AIS FAQs

What is AIS? AIS stands for Al-Anon Information Service. Our Greater Seattle AIS serves groups in Districts 14-22 in Washington state. That area is basically King County plus a small part of Snohomish County. An AIS is a level of Al-Anon that helps Districts located close enough to one another to share information and to answer calls from those seeking information about Al-Anon. "The mission of AIS is to provide a network of communication to our communities and to our fellowship." Many AIS offices, like ours, also have a Literature Distribution Center.
What exactly does the Greater Seattle Al-Anon do? A key service that AIS volunteers provide is a phone service to take the calls of potential members, newcomers, and others seeking more information about Al-Anon. Many member's first contact with Al-Anon is hearing the welcoming voice of a phone volunteer. Our AIS also acts as a Literature Distribution Center so that Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature is available locally and can be received more quickly that when ordered from WSO. We also produce a Meeting Directory of our local meetings for those who prefer to have a paper version. We produce the BITS newsletter plus news updates which are sent once or twice a month directly to the inboxes of members who have signed up to receive it. AIS also maintains this website. These tasks are performed by volunteers. Please consider volunteering!
When are the AIS Council meetings? Council meetings are held the 2nd Thursday of the month at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 8501 SE 40th St, Mercer Island at 7:30 pm. For directions, CLICK HERE. NOTE: Meeting via Zoom during COVID-19. Check out the flyer on our Events page for connection information.
Do Groups have a vote at an AIS Council meetings? Yes. Each Group is strongly encouraged to send a representative to AIS Council meetings. The Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual suggests that the Alternate Group representative attend the meetings, but any representative sent by their Group (except those also belonging to AA) have a vote. And all members are encouraged to volunteer for service.
Where can I find minutes from AIS Board and Council meetings? Please contact your AIS Council Representative or District Representative for the full minutes. A summary of the minutes is included in each month's BITS newsletter.
Where can I find financial information for AIS? Click here.
Who are the AIS officers and coordinators and how do I contact them? Click on the AIS OFFICERS & COORDINATORS button above.
How do I sign up for the AIS electronic updates? CLICK HERE
When I sign up for the electronic updates, how many emails will I get each month? You can expect to receive the electronic updates on the first day of each month which is when the BITS newsletter is posted to this website. Another email will arrive a few days before the AIS Council meeting as a reminder. Occasionally, there might be a need to send a special communication.
How do I know when there is a new edition of the BITS newsletter and what is the best way to read it? The BITS newsletter is published on this website on the first day of each month. To be notified when it is published, please opt in for our electronic updates which are sent directly to your inbox. To sign up, click here. Click on the link provided in that email. That link takes you to the BITS newsletter page for that month. You can read the newsletter on that browser page or If you prefer to read the BITS on paper, click on the button for the .pdf print version.
Where can I find the AIS Bylaws and Standing Rules and Procedures Manual? Click on AIS BY-LAWS AND STANDING RULES & PROCEDURES button above.