The General Service Office provides vital services to Alcoholics Anonymous. For the past four years, every business and household has experienced financial challenges due to the pandemic plus the rising costs of goods and services.
In November a letter from Bob W., our GSO General Manager, issued a call to action for additional funds to be contributed by our fellowship. The letter appeared in the December issue of Unity. If you missed it, you can read the letter at aa.org. Go to “What’s New” and then to “Message from General Manager at GSO.”
Our Trusted Servants at GSO are doing a good job. According to the 2023 Final Report, only one in three registered groups in the United States and Canada contribute anything to GSO. In Area 56 we are a little above average, with 38% of our registered groups contributing to GSO. All of our groups are responsible to contribute to our General Service Office.
What can you do? Ask: Who is the Treasurer for this group? How is the money in the basket handled? After paying for rent, coffee a prudent reserve, what percentage of the remaining funds are contributed to Central Office, GSO, District, Area?
For group treasurers, here are a couple of suggestions that will help: (1) Make contributions to GSO online if possible as it saves on processing costs. (2) Contribute often; every three months or even monthly. Just like our households, bills come due often at GSO, so holding onto group contributions until the end of the year makes it difficult for GSO to plan. Individual AAs can also contribute to celebrate their sober anniversaries or in honor of a sponsor or friend.
The New Year promises to be a wonderful year for Area 56! That is because more of us are doing some service to AA. Let’s respond to this need for funding for AA’s vital services and have more, if not all, groups in Area 56 contributing something to GSO.
Warren G.
Area 56 Delegate, Panel 74, SW Ohio
Conference Committee on Literature
delegate@aaarea56.org
Leave a Reply