The AA Sponsor Gift Guide — What to Give a Sponsee (or a Sponsor)
Updated: 20 hours ago
There is a moment in sponsorship when you want to give something: a newcomer reaches 30 days, a sponsee finishes their Fourth Step, a sponsor walks you to a year. You want to mark it with something real, something that gets used. Here is what tends to land in the AA community.
AA Big Book, Highlighted & AAmazingtabbed
Laminated, pre-labeled tabs and color-highlighted passages, ready to use. Ships in 2–4 business days.
Gifts for a Newcomer (30 to 90 Days)
A newcomer needs tools. The most practical gift is a Big Book they can actually use. The tabbed and highlighted AA Big Book arrives with 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs marking the Steps, prayers, Promises and key passages, plus color-highlighted text. A newcomer can open it on Day 1 and find what their sponsor is talking about.
To add something personal, our AA Prayer Sticky Notes hold 14 prayers, including the Serenity Prayer and the Third and Seventh Step prayers. They can go in the Big Book, on a bathroom mirror, or anywhere a daily reminder helps.
Gifts for a Sponsee Working the Steps
Tabs for the book they already have. If your sponsee wants to keep their own Big Book, the AAmazingtabs Tabs Kit has 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs, a template and highlighting guide, and the 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th Step inventory packets. Tabbing it together makes a good evening of work.
A full DIY kit. The DIY AA Big Book Kits include the 4th Edition Big Book, 144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs, a highlighting guide, the Step inventory packets, and highlighters and a ruler.
A year of daily support. A 1-year AABlueBook membership pass gives them the Big Book and recovery tools on their phone for the whole year.
Gifts for a Sponsee Finishing the Fourth Step
The Fourth Step is often the hardest piece of work in early recovery. When a sponsee gets through it, mark it. The 4th Step Inventory Workbook is a Big Book companion for Steps 4, 6, 8 and 9, with structured worksheets for the resentment, fear and sex conduct inventories. Pair it with a tabbed and highlighted Big Book if they do not have one yet.
Gifts for a Sobriety Anniversary
For anniversaries, see our sobriety anniversary gifts by milestone, and our ideas for what to write in a sobriety anniversary card. An AAmazingtabs gift card works at any milestone.
Sponsor Gift Ideas by Sobriety Milestone
The gifts that mean the most usually match the work in front of the sponsee at that point. Here is a simple guide for the months after the newcomer stage.
Around Six Months
For many people, this is when inventory work begins or gets serious. A sponsor gift here can make that work less intimidating. Our free one-page Step 4 worksheet is a good start, and the 33-page 4th Step Inventory Workbook ($12.99, instant download) covers Steps 4, 6, 8 and 9. Pair it with a good pen and a notebook that is only for Step work.
Nine Months
At nine months, sponsees are often building a daily routine of prayer, reading and meetings. The InspirAAtions 365 Day Calendar ($20) gives them something to turn to every morning. It is also a natural lead-in to the one-year mark.
One Year
The first year is a big one, and many sponsors give their most meaningful gift here. A tabbed and highlighted Big Book in standard hardcover or large print is a gift they can carry into their own sponsorship. Write the date and a few words inside the cover.
Two Years and Beyond
After a few years, your sponsee may be sponsoring people too. A thoughtful gift now is something they can pass on: a second Big Book for their first sponsee, a Tabs Kit to keep on hand, or a gift card so they can choose. You're not just marking their time anymore. You're supporting the next sponsor in line.
AAmazingtabs Tabs Kit
144 laminated, pre-labeled tabs to put in your own Big Book. Ships in 2–4 business days.
Gifts for Your Sponsor
Your sponsor helped you find the program. The most meaningful sponsor gifts are personal or get used in Step work:
A large print Big Book, with the same tabs and color highlighting, for a sponsor who reads every day and prefers bigger type
AA Prayer Sticky Notes for a sponsor who leads meetings
A handwritten letter about what has changed in your life since you started working together
Service in their honor, such as a commitment at your home group
Gifts That Cost Nothing
Some of the gifts sponsees remember most are free: a ride to a meeting, a call on a hard night, sitting in the front row when they share for the first time, or asking them to read at a meeting.
The One Rule
The best AA gifts are the ones that get used. A tabbed Big Book gets opened every day. A prayer sticky note goes on the mirror and stays there for years. A 4th Step worksheet gets handed to the next sponsee. That is the kind of gift worth giving. For holiday ideas, see Christmas gifts for someone in AA.
Timing and Ordering
Our tabbed Big Books, the Tabs Kit and the $75 DIY Big Book Kits ship in 2–4 business days within the United States, and digital items arrive instantly. For Christmas, order in-stock items by December 15. You can add a gift note in the order comments at checkout. Browse everything in one place on our sobriety gifts page.
Ordering for a group, meeting or store? See our wholesale and group pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good gift for an AA sponsee?
A gift they will use in their recovery: a tabbed Big Book, tabs for the book they already have, a 4th Step workbook, or a note with your phone number inside the front cover.
What do you give your AA sponsor?
Many sponsors value personal gifts most, such as a heartfelt letter or an act of service in their honor. Practical gifts like a large print Big Book or prayer sticky notes are also popular.
Should a sponsor give a gift when a sponsee finishes the Fourth Step?
It is not required, but many sponsors like to mark it. A Step-work tool or a short note acknowledging the work is a meaningful way to do it.
Should a sponsor give a gift at every milestone?
No. Many sponsors give a small gift or a card at a few milestones, such as 30 days, 90 days and one year. A phone call and your time count as much as anything you buy.
How much should a sponsor spend on a gift?
There is no rule. A handwritten note costs nothing and is often kept for years. Many sponsor gifts fall between $12 and $99, such as a workbook, a daily calendar or a tabbed Big Book.
What do you give your own sponsor on their sobriety anniversary?
Many people write a thank-you letter that names something specific their sponsor did for them. Others give a large print Big Book, do an act of service in their sponsor's honor, or simply spend the day with them.
From Our Family
We are a family with 30+ years of sobriety, and we have been making tabbed Big Books for 10+ years. Browse all AA sobriety gifts, or contact us at info@aamazingtabs.com.
DIY Big Book Kits
A Big Book with tabs and highlighters, so you can set it up yourself. DIY kits ship in 2–4 business days.
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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