Page title

CENTRAL OFFICE REPORT – DECEMBER 16, 2024 GREATER NEW ORLEANS SERVICE BOARD MEETING

New Products. 

• More Spanish language pamphlets (from AAWS at Regional Forum)
• More Spanish language Grapevine books (learned from other Central Offices that Grapevine books were very popular among their Spanish-speaking members)
• “The Little Big Book Quote Book” and “The Little Big Book Prayer Book” from the same member who makes the Big Book Dictionary and 12 and 12 Dictionary
• Two new aluminum specialty chips with program sayings, “To Thine Own Self Be True” and the Four Absolutes
• “It Works If You Work It” combo pen and highlighter

Literature Updates. Plain Language Big Book (released Nov. 1, 2024) – our first order of 100 copies (received 11/8) sold out in under a week, including 40 copies held for pre-orders, and our second order of 100 copies shipped 11/20, and we have about 20 left. Once those are sold, we will await the second printing release date.

Printed Meeting Book is now available at Central Office, $5 for a 64-page booklet containing nearly 600 in-person and online meetings hosted throughout the GNO area plus “Meeting in a Pocket” readings. Updated quarterly, and printing them on-demand. Thank you for your ongoing feedback and continued meeting updates.

New Website Pages. We have made a beginning on multiple new webpages with the intention of improved accessibility of information, connection, and outreach between Service Board, Central Office, and various areas of our fellowship and service structure.

• Service Board & Central Office page. Created alongside our outreach flyer, includes excerpts from A.A. service literature about the roles and functions of service board and central office/intergroups, interspersed with our practical application of these roles and functions at the local/regional level. Also includes links to all Meeting Minutes for 2024, with more to be added as an online archive and to improve accessibility to this information across our fellowship. https://aaneworleans.org/service-board-central-office/ 
• Service Board Financials page. Similar to previous page, includes information about the Service Board’s financials (with more info and context to be added) as well as links to all Service Board Financials for 2024, with more to be added as an online archive and increase accessibility for our fellowship. https://aaneworleans.org/service-board-financial-info/ 
• Printable Calendars page. Created to provide access to current and archive past versions of the monthly printable calendars and holiday fellowship flyers. https://aaneworleans.org/printable-calendars/ 
• Pink Can Contributions info page. Created in support of the Service Board and multidistrict T&C committee. https://aaneworleans.org/pink-can/ 
• Gift Card info page. Created to provide access to links to purchase e-gift cards and to check gift card balances online; and to provide more information and context to these gift cards and different ways they may be useful to our regional fellowship. https://aaneworleans.org/central-office-gift-cards/ 

New Cover Page for Newcomer Pak. We updated the Newcomer Pak cover to include QR codes on the outside and the inside flaps, with hopes to share access to this info with newcomers both physically and digitally.

Pink Can – Coffee Can Info Sheet. Created a mockup design for Pink Can Contribution Info and presented to Service Board T&C Committee for review.

Printable Service & Events Calendar(s) plus. December 2024 calendar available https://aaneworleans.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-12-December-2024-SERVICE-EVENTS-CALENDAR-updated-2024-12-16.pdf; January 2025 calendar will be made available in our January bulletin. 

“Never Alone Again” Holiday Fellowship Flyers. Following the printable Thanksgiving Day meetings and events flyer, we have created a Winter Holiday Fellowship Flyer [LINK] for meetings, home groups, meeting spaces, and other T&C and outreach efforts to help connect alcoholics with meetings and fellowship during the holidays. Please spread the word to share those events and meeting changes information with Central Office to be updated on the website and be included on the flyer. Next holiday fellowship flyer will be for the Carnival season.

Pricing Changes. We have responded to our fellowship’s concerns about pricing on products at the office, and we have applied the changes to our pricing structure to most products. The new pricing structure includes a varying reduction of prices across the board, as well as, to the best of our ability, pricing to totals with whole or quarter-dollar amounts including sales tax. Shout-out to Assistant Manager Colyn N. for all of her good work on the admin tasks of updating prices and shelf tags throughout this process.

Bargain Box. For products that are slightly worn, damaged, or otherwise not fit for full retail sale, we’ve created a Bargain Box to be able to still recoup costs for these products while at reduced prices for customers.

Technology Upgrades – Zoom Equipment and Color Printer. Researched and purchased color printer, Brother HL-L3220CDW, $294.83 total after tax for printer from Best Buy, $54.59 4-year product replacement plan with Best Buy Geek Squad. Zoom equipment still being researched – looking for audio component for full-room voice capture effective for room of this size, or another alternative. Recommendations welcome.

Printing Services. We are still researching printing services prices, and now that we have the new color printer, we will incorporate data from printing experiences with both of our printers, different types of paper, designs, etc.

Literature Fund Update. Quarterly report included in meeting packet; more info available at aaneworleans.org/literature-fund. 2024 Q4 Report Overview (as of 2024-12-13) – Contributions: $300 initial contribution from DAAY in the Park, $63.43 home groups, $7 in-office; Recipients: 3 groups (Sunrise Solutions, Contempt Prior to Investigation, Graceful Inspirations); Total Literature Contributed: 11 Big Books (7 H/C, 2 S/C, 2 S/C L/P) and 3 Twelve & Twelve (S/C). Separate donation of $134 from DAAY in the Park plus $10 from Central Office to Service Board T&C gift card. Total remaining in Literature Fund as of 12/13/24: $194.53

Incoming DCM Outreach. We have assembled DCM Kits, including physical pamphlets and digital printouts of service materials outlined in AAWS F-153, for incoming DCMs for the districts we support. We hope this will encourage the incoming DCMs to communicate and collaborate with Central Office and the Service Board as we work together across the service structure in our mutual efforts to carry the message.

Sober.com Inaccurate Meeting/Office Info. Received calls about inaccurate information on Sober.com, including Central Office address and a meeting address. We submitted requests to update those listings with corrected info on Mon., Dec., 2. If these inaccuracies are more widespread, this may create a service opportunity for volunteers to identify and submit corrections requests when needed.

Archives Committee. We would like to discuss forming a local/regional archives committee in 2025. Intended purposes: for local/regional support of and participation in Area 27 Archives, to document and preserve our local/regional fellowship history, and to encourage participation in Archives service work at the member, home group, and district level. Central Office would serve as a waystation for this information and storage of documentation, with a Service Board committee budget set for the next fiscal year (2025-2026), and a committee of volunteers to participate in archives work, perform outreach tasks, and create historical displays that can be presented at local and regional events.