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GSR-GROUP SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Trusted Service Guidelines

(From A.A. Service Manual pp. 8-11, 2021-2023 edition

  1. Regularly attend area assemblies. Your group is one of 93 areas that make up the U.S./Canada General Service Conference. (See Map for a map of the General Service Conference areas.). Each area holds assemblies during a year. GSRs are asked to attend and participate in these assemblies. You have a voice and a vote.
  2. Regularly attend district meetings. Your group is a part of a district (which is in one of those 93 areas mentioned above). Your district likely holds regular meetings. How fre-quently your district meets will vary by district. GSRs are asked to attend district meet-ings. You have both a voice and a vote.
  3. Regularly make reports to the group. These reports serve as an important link to A.A. as a whole. Your reports may concern information about what’s happening in the 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.
  4. Participating in district and area service meetings is a great way to learn about al that A.A. and general service have to offer to help carry the A.A. message. What the GSR learns can be shared with the group in a report, either oral or written.
  5. Work with the group treasurer to develop a Seventh Tradition support for the General Service Board, the area, and the district. You can find suggestions for group contribu-tions to A.A. service entities in the Conference-approved pamphlet “Self Support: Where Money and Spirituality Mix.” This includes contributions to your local inter-group/central office. Groups may veer from most of these suggestions as they see fit, or not contribute at all. Many groups participate in two special plans to support A.A.’s service entities: the Regular Contribution Plan and the Birthday Plan. More information on these is available from G.S.O., or the local intergroup/central office. (See also the pamphlet “Self Support: Where Mone and Spirituality Mix,” for information about the practical application of the Seventh Tradition.)
  6. Keep the group up to date on the latest A.A. literature and service material. The A.A.W.S. 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 A.A. World Services and Grapevine. • New applications of technology. As technology continues to alter how many people receive information, A.A. is exploring applications that are intended to help the Fellow-ship carry its message to alcoholics. • Literature and service material to increase accessibility in A.A. While there are no special alcoholics, there are alcoholics who experience access barriers to receiving the A.A. message. General Service is always looking for ways to help A.A. and ultimately the groups minimize and ultimately remove those barriers.
  7. Supply the DCM or district registrar with up-to-date group information, which is re-layed to the G.S.O., either directly to the Operations Department or through the area registrar in order to keep contact information current for G.S.O. mailings and possible Twelfth Step opportunities.
  8. Serve as the mail contact with the General Service Office (and as the contact in A.A. di-rectory of your group is listed there(; receive the G.S.O. bulletin Box 4-5-9; and keeps groups abreast of A.A. activities all over the world. (See Appendix 1 for a sample Group Information Form. See Appendix H for a sample of New Group Form).
  9. Keep the alternate GSR informed and involved with all the latest information for the group.

GUIDELINES SPECIFIC TO DISTRICT 8

Updated February 2024

  1. At the first district meeting of the new rotation, GSR names will be pulled from the hat, and each GSR will be requested to sit on a district service committee, such as Public in-formation/Cooperation with the Professional Community (PI/CPC), Treatment, Correc-tions, etc. Each GSR will be active in working with the committee chair on their re-spective assigned committee.
  2. Read the A.A. Service Manual.