Below, please find information on:

• Stopping Trolls in Their Tracks
• Intergroup Hosted Zoom Rooms?
• Group Email @aasfmarin.org 

At times, it feels as if the moment we have a solution, we are faced with a new problem. For example, remember back on March 97th? When the problem was how the remote meetings were displayed?! What we’d give for that problem today!

Levity aside, our latest resource, Handling Online Meeting Disruptions in the Moment, is meant to help you keep going if your meeting gets “Zoombombed.” While it is true that we cannot simultaneously be accessible to an unknown combination of anonymous people and also completely safe from internet trolls, we can help our members add tools to the toolkit, a practice we are all familiar with. We have done what we can to distill best practices for Personal Anonymity, Default Settings, and Managing Meeting Participants in Zoom, which is all quite new to most of us, and share them with you. And if what we’re sharing isn’t speaking to you, maybe this one from NY Intergroup will appeal. 

Please take some time to rehearse using these resources and set up some practice meetings. Note: it is strongly suggested that each meeting elect a group admin, or co-host, to manage the participants, allowing the meeting secretary to run the meeting. A few of the protocols offered here, set up in advance and practiced a few times, can keep these disruptions from derailing your meeting entirely.

It bears repeating that, as with face-to-face meetings, each group decides for itself how to handle disruptions. AA Meetings, regardless of the forum, are microcosms of the real world and all that comes with it. The service piece published by GSO, Safety and A.A.: Our Common Welfare, states: 

“… behavior can hijack the focus of a meeting and frighten members, new and old. Some groups have developed plans for addressing disruptive behavior and have established procedures through their group conscience to ensure that the group’s welfare is protected.” 

Setting up policies and procedures ahead of a Zoom meeting is part of this responsibility.

Intergroup Hosted Zoom Rooms

As mentioned in a previous update, at tomorrow night’s Intergroup meeting, we will take up whether to establish an account with Zoom that we can offer local groups. The idea was largely in response to so many online meetings being at capacity. However, it may well be that like meeting room rent, Zoom accounts are best left to the individual groups themselves. Please take a look at what NYIG is offering and take this short survey to guide us forward. Thus far, our survey results are minimal; we need your input. Details, if any, will be forthcoming

Group Email @aasfmarin.org

We have decided to offer group email addresses at the aasfmarin.org domain. Many groups (and meetings) are setting up anonymous email addresses named after their real-world meeting for platform logins, digital contribution and more. This allows them to publish a contact method, and reply to it, without exposing any individual’s identity; it also allows them to share access to the communications, and to transfer the handling of the group’s communications between people — for example, as Trusted Servants rotate in and out of their service terms. While not difficult for individual groups to set this up, you may find your group name already taken. There are advantages and additional considerations that went into our decision to offer this service; more information can be found here.

In closing, in response to the meeting disruptions, one member wrote, “We can get through this while staying open and available to the newcomers who need us, and who knows, in a couple years I bet you anything we’ll start having newcomers whose first exposure to AA was when they were bored during the quarantine and listened in as part of a zoom-raid.“

We are fortunate that there are so many ways newcomers can reach us: at any one of the 397 remote meetings currently listed on our schedule, help@aasfmarin.org, 24/7 Teleservice and HelpChat, our online chat tool. Thank you all for participating in our primary purpose and being the hand of A.A. for San Francisco and Marin.

Stay tuned and please, for the love of a technology when it works the way we want it to, share this information with your social media communities and encourage our members to subscribe to The Buzz.

All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding.

Your AA Central Office

Below, please find information on:

• Updated FAQ and more
• New! Personal Recovery Resources: Read | Listen
• New! Managing Meeting Participants
• Group Safety
• Remote Meeting Growth
• Intergroup Hosted Zoom Rooms?
• Group Email Accounts in the @aasfmarin.org Domain
• 2020 International Convention Cancelled

We have updated the content in our FAQ for Locals and Move an A.A. Meeting to Zoom in 5 Steps. We also added Read | Listen, which are resources for personal recovery and, perhaps most importantly, added Managing Meeting Participants. More updates and additional content are on the way. Meanwhile, please visit those pages on aasfmarin.org. 

Managing Meeting Participants was in large part due to the numerous communications received in the last few days about inappropriate behavior in online meeting rooms. As with a face-to-face meetings, how each group handles disruptions is a decision for that group to make autonomously. AA Meetings, regardless of the forum, are microcosms of the real world and all that comes with it. The service piece published by GSO, Safety and A.A.: Our Common Welfare, states: 

“… behavior can hijack the focus of a meeting and frighten members, new and old. Some groups have developed plans for addressing disruptive behavior and have established procedures through their group conscience to ensure that the group’s welfare is protected.” 

The majority of our members are likely new to online meetings; learning to navigate the platforms at all ~ much less when confronted with offensive behavior ~ is extremely challenging. The Marin PICPC Committee has addressed Online Meetings, Publicity, and “Zoombombs” in its most recent communication. They offer resources that may be helpful to individuals and groups when making the decision on how to handle meeting disruptions.

In happier news, we are adding new meetings to the Remote Meeting Schedule every day and have gone from 27 meetings on March 15 to 376 – that is a 1400% increase. To say this has been a challenging time is to put it mildly. Please send gratitude and support out to the twenty or so Trusted Servants and two Special Workers who are stepping up in various teams to coordinate these efforts and make these resources available. 

We had hoped to share good news about a collaborative effort with New York Intergroup to make Zoom Rooms available to host groups for free. Each room would have been able to accommodate up to 500 or 1,000 participants per meeting and allow default security settings to be established for the highest level of anonymity and privacy possible while still being accessible to newcomers. Unfortunately, this is no longer an option as the NYIG Board changed its mind about partnering with any other offices.

Your Board of Directors will be in conversation with the Intergroup Representatives at our April 1 meeting to discuss the possibility of moving forward with our own account. The idea was largely in response to so many online meetings being at capacity. However, it may well be that like meeting room rent, Zoom accounts are best left to the individual groups themselves. Please take a look at what NYIG is offering and take this short survey to guide us forward. Details, if any, will be forthcoming

We have decided to offer group email addresses at the aasfmarin.org domain. Many groups (and meetings) are setting up anonymous email addresses named after their real-world meeting for platform logins, digital contributions and more. This allows them to publish a contact method, and reply to it, without exposing any individual’s identity; it also allows them to share access to the communications, and to transfer the handling of the group’s communications between people — for example, as Trusted Servants rotate in and out of their service terms. While not difficult for individual groups to set this up, you may find your group name already taken. There are advantages and additional considerations that went into our decision to offer this service; more information can be found here.

In closing, we are passing on the unfortunate news that the International Convention, scheduled for July 2020 has been cancelled. Details can be found here and in this FAQ about registration 

So stay tuned and please, for the love of a wide berth on a narrow sidewalk, share this information with your social media communities and encourage our members to subscribe to The Buzz.

All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding.Your AA Central Office

COVID-19, Update #7: Gifts of the Program 

Below, please find information on:

• Complimentary access to the AA Grapevine and recordings from the 2019 AA History Symposium
• Additions for your Online Meeting Format
  • Zoom Rooms
• Getting a Group Conscience
• Digital Contribution Platforms
• Service Opportunities: Teleservice and HelpChat
• Remote Meeting Schedule Version 2.0!!! 
• Literature needs?

Details:

A special message from the AA Grapevine:  Due to the current changing health situation, many AA meetings across the U.S. and Canada are finding it safer to close. To help members during this time, we are giving everyone free access to most of our 2020 Grapevine and La Viña issues. Please share with your fellows.

Additionally, the wonderful members who bring you the annual AA History Symposium have made recordings from last year’s event available free of charge! Click here to stream presentations from the Fifth (V) Symposium on A.A. History, held in the Bay Area, and including the theatrical performance from Saturday night’s banquet. Password is thebroadhighway.

We have posted an FAQ for locals as well suggestions for updating your meeting format to make online meetings run more smoothly. We hope they help. 

We are collaborating with New York Intergroup to make Zoom Rooms available to host groups for free. Each room will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 participants per meeting and we can secure anonymity and privacy settings for all. Stay tuned for details!

Meanwhile, check in with your group for a group conscience about using this service. If you want to learn more about getting a group conscience – and really? What better time to do so than during a Shelter-in-Place pandemic?! – check out Best Practices, Third Legacy Voting and How To Start an Online Meeting on Zoom developed by the Austin ICYPAA bid committee.

We have curated information on various Digital Contribution Platforms to help your group determine how you might practice the Seventh Tradition using a digital basket. If you have questions, comments or concerns, please email digitalcontributions@aasfmarin.org – we are here to help!

With Central Office closing, the San Francisco and Marin Telesevice Committees have taken over the phone lines 24/7. Each committee is hosting a remote orientation this week. There is a one-year sobriety requirement to volunteer for SF Teleservice and a six-month sobriety requirement to volunteer for Marin Teleservice. Orientation details can be found in Upcoming Events. We ask each Teleservice volunteer to read The Buzz and our COVID-19 updates and to stay current with the information on aasfmarin.org as we are continually posting new content and making updates. HelpChat, the online chat tool, will also be holding an orientation this week. Details will be posted on aasfmarin.org and sent out in the next update.   

And finally, what you have all been waiting for! Version 2.0 of the Remote Meeting Schedule is NOW LIVE! While we are still tweaking search and sort features, and request you kindly hold off with suggestions until we’ve had more time to work on it, you can now easily search by day and time as well as see the geographic origin of each meeting. Further, each meeting has a page on aasfmarin.org that allows you to:

• Display your Digital Basket Information
• Upload your Meeting Format
• Upload an Image of your Physical Meeting Location

We are looking into best practices for security with regard to displaying collection information. We request your continued patience and cooperation and if you have expertise in this area, please let us know. We highly recommend gathering an informed group conscience before you submit digital platform information or upload your meeting format or image and request that your Intergroup Rep, General Service Rep or current Secretary be the one to send these submissions. 

A note to the meetings already listed: please email us a PDF or TXT of your Meeting Format and an image if you would like to use one. 

Your Special Workers are continuing to work from both home and the office. If you need literature, we will consider opening the online store back up and shipping it to you or having set pick up hours. Please email us at aa@aasfmarin.org so we can assess the need. More will be revealed.

So stay tuned and please, for the love of a good internet connection, share this information with your social media communities and encourage our members to subscribe to The Buzz.

All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding. Your AA Central Office

We hope you find the information below about various digital contribution platforms useful. It was curated to assist your group in making a decision on which digital payment solution to implement for your 7th Tradition collection. The information is not in any way intended to be an endorsement, affiliation or recommendation for any of the services and presented for your convenience only.

Digital-Contribution-Platform-Table

A.A. Meeting Format Additions for Online Meeting (Zoom)

Use your regular meeting format with these helpful additions, as warranted. 

CHAIR: [Please use the “mute all” function as the facilitator to mute everyone. Before the meeting begins, please ask someone to read the preamble and all the customary literature of your meeting. PLEASE ALSO SELECT A TIME KEEPER IN ADVANCE (if customary) AND EXPLAIN THEY CAN UNMUTE FOR WARNINGS AND CALLING TIME (It’s best for this role to be  SOMEONE WHO WILL BE USING A LAPTOP)].

Welcome to the [insert meeting name] group of Alcoholics Anonymous. My name is ________ and I’m an alcoholic. This is a new process for our group,  so it may be a little shaky at first. We ask that you please be patient as we work through all the little snafus; thank you for showing up and being of service. 

Please take a moment to find the “raise hand” feature on whatever device you are using – it may be on the participants’ section at the bottom of your screen or it may be on a section called “more.” It is also possible to see a list of participants in the meeting. Please refrain from commenting on people’s share in the chat window as it is cross talk! The chat function will be useful for making announcements to the group as a whole. It is also possible to collapse the chat window. 

The chair will place everyone on mute so as to minimize any noise. Please use the raise hand feature to be recognized. The chair will then unmute people at various points throughout the meeting. PLEASE RE-MUTE YOURSELF AFTER YOU SPEAK.  AGAIN, PLEASE RE-MUTE YOURSELF AFTER YOU SPEAK 🙂

[Use your meeting’s typical format, either speaker, literature or something else. Introduce the speaker or read the literature or ask for topic suggestions from the group, if that’s the usual format. Read from your group’s regular script, for newcomer recognition, AA anniversary recognition, and out of town visitor recognition.]

• 7th Tradition: While the speaker picks a topic we will practice the 7th Tradition, which states that we are self-supporting through our own contributions. The money collected will ensure we can cover our meeting’s rent and expenses when we meet in person again AND supports our local Central Office and AA services worldwide. [Type the link to the digital basket url, email or handle into the Chat text] The group’s [venmo/google pay/paypal account] can be found in the Chat text.
• Literature Announcement: you can access PDF versions of the Big Book, 12 & 12 and other AA approved literature online at www.aa.org 
• Invitation to sponsor: Would all the people who are available to be a sponsor please text the word “Sponsor” in the chat text and provide a phone number where you can be reached after the meeting?
• Announcements: If there are any AA related announcements, please text them to the group using the chat feature.

• Timekeeper [Optional]: By group conscience, we have a timekeeper for 3-minute shares with a 1-minute vocal warning after 2 minutes, so that we can allow for as many people as possible to share. I have asked ______ to be our timekeeper. 

We will now close the meeting.

And remember, who you see here and what you hear here – please let it stay here. 

(Close according to your group conscience.) 

Due to the continued concern regarding COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), a number of facilities that host A.A. meetings have chosen to close for a period of time. Some have moved and others are cancelled until further notice. Please see the list of meetings that have temporarily been canceled due to facility closures.

We will list changes as soon as possible after being notified. If you become aware of any closure or change, please notify Central Office immediately at (415) 674-1821 or email to aa@aasfmarin.org.

Central Office has received a number of inquiries asking for suggestions for changes to meeting practices as a result of COVID-19. Other members have opined that this is an outside issue, one we ought not weigh in on. Either way, we can likely all agree that gathering professional information can help make an informed group conscience, that each group is autonomous, and that it is up to each individual to take precautions for personal safety.
Information about the outbreak is widely available. The Center for Disease Control has up-to-date information and suggests the following for prevention:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.

Perhaps your meeting will choose to lock elbows rather than hold hands at the close of the meeting.  A memo just released by the  General Service Office in New York shared that, “some groups have considered contingency plans in case the group is temporarily unable to meet in person.” 

However each group decides to proceed, please do keep us informed so we can keep the meeting schedule accurate and up-to-date. 

Most importantly, if you have a desire to drink, reach out for help to friends in the fellowship or call the hotline: 415-674-1821. Teleservice is available 24/7 and our online HelpChat is responded to from 8AM to 10PM should you need to make contact with another sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous outside of a meeting. 

Here are some other ideas and resources that you or your group might use to stay connected. (This is not an endorsement of any of these services, but a list of suggestions.)

• Have a phone tree ready for your group.
• Set up conference calls at the day and time of our regular meeting. Here are several free technologies:
  • FreeConferenceCall.com
  • FaceTime for iPhones
  • Google Hangouts (available as a Chrome app)
  • Zoom
• Attend an online AA meeting

Thank you for sharing this information with your groups. Here’s wishing everyone good health and continued sobriety.

COVID-19, Update #6: Online Meetings
– Best Practices & More

Below, please find information on:

• 200+ Remote Meetings in SF and Marin
• Search capability on aasfmarin.org
• Search and sort by day/time/county on the way
• Updated content for How To Zoom and Anonymity
• Meeting Material (Suggested Meeting Format, Steps, Traditions, etc.)
• Digital Contributions
• Service Opportunities in Next Update
• Literature needs?

In the last 172, I mean 5, days we’ve seen what it means for our community to go to any lengths to stay connected. In testament to that consider this: At noon on Monday we had listed 100 meetings in San Francisco and Marin as “Temporarily Closed.” Later that day the Shelter in Place order was issued for both San Francisco and Marin Counties. And now, again a mere 172, I mean 5, days later you all have established 193 Remote Meetings (and have 10 in the cue not  yet published). Additionally, the phones rang off the hook at Central Office with newcomers and sober members alike all looking for – or offering to share – experience, strength and hope.

We soon realized (thanks to all your calls and emails) that as the list of meetings grew, it became much harder to search them by time. As a stop gap, we added a search box on the remote meeting page:

Conveniently it also allows you to search the entire site! 

The last 76, I mean 2, days have been spent working on the sorting function and we are very close! Meeting Guide app users – we encourage you to use aasfmarin.org as your one stop shop for meetings and information at this time as the remote meeting schedule does not feed into it. We have updated the existing information and added additional pages on aasfmarin.org such as a Suggested Meeting Format, Steps, Traditions, etc, and useful information on Personal Anonymity and Digital Contributions. You can also download this Quick Guide to Zoom, (PDF, sorry mobile users) that will come in handy.

We also made another hard decision and as of 6PM today, Central Office will be completely closed with exception to Special Workers. The San Francisco and Marin Teleservice Committees will take over the phones lines 24/7. We are working on robust remote training material and both committees will hold orientations next week. Details in the next update.

Your Special Workers will continue working from both home and the office. If you all find that you need literature, we will consider opening the online store back up and shipping it to you or having set pick up hours at the office. Please email us at aa@aasfmarin.org so we can assess the need. More will be revealed.

The next update will focus on service opportunities as there are many. So stay tuned and please, for the love of coffee and chocolate, share this information with your social media communities and encourage our members to subscribe to The Buzz.

All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding. Your AA Central Office

COVID-19, Update #5: Face-to-Face Meetings

If you are new to A.A. or think you have a problem with alcohol please contact us in any of the following ways:
T: 415-674-1821 (SF) 415-499-0400 (Marin)
E: help@aasfmarin.org
Click the blue chat button on the lower right

A  Shelter in Place order has been issued in both San Francisco and Marin Counties. Not all meetings have been reported as closed, however do not go to a physical meeting place for a face-to-face meeting expecting it to be there.

We have focused all of our efforts on getting the remote meetings listed on this new remote (phone / online) meeting schedule. Our next task will be to focus on making it easier to search; your patience and support is appreciated. Meeting Guide app users – we encourage you to use aasfmarin.org as your one stop shop for meetings and information at this time. At this time remote meetings DO NOT feed into it.

The remote meetings we are listing are those established by local members in place of physical meetings in SF and Marin. To submit a new remote meetings use this Remote Meeting Submission Form.

We have added a guide on how to set up a remote meeting. If you find you still need help, email groupservices@aasfmarin.org and we will connect you with a volunteer as soon as .

Central Office is now closed to foot traffic. The safety of our staff and volunteers is a priority. We will continue to answer the phone lines and provide support through HelpChat (our online chat tool).

We will continue to push information out via The Buzz, so if you have not already, please subscribe now. Then add thebuzz@aasfmarin.org to your contacts and keep your eyes open for the email confirmation (you may need to check your spam folder).

We have learned that our fellowship gets their information primarily from word-of-mouth; we need your help! Share this information, please.

All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding. Your AA Central Office

COVID-19, Update #4

If you are new to A.A. or think you have a problem with alcohol please contact us now:
T: 415-674-1821 (SF) 415-499-0400 (Marin)
E: help@aasfmarin.org
Click the blue chat button on the lower right

We are posting new information on our site as quickly as possible. With the latest news regarding San Francisco and Marin Counties issuing a shelter in place we will be focusing all of our efforts on getting the remote meetings listed and not on maintaining the physical meeting schedule. We will reevaluate the “temporary closure” listing when we get caught up. Please continue to submit meeting closures via email to aa@aasfmarin.org. We kindly request that your meeting secretary be the one to contact us (or another trusted servant) for all meeting closures in order to avoid confusion.

The remote meetings we are listing are those established by local members in place of physical meetings in SF and Marin. 

We have added a guide on how to set up a remote meeting (Thanks, NYIG! <3) If you find you still need help, email groupservices@aasfmarin.org and we will connect you with a volunteer as soon as .

To submit a new remote meetings use this Remote Meeting Submission Form.

The online meeting schedule reflects all closures we are aware of as of 2PM Monday, March 16; the temporary closure list has been removed.

Meeting Guide app users – we encourage you to use aasfmarin.org as your one stop shop for meetings and information at this time. We do not know if/how the online and phone meetings will feed into it.

Central Office is now closed. We will continue to answer the phone lines and provide support through HelpChat (our online chat tool). We will not be processing literature orders until further notice.

We will continue to push information out via The Buzz, so if you have not already, please subscribe now. Then add thebuzz@aasfmarin.org to your contacts and keep your eyes open for the email confirmation (you may need to check your spam folder).

We have learned that our fellowship gets their information primarily from word-of-mouth; we need your help! Share this information, please.

Our community has come together in amazing ways these last few days… we are all so very fortunate.

All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding.

Your AA Central Office

COVID-19, Update #3

Real Quick:

Remote (phone/online) meetings, established by local members are now listed on our website. We are still working on the best way to format the presentation. We encourage your group to start an online or phone meeting; the AA Online Intergroup is concerned that inbound traffic is going to overwhelm the server soon.

These meetings are rapidly taking the place of face-to-face meetings. We have added a guide on how to set up a remote meeting (Thanks, NYIG! <3) If you find you still need help, email groupservices@aasfmarin.org and we will connect you with a volunteer.

Additionally, our ICYPAA friends in Austin are hosting a tutorial via Zoom at 4PM (PST) for conducting an online business meeting. Some of the information can likely be carried over to a regular A.A. meeting.

To submit a new remote meetings use this Remote Meeting Submission Form.

The online meeting schedule reflects all closures we are aware of; the temporary closure list has been removed. We kindly request that your meeting secretary be the one to contact us (or another trusted servant) for all meeting closures in order to avoid confusion.

Meeting Guide app users – we encourage you to use aasfmarin.org as your one stop shop for meetings and information at this time. We do not know if/how the online and phone meetings will feed into it.

We will continue to push information out via The Buzz. Encourage others to subscribe!

We have learned that our fellowship gets their information primarily from word-of-mouth; we need your help! Share this information, please.

Breathe. Breathe in love. Breathe out peace.

All decisions will be re-evaluated as the situation changes; we are doing our best and appreciate your support and understanding.

Your AA Central Office

And for new subscribers…

Central Office is now closed to foot traffic. The safety of our staff and volunteers is a priority. We will continue to answer the phone lines and provide support through HelpChat (our online chat tool).

Literature orders can be placed online for curbside pickup during office hours or shipping via UPS.

Seventh Tradition? Put a bottle of hand sanitizer in the basket or put the basket on the table instead of passing it OR offer a digital contribution option.

Meanwhile, please take a look at the COVID-19 info on our home page. It contains a lot of useful information for groups.

More details…

The Central Office has received numerous inquiries asking for suggestions on how to handle meetings in light of COVID-19. In an effort to support the groups and members in San Francisco and Marin, we are providing the information below and ask each of you to consider the unity and common welfare of our Fellowship. COVID-19 is an unprecedented global pandemic; drastic measures to reduce the spread of this infection may be chosen so that the hand of A.A. will be there when this is over.  

Each group is autonomous and can choose what action to take using an informed group conscience.  It is up to each individual member to take precautions for personal safety. We encourage you to use the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts, as well as information from the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control as guidelines for basic protective measures against the new coronavirus. Local information can be found here (SF) and here  (MARIN) Additionally, the General Service Office in New York has an update.

We have made the difficult decision to close Central Office to the public until further notice. We want our volunteer and paid staff to stay safe and healthy while preparing book orders, providing support to callers and maintaining office operations. A.A. members will continue to answer the phone and respond to HelpChat, our online chat tool.

If you need literature, place an order online. We will ship orders via UPS as long as we are able and will offer curbside, will-call pick-up during regular office hours (M-F, 10AM to 6PM and Sat, 10AM to 2PM). These practices will  be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. 

We will continue to serve the fellowship in the best way possible while balancing the need to respond with caution in keeping our fellowship safe, our website updated and the community informed. Your Board of Directors and Ninth Tradition Service Committees are hard at work trying to keep up.

As more meetings close, we ask you to consider these ideas and resources so your group can stay connected. (This is not an endorsement of any of these services, but a list of suggestions.) If you need assistance, let us know and we will try to connect you with a member who can help you set it up.

• Have a phone tree ready for your group.
• Set up conference calls at the day and time of our regular meeting. Here are several free technologies: 
  • FreeConferenceCall.com
  • FaceTime for iPhones
  • Google Hangouts (available as a Chrome app)
  • Zoom
  • Cisco Webex (now free)

Seventh Tradition: If your group isn’t already offering a digital contribution option, now is a good time to begin as passing baskets can increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Contributions can also be made directly to Central Office online and with Venmo (@GGIntergroup) or PayPal (aa@aasfmarin.org), as well as to many of the other service entities.

Virtual meetings may also want to hold a group conscience on this topic. We will share any information we learn about it, so keep coming back.

Most importantly, if you have a desire to drink, reach out for help to friends in the fellowship or call the hotline: 415-674-1821 (from SF) and 415-499-0400 (from Marin). Teleservice is available 24/7 and our online HelpChat is responded to from 8AM to 10PM should you need to make contact with another sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous outside of a meeting. 

It is vital that we each be conscientious of the needs of other members of our groups and each individual members’ capabilities for reaching out and connecting to the fellowship. Some may be reticent or technologically challenged and require more assistance than others.  Many private Facebook groups have launched and they can be a great source of comfort. Many individual groups are moving their meetings online. We will list them here as requests come in and as we are capable. Your Special Workers and Trusted Servants are working diligently to stay on top of this ever evolving situation. 

Thank you for sharing this information with your groups. Here’s wishing everyone good health and continued sobriety.

Your A.A. Central Office / Intercounty Fellowship of A.A.
Board of Directors