CENTRAL OFFICE REPORT – GNOSB MEETING APRIL 28, 2025
RETAIL STORE
New Products. Spanish-language pamphlets now included in pamphlet display, and introducing, Paquete de Principiante (Spanish-language Newcomer Packets).
Printed Meeting Book (Oct. 2024 edition) available, printed upon request. Next update still in progress, delayed by recent news and events, as well as changing the format and simplifying the production process; intended by May 2025.
Office Rent Increase. Lease agreement negotiations remain ongoing in the remaining days before May 1st, 2025, when our initial rental rate increase takes effect. We have already remitted a $1250 payment for May 2025 rent, however we are still attempting to negotiate some of the points within the lease agreement. Contributions from groups will be essential for us to continue to afford the increases in rent, product costs, and other bills and utilities.
Labor Costs and Store Hours. We continue to review sales transaction and other financial data to consider changing our store hours to account for labor costs, such as closing on days with minimal transactions. Closing on Saturdays while staying open until 6pm on Thursdays and Fridays is one option we are considering.
FELLOWSHIP COMMUNICATIONS
Bulletin Backer. We officially launched and announced to the Fellowship the annual Bulletin Backer subscription, per discussion at the March 2025 board meeting. We created a payment link via Square POS.
For printed Bulletins, we printed the address label with each individual member’s subscription renewal date, and if that subscription was expired or expiring, we also included an additional label affixed to the printed Bulletin. This label advertised the new Bulletin Backer subscription model, included a QR code to access and purchased the subscription, and also verbiage to let the member know that would be their final printed/mailed Bulletin until they renewed their subscription.
Moving forward, all address labels will include the subscription renewal date as we frequently are called or asked about those renewal dates by current and previous subscribers. As the subscription renewal date approaches, we will also include the additional label/sticker with the Bulletin Backer subscription verbiage and QR code.
In these first few weeks to date, we have had 4 Bulletin Backer annual subscriptions for a total of $144. We will create and host a small display raising awareness of the Bulletin Backer subscription model at upcoming events (SELA Spring Round Up, Big Deep South). Our messaging encourages folks to purchase subscriptions for themselves, for their home groups and meeting spaces (possibly multiple copies for larger meeting spaces), and for any other members or individuals they feel could benefit from the information contained in each monthly Bulletin.
Central Office Email Templates. We now have a Google Doc file of email verbiage templates. These response templates contain different links or other types of info that we most commonly share and respond with to various members and newcomers who reach out the office, and can then be further customized for that particular individual or request.
This has improved the quality and completeness of our response content, average speed of response time for office emails, and efficiency of email communications, as well as reduced overall labor time devoted to reviewing and answering emails.
Website Content Updates. By request, we have updated our homepage (Hope page) to include links to a Contributions Page containing links to different ways members, meetings, and home groups can contribute to Central Office and the services we provide.
OTHER SERVICES & FINANCIALS
Cybersecurity Update. Since an attempted cybersecurity breach on March 15, 2025, we have taken steps forward toward improving cybersecurity of the increasingly digital communications and operations here at the office. The incident itself seems to have been isolated and unsuccessful, and to our current knowledge, no member or organizational data has been leaked or affected. Still, out of an abundance of caution, as well as a need to update cybersecurity processes, we have changed usernames and passwords for several of our major digital platforms as well as updated our master password log.
We continue to research and apply more up-to-date best practices as to how we might improve cybersecurity for our office. Our focus is here as our world advances into the digital age, with more digital and online vulnerabilities, and with our Traditions and spiritual principle of anonymity in mind and heart.
Technology Upgrades – Zoom Equipment. Zoom equipment still being researched, though other financial priorities have come up since. Looking for audio component for full-room voice capture effective for a room of this size, or another alternative. Recommendations welcome. Postponing equipment proposal to a later meeting.
Printing Services. Our office is now willing and able to print/copy documents related to A.A. service materials and local A.A. fellowship (i.e. flyers, meeting minutes, meeting agendas, etc.) for members, groups, and service committees. We hope that contributions can offset printing costs, and other printing considerations, such as B&W, color, number of pages, and additional finishing needs such as stapling, folding, stamps/envelope, etc.
Update on Motion to Transfer $5,000 from Prudent Reserve to Central Office Operations Account. Per the approved motion to transfer $5,000 from the Prudent Reserve to Operations Account for Central Office, that transfer was successfully initiated and completed on []. As of today, April 28, 2024, the GNO Service Board’s four bank account balances are as follows: Office Operations Account: $# | Office Debit Card Account: $# | Prudent Reserve: | Big Deep South Operations Account: $#
Donation Received, Not Per Traditions. This month we received a $200 donation check in the mail from Progressive Insurance Foundation via Charities Aid Foundation America. No donor information was provided, so whether this donation is from a member of our Fellowship cannot be determined. Turning down any contributions at a time when financial support is needed is not ideal, however, and regardless, accepting contributions that break with Traditions is a slippery slope I do not feel comfortable doing from my role as trusted servant and special worker. I feel inclined to decline this contribution, though I would still like input from the Service Board. Motion to decline a $200 donation check from a corporate foundation that does not, at this time, include any specific donor information of a member of our fellowship, per Tradition Seven.