What is the role of a General Service Representative?

“The strength of our whole general service structure starts with the group and the general service representative (GSR) the group elects. I cannot emphasize too strongly the GSR’s importance.”
Bill W.

The general service representative has the job of linking his or her group with A.A. as a whole. The G.S.R. represents the voice of the group conscience, reporting the group’s thoughts to the district committee member and to the delegate, who passes them on to the Conference. This communication is a two-way street, making the G.S.R. responsible for bringing back to the group Conference Actions that affect A.A. unity, health, and
growth. Only when a G.S.R. keeps the group informed, and communicates the group conscience, can the Conference truly act for A.A. as a whole.

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General Service Representative Duties

G.S.R.s attend district meetings and area assemblies.
G.S.R.s serve as the mail contact with the General Service Office, and they are listed in the A.A. directories as contacts for their groups. They receive the G.S.O. bulletin Box 4-5-9, and keep their groups abreast of A.A. activities all over the world.
They serve as mail contact with their district committee member and with the area committee.
G.S.R.s supply their D.C.M.s with up-to-date group information, which is relayedto G.S.O., either directly to the Records department or through the area registrarupdating G.S.O.’s database, for inclusion in the directories and for G.S.O. mailings.
They are knowledgeable about material available from G.S.O. — new literature, guidelines, bulletins, videos, tapes, kits, etc. — and they are responsible for passing such information on to the groups.
They learn everything they can about the Twelve Traditions and Twelve Conceptsand are familiar with this manual, the books Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions andA.A. Comes of Age, Twelve Concepts for World Service, and the pamphlets “The A.A. Group,” “A.A. Tradition – How It Developed,” “The Twelve Traditions Illustrated,” and “The Twelve Concepts Illustrated.”
They work with group treasurers to develop practical plans for group support.
They participate in district and area service meetings, and often help with planning for area get-togethers and conventions. Following these events, they make reports to their groups for the benefit of those who could not attend.