How to Keep an AA Group Decision Log
A new volunteer asks whether the group can use the side door after 8 p.m. Someone remembers a discussion from last spring, but nobody can find the result. A short decision log can make the current instruction easy to find.
Pick decisions that someone will look up again
Start with current instructions about the room, listings, money and recurring service. A once-only task such as buying cups for a picnic may belong in the minutes. A standing arrangement about who checks the room reservation at the start of each month can earn a line in the log.
Use the group’s existing records as the source. The group conscience business meeting guide describes how a group can discuss a question and reach a decision. Ask the secretary for the approved wording before putting it in the log. If you find a suggestion without a confirmed outcome, take it back to the group.
Give each entry a plain name someone can search for. “Side door after 8 p.m.” is easier to locate than “Venue follow-up.” Write the effective date and the meeting date separately when they differ. Add the contact role that can answer a question about the decision.
Make replaced instructions easy to spot
Keep the current instruction near the top. If it changes, mark the earlier entry as replaced and point to the date the new one took effect. A short note such as “Replaced on January 6, see the current entry above” can prevent two versions circulating at once.
If an entry was approved for a trial, give it a review date. At the review, record whether the trial ended, continued or changed. Check the log after the next meeting so anyone who missed the discussion can see the current arrangement.
Store the log where the people responsible for it can find it. If you send a printout to a substitute, include the date it was printed. The short-term AA service coverage guide covers when to give someone a brief handover and whom to name as a backup.
Keep the log useful without making it a second set of minutes
Use a sentence for the rule and a reference for the details. “Access the hall from Maple Street after 8 p.m., effective January 6. Venue contact checks the notice before each meeting. Approved in January 3 minutes.” Someone can act from the line and trace the decision if they need to.
Leave out personal circumstances that came up during discussion. The guide to writing AA business minutes without naming members explains how to keep sensitive details out of the underlying record. If the group needs a private contact list for a separate purpose, follow its own access arrangements.
At the next handover, ask the incoming volunteer to use the log to find one answer. If they need to ask you where an entry is or which date matters, rewrite that entry in the words they used to look for it.
A records decision might concern photographs for a private inventory. The log can say who can use the pictures and where to ask for them. Keep any item-level restrictions with the relevant record so the volunteer does not have to remember exceptions.
Medallions to consider
If a standing decision involves medallions, record the milestones the group has agreed to stock and keep personal requests elsewhere.
Both catalog photos show one-year samples. Confirm your choice in the Sobriety Time selector.
Tricolor Enchanted Crimson Topaz Sparkle
Elite crimson design with a stone-set triangle. The selector lists 18 months and annual milestones from 1 to 65 years.
Tricolor Glittering Aqua
Deluxe aqua design with a white triangle. The selector lists 24 hours, 18 months and annual milestones from 1 to 50 years.
Common questions
Can a group use paper for the log?
Yes. Keep it in a place where the responsible volunteers can consult it and mark the date on each update.
What if two entries disagree?
Check the approved minutes and confirm with the group if the current instruction is still unclear.
Keep reading
Compare designs and milestone options in Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins.
