Welcome to Area 3 – Panel 76

Welcome to the Panel 76 rotation of Alcoholics Anonymous in Area 3. Whether you are new to AA, returning, or have been here for many years, you are welcome here.

To try to keep fresh information and communication, I have updated this page with new information, and I am working to provide the same in Spanish.

With that in mind, your Webservant has created a page for me to post in Spanish. I did a web-based translation and hope to spend a little time at the Assembly to talk it over and find a way to provide the information in an understandable format for our Hispanic community. Check out the page: https://area03.org/Rincon-del-delgado

The January information is archived below as a PDF file: 2026-02-Delegate-Corner-English.pdf

The theme for 76th General Service Conference is "Humility in Action". Area 3 serves on the 2026 Conference Committee on Corrections.

Panel 76 invites us to find common ground in our shared purpose, which is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. While our paths may look different, we are united by a common solution and guided by a Higher Power. Stay open, stay connected, and remember that our strength lies in unity, respect, and love for one another.

The Panel Topics went out for distribution on March 7th. I hope your Group received them soon after and you were able to discuss and send your conscious to the Pre-Conference Assembly.

Thank you for being part of Area 3 and for helping carry the message of Alcoholics Anonymous.

My upcoming schedule (for now!) Please contact me to schedule a Delegate Report-back.

• April 10-11: Pre-Conference Assembly
• April 26-May 2: General Service Conference
• May 30: Post-Conference Assembly

News and Information:

GSO just announced that the retrofit of the office has been completed and all employees will return to the office the following Monday, April 13th.

A Project Cost Estimates document was made available. The idea is that when a Conference Committee recommendation involves a substantial expenditure of money, an estimate of cost and its impact on the budget be part of that recommendation. This estimates file is under General Service Conference Reports.

I recently received the unaudited 2025 Fourth Quarter Financial Report (QFR).

I uploaded this unaudited 2025 4^th Quarter GSB Financial Report to this Delegates Corner page under General Service Office Reports.

Also uploaded are the monthly self-support letters in the same location: General Service Office Reports.

Below are some excerpts and notes I made from the 4^th QFR, with help from other Delegates.

AAWS/GSB Financial Statements

From the Executive Summary:

• Total revenue: ~$18.85M (7% below budget)
• Total expenses: ~$18.53M (2% below budget)
• Operating surplus: ~$325K (much lower than expected ~$1.3
• Reserve fund: ~5.9 months of expenses (slightly down)

AAWS/GSB Key Financial Indicators (“KFIs”)

Contributions (7th Tradition)

• ~$10.6M total
  
• Down vs budget and prior year (–4% / –6%)
  
• Contributions are still declining.
  

Literature Sales

• ~Gross sales: up vs last year (+6%) but below budget
• ~Profit margin: down (48.8% vs ~53%)
• *Good demand (especially new Plain Language Big Book), but costs are eating into margins.

**To explain gross margin, if a hard cover Big Book is sold for $12, $12 goes to gross literature sales. If that book cost $6.12 to print and mail, net sales are what we keep, in this case $5.88. The Gross Margin percentage on this sale is 5.88/12.00 = 49%

Expenses

Slightly under budget but higher than last year due to inflation.

Operating Result

• Surplus dropped significantly vs expectations
• *Main reason: lower contributions + lower margins

Reserve fund:

• ~5.9 months of expenses (slightly down)
• More information on the Reserve Fund below.

Comparative Balance Sheet Notes

• Cash decreased ~$4.3M - Mainly due to spending on the International Convention
• Inventory down (better management)
• Pension & medical funds are overfunded (positive sign)
• Lease ended in 2025 (new lease starts 2026)

AAGV Financial Statements

Grapevine & La Viña (Publishing Arm)

Grapevine

• Strong improvement:
• Income up
• Loss reduced by ~67%
• Print subscriptions down (–8%)
• Digital subscriptions up strongly (+34%)

It looks like the shift from print to digital is clearly happening.

La Viña (Spanish publication

• Major improvement:
• Revenue and circulation up
• Expenses down
• Still runs a deficit, but:...
• Shortfall reduced by 17%
• The support from the GSB is reduced $95k, from $572k to $477k.

AAGV Key Financial Indicators (“KFIs”)

Reserve Fund:

Since the $3,000,000 drawdown required in response to the pandemic in 2020, the fund has not recovered, and the number of months our reserve can cover has declined year over year.

Here is a historical snapshot of that trajectory from the Quarterly Financial Report.

GV Subscription Liability is the money AA has already received for Grapevine subscriptions that have not yet been delivered.

Although the balance has not declined significantly over the past 15 years, inflation has substantially eroded its value.

At the same time, the number of projects from the Conferences (General Service Conference Advisory Actions) submitted to the General Service Board has increased. In effect, we are asking them to do more with less.

I want to highlight the cost-cutting measures that have been implemented.

• The GSB has reduced in-person board weekends to two, with the other two held virtually.
• Travel costs in 2024 were reduced by 24% in 2025.
• Operating expenses in 2025 came in 2% below budget.
• The $2.4 million office remodel is expected to generate long-term savings by consolidating operations to a single floor.
• Made several changes to Regional Forums to save money. See the Regional-Forum-Changes file under the General Service Office Reports.

We are also implementing the following cost-saving measures for the GSC

• The Remote Communities Meeting, previously held in person before the Conference, is now conducted virtually.
• The opening dinner is now limited to Conference members only; guests are no longer invited, resulting in an estimated savings of $18,000.
• The 2026 Conference Manual will be provided in digital format only. If Conference Members want a hard copy, we will need to print and bring our own.
• The 2026 Final Conference Report will be provided in digital format only, with a printable version available. Expected savings of over $80,000 will be realized, including shipping costs
• I only get 1 free soda or sparking water with lunch!
• The GSC Coordinator no longer approves additional hotel nights for travel. If Delegates are unable to return home on the day the Conference concludes, they must cover the cost personally or request reimbursement from their Areas. Given travel constraints, it is not feasible for a Delegate to travel to and from the GSC in New York City on the same day the Conference begins and ends. I plan to request two nights from the Area Treasurer.

A few notes:

Since its introduction in November 2024 over 228,000 copies of the Plain Language Big Book have been sold producing a gross revenue of just over $2 million.

Grapevine: 

• Grapevine made excellent progress in 2025, with bottom line improvement of over $575k (67%) compared to 2024. Although print subscriptions declined by 8%, both Online and App subscriptions increased by over 34%.
• La Viña: has shown improvement in all areas year-over-year.
• La Viña’s bottom line improved 17%. The support from the GSB is reduced $95k, from $572k to $477k.
• Grapevine losses have decreased from $800,000 two years ago to under $300,000 this year, hoping to reach $200,000 next year.
• Digital Growth: App subscriptions rose 35% in 2025, with 120 new EU subscriptions after the January 11 release; revenue from Apple and Google stores now exceeds $456,000.
• Audience Expansion: Podcasts have over 1.3 million downloads, averaging 24,000 per month; social media growth continues, including 62,000 Instagram views for Grapevine and 17,000 YouTube subscribers.

In closing:

It appears that our trusted servants, the GSB, GSO, and staff, are prudently applying our contributions to the services we have asked them to provide. The question I bring to you is this: Are you willing to support the services you have requested?

I believe that if we truly value the services provided by AAWS, the GSB, and GSO, we will contribute what is needed. Our Fellowship has always risen to meet the need when it arises.

As your Delegate, I do not feel it is appropriate to ask members to increase their contributions. Instead, I invite each of you to reflect and decide for yourselves and to place your own value on the spiritual principle of self-support.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of service, and I welcome any feedback you can give.

It is my privilege to serve you, and I am committed to always doing my best for Alcoholics Anonymous.

With gratitude and in service,