SERVICE MANUAL THE A.A. SERVICE MANUAL

1 2021-2023 EditionREVISED AND UPDATEDThe SERVICE MANUAL combined with Twelve Concepts for World SERVICE , 2021-2023 This is General SERVICE Conference-approved SERVICE MANUAL combined withTWELVE CONCEPTSFOR WORLD SERVICEby Bill SERVICE MANUAL combined with TWELVE CONCEPTS FOR WORLD SERVICE World Services, 111/1/21 9:28 AM11/1/21 9:28 AM ITHE SERVICE MANUAL combined with TWELVE CONCEPTSFOR WORLD SERVICEby Bill THE SERVICE MANUALThe PreambleALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.

2 Is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve by AA Grapevine Inc.; reprinted with Declaration of UnityThis we owe to s future; to place our common welfare first; to keep our Fellowship united. For on unity depend our lives, and the lives of those to Am anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of always to be there. And for that: I am : May 2021 Copyright 2021, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. All rights address: Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, and Alcoholics Anonymous are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, 11/21 (WR) / Printed in IIITABLE OF CONTENTSFOREWORD.

3 1 INTRODUCTION Welcome to General SERVICE ! .. 2 The Meaning of General SERVICE .. 2 How General SERVICE Is Organized .. 3 How General SERVICE Functions .. 4 FAQs .. 6 CHAPTER 1 The group and Its General SERVICE Representative .. 7 What It Means to Be a GSR ..7 Qualifications for GSR ..7 Term of Office ..8 Duties & Responsibilities ..8To the Newly Elected GSR ..9 The SERVICE Sponsor ..9 Making Reports ..10 Travel Expenses ..11 The Alternate GSR ..11 FAQs ..12 CHAPTER 2 The District and Its District Committee Member ..13 Two Types of Districts ..13 What It Means to Be a DCM ..13 Members of a District Committee ..14 Qualifications for DCM ..14 Term of Office ..15 Duties & Responsibilities ..15To the Newly Elected DCM ..16 The SERVICE Sponsor ..16 Travel Expenses.

4 16 The Alternate DCM ..16 FAQs ..17IV THE SERVICE MANUALCHAPTER 3 The area Assembly and Its Activities ..18 Purpose ..19 Composition ..19 Election Assemblies ..19 Regular (Non-Election) Assemblies ..19 Eligibility to Vote ..20 Practices and Procedures ..20 Timing and Location of Assemblies ..20 Sending Minutes to ..20 area Activities ..21 Working with Local Intergroup/Central Offices ..24 FAQs ..25 CHAPTER 4 The area Committee ..26 Composition ..26 area Officers: Qualifications & Duties ..26 Other area Officers ..28 Alternate Committee Officers ..29 Roles in the area for Past Delegates ..29 Financial Support for the area ..30 FAQs ..31 CHAPTER 5 The Delegate ..32 How the Fellowship Supports Its Delegates ..32 Duties & Responsibilities ..32 Qualifications.

5 33 Term of Office ..34 The Alternate Delegate ..34 Preparing for the Annual Conference ..34 Expenses ..35 Logistics ..35 Reporting Back ..36 FAQs ..38 VCHAPTER 6 The Annual General SERVICE Conference ..39 What Goes On at the Conference ..39 Conference Membership ..40 How the Conference Operates ..41 Processes & Procedures ..41 Sources of Agenda Items ..42 Reporting to the Membership ..42 FAQs ..43 CHAPTER 7 Conference Committees ..44 Committee Activity ..44 Selection of Committee Members ..44 Electing Committee Chairs ..44 Conference Committees ..45 Secondary Committees ..47 FAQs ..48 CHAPTER 8 The General SERVICE Board ..49 Mission, Vision, Action Statement ..49 Time Considerations ..50 Composition ..50 Nonalcoholic (Class A) Trustees ..51 Alcoholic (Class B) Trustees.

6 52 Chair, General SERVICE Board ..57 Trustees Emeriti ..57 General SERVICE Board Committees ..57 General Sharing Session ..60 Trustee Participation at Special SERVICE Events ..61 FAQs ..62VI THE SERVICE MANUALCHAPTER 9 The Board s Operating Corporations ..63 Board Oversight ..63 Trustees Finance and Budgetary Committee ..63 The General SERVICE Board Reserve Fund ..64 Trademarks, Logos and Copyrights .. Corporate Board ..65AA Grapevine, Inc..66 Nontrustee Directors for & Grapevine ..67 FAQs ..68 CHAPTER 10 The General SERVICE Office ..69 Structure ..69 Purpose ..69 Staffing ..69 Financial Support for ..69 FAQs ..71 CHAPTER 11 World Services, Inc..72 Services ..72 Publishing ..75 Finance ..77 Archives ..77 FAQs ..78 CHAPTER 12 AA Grapevine, Inc.

7 79 Structure and Staff ..79 Editorial Focus ..81 Role of the Conference ..81 Editorial Advisory Boards ..81 Content-Related Items ..82 Grapevine Website/La Vi a Website ..82 Grapevine Story Archive ..83 The Grapevine Representative (GVR) and La Vi a Representative (RLV) ..83 Logo and Artwork ..83 FAQs ..84 VIIGLOSSARY OF TERMS ..85 MAPS ..88A. General SERVICE Conference by AreaB. General SERVICE Conference by RegionAPPENDICES ..91A. s Legacy of SERVICE , Bill W. (1951) ..91 B. The Twelve Traditions Short and Long Forms ..101C. Charts: Structure of / Canada General SERVICE Conference ..103 D. Sample area Meeting Formats ..105 E. The Principle of Rotation ..107F. Changing Boundaries ..108 G. Third Legacy Procedure ..110 H. New group Form (Sample).

8 112 I. group Information Change Form (Sample) ..113 J. DCM and DCMC Change Form (Sample) ..114K. Conference Charter ..115 Original ..115 Current ..119L. Resolution Authorizing the General SERVICE Conference ..123M. Conference Panels ..125N. Trademarks, Logos and Copyrights ..128O. Bylaws of the General SERVICE Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc..129P. Bylaws of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc..139Q. Bylaws of AA Grapevine, Inc..147R. Select List of Literature Published by and Grapevine ..155S. General SERVICE and Intergroup/Central Offices ..160T. Brief History of the Grapevine ..163U. The Path for an Idea to Become an Agenda Item ..164V. Stimulating Interest in General SERVICE ..165W. How the Conference Operates ..166 INDEX ..169 VIII THE SERVICE International Convention, St.

9 Louis, Missouri, 1955 S LEGACY OF SERVICE by BILL Twelfth Step carrying the message is the basic SERVICE that the Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. Therefore, is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven t been given the truth may , an SERVICE is anything whatever that helps us to reach a fellow sufferer ranging all the way from the Twelfth Step itself to a ten-cent phone call and a cup of coffee, and to s General SERVICE Office for national and international action. The sum total of all these services is our Third Legacy of include meeting places, hospital cooperation, and intergroup offices; they mean pamphlets, books, and good publicity of almost every description.

10 They call for committees, delegates, trustees, and conferences. And, not to be forgotten, they need voluntary money contributions from within the Fellowship. These services, whether performed by individuals, groups, areas, or as a whole, are utterly vital to our existence and growth. Nor can we make more simple by abolishing such services. We would only be asking for complication and any given SERVICE , we therefore pose but one question: Is this SERVICE really needed? If it is, then maintain it we must, or fail in our mission to those who need and seek most vital, yet least understood, group of services that has are those that enable us to function as a whole, namely: the General SERVICE Office, World Services, Inc., AA Grapevine, Inc., and our board of trustees, known legally as the General SERVICE Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.