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CENTRAL OFFICE REPORT – GNOSB MEETING JANUARY 28, 2025

RETAIL STORE

New Products. By request, expanded Al-Anon selections and the addition of a few NA books and Robert’s Rules of Order; more booklets about various recovery topics, i.e. emotional sobriety, Coming Back From Relapse. 

Literature Updates. Plain Language Big Book. We placed an order for the second printing with AAWS on its release date, January 10th, and await that order’s fulfillment.

Printed Meeting Book 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, next will be available February 2025. Printing on-demand. Thank you for feedback and ongoing meeting updates. Free printed meeting lists also available, organized by day and time, used in Newcomer packets and T&C efforts.

Pricing Changes. Project underwent another overhaul in response to the increase of Louisiana sales tax, with total sales tax increasing from 9.2% to 9.75%. 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.

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

Internal Upgrades at the Office. Remerchandised front office products, and have received positive feedback from fellowship and staff/volunteers on those changes. Created updated inventory counts sheets and processes to make inventory process more efficient and effective. Deep cleaned all areas of the office, including the closet and bathroom, and reorganization of all shelves, office spaces, and closet. 

FELLOWSHIP COMMUNICATIONS

Meeting Database Updates. Added district info to all nearly 600 meetings within our meeting database; anyone wanting to know what district their meeting is in can find that info on their meeting listing, and our online Meeting Locator is now searchable by district. Click the “Everywhere” drop-down menu and select “Switch to Districts” (from Regions) and if the page doesn’t reload with the new results, scroll up or click Refresh as needed.

Website Content Updates. 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. Visit “Bulletins” and “Service Resources” pages or past Central Office reports for links.

Bulletin Updates. Launched our first Call for Recovery Artwork, and those will be included in the February 2025 Bulletin. We hope these first submissions will inspire other artists across our Fellowship to share their artwork as well. We have also made a beginning on other updates to our monthly bulletin: creating graphics for certain monthly sections that can be reused each year, instead of retyping these sections every month as we had been previously (Three Legacies of the month, Traditions Checklist, Concepts Checklist) as well as incorporating our Three Legacies as section headers.

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 these listings with corrected info in early December, and have followed up in January 2025; some incorrect info still remains. If these inaccuracies are more widespread, this may create a service opportunity for volunteers to identify and submit corrections requests when needed.

New and Updated In-house Resources. Created in-house resources to assist with questions from fellowship, such as GSO numbers list, Spanish language meeting list, DCM kits. We have also updated the digital packets, including a Welcome/Newcomers packet and the Service packet. Updates to PI/CP packet ongoing.

Incoming DCM Outreach. We assembled DCM Kits, including physical pamphlets and digital printouts of service materials outlined in AAWS F-153, for incoming DCMs for the districts our office supports, and we have distributed these to all incoming DCMs via district and Area meetings this past month. We hope this will encourage the incoming DCMs to communicate and collaborate with Central Office and the Service Board, including attending our monthly steering meetings and encouraging more service board/intergroup reps for home groups in their districts. Our intention is to communicate and work together across the service structure in our mutual efforts to carry the message.

Printable Service & Events Calendar(s) plus. February 2025 calendar [LINK]. 

Area Assembly (Jan. 25th) Sharing Session. 10-14 people attended the Central Office sharing session; discussion included clarifying Central Office/Intergroup’s place within the A.A. service structure (not part of upside-down triangle, exists more in the realm of interconnecting members, newcomers, and service entities via communication, literature, and other services) and included points of interest for an upcoming annual report.

OTHER SERVICES & FINANCIALS

Technology Upgrades – Zoom Equipment. 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. Will have equipment proposal at February 2025 meeting.

Printing Services. We have created a more simplified proposal for printing, copying, and other in-office services – tiered suggested contributions amounts that consider factors such as B&W, color, number of pages, and additional finishing needs such as stapling, folding, stamps/envelope, etc. 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.)

Literature Fund Update. 2024-12 Quarterly report available at aaneworleans.org/literature-fund. 

Archives Update. We have begun our archives focus on the Service Board and Central Office itself, creating a digital archive of monthly Bulletins, Service Board meeting minutes, and financial reports on our website. We have a physical archive of several years of monthly Bulletins, as well as various flyers and service materials. We have also begun a physical archive for Big Deep South, including past flyers and speaker tapes on a back table in the office – an archive we could turn into a display/ table at the annual event to preserve the history of the convention and generate interest in its history and future. Speaker tape digitization ongoing.

Retail Data Analysis and Data Integrity Project. Ongoing cleanup and reorganization of Square Retail program, including data cleanup for product listings in preparation for future online retail launch. Ongoing cleanup and reorganization of lists of names and contact info for meetings/home groups and districts; collaborating with DCMs and Area on this effort (Fellowship Connection).

Financial Data Analysis and Reporting Improvements. Upgrades to internal financial reporting processes, such as our end-of-day sales and deposit reporting spreadsheet and expansion of reports provided to accountant each month (i.e., addition of monthly Big Deep South PayPal report that was not previously being reported on balance sheet; addition of new areas to report monthly, including gift card activations and usage report, and contributions to and usage of Literature Fund). Began data collection and cleanup for Monthly Bills Review and Analysis (2019-2024) as well as 2024 Sales and Inventory Reports data to include in an upcoming annual report for Central Office and the GNO Service Board.