i want to open an alano club, how do i start?

Question

i would like information on rules, regulations, resources, ideas, ect. to open a alano club in my area (California)

Answer 1

First, get your local 12-step groups behind the idea. Not only AA, but OA and NA and whatever else is in the neighborhood, because you are going to need a lot of support. Then get those members doing two things: looking for a good location, and fund-raising. A good location might become available where a member of one of the meetings is the owner or building manager, and you can get it for a nominal fee, in exchange for the tax break it will give the owner.

You will probably have to do all renovations and maintenance yourselves, as well as the routine things of being there, being behind the counter to serve coffee and food, and so on. That can be done by volunteers if they are committed to showing up every day, but schedule more than you need to cover those that don't show. If you hire people, hire your own people.

It's going to be a lot of work, and you will need a tight and dedicated team to pull it off. However, the rewards are great. Having a club you can go to when you need somebody to lean on is just as important as having a meeting to go to. And of course, meetings can be held in the club if you set aside a room large enough for it.

It is my dream that someday Alano Clubs will be a big and well-financed institution, with nice clubs in all the major cities, and housing, etc.; like the fraternities of the last couple of centuries, like Elks and Lions. When you travel, you don't have to stay in a hotel with a bar and noisy conventioneers; you stay at your club. You don't have to tell anyone you don't want to that it is an Alano Club; it's just "I'll be staying at my club. Here's the phone number."