Newsletters

Have an OA group, intergroup, service board, or region sponsor the newsletter.
Keep it positive. Don’t allow editorial opinions on controversial issues or policies to dominate the newsletter.
Before printing, review the issue for observance of Traditions (for example, non–OA event advertising or other endorsements).
Traditions Six and Ten guide us to select only material from within the OA Fellowship. This may include OA publications and/or OA program-related submissions from members. Include a disclaimer that personal stories express the experience, strength, and hope of the individual member and not of OA as a whole.
Intergroup/service board newsletters can include a brief summary of minutes and financial statements, information about upcoming OA events, reports from loners or groups in outlying areas, and articles about personal recovery.
Do not print copyrighted material or the OA logo without permission. Check the Copy Requests page at oa.org or contact the World Service Office for information regarding OA’s copyright procedures and guidelines. The Copy Requests page also lists OA materials that registered OA groups and services bodies may reprint without written permission. For permission to use the OA logo, submit the Permission to Use the OA Logo form, available on the Copy Requests page and in the Document Library, to the WSO.
Registered groups and service bodies may reprint individual articles from Lifeline, A Step Ahead, and the WSO News Bulletin for limited personal and group use, crediting the appropriate publication and Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Material from these sources may not be revised. An example of “credit” would be to place “[source, date] Copyright Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.” at the end of the article used.
OA newsletters often contain a statement that other OA groups and service bodies are welcome to reprint articles from them without permission. When reprinting from other OA newsletters, be sure to credit the source.
Review both the Newsletter page under Guidelines: Events & Outreach and the News & Events page at oa.org to find information about new OA policies and available resources.
Original sketches, cartoons, pictures, etc. add visual interest.
Determine through the group conscience whether to charge for the newsletter to, for example, offset costs or raise funds.
Investigate the most cost-effective way to distribute your newsletter. Many newsletters are published primarily online, for example, on the group’s or service body’s website.

Congratulations! Your newsletter will enhance the growth of Overeaters Anonymous in your area.

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