Sponsor's First Meeting Checklist (Free Printable)
The first meeting with a new sponsee sets the tone for everything that follows. Most sponsors remember theirs: where they sat, what they read, what their sponsor asked. To make that first hour a little easier, we put together a free two-page Sponsor's First Meeting Checklist you can print, fill in and keep in your Big Book.
Download the free checklist (PDF) · No sign-up or email needed.
What's on the Checklist
The checklist follows the order most first meetings take, in six short sections:
Before you meet: a quiet place, your Big Book and one for your sponsee, a notebook, a meeting schedule and a few phone numbers. Plan on about an hour.
Set up their Big Book: your name and number inside the front cover, a quick tour of the chapters, and a simple way to find the sections they will use most.
First readings: starting at the beginning, with your sponsee reading aloud, and taking Step One at their pace.
Questions to ask: six plain questions about their drinking, their meetings and how to reach them.
Stay in touch: agreeing together how often you will talk, a weekly time to meet, and a plan for a hard night.
Next steps: fill-in lines for the next meeting, the reading to finish, meetings this week and any written work.
There is also space for notes, and a line at the top for your sponsee's name, phone number, sobriety date and home group.
How to Use It
Print one copy for each new sponsee. Fill in the top before you meet, tick items off as you go, and write the next steps together before you leave. Many sponsors tuck the page inside the front cover of the sponsee's Big Book so both of you know where it is.
The checklist is a starting point, not a script. Every sponsor brings their own experience, and your sponsee's pace matters more than any list.
Setting Up the Big Book
One item on the checklist is making the Big Book easy to find your way around. There is no single right way to do it:
Hand-write your own tabs, or use sticky tabs.
Tab the book together with the AAmazingtabs Tabs Kit, which has 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs and a template.
Start with a tabbed and highlighted AA Big Book that is ready on Day 1.
Highlighting is your choice as a sponsor. Some sponsors highlight together as they read; others let the sponsee mark what speaks to them. Our guide to what to highlight in the AA Big Book has ideas for both. For older words that meant something different in the 1930s, the interactive Big Book in the AABlueBook app can help.
Get the Free Checklist
No sign-up or email needed. It is two pages, letter size, and free to print and share with other sponsors in your group. If your group or website keeps a list of sponsor resources, you are welcome to link to this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a sponsor do at the first meeting with a sponsee?
Many sponsors spend the first meeting getting to know the sponsee, setting up their Big Book, starting the first readings together, and agreeing how and when to stay in touch.
How long is a first sponsor meeting?
About an hour is common. It is long enough to read together and talk without making the first meeting feel like too much.
What should a sponsor and sponsee read first?
Most sponsors start at the beginning of the Big Book, with The Doctor's Opinion and Bill's Story, then There Is a Solution and More About Alcoholism.
Can I share the checklist with other sponsors?
Yes. It is free to print and share with your group.
From Our Family
We are a family with 30+ years of sobriety, and we have been hand-crafting tabbed Big Books for 10+ years. We hope this page makes your next first meeting a little easier.
Take the Big Book with you: get the AAmazingtabs app. App Store · Google Play
AAmazingtabs is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
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