During our previous fiscal year (2022–23), we were able to relaunch Reaching Out in print and in electronic form; this year, the Ohio corrections department has requested 20 copies for every institution in Ohio—500 total—every quarter. Between hard-copy subscriptions, online versions, and inmate tablets, Reaching Out is once more a lifeline for those incarcerated.

A webinar on Revitalizing H&I Service was held in March 2024, which featured members from Ukraine to Atlanta, Georgia, sharing about innovations from sponsorship behind the walls to “recovery envoys” building bridges to Narcotics Anonymous from treatment and correctional facilities. We also hosted open webinars for Service Day in late April and Sponsorship Day in December, as well as the Unity Day webinar in September 2023, which included over 1,000 local connections from institutions, groups, events, and individuals.

Our use of technology to increase our reach, both in service and in events, is not really news—we’ve been doing it for a long time now. But we keep improving. Webinars allow us to close the distance between our members around the world. The World Board meets virtually on a regular schedule between in-person meetings; conference participants meet regularly online and are collaborating more and more with the World Board.

At the 2023 World Service Conference, the World Board and conference participants embarked together on an unprecedented collaborative planning process. At the conference last year and via survey after the conference, participants worked together to identify and prioritize overarching “factors” that are important for NA as a whole to address. From February through May 2023, zones met in person and online to work through those factors and use them to set priorities for the coming cycle. To the best of our ability, the structure, format, and setting of the meetings were identical; meeting zone by zone meant there was time and space for conference participants to share and hear each other. This process is in development through the three-year conference cycle and will shape the way we work together going forward: mindfully building together from conception to implementation across each conference cycle. We believe this process will move the WSC from simple decision making to co-creation of goals, plans, and outcomes. The projects that the Fellowship approves will emerge directly from these priorities, and our plans from cycle to cycle will both shape and emerge from the Strategic Plan. We could not have conceived such a robust and inclusive process before we began meeting virtually as well as in person. This is one of the most extraordinary gifts of the difficult times we have been through together in recent years.

Our literature sales have been stabilizing, but we see pamphlets and keytags up from last year’s sales, which is indicative of meetings reopening and more newcomers arriving. We know this to be a good sign for our future—and for those addicts finding their way to NA, all over the world. Translations work was robust this fiscal year, which we know to be another sign that Narcotics Anonymous continues to grow. This growth requires stewardship: Protecting our literature even as we disseminate it is vital and difficult. Constant efforts to keep Fellowship trademarks and copyrights current and safe around the world is the legal work of protecting our name and our message. Ensuring that members lead the way on translations into their own language and culture is the other wing of that same bird. Our trusty Translations team at the office helps to facilitate the locally driven process of translations. And while the work of translations and the distribution of translated literature is some of the most gratifying and effective work we do in carrying the message, it is also resource intensive.

In this fiscal year, we distributed a remarkable $769,958 in free and subsidized literature. Our commitment to continuing the distribution of free and subsidized literature is unwavering. Whether our revenue is impacted by current events or we face obstacles related to the cost of goods, tariffs, or customs, we have always been prepared and continue to do the work of staying prepared to meet the needs of those local communities that depend on literature subsidies to carry the message. Our free and subsidized lit number for this fiscal year is close to our pre-pandemic record. Although book sales are slightly down across the board, the increases in IP and keytag sales, along with the increase in free and subsidized literature, indicate ongoing growth and the promise of a bright future.

The needs of our growing Fellowship in a changing world can seem overwhelming. We seek stability in our business practices so that we can ride out storms and optimize the good times. More and more, we see the need for direct contributions from those experienced members who can afford to contribute to ensure that the message is available to the next addict walking through the door. In our personal recovery, many of us have discovered that it is in perilous times that we shine most brightly. Although direct contributions have fallen slightly (about 8%) this fiscal year, we know this is a result of members returning to meetings and local needs increasing. As we all do our best to contribute time, money, enthusiasm, hope, and courage, we will ensure that our light does not falter.

Member contributions enable NAWS to provide our message free for those who need it, whether that is through free and subsidized literature or access to NA materials on the website and inmate tablets. As always, we want to acknowledge our thanks to those who have been willing and able to step up. Direct contributions untether our service provision from literature sales, and that improves our ability to carry the message to those most in need.