The following is from an article written in Box 459, News and Notes from the General Service Office of A.A. Vol.48, No.1/February-March 2002.
A Lot of History Enlightens Work of
Intergroup/
Central Offices Today
A.A. co-founder Bill W. considered Intergroups essential to “the panorama of A.A. in action.” Fifty years ago, in the November 1951 issue of the Grapevine, he said bluntly that “intergroups do those area chores that no single individual or group could. They unify regions; they make A.A. tick.”
(The Language of the Heart, p. 133)
Both Bill and his fellow A.A. co-founder, Dr. Bob,
saw the early need for the development of intergroups, which have been around almost as long as A.A. itself. So when about 100 representatives of intergroups and central offices across the U.S./Canada gathered at the 16th Annual Central Office/Intergroup Seminar in
Edmonton, Alberta, last September for shoptalk and fellowship, they were aware that the effectiveness of their own operations owed much to the trials, tribulations and collective sharing of their predecessors. As Jan D., manager of the Edmonton, Alberta, Intergroup that hosted the seminar, points out, “Nothing in A.A. today is original. Everything we know anddo came from our predecessors, whether the Oxford Group, or intergroup/central office workers who came before and shared freely of their spiritual experiences and solutions
gained the hard way.”
In the beginning there was the Central Committee in Cleveland, Ohio, where by October 1939—hardly more than four years after Bill and Dr. Bob first met—a committee of seven was meeting once a month “to coordinate efforts regarding hospitalizations and sponsorship.”
Dr. Bob was not only a supporter but an
active participant, according to fellow Akron member Dan K. “Doc used to play an important part in the Central Committee,” Dan observed, and the going could get rough: “During the meeting, sometimes, the words would fly like you were in a barroom.”
One time,he related, “Dr. Bob stood up,
hushed the crowd and said, “Gentlemen, please. We’re still members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Let’s carry the principles of A.A. into these business meetings. You are servants of your group, here to take the ideas formulated by the committee. Let one man talk at a time, and let us conduct this business meeting as a service to the Lord and a service to our fellow members. . . .’ After that, we had no more brawls when Dr. Bob was around.”
(Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, pp. 288-89)
Another early intergroup sprang up in Chicago,
where an A.A. named Sylvia used her $700 monthly alimony checks to rent an apartment in the suburb of Evanston, where the first A.A. meeting in the area was held in 1939. The phone was so busy that nonalcoholic Grace Cultice, Sylvia’s personal secretary, rapidly evolved into an A.A. girl Friday. By 1941, after publication of the Jack Alexander Saturday Evening Post article about A.A., Sylvia’s place “became something of a Chicago Grand Central,”
Bill W. affirmed in A.A. Comes of Age (p. 23), and something had to be done. So [the A.A.s] rented a one-room office in the Loop, where, Bill
wrote, “Grace was installed to direct the stream of applicants for Twelfth Step attention, hospitalization, or other help. This was A.A.’s first organized local service center” . . . followed by New York City in 1942, which was then operating out of a clubhouse on Manhattan’s West 24th Street.
A Columbus, Ohio, intergroup started up in 1943, followed by the Los Angeles Central Office a year later.
“In those days A.A. wasn’t easy to find—and we kept it that way,” one oldtimer, sober since 1940, remembers.
“A carefully selected group of priests, judges and policemen knew about A.A.; our phone number wasn’t listed and could be gotten only from information. That way we knew that any newcomer who found us had generally made enough of an effort to guarantee the sincerity of his desire for sobriety.”
In 1946 the Twelve Traditions were published, and the Third Tradition— “The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking”—raised the level of tolerance by rendering subjective judgment superfluous when it came to who was sincere and who wasn’t.
Many service offices, such as those in Chicago and Los Angeles, have grown out of a phone number, listed as belonging to A.A., that was in a member’s home.
Some—in New York City, Newark, New Jersey, and Edmonton, to name a few—were outgrowths of A.A. clubhouses that had been set up as hubs for A.A. activity and social events. Sometimes the clubs served as distribution points for A.A. literature, then began providing
other services as well. Over time the service
operations became entities separate from the clubhouses.
In a surprising number of other localities—
notably in the Upper Midwest and in Canada—intergroups or central service committees were in existence (some still are) long before there were actual offices.
In Charleston, West Virginia, the term “intergoup” was first used in 1953. The association evolved directly from the first treatment center in the state, which was founded in 1944. It was called the Alcan Center, Inc., but was fondly referred to by locals as “the jitter joint.”
Before the first General Service Conference was held, in April 1951, at least 16 central offices/intergroups were serving local groups. Since they predated the formation of the General Service structure and performed a different function, they were not a part of the structure (except in Chicago, where the Area Service Office and Area Committee are essentially one). Sometimes over the
years there was some overlapping of services, especially when both entities were performing similar services, in Public Information for instance, but eventually, thanks to shared experience and better communication, inter-groups and General Service have pretty much come to work hand-in-glove. No one appreciated more than Bill W. the value of intergroups. Back in 1946 he exclaimed
in the June Grapevine, “Heaven has surely reserved a special place for every one of them.” Today there are approximately 1500 intergroup/central offices in the U.S. and Canada, including local answering services.
Intergroups and central offices are established and supported by local groups. Each intergroup is unique, reflecting the needs and wishes of its own community, and is responsible to the groups it serves.
Typically each participating group has an intergroup representative. These reps meet periodically to elect a steering committee, or board of directors, responsible for administering the office. They report back to the group
representatives who, in turn, keep their groups
informed. A continuing flow of communication is vital, because the groups give financial support of the office that services them.
At last September’s Seminar, the theme aptly
enough was “Networking.” Jan, who notes that the Edmonton Intergroup officially started up in 1950, reports that “we had many a fun time at the seminar, but we also rolled up our sleeves and candidly shared our problems, solutions and ideas with each other.” In a variety of stimulating workshops the participants— ncluding intergroup office managers and staff, along with a few trustees of the General Service Board and A.A.W.S. and Grapevine directors and staff—discussed subjects ranging from Twelfth Stepping,volunteer activity and office equipment needs to financial support and the dissemination of A.A. Conference-approved literature. This last is a particularly vital aspect of intergroup work, and all the offices are constantly looking for more efficient ways to deal with the vast amounts of
material they handle.
Dennis Manders, who served as A.A.’s nonalcoholic business administrator/controller from 1950-85, says that “the enormous growth in volume of A.A. publishing in the 1970s alone would not have been possible were it not for the work of the intergroups and central offices.” G.S.O., he explains, “had only to establish a network of warehouses from which to supply the local offices with literature in a timely fashion. It was this close partnership that led to the Intergroup Seminars as we know them today.” Jan reports that “the seminars encourage a strong sense of community and remind us that by networking freely all year long, by borrowing freely from each other’s experience, we can do ever more to help the alcoholic.” She notes that copies of the Final Report of the 2001 Seminar are available. To order, write: Jan D., Edmonton Central Office, 10010 - 107A Avenue N.W., Suite 206, Edmonton, AB T5H 4H8; (780) 424-5900; e-
mail edmontonaa@hotmail.com. A $10 contribution is requested to help cover production and mailing costs.
The 17th Intergroup/Central Office Seminar was hosted by the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Central Office, September 27-29, 2002. For information, MaryLou M., Central Office, 239 Fourth Avenue,
Suite 713, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1712; (412) 471-7472; or e-mail pghareaoff@aol.com.
Abbotsford Intergroup Committee of Alcoholics Anonymous
Our Intergroup Committee has future hopes and plans to one day have an office that AA members and the general public are able to physically enter into.
For the time being - we are caring out our business affairs through the Abbotsford Intergroup Committee.
As a "traditionally sound" Committee: we recognize the fact that we are an autonomous AA entity that lies outside the scope of the General Service Umbrella.
We are responsible to those AA members and/or AA groups that we serve.
Meaning those members and/or groups that send Intergroup Reps. to our monthly business meetings get to vote on matters that deterime how we operate our affairs and "Carry the AA Message to the Alcoholic That Still Suffers."
We do make every effort to comply with the "AA Guidelines for Central or Intergroup Offices" as laid out by GSO.
Where words like "central office" are used - for our present purposes - we have simply added
"(intergroup committee)" etc.
A.A.®Guidelines
Central or Intergroup Offices
from G.S.O.,
The A.A. Guidelines below are compiled from the shared experience of A.A. members throughout the
WHAT IS A CENTRAL OFFICE?
(INTERGROUP COMMITTEE) FUNCTIONS OF A CENTRAL OFFICE (INTERGROUP COMMITTEE) 1) A.A. Inquiries—By providing an Alcoholics Anonymous listing in the local telephone directory, the central office (intergroup committee) may receive inquiries from those seeking help. They will refer the caller to a nearby A.A. group, where sponsorship may be arranged, or have a twelfth stepper contact them. Many local A.A. offices now have their own Web site. 2) Office Facilities—The central office (intergroup committee) can maintain a conveniently located office in which paid workers and/or volunteers are available to carry the message of A.A. to the alcoholic. 3) Meeting Lists and Other Literature — At regular intervals, the central office (intergroup committee) may publish and distribute up-to-date lists of meetings and other information about local A.A. services. Many intergroup (committees)/ central offices sell A.A. Conference-approved literature for the convenience of local groups. 4) Information Exchange—The service office (committee) may function as a clearinghouse for the circulation and exchange of information among all the A.A. groups in the community. In this same connection, a logical function of the central office (intergroup committee) is to provide “program exchange” meetings, where group program chairpersons meet regularly to exchange meetings with other groups. 5) Local Committees on Public Information (P.I.) and Cooperation With the Professional Community (C.P.C.) in cooperation with district and area P.l. and C.P.C. committees—The central office (intergroup committee) is an ideal contact with those in the community seeking information about A.A. Thus, A.A.’s relations with the public and professionals in the alcoholism field are often handled through the cooperation of the area committee and central office (intergroup committee). In general service areas where P.I. and C.P.C. committees are under the auspices of a General Service Committee, the central office (intergroup committee) works in close cooperation with these committees. A.A. Guidelines and Workbooks on P.I. and C.P.C. are available from G.S.O. 6) A.A. in Correctional and Treatment Facilities—The central office (intergroup committee) can maintain contact with local groups in correctional facilities and treatment facilities, offering literature and prerelease A.A. contacts and arranging for A.A. speakers and visitors to meetings. When there is a correctional or treatment facility committee for this purpose, the service office (committee) may assist it through close cooperation with local hospitals and prisons. Central offices (intergroup committees) handling institutional contacts are also urged to send for G.S.O. material, Guidelines on Correctional Facilities Committees and Guidelines on Treatment Facilities Committees and the Correctional Facilities and Treatment Facilities Workbooks. 7) Local A.A. Events—An A.A. central office (intergroup committee) is a logical body to manage the details of an annual dinner, picnic, or convention, if the participating groups wish it. 8) A.A. Bulletin or Newsletter—The preparation of a publication for periodic distribution to A.A. groups is often a function of the central office (intergroup committee). 9) Special Needs Services—Many central offices (intergroup committees) carry information on groups that are wheelchair accessible, or signed for deaf members. Some offices have TDD/TTY equipment for communicating with deaf alcoholics. Like many well-meant ventures in A.A., central offices sometimes suffer because they are conceived and established without advance planning. The unhappy and damaging experiences of such ventures indicate that a few questions should be raised before a central office is opened. One question should concern actual need. Is there a sufficient number of groups in the community to justify opening a central office? Are they able and willing to support it financially? Have they been consulted as to whether such an office could serve their needs? Will they cooperate with it and support its aims and purposes? (If, after such consideration, an office seems impractical, a telephone answering service may fill the needs. G.S.O. has Guidelines on A.A. Answering Services.) Experience also indicates that it is not fair or wise to commit future A.A. members to financial obligations for which they have not initially assumed responsibility, so renting a facility has proved best. It may also appear attractive to consolidate the central office with the facilities and operations of a club. But the risks and pitfalls involved in this are almost too numerous to mention here. One reason for discouraging this is the possibility that the problems of operating the club and the service office will become intertwined, to the detriment of each activity. An even more important point is the need for keeping a clear separation between club operations and A.A. group activities; any strong identification with a club may impair a central office’s ability to serve the groups. A central location for the office is usually desirable, if finances permit. It’s also well to take in possible future needs at the same time the original quarters are being considered; sometimes it’s possible to rent facilities in buildings where adjoining rooms may become available later. Sufficient room should be provided for copying, mailings, committee meetings, and consultation with newcomers. Since a central office is intended to provide services for all A.A. groups in a community, experience indicates that it is best for the office not to give or rent space to any one group for meetings. The decision, however, is really up to each office, acting autonomously. Here’s a suggested plan that has worked well. 1) Listing of all groups in the community that want to participate. 2) A reminder that financial support is voluntary and not a condition of membership (in keeping with A.A. tradition). 3) A clear explanation that responsibility for the maintenance of the service office (committee) rests with the groups. Therefore, each group should name a central office(intergroup) representative and an alternate to serve a specified term as the connecting link between the group and its central office (intergroup committee). 4) A summary of the functions of the central office (intergroup committee) and an explanation of how it will be staffed and operated. 5) A discussion of how the service office (committee) will handle such vital matters as inquiries from newcomers, relations with the press, and similar duties. 6) Assurance that the service center (committee) will be operated in keeping with A.A.’s Twelve Traditions. GROUP REPRESENTATION AT A CENTRAL OFFICE STAFFING THE INTERGROUP This policy is successfully followed by A.A. World Services, Inc.: The staff coordinator—a paid employee as well as an A.A. member— also serves as a director and thus has a vote on policy matters. SUPERVISION—MAKING THE OFFICE (COMMITTEE) SERVE It’s plain that the success of the central office (Intergroup Committee) requires communitywide agreement on matters concerning administrative responsibility and authority. The steering committee should reach an early consensus on this; if necessary, they should explain it in the bylaws or some other set of guidelines. For, while it’s difficult to establish hard-and-fast rules and then live by them, it’s at least reasonable to clarify such matters as the functions of the office and the extent of the paid secretary’s authority and duties. Some decisions can be entrusted to the paid secretary. In other cases, it may be wiser for the steering committee to maintain full oversight of many matters. In any case, it’s important that problems get an early review by someone who is authorized to deal with them and can solve them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the service office operations are bound to suffer. Special attention might be given to the following matters in the operation of the office: 1) Fair distribution of Twelfth Step calls. However tempting it may be to assign follow-up calls to those individuals and groups that seem especially willing, the Twelfth Step work is something all the groups in the community should be encouraged to share. But it’s also important that calls are distributed according to the location of the group; that is, newcomers should usually be put in touch with the group nearest to them. 2) After closing hours, A.A. volunteers or a telephone answering service—carefully chosen—should handle incoming calls. (See Guidelines on A.A. Answering Services.) 3) Authority and responsibility should be related. It is unfair to assign certain responsibilities to a paid secretary or volunteer without giving commensurate authority. Incorporation: By its very nature, a service office (committee) involves making financial commitments quite different from those usually encountered in the operation of an A.A. group. Office facilities have to be Ieased; a secretary must be hired and paid; office supplies must be purchased; the telephone bill has to be paid regularly. To adequately take care of these responsibilities, it is generally wise to incorporate separately special facilities, such as a service office, which require money or management. Since group purposes, local conditions, and state laws vary, it is suggested a local lawyer be consulted regarding such incorporation. At the same time, the following points might be emphasized: If possible, eliminate the name “Alcoholics Anonymous” from the corporate title. (This name is the sole property of A.A. as a whole.) Limit the activities of the corporation to the one locality only. Expenses create a need for financial responsibility that should be recognized at the outset; if properly understood and dealt with, it never need become a source of trouble. 1) Group Collections. A.A. groups participating in the financial support of the service office may choose to make their contributions by setting aside fixed sums from their regular collections. Many groups pledge a fixed amount, which is paid periodically. This assures the central office of a regular income, and certainly helps it to plan the best means of meeting its own obligations. Occasionally there are groups that do not support a central office. In these cases, the spirit of contributing voluntarily, that prevails throughout A.A., applies. If groups can’t or choose not to pay their share of the costs, they shouldn’t be denied the services of the office. 2) Special Contributions. Some groups provide a special collection box or basket in a convenient place during meeting times, inviting members to contribute. In that same vein, A.A. members may make individual contributions, on a pledge or voluntary basis, directly to the service office. Also, many A.A.s make contributions to their central office in celebration of their A.A. birthday or anniversary. 3) 4) Special Events. Some service offices hold yearly banquets, conventions, and similar events, using the “profits” for support of the office. For help in financial planning, the 1977 General Service Conference recommended that “a suggested prudent reserve . . . preferably be one to 12 months’ operating expense, depending on local needs.” The common experience has shown that A.A.’s worldwide unity is best served if A.A. groups maintain their own separate contacts with G.S.O. Direct group contact with G.S.O. doesn’t take the place of services provided by a local service office (intergroup committee), but helps G.S.O. to keep in closer touch with all groups. There are, however, some important areas of interest in which close contact between the central offices (intergroup committee) and G.S.O. is not only desirable but necessary. Some central offices (intergroup committees), for example, like to be provided with New Group Information Forms so that newly formed groups can be immediately listed with G.S.O. These forms, as well as forms for changing group information, are available from G.S.O. on request. Groups should not assume that if they list themselves with a central office (intergroup committee) they are automatically listed at G.S.O. New groups are encouraged to send a Group Information Form directly to the General Service Office, For its own part, G.S.O. also seeks to keep central offices (intergroup committees) well informed. As a regular policy, the G.S.O. newsletter, Newsletters or bulletins published by central offices (intergroup committee) may include not only office news and events, but similar information about the groups and committees served by these offices (such as meeting times, openings of new groups, or changes of group meeting locations or officers). Frequently, material from A.A. literature is reprinted and discussed, and articles on subjects of interest to A.A.s also are published. Experience indicates that, as in most A.A. service activities, it is prudent to make a committee (rather than one or two individuals) responsible for the format, planning, and content of the bulletin. 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. Any A.A. newsletter, bulletin, or meeting list is more than welcome to use this material. Please be sure to include the proper credit line in your publications, in order to insure that the copyrights of A.A. literature are protected. The A.A. Preamble is copyrighted by the A.A. Grapevine. Beneath it, these words should appear: Reprinted with permission of The A.A. Grapevine, Inc. The same is true for other material reprinted from the Grapevine. The Steps and Traditions should be followed by these words: Reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc. After a quotation from an A.A. book or pamphlet, these words should appear: Reprinted from [name of book or pamphlet, page number] with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc. • Scheduling a “theme issue,” centering on some aspect of the A.A. program and using excerpts from Conference-approved material (with proper credit) relating to the theme. • Asking for and publishing letters from your A.A. readers. • Carrying highlights of minutes from various committee meetings— central office steering committee, institutions, public information, etc. • Including committee financial reports and records of group contributions. • Running occasional appropriate cartoons. (If these are from the A.A. Grapevine or Conference-approved pamphlets, please remember that illustrations, too, are copyrighted, and the proper credit should accompany any of these that are used.) • Conducting a subscription campaign (perhaps making announcements at group meetings), to build paid readership. Communication is the key to working together—Central Office or Intergroup Office (Committee) and General Service Area Committee or the District Committee and the General Service Office of A.A. In 1990 the General Service Conference stressed the importance of communication and recommended that delegates establish and maintain contact with offices in their areas to share Conference information and assure that central/intergroup offices (committees) have a voice in the Fellowship through their existing service structure. Try to find out what is going on by getting together from time to time with corresponding committees in your area. It is important to share ideas and discuss activities so as to avoid duplication of effort. It is not important who does the work (the General Service Committee or the Central Office or Intergroup Committee in your area) but that the work gets done—that help is there for the next alcoholic who needs us and our Fellowship. Central offices (intergroup committees) and general service area committees are complementary, rather than competitive, A.A. operations. Both exist to help insure A.A. unity and to fulfill A.A.’s primary purpose of carrying the message. There is a great deal of work for intergroup or central office committees concerned with public information, cooperation with the professional community, correctional and treatment facilities. In 1986, the first A.A.W.S./lntergroup/Central Office Seminar was held to discuss questions on literature distribution, pricing and discounts, and to share ways to work together. Seminars are now held each year. We hope these suggestions will help make your central office (intergroup committee) venture a vital and fruitful addition to the A.A. activity in your area. These are suggestions only, and it’s the spirit and cooperation behind the central office (intertgroup committee) idea that will make it work. If you are starting a new office please write to G.S.O.; your office will be added to the mailing list and you will receive a Central Office Kit and some literature—and also a card for you to complete. Your office will be included in the
A central office (or intergroup) is an A.A. service office (committee) that involves partnership among groups in a community—just as A.A. groups themselves are partnerships of individuals. A central office (intergroup committee) is established to carry out certain functions common to all the groups—functions which are best handled by a centralized office (committee)—and it is usually maintained, supervised, and supported by these groups in their general interest. It exists to aid the groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
The A.A. experience has demonstrated that central offices (intergroup committees) are helpful, particularly in populous areas. There are nearly 1000 central/ intergroup offices (committees) throughout the world, performing vital A.A. services. These constitute a network of service outlets and A.A. contacts to help carry the A.A. message. Sometimes, however, central office (intergroup committees) ventures have bogged down in disputes over money, authority, and like matters— thus becoming less effective in carrying the A.A. message. It’s not always clear why these troubles have come up, but often it’s been because the proper functions of a central office (intergroup committee) were not clearly explained or understood, or there was some disregard of the principles in A.A.’s Twelve Traditions. So the following suggestions have been made to outline the basic services a central office might offer:
MAKING A GOOD BEGINNING
GETTING UNDER WAY
Once some of these preliminary matters have been satisfactorily disposed of, the road is clear for the formal organizational work.
Each group in the community is asked to send both a representative and an alternate representative to a special meeting to form a central office (intergroup) committee (also called a steering committee in some places). In large communities, it is sometimes necessary to divide the group into zones, with a zone representative serving several groups. Once formed, the committee takes over the responsibility for the project and outlines its aims and purposes for approval by the participant groups. Such an outline might cover these points:
Service centers(committees) usually have no authority on their own account; they derive it from the participating groups. Local group representatives reflect the groups’ conscience in the service center (committees) operations.
In most communities, a central office (intergroup)committee or steering committee is set up to handle the administrative activities of the service office (committee). The steering committee holds regularly scheduled meetings and deals with general policy and plans. Periodically, the steering committee reports to group representatives on central office (intergroup committee)problems and accomplishments. It is extremely important to keep a two way flow of information going between the central office and groups.
Most A.A. central offices now employ at least one paid full-time secretary or manager, as well as A.A. volunteers—members who respond to Twelfth Step calls at the office, answer the telephone, and often carry out other service office duties. Large offices may also have paid clerical workers on the staff to assist the full-time person.
Although the principles involving certain paid employees of A.A. service centers are now widely known in A.A., it is still helpful to review the appropriate A.A. Tradition at the time of opening a new service office. As it states in Tradition Eight: “Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.” It should be clear from this that the paid secretary functions as a paid employee of the central office—not as an A.A. member—during duty hours and is hired largely on the basis of professional skill.
Regarding compensation for paid workers, Bill W. writes in “Twelve Concepts for World Service” as follows: “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.” Also, Social Security and certain insurance benefits are provided, as well as sick leave and vacations.
It is suggested that the central office full-time secretary also be accorded a vote as well as a voice on the steering committee.
FACING FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
CENTRAL OFFICES AND G.S.O.
NEWSLETTERS OR BULLETINS
• Running a “Calendar of Events” feature.
COMMUNICATION
GOOD LUCK AND SMOOTH SAILING
