Agree or Disagree – Feedback Requested

I’ll try my best not to be too specific. Before our home group meeting last night a couple of us read our State’s “Message of AA.” And wound up quite upset. All who participated are well aware of the spiritual axiom

What was it that upset us? Something that we’ve experienced before – a plea for more money to be raised through self contributions.

Thanks to Alcoholic Brain who pointed me to Alcoholism at About.com today and an article from a well-known archivist, Mitchell K., there is a familiar story based in the year 1938 which was the time Bill W. made the attempt to convince the membership and John D. Rockefeller Jr. that AA needed money to survive. Rockefeller turned the request down, saying “I am afraid that money will spoil this thing.” To be clear, it was the original request for $50,000 that was denied. Later, Rockefeller did donate $5,000 because he was told that AA may not continue without some “stipend.” It is also said that Rockefeller’s reasons for denying the original request for $50,000 “were virtually the same as the concerns expressed by Dr. Bob and the Akron members.”

So, now we have a member of AA in our state who has a “title,” (I’m trying to do this anonymously the best I can but help you understand simultaneously) who has made this statement, “Alcoholics Anonymous, as a whole, is not meeting the principle of our Seventh Tradition, that of being self-supporting.” And follows that up with a statistic – “Contributions in [our state] have declined 8.1% over the last four years.” Then follows the statistic up with “This shortfall in money is made up through literature profits.”

I am choosing to be proactive on this issue but, true to what I have been taught, I am asking for feedback from you. I have heard this argument before and remain of the opinion that “God Is In Charge” and what happens will happen exactly the way it is supposed to. In the past this argument hasn’t changed anything, noticeably, in the manner which AA members contribute. AA has made it for 71 years now with no outstanding change in requirements for contributions. I believe this “argument” holds no water.

I also find it revolting that a member of AA with a “title” makes a statement like this;

“When we use literature profits to make up our own shortcoming of funds, we force ourselves to not be self-supporting.” I find that revolting because there is a spin, almost identical to a political spin, being put on this issue to the extent that we’re about to be asked to enter a guilt trip if we don’t ante up for the benefit of AA and that is revolting!

To quote the Big Book with an agenda for increased contributions is material, not spiritual. As a matter of fact, when the 12 and 12 is quoted in the Twelfth Step “When the Twelfth Step is seen in its full implication, it is really talking about the kind of love that has no price tag on it” that is not license for a request for additional contributions with amounts specified!

This must be noted. In the same publication our state treasurer says “Because of your enormous generosity, some very effective budgeting, prudence and restraint over the years, we have a substantial prudent reserve. If we continue to spend as we have, and if the contributions decline, as they have, we can survive without major budget modification for more than six years.”

Who’s kidding who? Therefore I ask you, please, what do you think?

When I was a newcomer they said it like this “If you can, please contribute. If you can’t, its okay. And – if you need to, take a dollar out of the basket.” They knew then, as I believe we ought to continue to remember and re-enforce, that God runs this show. We forced our self-will on our lives and look where it took us, what do you think will happen if we force our self-will on contributions for material sake?

Update: I guess I’m feeling compulsive about this but I have to say it! Right on the front page of our State’s web site we have quoted the Big Book, pgs. xiii – xiv! “We are not an organization in the conventional sense of the word. There are no fees or dues whatsoever.” Page xiv further mentions the Third Tradition, “The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking.”