What is the 7th Tradition?
Most 12-step groups are fully self-supporting — no outside funding, no dues. Instead, a hat or basket (or its digital equivalent) is passed at each meeting so members can voluntarily contribute toward rent, literature, and other real costs. Pass the Hat exists to make tracking that easier, nothing more.
Why is it called "Pass the Hat"?
It’s the oldest shorthand there is for a 7th Tradition collection — passing a hat, or a basket, around the room so anyone who wants to can chip in. The name just describes exactly what your group already does every week.
Is this only for one kind of group?
No — Pass the Hat is built generically for any 12-step group. It doesn’t touch or replace however your own fellowship already does things — it’s just a ledger for the numbers underneath.
We call them keytags/medallions, not tokens — does that matter?
Not at all. We use "Token" in the app as a neutral term — some groups say chips, others keytags or medallions. Same thing, whatever your group calls it.
Does this replace our group’s bank account?
No. Most groups still keep a real bank account or a payment app (Venmo, Zelle, etc.) to actually hold and move money — Pass the Hat sits on top of that as the ledger, tracking what’s collected, spent, and kept in reserve.
Can more than one person from our group use it?
Yes — everyone with the login sees the same shared picture, since it’s one login per group rather than separate accounts per person. That fits how a lot of groups already operate — open books, shared trust — though we know some groups will want individual logins down the line, and that’s something we’re looking at. The login itself can be reset at any time.
How much should we keep in our prudent reserve?
There’s no fixed number — it’s a decision your homegroup makes together, usually somewhere around a few months of typical expenses, just enough to cover a quiet stretch without scrambling. Pass the Hat doesn’t set this for you: it’s a configurable field with an optional note, so whatever your group decides is what shows on your report.
Can you see our group’s money, or take a cut?
No cut, ever — donations to keep the project running are separate and optional. Each group’s data is isolated from every other group’s; nobody outside your own group can see your figures.
Is it really free? How does it stay that way?
Yes, fully — no subscription, no paywalled features, no trial. It’s kept running by voluntary donations, the same principle your own group runs on: whoever wants to contribute toward keeping the lights on can, and everyone else uses it exactly the same either way.
Who builds Pass the Hat?
One person, in their spare time — no company, no investors, no team. Just someone who’s done service work in a group like yours and got tired of spreadsheets and screenshots.
What about anonymity?
Two things, really. The 12-step kind: Pass the Hat only ever asks for what running your group’s books actually requires — first names for secretaries, if you use them at all. And the ordinary kind: your data is never sold, never used to train AI, and never visible outside your own group.
What happens to our data if we ever stop using it?
Deleting an account is a deliberate, two-step process (a confirmation email, then a final click) specifically so it can’t happen by accident — and a snapshot of your group’s data is emailed to you first, so there’s something to rebuild from either way.