Funding NA Services
Where Our Basket Money Goes
Being self-supporting means that NA services are supported by our own efforts. Meetings that have more give more so that meetings that have less do not have to go without. We, as a worldwide fellowship, take care of Narcotics Anonymous.
Our Worldwide Fellowship
In addition to our local efforts to share the NA message of recovery, there is much to be done around the world to pursue our vision of making recovery available to every addict, regardless of language or culture.
When the NA groups send money to world services, they help support some of the following efforts:
- Providing free literature and shipping for developing NA communities
- Funding delegates from around the world to attend the World Service Conference. The conference is the place where “The fellowship collectively expresses itself on matters affecting Narcotics Anonymous as a whole.”
- Conducting public relations efforts to help members of the community/government officials understand what NA is and what we do.
In a few decades NA has grown from a small number of meetings in a handful of places to a worldwide fellowship with over 72,215 weekly meetings in 143 countries.*
*As of 2023.
Map not intended to be geographically accurate.
How Our Groups Contribute Financially
The Eleventh Concept states: “NA funds are to be used to fulfill our primary purpose, and must be managed responsibly.”
Ideally, after paying for their expenses, groups send money directly to each level of service to help pay for the work done on their behalf. This example is one of many possible models groups can use.
Some groups also set aside a small operating reserve (sometimes called a “prudent reserve”), often a month's rent or expenses. The Group Booklet cautions us that “too much money in the till causes far more trouble than too little money.”
For more information on managing the group's funds, consult some of the following resources, which are available online or through your usual NA literature source: The Group Booklet, Treasurer's Handbook, Group Treasurer's Workbook, A Guide to Local Services in NA.
Our Seventh Tradition of self-support isn’t only about money, but this pamphlet is. Members with further interest in the topic of self-support are encouraged to read IP #24, Money Matters: Self-Support in NA, the Seventh Tradition essay in It Works: How and Why, and the Eleventh Concept essay from Twelve Concepts for NA Service.
WHERE TO SEND OUR DONATIONS
To help members understand the importance of individual contributions, groups may want to add a statement like this one to their meeting format to be read before passing the basket:
Our Seventh Tradition states:
“Every NA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.”
In Narcotics Anonymous, we pay our own way to maintain our freedom. By giving freely, we ensure that we have meetings to attend, and we support the services that keep NA alive and growing all around the world.
We encourage members to keep in mind that our financial contributions to NA are one of the fundamental ways we can demonstrate our gratitude for the program that showed us a new way to live.
Copyright © 2010 by Narcotics Anonymous
World Services, Inc. All rights reserved
World Service Office
PO Box 9999
Van Nuys, CA 91409 USA
TEL (818) 773-9999 FAX (818) 700-0700
WEB www.na.org
This is NA Conference-approved literature.
Narcotics Anonymous, 
and The NA Way
are registered trademarks of
Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Incorporated.
ISBN 9781557768308 • English • 12/23
WSO Catalog Item No. 3128
