GSO

Community Update Aug 05, 2026: Contribution Routing & Platform Transparency

Recently, administrative shifts across Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (“AAWS”), the General Service Office (“GSO”), and the General Service Board (“GSB”) led to contribution processing disruptions, creating confusion over whether the GSB was refusing to deposit funds from independent AA groups and members using Homegroup.Online (“HGOL”).

On June 26, 2026, legal counsel for AAWS sent a formal notice confirming that the GSB has stopped depositing checks from HGOL. AAWS claims HGOL creates a false impression of official endorsement, violating and tarnishing AAWS’s trademark rights, the fundamental tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Twelve Traditions. Furthermore, AAWS questioned HGOL’s nonprofit status and money transmitter compliance.

HGOL stands firm that it has operated lawfully and in harmony with spiritual traditions. However, recognizing AAWS’s legal obligation to protect the intellectual property of Alcoholics Anonymous, HGOL is working in good faith to understand and resolve these concerns.

Here is everything you need to know about the current situation, how we got here, and what we are doing to resolve it.

Over the past ten years, HGOL has repeatedly reached out to the GSO for guidance and clarification, but the GSO has never responded to any of our inquiries. About a year ago, legal counsel for AAWS contacted HGOL informally, claiming that HGOL was “affiliating” itself with AA and that newcomers could not distinguish between the two entities. During our discussions, we reviewed HGOL’s non-affiliation page, which explicitly references GSO literature regarding separate entities, non-affiliation, and the “friendly relationship” between independent entities.

HGOL relied on this conference-approved GSO literature to reassure independent groups that utilizing HGOL to manage their finances respects the tradition of non-affiliation and the principle of self-support. This reliance was well-justified: for eight years, GSO staff explicitly confirmed to inquiring members that using HGOL violated no traditions, and the General Service Board (GSB) has continuously deposited funds from HGOL-participating groups since 2018.

In 2025, AAWS counsel cited a quote on our site attributed to the GSO: “Many groups use Homegroup.Online and they are not violating any traditions by doing so.” HGOL promptly agreed to remove the GSO attribution. When I asked counsel to identify other specific areas implying affiliation, no examples were provided. In a follow-up email in 2025, I explicitly noted: “Please reach back out if there is any indication of additional issues.”

In the spring of 2026, sudden internal contradictions within their offices became apparent. Seeking clarity, Homegroup.Online re-engaged AAWS:

  • April 23, 2026  – HGOL Letter to AAWS: HGOL wrote to the GSB seeking clarification and confirming that the refused payments were the legal funds of autonomous AA groups, not funds belonging to HGOL.
  • June 26, 2026 – AAWS Formal Legal Notice: AAWS counsel formally claimed that HGOL creates an impression of official endorsement, accused HGOL of tarnishing AA Traditions, and questioned HGOL’s legal and tax status.
  • July 10, 2026 – HGOL Response to Legal Notice: HGOL confirmed the removal of referenced AAWS/GSO copyrighted and trademarked terms, published a comprehensive non-affiliation disclaimer, and outlined our fair-use rationale. We also explained our legal obligation to reference necessary terms to comply with banking regulations. We once again asked for specific examples of implied endorsement, offered to let AAWS draft the exact disclaimer text, and clarified our legal status language to prevent misinterpretation. Finally, we expressed concern over AAWS’s conflicting communications and shared feedback from AA members who feel AAWS has overreacted.

Out of respect for legal communication standards and to avoid unnecessary public controversy within the Fellowship, formal correspondence to and from AAWS legal counsel are not hosted on the open web. However, complete copies of all correspondence are available to active AA Group Treasurers, GSRs, and homegroup officers upon request.

Where AAWS May Have a Point

HGOL has always maintained strict fair-use guidelines, educational context, and legally compliant status references. However, we now recognize that strict legal interpretations did not account for AAWS’s subjective optics. Their duty is to safeguard Alcoholics Anonymous, and HGOL has asked AAWS to help guide the way forward.

The Communication Breakdown

What remains disappointing is the complete absence of direct, constructive dialogue. After nearly a decade, AAWS’s only communication has been adversarial and conducted exclusively through legal counsel. AAWS has failed to recognize HGOL’s complete willingness to comply, choosing instead to issue legal threats, question our corporate status, and disrupt member contributions without notice.

Moving Forward

GSO literature confirms that groups are autonomous, separate entities, entitled to a Right of Decision and to establish service offices to help manage shared administrative needs. Indeed, local Intergroups and Central Offices operate under this exact principle—they are legally separate, autonomous entities with no corporate connection to AAWS.

Yet AAWS is now restricting independent groups from using a shared office they created to solve the exact administrative challenges that AAWS itself does not cover. Thousands of AA members and groups have vetted HGOL without raising concerns about affiliation or traditions. After many years of no objection, AAWS is the only entity that has now objected and has done so in an unconscionable mannor.

AAWS’s adversarial stance and subjective view on endorsement suggest they may simply oppose HGOL’s existence—meaning standard trademark compliance may never satisfy them. We must prepare for the reality that AAWS may exercise its discretion to reject HGOL-managed funds indefinitely or initiate litigation despite our compliance efforts. Because HGOL lacks the financial reserves to fund a courtroom defense, formal litigation would effectively end Homegroup.Online and the services we provide to thousands of AA members.

Gratefully volunteering,
Aaron B.
Homegroup.Online