to The A.A. Grapevine.
1. l%e status of executives - executive direction and policy form&on distinguished:
No active service can function well unless it has sustained and competent
55
, 1

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 any-thing,
in the continuous executive sense. This function has to be delegated to
a single person. That person 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 f”lrmness is in order.
He must act without favor or partiality. He must comprehend and execute large
affairs, while not neglecting 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
misunderstanding. Because of their natural drive and energy, executives will
sometimes til 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 f&t
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 con-stant
requests to be told by somebody or other what to do. The executive who
overdrives can be reasonably restrained by the structural situation, and defini-tions
within which he has to 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 Ser-vices,
Inc. and for the A.A. Grapevine. In our World Services Office, we can
now afford only a part-time general manager. In the Grapevine we must rely
on a volunteerP Of course each of these executives has paid staff assistants. But
the fact that one of our top executives 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
experience and caliber, are willing to work cheaply. No more expensive blunder
56

than this could possibly be made. Outstanding ability in a volunteer, or a part-timer,
is definitely preferable to that.
The second executive difficulty is inherent in our A.A. situation. Our key peo-ple
at Headquarters are A.A. members; they have to be. Therefore the execu-tives
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 apart-ness
or roughshod authority is to be rejected in an executive, 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.
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
services as a sort of necessary charity that has to be paid for. It is forgotten that
our particular 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
charity 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 service overhead is about the smallest per capita
of any large society on earth. The difference 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 in-secure
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.
.
_. Rotation among paid staflworkrs: At A.A.‘s World Office, most staff members’
assignments are changed yearly. When engaged, each staff member is expected
57

to possess the general ability to do, or learn how to do, any job in the place
- excepting 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
practically 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. Consequent-ly
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
security and continuity of the office. We once had the conventional system of
one highly paid staff member with assistants at much lower pay. Hers had been
the principal voice in hiring them. Quite unconsciously, I’m 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 suddenly 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 the office in order. We saw that we had to install a paid staff that simply
couldn’t 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 system. But since the remaining staff members always knew every
assignment there was, no trouble at all was experienced. Under such a condi-tion
replacements can be carefully chosen and trained at leisure. And the usual
tendency to select less able associates 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 destruc-tive
competition and office ”politicking” were also removed. The spirit of Head-quarters
improved immeasurably and found its 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
efficiency. 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
58

4.
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 Offrce, we have found it impractical and unfair to set
any fixed term of employment. A staff member has to have several years train-ing.
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 personality, ability, stability, business and A.A. ex-perience.
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 ur&ir.
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 personal reasons. Within reason, most of them can and must rotate
from assignment to assignment. But we should attempt no more rotation than this.
Because of certain unusual skills required, rotation among Grapevine staff
members 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
today’s size.
Full ”Participation ” of paid workers is highly important: We have already dis-cussed
the necessity of giving key paid personnel a voting representation on our
committees and corporate boards? We have seen that they should enjoy a status
suitable to their responsibility, just as our volunteers do. But full participation
for paid workers cannot be established by voting rights only. Other special
factors usually affect the extent of their participation. Let’s see what these are,
and what can be done about them.
The first is the f$ct of employment for money - the employer-employee rela-tion.
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 recon-ciliation
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
59

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 man’s world. Some men are apt to feel, unconsciously, that they are women’s
superiors, thus producing a reflex reaction in the gals. Then, too, some of us
rel
of both sexes - have been emotionally damaged in the area of man-woman
.ations. Our drinking has made us wrongly dependent on our marriage part-ners.
We have turned them into our ”moms” and ”pops,” and then we have deeply
resented
leave us
that situation. Perhaps maladjustment has taken
with a hangover of hostility that we are apt to
woman relatedness that we undertake.
still other turns which
project into any man-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 overcome, and forgiven. We can be aware also that any sound working
relation between adult men and women must be in the character of a partner-ship,
a noncompetitive one in which each partner complements the other. It
is not a question of superiority 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? In these positions, could the men possibly
relate themselves so uniquely and so effectively to our Fellowship as the women?
Of course not. The women can handle this assignment far better, just because
they are women?O
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, General Service Conference, Archives, International Convention/Regional
Forums, Correctional Facilities, Treatment Facilities and International.
*The Policy Committee is now known as the General Sharing Session, and its makeup and functions have
changed, as explained on p. 47.
3Both A. A. World Services, Inc., and The A. A. Grapevine, Inc. are now membership corporations; their
members are the trustees.
vhe directorate of A.A. World Services, Inc. is now composed of: the G.S.O. general manager, who
is the president of A. A.W.S. ; a G.S.O. staff member, who is a vice-president; two regional trustees; two
9 eneral service trustees; three nontrustee directors. Its rotating chairperson is a trustee.
Today A.A. Gra
chief operating of!?
vine, Inc., has ten directors. The Corporate Board is publisher of the magazine; the
cer is president. Two members of the board are general service trustees; two are regional
trustees; one is a nonalcoholic trustee; five are nontrustee directors. Production and management of the
Grapevine are given over to a full-time paid staff. Two staff members are members of the Corporate Board.
6Today there is a full-time editorial staff of two people and a part-time art director.
‘Most staff members serve two years on each assignment.
8Since 1987, pay increases are based on merit.
9G.S.0. staff members have voting representation on trustees’ committees. Additionally, the staff member
serving as staff coordinator has a vote as a director of the A.A.W.S. Board.
loThe restrictions no longer apply. In 1988, eight women and three men serve as G.S.O. staff members.
60

CONCEPT XII
General Warranties of the Conference: in all its
proceedings, the General Service Conference shall
observe the spirit of the A.A. Ttwdition, taking great
care that the conference never becomes the seat of
perilous wealth orpower; that sufficient operating
funds, plus an ample reserve, be itsprudentfkzan-cialprinciple;
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 when-ever
possible, by substantial unanimity; that no Con-ference
action ever be personally punitive or an
incitement to public controvemy; 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 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 agree-ment
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 document; its first eleven Articles can be readily amended by the Con-ference
itself at any time.
But Article 12 of the Charter stands in a class by itself. An amendment or a cancella-tion
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 pro-posals,
and the considerable 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.
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
I 61

only upon positive 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 Con-ference
can never become the seat of great wealth or government; that its fiscal policy
shall ever be prudent; that it will never create any absolute authority; that the princi-ple
of substantial unanimity 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 per-sonal
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 definite climate, the only climate in which harmony,
effectiveness, and consistent spiritual progress can be achieved. The Warranties of
Article I2 express the wisdom of taking forethought 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, prestige, 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 Tradi-tions
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 Tradi-tions
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 I2 are as follows:
Warranty One: ”The Conference shall never become the seat of perilous wealth
or power.” What is meant by ”perilous wealth or 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?
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
individual’s 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 con-tributions
over legitimate operating expenses is ever likely to be seen. Fortunately
the A.A. Groups have a healthy reluctance about the creation of unneeded services
which might lead to an expensive bureaucracy 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 services 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 staff enough authority, there can
be little risk, either. Long experience, now codified in these Twelve Concepts, sug-gests
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 rota-tion,
by voting participation, and by careful chartering. Nevertheless, we do hear
warnings about the future rise of a dictator in the Conference or at the Headquarters.
To my mind this is an unnecessary worry. Our setup being what it is, such an aspirant
couldn’t 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. ‘Lttken all together, these Eactors 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 attitudes 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 ser-vants,
”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
prudent 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
giving 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 sacrificial giving for the sake of our groups, our areas and for A.A. as
a whole.
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 com-bined
income of A.A. members, now more than a billion dollars a year, has been
63

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
overhead, 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 emergen-cies
or for education for 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 paying the landlord. Sometimes we hold off when we are
asked to meet area or Intergroup service 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, ”Let’s not spoil A.A. with money and service
organization. Let’s 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 giver’s service 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
contributions 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 expen-sive
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 Ser-vice
Office engaged one paid worker to each thousand of A.A. members. Ten years
later we employed one paid worker to each three thousand A.A.‘s. Today we need
only one paid helper to every seven thousand 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.
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 year’s operating expense of our World Office? 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 presence 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.
books 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 spiri-tuality.
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 financial 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 !j70,000 every twelve months. Ifin 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 infor-mation
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 Ser-vice
Conference would have to 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
business upset. We can certainly hope and pray that it will not. But is it wise for
65

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 general 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 installment plan.
There is no scarcity of A.A. books; more than a half million are now in circulation.
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 f$r
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 set 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 con-tributions.
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
royalties 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 independent income also has enabled me to think and act indepen-dently
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 considered 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.”
66

We have learned that this principle is of incalculable value to the harmonious con-duct
of our Conference affairs. Its application in our structure has already been ex-tensively
discussed under the Concept entitled ”The Bight of Participation,” which
emphasizes that our world servants, both as individuals and as groups, shall be
entitled to voting rights in reasonable 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 over-turn
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 general
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
I&ranry 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 authority
of a simple majority; and on the other hand we take notice of the rights and the fre-quent
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 continue until a really heavy majority can support every critical deci-sion
that we are called upon to make in the Conference.
When we take decisions in this fashion, the Conference voice speaks with an
authority and a confidence that a simple majority could never give it. If any remain
in opposition, 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 minority, 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,
67

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 exer-cise
this undoubted right. Suppose, for example, that a small minority obstinately
tries to use the principle of substantial unanimity 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
radical stands as these. Being generally animated by the spirit of ”substantial unan-imity,”
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, threequarters, or even a greater majority,
will be required to settle a particular question. Such an advance agreement can, of
course, be had on a simple 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
incitement to public controversy.”
Practically all societies and governments feel it necessary to inflict personal
punishments upon individual members for violations of their beliefs, principles, or
laws. Because of its special situation, Alcoholics Anonymous finds this practice un-necessary.
When we of A.A. fail to follow sound spiritual principles, alcohol cuts
us down. Therefore no humanly 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 abandon 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 provocation. Nothing could be more damaging to our unity and to the world-wide
good will which A.A. enjoys, than public contention, no matter how promising
the immediate dividends 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 fml 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
relatively 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 controversy in these areas. It is a fact that
A.A. has not the slightest reform or political complexion. 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
attitudes 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 situations. And, at times, the Conference will need to take certain protec-tive
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
consideration 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 justification 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 communication as a springboard for fresh assault. Such corn-munications
need seldom be made by the Conference officially. Very often we can
use the good offices of friends. Such messages from us should never question the
motives of the attackers; they should be purely informative. These communications
should also be private. If made public, they will often be seized upon as a fresh ex-cuse
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 in-tent.
Surely this should be our inflexible policy. Within such a framework the Con-ference
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,

outside 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 temptation 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 another. 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 per-sistent
firmness will often bring the desired result.
In the long run, though, we shall have to rely mainly upon the pressures of A.A.
opinion 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;
especially 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 Tradi-tions
will be a reliable preventive 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
therefore being governed. It would appear, however, that A.A.‘s right to object calmly
and privately to specific violations is at least equal to the rights of the violators to
violate. This 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 difficulties of those who contravene the Traditions are
chiefly troubles of their own making.
Another kind of problem that merits consideration is the occasional severe inter-nal
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 competing for the possession of the A.A. name for Intergroup use, the
name having been incorporated 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 country’s
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 f&t 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 mediation. 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
concern, 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 strict observance would be the better thing. Especially when
operating below the public level, our experience with the Tradition 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 con-travention
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 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 contingency some calm forethought. If it ever came, such a development might
be a terrific surprise 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 to&y, many of us have
given this subject a great deal of consideration. Our considered opinion is this: that
the best possible Conference attitude in such a circumstance would be that of almost
complete nonresistance - 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 quar-reling
about. These are advantages of which we should make the best possible use
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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 doesn’t like the A.A. principles, people, or ser-vice
management; when he declares that he can do better elsewhere - we are not
worried. We simply say, ”Maybe your case is different. Why don’t you try something
else?”
If an A.A. member says he doesn’t like his own group, we are not disturbed. We
simply say ”Why don’t 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 don’t
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 won’t designate
your efforts as an A.A. group or enterprise.” 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
extensive 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 conditions, we would ask ourselves if we could not learn from their
fresh experience. But if it 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 God’s will.
Unless we make a problem where there really is none at all, there need be no
difficulty. 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 formula 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 principles 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 discon-tinuance
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
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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 Con-ferences
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.
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
democratic in action and in spirit.”5
In preceding Concepts, much attention has been drawn to the extraordinary liber-ties
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.
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 personally 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
mutual 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 personally 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
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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
which
man, we of A.A. believe that our freedom to serve is truly the freedom bY
we live the freedom in which we have our being.
11988-about one to more than fourteen thousand.
*In 1987, the $7,4ll,OOO Reserve Fund would have covered about eleven and one-half months’ operating
~~?&iparable current information is that, in 1987, contributions fell short of group services by $1,171,600
(office expenses were a net income of $278,200, while other expenses of the General Service Board were
a net expense of $1449,700); the difference was made up by publishing income. The Grapevine operates
at about breakeven.
4However, the name Alcoholics Anonymous, the abbreviation A. A., and the triangle-in-circle symbol
were all legally registered in 1973.
5Bill 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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This is A.A. General Service
Conference-approved literature