How to Write AA Business Meeting Minutes Without Naming Members
A group votes to move its start time by fifteen minutes. The secretary needs to record the new time, the effective date and who will update the listing. A description of which members argued about the change can stay out of the minutes.
Write the part the next volunteer will need
Start with the date and the kind of meeting. Then record the wording of each decision and what needs to happen. “The Wednesday meeting will start at 7:15 p.m. beginning December 2. The secretary will confirm the room booking and ask the listing contact to update the start time.” This gives the next volunteer enough to act if the regular secretary is away.
Ask the chair to repeat a decision before moving on. If there was a vote, record the tally only if the group’s procedure calls for it. If the group deferred the item, record when it expects to return to it and what information is missing. Use our AA secretary role guide to check how this fits with the other records the secretary may handle.
An experienced member may be able to recall an earlier decision. Ask what they remember, and check the records if you need the exact wording. Our article on what people mean by oldtimer in AA explains how the term is used. The minutes can cite the date of the earlier decision without identifying the person who remembered it.
Check what belongs outside the record
Leave out personal sobriety dates, health details and reasons a member can’t take a service role unless the group has a specific need for them and the person has agreed. “Opening role is vacant for December” is enough for most volunteers to know what needs attention. For something sensitive, ask the group how it wants to document the action and who needs to know.
If the minutes have to name a contact, use the role or the contact details the group has approved for this purpose. A public contact and a private phone number have different audiences. A.A.’s anonymity guidance provides background on thinking about personal and public disclosure.
Check attached files as well. A room rental quote may contain a private address. A screenshot may show the whole chat sidebar. Before circulating the minutes, make sure the attachments contain the information the group actually needs.
Agree when the draft becomes the record
Share the minutes through the group’s agreed channel and mark them as a draft if they still need approval. Ask members to flag factual errors such as a wrong date or missing assignment. When corrections are approved, save one clear copy and tell the next secretary where to find it.
For decisions that will come up again, transfer only the current rule and a reference to the minutes into an AA group decision log. The minutes can remain the record of what happened that night while volunteers have a short way to find current instructions.
Test the minutes by asking someone who missed the meeting what they would do next. If they can identify the decision, the date and the role responsible, the record is doing its job.
For a decision about how requests are collected, record the new process in the minutes and leave the completed coin request slips with the volunteer handling them. Someone reading a decision months later usually needs the form or procedure and the date it took effect.
Medallions to consider
If the group changes a coin presentation practice, record the practice and keep individual milestone requests private.
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Common questions
Should names be removed from every record?
Follow the group’s agreed procedure and consider why a name is needed. Keep access to private details limited to the people who need them.
What if a member asks for a correction?
Bring the proposed correction through the group’s usual process and update the approved copy once the group agrees.
Keep reading
Compare designs and milestone options in Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins.
