GSR Duties & Responsibilities
(from “The AA Service Manual” p.8)
- Regularly attend area assemblies. Your group is in one of the 93 areas that make up the U.S./Canada General Service Conference. Each area holds assemblies during a year. GSRs are asked to attend and participate in these assemblies. You have a voice and a vote.
- Regularly attend district meetings. Your group is part of a district (which is in one of those 93 areas mentioned above). Your district likely holds regular meetings. How frequently your district meets will vary by district. GSRs are asked to attend district meetings. You have both a voice and a vote.
- Regularly make reports to the group. These reports serve as an important link to AA as a whole. Your reports may concern information about what’s happening in general service that you think will be of interest to the group. You are asked to convey any thoughts, concerns or wishes from your group’s members back to the district. (See the section “Making Reports” later in this chapter.)
- Participating in district and area service meetings is a great way to learn about all that AA and general service have to offer to help carry the AA message. What the GSR learns can be shared with the group in a report, either oral or written.
- Work with the group treasurer to develop Seventh Tradition support for the General Service Board, the area and the district. You can find suggestions for group contributions to AA service entities in the Conference-approved pamphlet “Self-Support: Where Money and Spirituality Mix.” This includes contributions to your local intergroup/central office. Groups may veer from these suggestions as they see fit, or not contribute at all. Many groups participate in two special plans to support AA’s service entities: the Regular Contribution Plan and the Birthday Plan. More information on these is available from GSO or the local intergroup/central office. (See also the pamphlet “Self-Support: Where Money and Spirituality Mix” for information about the practical application of the Seventh Tradition.)
- Keep the group up to date on the latest AA literature and service material. The AAWS and Grapevine literature catalogs are excellent resources. Both are available online (at aa.org or aagrapevine.org) and as printed catalogs. You can also visit onlineliterature.aa.org and store.aagrapevine.org. GSRs are asked to help make their groups aware of:
• New literature. This includes new books, formats or other products published by AA World Services and Grapevine.
• New applications of technology. As technology continues to alter how many people receive information, AA is exploring applications that are intended to help the Fellowship carry its message to alcoholics.
• Literature and service material to increase accessibility in AA. While there are no special alcoholics, there are alcoholics who experience access barriers to receiving the AA message. General service is always looking for ways to help AA and ultimately the groups minimize and ultimately remove those barriers. - Supply the DCM or district registrar with up-to-date group information, which is relayed to GSO, either directly to the Operations department or through the area registrar in order to keep contact information current for GSO mailings and possible Twelfth Step opportunities.
- Serve as the mail contact with the General Service Office (and as the contact in the AA directory if your group is listed there); receive the GSO bulletin Box 4-5-9; and keep groups abreast of AA activities all over the world. (See Appendix I for a sample Group Information Form. See Appendix H for a sample New Group Form.)
- Keep the alternate GSR informed and involved with all the latest information for the group.
The above is reprinted with permission of AA World Services, Inc.