Yes, members and non-members do ask questions about A.A.. And it's not surprising since our society is so loosely organized (see Tradition #9), and that each group sets it's own rules (see tradition #4). If you have a question that is not answered here, please e-mail us and we'll try to answer it.

Where in the Big Book or A.A. Literature does it say not to have a relationship in the first year?

Actually it doesn't. Nowhere in any A.A. Literature does it suggest not to have a relationship for the first year of sobriety. The suggestion comes from sponsors and members who know how difficult that first year is and how a relationship can throw a real monkey wrench into that.

What happens to the money that is collected in the basket?

The short answer is that it gets split up. Part goes to pay for group expenses (meeting room, coffee, group literature, etc.), the rest gets split up between a group's prudent reserve, the groups District, the local Intergroup, the State assembly and the home office in New York. It's up to the group to decide how much goes to some or all of these. A more detailed answer can be found in some free A.A. literature titled Memo to an A.A. Group Treasurer. Click the title to view it!!!

I have volunteered/been asked to be our groups Intergroup Representative, what do I do?

Let me assure you that there's nothing to it. It is basically a business type meeting for the groups on the Eastside. The reps and Intergroup board members get together on the first Thursday of the month at the Overlake Park Presbyterian Church in Bellevue to report what's going on with our groups, districts, or committees. Even if there is nothing going on with your group you should still come to find out what is going on around you. You can scribble some notes so when you go back to your group you can relay the information to them. The meeting minutes will be sent to you a few weeks after the meeting, this way you can bring a written copy to your meeting to pass around. To get a better idea of what goes on, check out the latest meeting minutes by clicking on the minutes page.

I see that Intergroup puts a lot of money into a Prudent Reserve, what is it?

The Prudent Reserve is an account which is set up in case there are any down times with group contributions. It is also used for emergencies. The maximum amount we try to keep in the account is 6 months expenses (rent, salaries, literature, etc) with no money coming in. Groups also have Prudent Reserves but they might not be as large. They are used for the same purpose ours is, but they may use 3 months expenses as a guideline. There is nothing that states what the guideline should be, it is at the discretion of the group.

Our group buys Big Books for our new members, but we've found the Big Book for sale from other publishers for less cost. Is there anything wrong with that?

This is definitely a group decision, since each one is autonomous, but take the following into consideration. When you buy AA literature through AA, whether it be through your group or Intergroup Office, you are helping to support AA. The money collected for literature helps to support everything else AA does to carry its message, not just in literature. When a book is bought through another publisher, it is unclear how that money will be used; it may not even go to carry AA's message at all. So while it may be tempting to buy the same words for a cheaper price, just remember what else that money is going to support.

We are going to start a new group, what do we need to do?

Great! It's one of the greatest things you can do, and a huge opportunity to learn about some of the things that goes on behind the meetings. First thing you need to do is let the Intergroup office know. There is a registration form that needs to be filled out that includes information about the meeting, where & when it meets, type of meeting (general, Big Book Study, speaker meeting, etc.), open or closed, the list goes on. Make sure if anything changes with your meeting to let the office know, we get many calls asking for meetings, we would hate to send somebody to your meeting without knowing that the day is changed or it meets somewhere else. The office also has a lot of free information for new groups. Another thing to do is get an Intergroup rep, someone who represents your group at the monthly Intergroup business meeting, a General Service Rep (GSR), somebody who represents your group at the monthly district meeting, and a treasurer, someone who collects the money during the 7th tradition and distributes it, however the group sees fit, to the Intergroup, District and GSO in New York. That's about it, there is a lot of information in the AA literature that can help too. We now have a new group resource to help answer all your questions and actually register for a group online!