Volunteer



Our Twelfth Step states: “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” The Capital District Central Office offers many service opportunities for AA members to help other alcoholics.

Volunteer Your Time

Our office is open:

Monday – Friday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

The physical office is closed on Sundays.

AA volunteers staff the office in two shifts:
Mon.-Fri. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Saturday. 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

At the end of the second shift, and after 4:00 PM on Saturdays, the Central Office phone is forwarded to a “Night Owl,” who is responsible for answering calls until the phone is transferred back to the Office at the beginning of the next shift. This system ensures that a “live” person answers the phone, 24/7.

Most of the people who call the Central Office are looking for AA meetings in the Capital District area, but many have questions about meetings throughout New York State and beyond. Others are calling to inquire about other 12-Step programs, while still others call on behalf of a family member or friend. It’s the occasional call from someone who cannot stop drinking that makes service with the Central Office most rewarding.

Volunteers who staff the CDCO also have the opportunity to greet and talk with individuals who drop in just to visit the office or to buy AA Conference-approved literature, medallions, and cards stocked there.

All volunteers receive training on suggested ways to answer the phone, where to find different kinds of information, and Central Office guidelines on what we can and cannot do. There are also written procedures and guides, and lists of local AA members who are available to take people to meetings or talk with them over the phone.

AA members who may not be able to work in the office or serve as a Night Owl can help in another way, by making themselves available for the direct Twelfth-Step work we do, like giving rides to meetings or talking with newcomers by phone or over coffee.

If you think you might be interested call us at (518) 463-0906, or click the button below!

The CDCO has several service positions available for those who would like to put their gratitude to work. If you are interested in volunteering, please click the button above.

12th Step and E-Z Rider Service

12th Step service is vital to an A.A. member’s continuing spiritual development and often involves talking on the phone with an alcoholic or going on a 12th Step call with another A.A. to share your experience, strength and hope with somebody who has called CDCO looking for help.

— A group 12th Step sign-up sheet can be found here.

The CDCO routinely gets calls from people visiting from out of town. They may be unfamiliar with the area and are looking for rides to local meetings. We also get calls from people new to A.A. who are in the same boat. A.A. members who want to help carry their group’s message of recovery are encouraged to sign up as E-Z Riders.

— The E-Z Rider sign-up sheet can be found here.

* All personal contact information is held in the strictest confidence by the CDCO. CDCO does not provide A.A. member contact information to any callers or other entities for any reason.

Become a Central Office Representative

The CDCO serves the AA Groups in the Capital District area. A Group’s Central Office Representative (“COR”) is the link between the Group and the CDCO, much like the Group’s General Service Representative (“GSR”) is the link between the Group and the District/AA as a whole. The COR represents the Group at the regular Central Office meeting which is held at the CDCO at 6:30 PM on the second Tuesday of every month.The next monthly business meeting is scheduled for Tuesday April 09, 2024 06:30pm @ 11 Computer Drive West, Suite 100, Albany, NY. All are welcome!

It is at this monthly meeting that important decisions about the Office and its operation are made. Groups (and individuals) are encouraged to attend these meetings and to express their needs and concerns. If you think you might be interested in becoming your Group’s COR, contact the CDCO chairperson at chair@AAalbanyNY.org, or call (518) 463-0906, for suggestions.

The following are volunteer positions held at the Central Office:

Office Volunteer – The Office Volunteers are AA members who answer the phone and greet and provide services to visitors to the Office during hours it is open. A minimum of one year of continuous sobriety is suggested for this position.

Night Owl – The Night Owls are AA volunteers who take phone calls at home that are forwarded from the Central Office phone during the hours the Office is closed. A minimum of one year of continuous sobriety is suggested for this position.

Financial Contributions

Thank you to the groups and individuals who have contributed generously to the CDCO. Your financial contributions (and your time and effort volunteering) are vital to the CDCO mission.

If your group has made a contribution, it will be reflected in the monthly CDCO Treasury Report.

In keeping with AA’s Seventh Tradition of self-support, the Capital District Central Office, as an AA service entity, depends on contributions from the Groups it serves to operate. The Central Office has monthly bills to pay such as the rent for its office, the phone, and the Internet service.

Before the Central Office was set up, responsibilities for the AA phones fell to the Districts in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Troy. Part of the Groups’ contributions to those Districts paid for each District’s phone service.

The CDCO now looks to the Groups to participate in the financial support of the Office and the phone service it provides. AA’s pamphlet on Self–Support provides suggestions to Groups on how they can split up their contributions to their District, Area, GSO and Central Office.

The CDCO also accepts contributions from individual AA members. Donations from individuals are tax-deductable.

To make a financial contribution to the CDCO:
fill out this CDCO Contribution Form. Checks should be made out to: “CDCO“.
Contributions can be brought to the CDCO or mailed to:
Capital District Central Office
11 Computer Drive West, Suite 100
Albany, NY 12205


Contributions may also be made online via PayPal, Credit / Debit card, or Venmo.

We ask that group treasurers include Group Name (as it appears in the meeting schedule) and district number for contributions to the Central Office so we can maintain our records properly.

In keeping with the Seventh Tradition, the Capital District A.A. Central Office limits contributions to two sources: A.A. groups, and individual A.A. members. While there is no limitation on the amount an A.A. group may contribute, we follow the limits established by the General Service Conference for individual contributions, currently not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) per year. Bequests in wills are acceptable on a one-time basis, and not in perpetuity. The limit is no more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00).

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