Central Ohio Group Fellowship

What Central Ohio Group Fellowship does

Central Ohio Group Fellowship, Inc. (COGF) is a nonprofit intergroup service organization for Alcoholics Anonymous, founded in 1949 and recognized as the third oldest AA intergroup in the world. The organization operates from its headquarters at 651 W. Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, and serves thirty-seven counties across Central and Southeastern Ohio as part of the Area 53 General Service Conference region. COGF's primary purpose is to assist local AA groups in carrying the AA message to those who still suffer from alcoholism, operating under AA's Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service.

COGF delivers a portfolio of coordination and support services rather than a discrete technology product. Core offerings include a searchable online and printed Meeting Directory, a 24-hour telephone hotline (614-253-8501 / 800-242-1729), sales of AA literature from AA World Services and AA Grapevine, the monthly "Conscious Contact" newsletter, meeting application and change request forms, and Twelfth Step volunteer referral coordination. Its meeting listings are integrated with the Meeting Guide App for mobile access, and the organization provides proof-of-attendance documentation for courts and treatment programs. There is no proprietary technology platform described; operations rely on conventional web, print, and phone-based service delivery managed by a small staff.

The business model is characteristic of AA's Seventh Tradition of self-support. Revenue is generated through voluntary individual member contributions (capped at $5,000 per member per year), group contributions, literature sales at retail, and newsletter subscriptions priced at $10.00 annually. Contributions are restricted to AA members per AA Traditions. COGF is governed by a nine-member elected Advisory Board, with members chosen by Intergroup Representatives and required to have a minimum of two years of uninterrupted sobriety. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Central Ohio Group Fellowship

Legal name

Central Ohio Group Fellowship, Inc.

Website

https://aacentralohio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Central Ohio Group Fellowship is a nonprofit Alcoholics Anonymous intergroup service organization that coordinates meetings, operates a 24-hour hotline, sells AA literature, and publishes a monthly newsletter across thirty-seven counties in Central and Southeastern Ohio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Addiction Recovery Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Alcohol recovery support
• Meeting directory services
• Nonprofit addiction services
• Literature distribution
• Volunteer coordination services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Contributions: COGF accepts contributions only from fellow alcoholics (per AA Tradition). Contributions are tax deductible and limited to $5,000 per member per year. This follows AA's Seventh Tradition of self-support.
2. Literature Sales: COGF sells a complete selection of AA literature published by AA World Services, Inc. and AA Grapevine, Inc., including audio and videotaped materials.
3. Newsletter Subscription: Monthly newsletter 'Conscious Contact' is available to individuals who subscribe for $10.00 per year. Sent to all registered groups and subscribers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Central Ohio Group Fellowship is a nonprofit AA intergroup service organization that assists Alcoholics Anonymous groups in Central and Southeastern Ohio in carrying the AA message to those who still suffer from alcoholism. Its core offering centers on maintaining an up-to-date meeting directory and 24-hour hotline, supplemented by AA literature sales, a monthly Conscious Contact newsletter, Twelfth Step volunteer referrals, and proof-of-attendance support for courts and treatment programs.

Product overview

Central Ohio Group Fellowship (COGF) is a nonprofit intergroup service organization founded in 1949, serving as the third oldest AA intergroup globally. COGF operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio centers on the Meeting Directory and Printed Meeting Lists, which provide searchable and printable schedules of AA meetings across thirty-seven counties in Central and Southeastern Ohio. Supporting services include: the Conscious Contact monthly newsletter delivering Area 53 news and local events; AA Literature Sales offering AAWS-approved books, pamphlets, and media; the 24-Hour Hotline for immediate recovery support; Meeting Application and Change Request Forms enabling groups to add or update meeting information; Twelfth Step/Volunteer Services connecting members with those seeking help; and a Member Contributions program for financial support. COGF also coordinates with Area 53 General Service and provides proof of attendance for court and treatment programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Meeting Directory An online searchable directory of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings across Central and Southeastern Ohio, allowing users to filter by day, time, location, and meeting type; integrates with the Meeting Guide App for mobile access.
• Printed Meeting Lists Printable PDF meeting lists generated from the COGF database, maintained as accurately as possible for users who prefer printed materials or lack internet access.
• Conscious Contact Newsletter A monthly newsletter titled Conscious Contact sent to registered AA groups and individual subscribers ($10/year), containing central office activity updates, Area 53 news, local events, speaker meetings, and AA recovery-related announcements.
• AA Literature Sales Complete selection of AA literature published by AA World Services and AA Grapevine, including books, pamphlets, and audio and videotaped materials; most items are General Service Conference-approved.
• 24-Hour Hotline Round-the-clock telephone helpline (614-253-8501, 800-242-1729) providing AA support and meeting information to those in need 24 hours a day.
• Meeting Application and Change Request Forms Online forms for submitting new meeting applications or requesting changes to existing meeting information, processed by COGF staff.
• Twelfth Step / Volunteer Service Referral service connecting individuals seeking recovery with AA members willing to visit or call those in need of support, supporting AA's Twelfth Step work.
• Member Contributions Program Contributions program accepting tax-deductible donations from AA members only, with individual limits of $5,000 per year per member, supporting COGF operations in line with AA's Seventh Tradition of self-support.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AA World Services, Inc. (AAWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationCOGF sells literature published by AA World Services, Inc. Most literature published by AAWS (except some service pieces) is approved by the General Service Conference after review to ensure it reflects the experience and beliefs of the AA Fellowship.
• AA Grapevine, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCOGF sells literature and materials published by AA Grapevine, Inc., the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• Area 53 (General Service Conference Area)coreOthersArea 53 is the General Service Conference Area representing central and southeastern Ohio. It is divided into districts and sends a delegate to New York for the annual General Service Conference. COGF works closely with Area 53 to coordinate AA activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• SMART Recovery: Secular, science-based recovery mutual-support organization offering online meetings, a global meeting directory, and self-help tools. Represents an alternative recovery paradigm competing for the same population COGF serves, with a notably stronger digital/online meeting infrastructure that highlights COGF's traditional in-person approach.
• Cocaine Anonymous World Services: World service body for Cocaine Anonymous, another Twelve Step fellowship replicating AA's intergroup and literature model. Operates as a parallel recovery-support service organization with similar member-contribution funding and literature distribution, serving overlapping recovery populations with a related but separate 12-step framework.
• Narcotics Anonymous World Services: Global service body for Narcotics Anonymous, a Twelve Step fellowship with a service architecture (regional service committees, World Services, literature publishing, member-funded self-support) paralleling AA. Comparable operating model but addresses narcotics rather than alcohol addiction, often drawing from overlapping member populations in the recovery ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: One of the largest U.S. addiction treatment providers, operating residential care, outpatient programs, recovery publishing, and professional training across the addiction-care continuum. Far broader in scope than COGF but an incumbent player in the same Ohio/Midwest behavioral health and recovery services market, particularly relevant for court and treatment referrals flowing into AA.
• Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Office: Global governing body for Alcoholics Anonymous that oversees all intergroups/central offices including COGF. Directly comparable as the fellowship-wide service infrastructure that defines the operating model, literature standards, and Traditions every regional intergroup (including COGF) operates within.

Direct peers

• AA Grapevine: AA's international journal and affiliated content publisher that COGF distributes literature for. Operates a near-identical service structure within the Twelve Traditions—producing approved recovery media funded through member self-support—making it one of the closest functional analogs to COGF's central-office work.
• Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters: The coordinating service body for Al-Anon Family Groups, the Twelve Step fellowship for families/friends of alcoholics. Mirrors COGF almost exactly in its intergroup model of regional service offices, 24/7 help-lines, literature distribution, group contributions, and volunteer Twelfth-Step work—but serves affected others rather than alcoholics themselves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-ohio-group-fellowship-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Ohio Group Fellowship