So you've started a new group or are thinking about it and now you need some help with the details. You've come to the right place, this should give you all the information on how to get started.

First thing you need to do is to get registered with the Intergroup office. This way, we know that you started the meeting, we can add you to our meeting schedule, and we have a contact for your meeting. You can do this one of two ways, you can either stop by the office and fill out the form, you can fill out the form online or print out the form and mail it in. While your at the office, check to see if there is any literature you need for your meeting, now that you're a group you get the discounted group price!

Now that you've registered, and your meeting is off the ground, the next thing to do is to elect an Intergroup Representative and a General Service Representative (GSR). (Hopefully, by this time you already have a secretary and treasurer.) The Intergroup rep comes to the monthly Intergroup business meeting (1st Thursday of the month at 7:30pm at the Overlake Park Presbyterian Church in Bellevue) to let other groups know how your groups doing, along with any struggles or successes you're having. It is also a place to gather information on service opportunities and sober events. The GSR goes to a similar type meeting but at a district level. Why the duplication? Some of the districts are too small to have their own office or stock literature, so the Intergroup does that. The Intergroup consists of 5 districts and not only stocks all the literature, but is also the phone number you would dial if you look under Alcoholics Anonymous in the phone book. The Intergroup is kind of the hub for all the AA stuff on the eastside. If you want more information or descriptions about what we do, we have a welcome letter available for all new groups and Intergroup Reps.

Great, now you have your meeting in the meeting schedule and you have an Intergroup rep and GSR, what next? The last thing to do is to figure out how your group wants to split up the money collected in the baskets. Obviously, you want to pay your rent and other expenses, like coffee, first. But what about the money you have left? It is suggested that you split up the money the following way, 50% to the Intergroup, 30% to GSO in New York, 10% to your district and 10% to the Western Washington Area.
You can refer to the pie chart if you need the addresses for these places. These places really survive on your contributions and are apart of being "self-supporting". The Intergroup office, for instance, handles around 120 people a day, inquiring about meetings, buying literature, asking about service opportunities, schools/churches/hospitals/etc asking about having someone come speak to a group of non-alcoholics, this list goes on. Without the groups' contributions these services could not be supported.