How to Cancel an AA Meeting for Bad Weather
When a venue closes for a storm, the people most likely to miss a group text are the ones coming for the first time. A cancellation plan should reach someone who found the meeting five minutes ago as well as the regulars.
Make the call before people start out
Give the venue contact and two group volunteers the same decision deadline. For a 7 p.m. meeting, the group might choose 4 p.m. and designate who checks again if conditions change. Set your own time around how far people typically travel and when the venue can confirm access.
Ask the venue about its own closure procedure. A clear street and a locked building still mean the meeting can't happen there. If you need local weather information in the United States, check the National Weather Service alerts for your area along with local emergency and road updates. Give the group a way to act if an official closure comes after its usual deadline.
Agree beforehand on who can post the notice. Waiting for everyone to reply to a group thread can leave the meeting listed as open past the point when anyone can reliably staff it.
Post a notice a newcomer can understand
Use the meeting’s public name, date, local time and location in the first sentence. “Tuesday 7 p.m., November 10, at the Elm Street hall is canceled tonight. We’ll confirm next Tuesday’s meeting here.” If the venue has several groups, include the full name so people can tell whose notice it is.
Have the backup volunteer check the group’s website or local directory, any group announcement channel and the venue's desk or voicemail where applicable. Ask the directory’s contact to flag the single date if its system allows it. Our guide to correcting an AA meeting directory listing can help you find the right contact. Keep a list of places you changed so you can remove the notice later.
If a digital meeting is already authorized and staffed, give the exact time and the usual access instructions. If you're pointing to another group, verify its listing with its organizer when possible. A tentative link or a platform link with an old passcode can send people to a second closed door.
Close the loop after the storm
Check that the venue will open and that the people with keys can attend. If you're using another room for a week, give the address, accessible entrance and date range. Ask a second person to compare the website and directory from a phone.
Clear the notice after the exception ends. A “closed tonight” banner with no date can still confuse someone the following week. If the group missed a channel, add it to the checklist while the details are fresh.
Keep the entire procedure where the next secretary can find it. Include the venue number, directory contact, message wording and the planned decision time. If closures recur because the building is hard to access, add closure communication to your next room rental conversation.
Keep public notices separate from messages meant for members. A public update needs the meeting facts and the next place to check. Save keyholder numbers, building codes and the names of volunteers for the private handover.
Medallions to consider
If a closure postpones a scheduled milestone presentation, ask the recipient how they want it handled at the next meeting.
The photos show sample years. Check the Sobriety Time selector for the milestone you want.
Common questions
Should we move online at the last minute?
Use an online option when the group has agreed to it and can operate it. Our comparison of online and in-person AA meetings explains what attendees can expect in each format.
What if we use the room and an online link next week?
Confirm both parts of the plan. Test hybrid meeting audio before announcing that people can join remotely.
Keep reading
To compare designs for a milestone, browse Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins.
