Outside Contributions and a Check

Key takeaway

Someone who is not a member wants to write the group a check, or you want to hand one over. Tradition Seven says every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. Public solicitation in the A.A. name is dangerous, and large gifts or strings are unwise. The group does not have to take the check. Leave it unsent.

Last updated: Tue Oct 06 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The check is on the counter. Your brother does not go to meetings, and he wrote it because he is scared for you and he wants to do something with money. Or the check is blank in your own hand, because the group mentioned rent and you are afraid the room will disappear if you do not fund it. You want them to take it. You want the problem to be solvable with a signature.

The group does not have to take the check.

What the tradition actually declines

Tradition Seven is short. Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

The long form says how. Groups are supported by the voluntary contributions of their own members. Public solicitation using the A.A. name is dangerous. Large gifts, or contributions with strings, are unwise. No amount is named. You do not need a number to know that a check from outside, or a gift that tries to steer the group, is the kind of money this tradition is wary of.

"Outside" means the money is not a voluntary contribution from a member. A relative, an employer, a church, a neighbor who is glad you are "getting help" — if they are not a member, their check is an outside contribution. The tradition says the group ought to decline it. You are allowed to agree with that decline even when the person who wrote the check loves you.

If you are a member, ordinary support is different. There are no dues or fees, and you do not have to pay to be welcome, regardless of income. When members can give, those voluntary contributions are how the group stays self-supporting. The basket at a meeting is that practice. A night when your pockets are empty is a different problem from this one. Tonight the problem is a check the group should be free to refuse.

Strings, and asking the public

A string means they want something back from the group. The long form calls a gift with strings unwise. You do not have to decide whether your check is large. If it comes with a request, leave it on the counter.

Public solicitation is the other warning. Using the A.A. name to ask the public for money is called dangerous. Do not start a collection at work under that name. Do not post a plea. Do not let a relative's generosity turn into a campaign you run because you are afraid. The fear is understandable. The campaign is the thing the tradition tells you not to do.

Tradition Six sits next to this if the check is really for a building. A group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to a related facility or outside enterprise. Clubs that need property are a separate matter from the group, and they ought not use the A.A. name. Cooperation is allowed. Affiliation is not. You do not have to sort a lease tonight. You only have to not hand the group an outside check as if the group and the building were the same wallet.

You are not required to make them take it

Each group is autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole. The long form of Tradition Four says the group is responsible to no other authority than its own conscience, except when plans affect other groups or A.A. as a whole. Whether to accept a particular check is the group's decision. Your kitchen promise is not that decision. If you already told your brother you would pass the envelope, you can tell him you were wrong. You do not need a speech. You can say the group declines outside money, and you can stop there.

If you are not the treasurer, you are especially free to leave the envelope where it is. Even if you are, one person does not have to cash an outside check because a relative is insistent. Bring the question to the group if it is already in motion. Do not force the yes.

The basket guide is for the night you have nothing to put in. This night is the opposite worry: money that should not go in at all.

Money is not the emergency

Call 911 if this is a medical emergency. Call or text 988 if you are in a mental health crisis. A check will not manage either one.

NIDA says mutual-help groups are peer-led, not led by healthcare professionals, and not a substitute for treatment. A meeting is peer support. It is not detox, and it is not treatment. NIAAA says alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening when a person who drinks heavily over time stops suddenly. A meeting cannot manage that. If you have been trying to buy safety for the group while your own body is in trouble, get care. The envelope can stay sealed.

If what you or someone you love needs is treatment, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral service. The line is not A.A., and it is not SMART Recovery. It is not the group treasury. SAMHSA's National Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It is free, confidential, and available all day and night in English and Spanish. FindTreatment.gov lists licensed programs.

Tonight

Leave the check unsent. Do not mail it, and do not slide it to the person who sets up the chairs. If you want to be in a room anyway, use the meetings search and confirm the listing. aa.org is not a meeting finder. You can sit and listen with empty hands. The group is allowed to pay its own way without your relative's money, and without a grand gesture from you.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Can a person who is not a member give the group money?

The short form of Tradition Seven says every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. The long form says groups are supported by voluntary contributions of their own members. A check from someone who is not a member is the outside money the tradition tells the group to decline. The group does not have to take it. You do not have to deliver it to make a relative feel helpful. Gratitude and a check are not the same thing.

What if I am a member and I want to write a large check?

Voluntary contributions from members are how a group supports itself. A large gift, or money with strings, is a different matter. The long form says large gifts or contributions with strings are unwise. A string is a condition: a name on the wall, a promise about the building, a favor owed back. You can put something in the basket when you are able, and you can pause before a check that would make the group depend on you. No sum is named. The group can still decline.

What if they want me to raise money in the A.A. name?

Do not. The long form says public solicitation using the A.A. name is dangerous. Asking the public, a boss, or a church to fund the group under that name is the thing the tradition warns against. You can explain, in your own plain words, that the group declines outside money. You do not have to make a speech. You do not have to run a collection to prove you care whether the meeting survives.

Does the group have to accept the check if I already promised?

No. The group does not have to take the check. One member's promise at a kitchen table is not a vote. Each group is autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole, and it answers to its own conscience on its own affairs. You can go back to the person and say you were wrong to offer their money. Leaving the check unsent is allowed even if the conversation was awkward.

Is a meeting a cheap substitute for treatment I could fund instead?

No. A meeting is peer support, not detox and not treatment. Mutual-help groups are not led by healthcare professionals and are not a substitute for care. If you have been drinking heavily and you stop suddenly, alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening. A meeting cannot manage that. Call 911 for a medical emergency. Call or text 988 in a mental health crisis. Money for the group does not buy you a clinic.