Giving Back — Become a Convenor

Questions and Answers about Convening

Who can be a LifeRing convenor?

Anyone with a personal history of recovery from addictive substances who has at least six months of continuous sobriety can be a LifeRing convenor. People may also choose to volunteer as meeting co-hosts or co-co-convenors.

Do I have to take a test to be a convenor?

No, there's no test. However, it's essential that the potential convenors or co-convenor be familiar with LifeRing literature — particularly the convenor handbook:  How Was Your Week?.

Convenors are peers in recovery, not treatment professionals, so no license or certificate is required. That said, being a convenor is a deeply educational experience. Many veteran LifeRing convenors, through their personal experience and readings, could likely teach classes on SUD recovery. Key qualities of a good convenor include being a good listener, modesty, and a positive outlook.

What kinds of things do convenors do?

Convenors act as vital connectors, bringing together people in recovery, linking recovering individuals with relevant communities, and connecting with other convenors. Here are some examples:

• Local Meetings: In addition to convening the meeting, convenors find suitable meeting rooms, set up the space, provide LifeRing literature, organize meeting supplies, welcome attendees, invite someone to read the opening statement, facilitate discussion, keep conversations on topic, manage the flow, pass the basket, and lead the closing applause.
• Online Meetings: Convenors host video or chat meetings, moderate email lists and forum boards, and contribute to the LifeRing news blog.
• Getting the Word Out: Convenors connect with treatment professionals and other referral sources. They ensure flyers and schedules are posted where needed, speak to recovery audiences, classrooms, and the general public about the LifeRing approach, and may engage with the press, appearing on radio and TV if invited.
• Connecting with Other Convenors: Convenors stay in contact with their contact with their Regional Representative, attend convenor workshops, collaborate with LifeRing teams, participate in convenor email lists, and discuss convenor literature. They may also help prepare for and become delegates at the annual LifeRing Congress, or even serve on the LifeRing Board of Directors and/or as officers of LifeRing Inc.
• Other Contributions: Convenors may also serve as writers, editors, publicists, accountants, fundraisers, administrators, or take on other useful roles not directly tied to a specific meeting. Any role that directly or indirectly brings people together in recovery the LifeRing way is a convenor role.

What resources exist for convenors?

The mission of the LifeRing Service Center is to "Serve the Meetings," making it a primary resource for LifeRing convenors. The volunteers at the Service Center offer a friendly ear and a range of material supplies to help you get a new meeting off the ground or grow an existing one.

A highly valuable, newer resource is the abundance of online LifeRing meetings. New convenors can familiarize themselves with the LifeRing meeting process by attending various online meetings to get a sense of how a typical meeting is convened. Once you've experienced this, you can decide whether to continue in the online world or find a place to start a local meeting.

Among other resources, your Regional Representative can:

• Send you a Meeting Starter Kit with all the essential literature and supplies to get you going.
• For online meetings, the Online Meetings Representative can provide you with a Zoom connection for your online meeting.
• Send you a LifeRing meeting charter.
• Help you started on the LifeRing convenor email list.
• Include your meeting on the LifeRing Meetings Calendar and keep your listing updated as you provide new information.
• Keep you posted about events and publications of interest to LifeRing convenors.

What are the rewards of being a convenor?

The main reward for a convenor is the profound satisfaction of being useful in other people's recovery journeys. For many, the convenor role also strengthens their own recovery and provides a much deeper insight into life. For someone whose past life may have been isolated and centered on drugs or alcohol, the experience of being a LifeRing convenor opens up a whole new world.

Convenors are connected. They matter. They are like midwives to the seeming miracles of healing and recovery. Convenors can hold their heads high and look people in the eye. They become walking storehouses of collected wisdom, earning appreciation and respect.

Ready to start this rewarding experience? Contact the LifeRing Service Center at service@lifering.org to begin.