To: GSRs, DCMs, Trustees, Non-trustee Directors, Area Officers and Committee Chairs, Delegates, Appointed Committee Members, Intergroups and Central Offices, Group Contacts, GSO and Grapevine Employees
November 26, 2025
Dear A.A. Friends:
Warm greetings from the General Service Office (GSO). As we continue to observe this season of gratitude, we A.A.s reflect on the many gifts and blessings sobriety has given us. The program of Alcoholics Anonymous encompasses many facets: our home groups, sponsorship, the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, fellowship, service on many levels, and much more.
Last month, I shared with you an overview of many of the services that GSO provides. As the General Manager, I’m grateful to see firsthand how these services support the many facets of the A.A. program, especially our primary purpose – carrying the message of sobriety to the alcoholic who still suffers. I hope you can take a moment to review the following service materials that I shared with you last month, which highlight the vital work your contributions help to support: SERVICES PROVIDED BY GSO/AAWS and Seventh Tradition Fact Sheet.
In my November 2023 message to the Fellowship, I shared in great detail the challenges related to the financial health of Alcoholics Anonymous and the challenges ahead. Many of you responded with heartfelt messages of gratitude along with very generous contributions that lifted GSO out of those financial difficulties. I emphasized in that message the ongoing need for more frequent and incremental contributions to sustain the operations of the office. You heard that message, and in 2024, contributions were the highest on record, enabling us to continue providing the numerous services that sustain our beloved program.
Unfortunately, we are once again faced with a substantial decline in contributions this year, putting the vital services our Fellowship depends on at risk. To help clarify our current position, I offer the following key financial results through September 30, 2025.
- Total contributions are about $1,018,000 less than the same period last year and $843,000 less than budget.
- Net income from literature sales is about $104,000 more than the same period last year and $226,000 more than budget.
- Combined income from contributions and literature sales was about $914,000 less than the same period last year and $617,000 less than budget.
- Operating expenses before depreciation were $233,500 more than last year and $394,000 less than budget.
- Operating surplus before depreciation was $124,971 compared to $1,176,000 in the same period last year and $440,000 less than budget.
- The Reserve Fund currently covers 6.2 months of GSO and Grapevine expenses.
As you can see, GSO, along with the AAWS and General Service Boards (GSB), have continued to work hard to manage our expenses through sound budget planning. This includes a reforecast following the annual General Service Conference to account for new services requested by the Conference to ensure we keep within our budgeted expenses. In fact, when applying adjustments for inflation to our operating expenses over the last 10 years, our projected expenses this year are lower than 8 of the last 10 years (the other 2 years were during the pandemic). A continued challenge is that our net income from the sale of literature is down considerably. Average literature income during 2015-2019 was a little more than $9M per year compared to $6.7M in 2023, $7.6M in 2024 and $8.3M projected for 2025. That’s an average drop of $1.5M annually. This is a result of both a reduction in gross sales as well as an increase in the cost of production and distribution.
As members, we often say that when A.A. needs money, the Fellowship will respond. This is again one of those times. Your generosity has sustained us through very difficult times in the past. If your group is able, in the spirit of this season of gratitude, please consider a special contribution to the General Service Board.
You can make a contribution through the Contributions page on aa.org or by mail.
When contributing by check, please make your check payable to the General Service Board and use the applicable mailing address
Thank you so much for everything each of you do for Alcoholics Anonymous. It is my hope this message will be met with understanding, and that the honesty and sincerity in my heart are apparent throughout.
With gratitude for all the sacrifices you make for A.A.,
Bob W.
General Manager, GSO