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Online/In-Person Hybrid Meetings

The discussion about hybrid meetings is plentiful, broad, and varied. A short summary of this topic cannot address the myriad components of setting up and running hybrid meetings. Setups run from a smartphone passed around the in-person meeting to permanent equipment installations that include high-end cameras, microphones, and large TVs/displays. The more complex a setup and/or the larger the meeting, greater is the number of people needed to run the meeting. Several service organizations have produced documents with their recommendations for setting up and running hybrid meetings.

Members of TIAA Forum began collaboration on a document to summarize this topic. Though incomplete, it includes useful information. CLICK HERE 

Much more information and assistance are available by joining the forum and searching for “hybrid”: CLICK HERE

Meeting Guide / 12 Step Meeting List Plug-in

Support for the Meeting Guide app and the 12 Step Meeting List (TSML) WordPress plug-in is available at the following:
 
• Meeting Guide: CLICK HERE
• TSML: CLICK HERE
 
Discussion about these does occur in the forum. Members of the forum can find these discussions at:
 
• Meeting Guide: CLICK HERE
• TSML: CLICK HERE

Phone Answering Services/Set-ups

Cloud-based phone services appear to be most popular due to ease of management and low costs.

These services allow calls to be forwarded simultaneously to many volunteers’ numbers. Services favorably discussed in the forum:

  • Google Voice
  • Ring Central
  • eVoice
  • CloudPhone
Other solutions in use: (1) forwarding a central office’s number to a volunteer after hours [this can also be via a cloud-based service] (2) purchasing a dedicated cell phone and either physically passing it among volunteers or forwarding it to a volunteer’s number. Forum members can find these discussions here: CLICK HERE

Digital 7th Tradition

Numerous options are in use, including:

  • Venmo
  • Paypal
  • Zelle
  • Cash App
  • Square
The General Service Office offers this FAQ: CLICK HERE Forum discussion on this topic is extensive, and forum members can find it here: CLICK HERE General experience shows setting up these services with a group’s email address, and phone number instead of a member’s makes management and rotation simpler. A strong recommendation is to check privacy settings on all solutions to ensure members’ contributions are not public.