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:

Checks in Canadian Dollars
General Service Office
Post Office Box 459
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163

Checks in U.S. Dollars
General Service Office
Post Office Box 2407
James A. Farley Station
New York, NY 10116-2407

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

To read/download the original letter please click this link.