Seventh Tradition

Contribute

How a group, a district or an A.A. member can send a Seventh Tradition contribution to Area 09 — by Zelle, by mail, or in person at an Area meeting.

Ways to give

Zelle, mail or in person

Area 09 accepts contributions only from A.A. sources. There is no credit card or PayPal option.

The contributions flyer, page 1 (English): the ways to contribute to Area 09 — check, money order or cash, in person or by mail, and Zelle — and what to write with a contribution

Printable flyer

All the ways to give, on one page

The Area's Seventh Tradition flyer: Zelle, mail or in person, and what to write with your contribution. Page 1 is in English and page 2 in Spanish — print it for your group's treasurer or business meeting.

Open the flyer (opens in a new tab) Download PDF

Online

Zelle®

Send it from your bank's app.

Account e-mail ID

contributions@msca09aa.org

Business name

Mid-Southern California Area Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous

How to send

  1. 1 Open Zelle in your bank’s app and choose to send money.
  2. 2 Enter the e-mail ID contributions@msca09aa.org — or scan the QR code.
  3. 3 Before you send, check the name that Zelle shows.
  4. 4 In the memo, add your group name and G.S.O. number, your district number, or “Personal”.
Zelle QR code for contributions to Mid-Southern California Area 09
Scan with the Zelle QR scanner in your bank's app.

Check the name before you send. Zelle should show “Mid-Southern California Area Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous” — your bank may shorten it to “MID-SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA ASSEMBLY OF”. If you see any other name, don't send; write to contributions@msca09aa.org instead.

Check, money order or cash

By mail to the Area's post office box.

Mail to

MSCA09
P.O. Box 51446
Irvine, CA 92619-1446
Attn: Treasurer A/R

Add a note with the information below, so the Treasurer can credit the right group or district.

Questions?

Write to the trusted servant who handles it.

Help the Treasurer

What to include with your contribution

Write this in the Zelle memo, on the check, or on a note in the envelope, so the contribution is credited to the right group or district.

From a group

Group name + G.S.O. number

Don’t know the number? Ask the Registrar at an Area meeting or at registrar@msca09aa.org. Not registered with G.S.O.? Add the meeting day and time, location and district number.

From a district

District #

Write the district number, for example “District 12”.

From a member

Personal

The Area also asks individuals to add their name and city.

For a birthday

Name, city, years sober

For a birthday contribution, add the member’s name, city and years of sobriety.

Self-support

Why we contribute

A.A. has no dues or fees. Groups pay their own way, and once their own expenses are met they help support their district, the Area, the local central office and the General Service Office.

Where Area 09 contributions go

Finance reports
  • Area meetingsVenues, interpreters, sound and lunch
  • Area committeesCarrying the message, including this website
  • The ConferenceContributions toward the General Service Conference
  • PRAASAThe Delegate and Alternate Delegate attend
  • The Area officeRent, the copier and the Irvine P.O. Box
  • Officers and insuranceOfficers' service expenses and the Area's insurance

From the Area's profit and loss report for January–March 2026. Full reports are in the document library.

Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
— Tradition Seven
The amount of the contribution is secondary to the spiritual connection that unites all groups around the world.
— aa.org — Contributions and self-support
Self-support begins with me, because I am part of us – the group. We pay our rent and utility bills, buy coffee, snacks and A.A. Literature. We support our central office, our area committee, and our General Service Office. If it were not for those entities, many new people would never discover the miracles of A.A.
— Self-Support: Where Money and Spirituality Mix, page 5 — reprinted with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

The Seventh Tradition

Where else your group can contribute

Once a group's own expenses are met, A.A. suggests it may also support these service entities. Each group decides, through its group conscience, how to share what it can.

Grapevine and La Viña do not accept contributions — they are supported by subscriptions and sales.

Your district

The district “communicates directly with the groups, providing the district group conscience for the area assemblies, and serving as a link between the area delegates and the G.S.R.s.” (aa.org)

Find your district

Area 09

The area committee “coordinates vital A.A. activities over a broad geographic area; sends a delegate to the annual General Service Conference; holds area assemblies to determine the needs of the Fellowship; and provides information at all levels of service.” (aa.org)

Contribute to the Area

Your central office

The local intergroup or central office “may provide phone service for Twelfth Step calls and other inquiries; coordinates group activities; and facilitates A.A. literature sales, institutions work, public information, and cooperation with the professional community activities.” (aa.org) Each office is autonomous — ask it how to contribute.

Find your office

The General Service Office

Contribute online at contribution.aa.org, one time or recurring. Checks in U.S. dollars, payable to “General Service Board”: Post Office Box 2407, James A Farley Station, New York, NY 10116-2407.

An individual member may give up to $7,500 a year; there is no limit for groups.

Contribute to G.S.O.

Questions

Questions about contributing

1 Who can contribute?

Only A.A. groups, members and other A.A. service bodies. The Area Guidelines say Area 09 “accepts donations only from A.A. sources (primarily, but not exclusively A.A. Groups, meetings, and individuals)” and “shall not promote nor carry out any fund-raising activity of any description.”

2 How much should we send?

There is no set amount. As aa.org says, “The amount of the contribution is secondary to the spiritual connection that unites all groups around the world.” Once its own expenses are met, each group decides through its group conscience how to support its district, the Area, its central office and G.S.O.

3 We don't know our group's G.S.O. number.

Write the Area Registrar at registrar@msca09aa.org or ask at an Area meeting. If your group is not registered with G.S.O., give as much as you can — group name, meeting day and time, location and district number — so the Treasurer can find it or add it.

4 Can I give by credit card or PayPal?

No. The Area’s online option is Zelle only. The old card and PayPal form on the previous website is no longer used — please don’t use it, even if you find an old link.

5 How do I make a birthday contribution?

Send it the same way as any other contribution and add a note with the birthday person’s name, city and years of sobriety, as the Area has asked.

6 Is there a limit?

For contributions to the General Service Office, an individual member may give up to $7,500 a year; there is no limit for groups (aa.org). Questions about contributions to the Area go to the Treasurer A/R at treasurerar@msca09aa.org.

7 Will I get an acknowledgement?

Acknowledging contributions is one of the Treasurer A/R’s duties under the Area Guidelines. If you have a question about one you sent, write treasurerar@msca09aa.org.

8 What does the Area spend it on?

Mostly on carrying the message through service. For example, from January to March 2026 the Area received $34,205.33 in contributions and spent $32,228.60:

  • Area meetings (venues, interpreters, lunch, sound, the Pre-Conference workshop and the Foro): $11,944.20
  • Area office rent and copier: $5,915.88
  • Contributions toward the General Service Conference: $3,200.00
  • Area committees, including the website: $2,997.40
  • Delegate and Alternate Delegate at PRAASA: $2,081.70
  • Insurance: $1,958.00
  • Officers’ expenses: $1,033.69
  • The Irvine P.O. Box: $376.00

Full finance reports are posted with the Area’s documents.

9 Can we send money to Grapevine or La Viña?

No — Grapevine and La Viña do not accept contributions. They are supported by subscriptions and sales, so the best way to support them is to subscribe or buy their books.