Dear Intergroups/Service Boards and Regions, We, the WSBC Young Adults Committee of Overeaters Anonymous, ask ourselves, “How can we be of service to the Fellowship and to Overeaters Anonymous as a whole?” As we are focused on members between the ages of eighteen and thirty, we realize we have a unique perspective as a necessary … Continued
Imagine this: You are still suffering from compulsive eating or compulsive food behaviors and you’re desperately searching online for a solution. How great would it be if an OA story of recovery popped up as your first search result?
This is the inspiration behind Lifeline: Stories of Recovery at lifeline.oa.org, where we can broadcast our experience, strength, and hope—both to attract newcomers to the Fellowship and inspire OA members as they work their programs of recovery. By giving service to Lifeline, you will not only provide your share to OA members but also improve OA’s ability to attract newcomers online.
Our Requirements
Are you an OA member who is abstinent and working your program?
Are you willing to give service by creating an original work focused on your personal recovery through the Twelve Steps of OA?
Are you willing to give OA legal rights to use your original work so that we may edit your story and share it on the internet?
If you said yes, then we’d love for you to send us your story!
What We Publish
Put simply, we accept any original work that demonstrates personal recovery and abstinence from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors as the result of working the Twelve Steps of OA. Your work can be:
Writing, including poetry
Recorded audio or video
Photography, illustration, or animation
For written works that are not poetry, we prefer at least three hundred words. Works that are 1,500 to 2,000 words are ideal, and longer pieces are welcome.
For audio and video, three to seven minutes is a good rule of thumb, but your piece is welcome regardless of length.
If you submit a photograph or illustration, we recommend you include some written or recorded commentary to better relate the image to your OA recovery.
Our primary purpose is to carry the message, no matter the language, but just as we do with English-language submissions, we must ensure the OA message is clear and correct in every language. Therefore, all non-English submissions must first be reviewed and approved by a registered OA service body, such as a national or language service board, that can support a Traditions review and edit your submission for grammar and style in your language. If your Lifeline work is not in English, we encourage you to contact the primary service body for your language and ask for a Lifeline review. If no review committee exists, maybe you can help get one started!
Suggestions for Creating Your Share
As you create your share for Lifeline, think about someone who is still suffering and is just like you were before you found OA. What parts of your story are important for them to hear? If that person were searching online for a solution to their problem, what words or phrases might they use that are also a part of your story? There will be plenty of space to focus on the solution, so be sure to include enough of the problem in your share so that this newcomer might find your story online and identify. Include descriptions of your physical, emotional, and spiritual states before you found OA.
Describe what happened after you found OA. What important or memorable things do you want to say about your journey of working the Twelve Steps of OA to find abstinence and recovery? What was it like to change physically, emotionally, and spiritually?
How has OA changed your life? What is it like now to be abstinent and living in recovery? Share how long you’ve been abstinent and whether you are maintaining or working toward a healthy body weight. Share your joy of recovery!
Sharing as Service
Lifeline also welcomes shares that give service to the Fellowship. By examining or celebrating aspects of your personal journey through the Twelve Steps and how you have experienced your gifts of abstinence and recovery, you can give service to OA members in any of these suggested ways:
Observations about how these aspects of program have related to your recovery:
Shares that give your Twelfth Step Within, providing hope to those in our Fellowship who are still suffering
Relating your positive OA experiences in a lively, colorful, or humorous way
Addressing your difficult OA experiences in a constructive, nonjudgmental, and nonpreaching manner
Describing how your OA program has helped you resolve a conflict, improved your self-esteem, or made your life manageable
Sharing your experience and questions as a newcomer
Giving a positive history or account of OA in your service area
There are many ways to give service through sharing. For more ideas, see the More Suggested Topics list below.
Maintaining Our Traditions
Lifeline: Stories of Recovery is committed to upholding the Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous. Before you submit your share, we suggest you, your sponsor, and/or OA friend review your work for Tradition issues. OA world service will also edit your work if necessary, or may reject your work if Tradition issues are found.
More about Online Anonymity
Carrying the message online means upholding a higher standard for anonymity. We are sharing our recovery via public media, and the risks of breaking anonymity on the internet are different. For example, voice recognition technology could be used to expose an OA speaker’s identity if that member also has a prominent online presence outside of the rooms.
In your share, you should do your best to obscure personal details that could give away who you are, what you do outside of the rooms, and where you live or visit. This also applies to anyone you reference in your share, such as a family member. This is especially important if you record audio or video because it won’t be as easy for the World Service Office (WSO) to make editorial changes.
Anonymity and File Metadata
Be advised that the software we use for text, images, audio, and video will almost always add metadata to a file to describe who, what, where, when, and how the file was created. Your software may be configured to add your full name and GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) to the file you create. If it is not deleted, that metadata will be accessible to anyone who views the file.
To protect your anonymity, WSO staff will review your file and delete personally identifying metadata before your work is circulated internally for editing and review.
After You Submit Your Work
After you submit your work using the online form, WSO staff will file your submission. When it is selected for publication, WSO staff will edit your work, as needed, to meet our publication standards and will add the attribution (your name/initials, state/province, country or “Anonymous”) you have selected in the online form. Additionally, your work may be enhanced. For example, if you send a written share, your work may also be used to create an audio recording or a video. Enhancements will be created by WSO staff or by a WSO-led team of OA members giving service through their talents with digital arts. If you are interested in joining this team, contact the World Service Office.
You will receive notification from the WSO if your work is published.
More Suggested Topics
We invite you to write first from your heart. You may also find inspiration among these suggested topics. We recommend you write directly to the topic you have chosen and relate this topic to your personal recovery from compulsive eating and compulsive food behaviors through working the Twelve Steps of OA.
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
Twelfth Step Within Format for Information Gathering “Ideas that Work” Type of Project Humor Project Name OA Trivia Project Goal To create laughter Organizing Service Body Individual Contact Information Susan S. (sharabi4@bezeqint.net), Israel, Region Nine Resources Needed (budget, volunteers, materials, etc.) Workshop with trivia questions (answers provided). Examples attached. Implementation Process (including length of time for … Continued
(Committed to Action for Recovery, Encouragement, and Support)
Correspondence Program Guidelines
The OA C.A.R.E.S. correspondence program was created to establish a network of support for compulsive eaters who are incarcerated. By describing how OA has affected your life, you can help deliver OA’s Twelve Step program of recovery directly to those in need. Thank you for volunteering to share the very essence of our program—one compulsive overeater reaching out to another.
These guidelines have been developed to help facilitate your correspondence by suggesting ways to adhere to OA Principles and comply with special requirements established by the participating institutions. Please adhere to these guidelines in all your correspondence.
Your letter should share your experience, strength, and hope about the problems associated with compulsive eating. When discussing your experience, remember to focus on the solutions you found by working the OA program. The hope of our program lies in the recovery we have found through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The program can work no matter what our life circumstances.
Keep Your Focus on OA
You may be in other Twelve Step programs, but you have been selected as a volunteer for the OA C.A.R.E.S. program because you are a compulsive overeater. Keep it simple.
Participants will be assigned to individuals of the same sex. The inmate you are corresponding with may discuss issues seemingly unrelated to compulsive overeating, such as their convictions, legal matters, or medical problems. Keep in mind that we cannot solve these problems and should never give advice on any of these subjects. Your response should address these issues, if at all, only in the context of working our Twelve Step program.
The following are some useful suggestions for OA C.A.R.E.S. volunteers:
Remember
OA members in correctional facilities are compulsive eaters simply looking for the hope of recovery.
Use your sense of humor. Be lighthearted.
Be courteous. Respond to letters within two weeks.
Write legibly.
Be mindful of Traditions Six, Eight, and Twelve.*
Tell your story (what you were like, what happened, and what you are like now).
Relate your experience. Describe how you work through your problems thanks largely to the growth you have experienced in the OA Twelve Step program.
Keep the Following Cautions in Mind
You are embarking on a Twelfth Step relationship with a person whom you have not met, who may be unwell in several areas, and who may be using this relationship for motives unrelated to recovery. It is important that you be cautious and alert. We would like to hear from you about your experience so we can help others.
For your protection, all correspondence between the inmate and you will be handled by the Member Services Department at the OA World Service Office (WSO). The Member Services Department will not personally identify you to the inmate. You will write to the inmate and mail the letter to the WSO. Letters should be signed only with your initials. Do not reveal your name or any other personal information, such as where you live, your marital status, or the names of family members. Use universal identifiers, such as “my relative,” “my friend,” or other general descriptions. In sharing your experience, strength, and hope, avoid sharing details that might be too identifiable. While you are anonymous to the correctional facility, OA is not. OA received clearance to communicate with the inmate, so it is essential that you not do anything that could reveal your identity or jeopardize OA’s clearance. Member Services will forward your letter to the inmate, and any response from the inmate will be sent to you in care of the WSO. Never communicate with an inmate without going through the WSO.
Certainly, you will want to avoid being used for purposes other than Twelve Step work. To offer to carry messages to anyone or to contact family members, a third party, or the prison administration on the inmate’s behalf might hinder rather than help the inmate’s recovery or might breach the institution’s regulations. Doing so might compromise you and the good reputation of OA. Breaches of institutional regulations may result in discipline, or even criminal penalties. Never send anything, such as food, money, gifts, or cigarettes, to the inmate. We suggest that you stick to the program of recovery. That is, after all, the only thing you can provide: the message of recovery through the Twelve Steps of Overeaters Anonymous.
Tradition Six: An OA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the OA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Tradition Eight: Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Tradition Twelve: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible.
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
The following guidelines are offered as suggestions only; they are guides to aid you in deciding what information to collect.
We invite any and all of you to participate in recording your local history and in gathering local historical memorabilia. This will help to ensure that your history is not lost. The World Service Office (WSO) invites you to submit your histories for safekeeping to allow historians and scholars, as well as OA visitors from around the world, to gain a broader perception and appreciation of OA history in different areas. Anonymity and confidentiality will be protected. Please note: the WSO is only able to accept electronically formatted files due to storage limitations.
We suggest that the content and interpretation of local histories be approved by the group conscience of members involved in your area.
You may want to begin by interviewing longtime members or writing the history of your own OA experience.
On a personal level:
Where did you first hear about OA?
Did you have a sponsor? If so, how did it help you as a newcomer?
Do you continue to have a sponsor?
What contributions did you make to the Fellowship’s growth? (Please don’t be modest.)
How has OA changed since you first encountered it?
On the birth of OA in your area:
When was OA started in your town or area? Where were the first meetings held (homes, churches, etc.)?
Who was responsible for starting the group? Which early members contributed to the growth and success of the group? How was it started: as an offshoot of a parent group, as a split from the first or main group, or by one person starting the group?
What was OA like in the early days in your area?
How were new members contacted? How was Twelfth Step work done?
Was the cooperation of local community agencies and professionals—ministers, doctors, etc.—looked into?
Who were the founders and group officers of the early groups?
How often were meetings held and what kinds of meeting formats were used?
If English is not the local language in your area, how did the founding members start the group? What literature did they use and how has this changed? How has translation of OA literature been carried out?
Did any special problems arise during the early years? Did the early groups suffer growing pains?
Was your group ever given a name? What was it? Is it still the same? If it has been changed, what is the present name of the group?
Do you know how the community received the first group when it started? How has it affected the community since?
Do you have an intergroup/service board or central office in your area or community? Do you know when it started? How? By whom? Were there any problems?
Was there any opposition to OA or were there intergroup/ service board feuds in your area? Please elaborate.
Does your area sponsor OA events such as conventions, marathons, retreats, or assemblies? When were they started? How often are they held? Are they well-attended?
Do you participate in events outside your area, such as those hosted by other service bodies? Do other members from your area attend also?
Have you experienced growth in your group, in your area? Who approaches OA today: mostly young people, women, men, minorities? Are all welcome? Are there any special problems?
Does your area have a website? How was this idea received when it was proposed? How was the website created, and how is it maintained?
Has your group ever completed a public awareness/information project? Have any members ever written articles for, or been interviewed by, local newspapers?
Do you celebrate individual and group anniversaries? How?
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible.
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
The group secretary is a link in a chain that disseminates important information in two ways: from the World Service Office to group members and from the group to the World Service Office.
Sending current group information or changes to the World Service Office is a job that usually falls onto the broad shoulders of the group secretary. The secretary also has the responsibility to distribute information from the World Service Office and service body, such as newsletters, surveys, and other mail, to members of the group.
Has this two-way flow of information been running smoothly in your group? If not, the place to start is to make sure your meeting is registered correctly with the World Service Office. These are some important points to remember when registering or making changes:
Use the Group Registration/Change form to make any changes to your group information. On the OA website, click on Edit a Meeting to make changes to your meeting. Contact the World Service Office if you have any questions.
When your group chooses to affiliate with an intergroup or national service board, include the intergroup’s/national service board’s number or at least the correct name of the intergroup/national service board.
With ANY change it is important to give complete information. The critical areas to complete are those marked “*required.” Make sure all information is accurate, and check that apartment numbers are included, as these are often overlooked.
Use your group number on all correspondence to the World Service Office. Once a group is registered, its group number will remain the same, regardless of changes to the meeting information.
Update the World Service Office with meeting detail changes as soon as you can, no matter how small the change. It is the group’s responsibility to do this. Some groups assume the intergroup/national service board will pass changes on to the World Service Office, and this is not always the case.
The group secretary can work with other members to make sure pertinent OA information reaches everyone. For instance, the secretary can make sure someone reviews OA News from the OA website and makes it available to members in the meeting. A group may also receive mailings from the intergroup/national service board with information that needs to be distributed. Each OA group should be sure the secretary receives adequate help and materials to do their job. The smooth flow of information between the World Service Office and the group depends on the secretary.
Other tasks of group secretaries are outlined in the OA Handbook for Members, Groups, and Service Bodies. The secretary’s tasks may include presiding at group conscience and/or steering committee meetings or seeing that the meeting place is ready each week.
If you have any questions about registering or recording changes for your group, please call, write, or send an email to the World Service Office’s group registration coordinator (info@oa.org). We are interested in hearing your ideas on how we might improve the group registration process and on group registrations in general.
Revised March 2023
Starting an OA meeting in your area is easy.
The World Service Office is here to support you in your efforts to carry the message of hope and recovery. This form of service will add to your own program of recovery! All you need is a desire to stop eating compulsively and the willingness to start the meeting.
Order the “Starter Kit”, item #730 at US$20 (plus shipping and handling).
It contains items to help get your meeting off to a good start. The kit also includes Where Do I Start? and the Suggested Meeting Format. You will also receive a sampling of our pamphlets. (Note: Your service body may offer these materials for a lower cost.)
Purchase the OA Handbook for Members, Groups, and Service Bodies, item #120 at US$13 (plus shipping and handling).
The OA Handbook will come in handy with ideas for spreading the news in your community about the meeting and as a guide to your group as it grows. The OA Handbook is also available in e-book format. Visit bookstore.oa.org for more information.
Find a meeting space.
Be sure to check out churches, community centers, schools, and libraries, as well as the hospitals. Each group ought to be self supporting, so be sure that your group considers a donation, should the facility you choose not charge you rent. For virtual meetings, there are many audio and video conferencing platforms that offer services for free or at a nominal fee.
We suggest you do this as soon as you start your meeting so it can be listed in our Find a Meeting database and people searching for a meeting in your area can find you. Please be sure to keep the World Service Office informed of any changes that occur regarding your meeting. Contact name (first name only) and phone number are important. This is how the newcomer or traveling member gets more information about the meeting. Each meeting must have a contact name and number. If there is no one in your group who wants to be listed as the contact, you can use the intergroup or service board name and number should you choose to affiliate with one.
We strongly suggest that your group affiliate with an intergroup or national service board.
An intergroup/national service board is made up of several groups in a locality or a virtual community. Its purpose is to serve and represent the groups of which they are composed and act as the guardian of the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service. Affiliation gives the group access to this support. At some point, your group will need an intergroup/national service board representative to attend the intergroup/national service board meetings and be part of the OA community in your area. The intergroup/national service board can be helpful in supporting your meeting during this initial phase of your development. Please contact the World Service Office if you need assistance in locating an intergroup or national service board.
Check out other meetings!
If there are no OA meetings in your area and you are not very familiar with OA, you might want to consider taking a “field trip” with some other potential members to visit the meetings outside your area that are more established. It can be great fun traveling with a carload of compulsive overeaters and great for your recovery. It is also helpful for the groups that you visit. They may want to return the favor and bring members to your meeting once your group has started.
Get the word out!
A good idea is to investigate the Public Information and Professional Outreach Service Manual in the future. Its focus is on carrying the message in your community and offers several helpful suggestions and examples. It is item #765 and sells for US$20.
You are welcome to contact us at any time at info@oa.org or 1-505-891-2664. Thank you for carrying the message of recovery.
Our OA Responsibility Pledge states:
“Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible.”
Where are the people who were at your first meeting? How many of them are still coming to OA? There are many things that each of us and our groups can do to keep people coming back. In an effort to extend the hand and heart to those who share our compulsion, we offer the following suggestions for membership retention.
Welcome newcomers to your meetings. Have volunteers telephone newcomers to answer any questions they may have.
Hold newcomers’ meetings.
Start and support a recovery from relapse meeting based on the meeting format available in the Twelfth-Step-Within Handbook, p. 9, and as a free download on oa.org.
Have a regular group conscience meeting.
Have the service body sponsor a Service, Traditions, and Concepts Workshop.
Encourage your service body to regularly distribute a newsletter to keep all groups informed about area events.
Start and end your regular group meetings on time. Meet on holidays, too! Our disease never takes a holiday!
Have volunteers telephone, email, or text members who haven’t been at the meeting for a while. Build a network of support.
Create a phone chain for the entire group, especially during the holidays; put all members’ names in a hat and have each person draw one name to call.
Provide service opportunities that have no abstinence requirement at the group level so everyone can benefit from doing service!
Rotate service positions, no matter what.
List all meetings in both large and small local newspapers.
Encourage members to post information cards about meetings in grocery stores, libraries, and other public places.
Share that sponsoring and doing service are rewarding and exciting ways to benefit your recovery.
Hold sponsorship workshops so members aren’t afraid to sponsor.
Reach out to help a group member in trouble; remember-relapse is not contagious. Recovery is!
Work together to reach common goals.
Let go of expectations of yourself and others.
Most of all, do it with love and KEEP COMING BACK, NO MATTER WHAT!
These suggestions are not intended to be all-inclusive. We can take many other positive actions in order to encourage members to keep coming back. Share what works, and what doesn’t, with your fellow OA members around the world through OA newsletters, letters to your region or WSO, and Convention!
OA is a Fellowship in which thousands of compulsive overeaters find and share recovery. It is a program of attraction and a positive way of living. Together, we can recover, and together it works when we all keep coming back!
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
Purpose of participating
An OA display at a local health fair is an excellent way of doing Twelfth Step outreach work.
Funding
In addition to funding through your service body, funding may be available through your region, or in cooperation with other local service bodies. The Reduced Cost Literature program can assist groups and service bodies purchasing bulk literature for public information and outreach projects. For an application, go to oa.org/document-library and search under “Public Information” category.
How to locate health fairs in your area
Your group’s or service body’s public information committee may already have a list of contacts, which can be a great starting point in finding local health fairs. Other great resources are the internet, newspapers, and local community news, television, or radio programs. Search for online community calendars or health-related resources. If you find out about an event too late to participate, ask to be added to the notification list for next year’s event.
Preparation and planning
(about three to four months prior)
Form a committee and choose a chair
Encourage participation within your service body at meetings or through the service body’s newsletter. Describe specific tasks and the time commitment needed to accomplish them.
Questions to ask the fair organizers
What are the days and times of setup, operation, and breakdown?
Are there any fees? Ask about not-for-profit rates. If participation is cost prohibitive, ask the organizers if your group or service body can place OA information, such as business cards or flyers with contact information and meeting times, on a table at the event.
What is the event’s projected attendance?
Who else will be exhibiting?
Will other Twelve Step programs be participating?
Can your group or service body be located near them? Will there be a speaker on compulsive eating?
Can you hold an open OA meeting at the site?
Are there size limits or special requirements for the display?
Will rental tables or chairs be available?
Will an electrical outlet, if needed, be accessible near the booth?
Will a copy machine be available if needed?
Materials
(about two to three months prior)
Prepare the display
Your service body might own a professional exhibit booth. If not, use a table and chairs. Create a display using the Public Information Posters (available for free download at oa.org/document-library; “PI Posters”) and a selection of OA-approved literature (see below). Consider a professionally made banner, which can be used again. To use the Overeaters Anonymous logo, request permission from the World Service Office using the OA Logo Permission Request Form found on oa.org. (Go to oa.org/document-library; “Copyright.”) One way to appear professional is to avoid a cluttered look.
Stocking the booth
To prepare, use this list of supplies you may need.
extension cord
tape
markers
scissors
glue
rubber bands
stapler and staples
paper clips
volunteer badges
correction fluid/tape
pens and/or pencils
camera or mobile device to take photos of your booth and/or the event for your website or newsletter. (Remember not to photograph faces or distinguishing features in order to protect members’ and visitors’ anonymity.)
clipboards and notepaper
Literature
Only OA Conference- or board-approved literature should be offered. (See the OA-Approved Literature List. Bring enough so that people may take some. To avoid clutter, store extra literature under the table. The literature suggested below is high in newcomer interest and low in cost. It’s available from the OA bookstore at bookstore.oa.org.
Booth volunteers should be chosen carefully. They will be representing the OA program and should demonstrate recovery on all three levels: emotional, spiritual, and physical. You may wish to have abstinence requirements. It is highly recommended that booth volunteers have at least one year of current abstinence and are maintaining a healthy body weight. Look for members who have suffered from different symptoms of the disease.
Make sure volunteers know their areas of responsibility
Responsibilities include setup, breakdown, general staffing, backup, etc. Arrange the schedule so that two volunteers are working the booth at all times in case one has to leave temporarily. Shifts no longer than three hours, with two hours being optimum, are suggested. Make sure all volunteers are comfortable with the fact that they’ll be seen by the general public, who may ask them about their OA membership or may assume it. Call volunteers again one month before the fair and again one week before the fair to confirm their participation. Give copies of Guidelines for Health Fair Participation to all volunteers.
Day of fair
Setting up
Do this as early as possible. It’s easiest to have those who put up the display and lay out the literature to take the first shift.
Demeanor while working the table or booth
Be friendly, but don’t push information or literature. Sit back from the table—this allows people to feel free to take material without feeling intimidated. Look alert and interested, letting people know you’re ready to speak with them if they wish. Be careful about socializing with others staffing the booth; if you appear too “busy,” attendees may be hesitant to approach. When speaking with them, make eye contact. Remember that this is a program of attraction, not promotion (Tradition Eleven). There should be no eating, drinking, or smoking at the booth. Dress neatly and appropriately. Record the number of visitors to your table.
Answering questions
Telling people that OA is “a Twelve Step program patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous” will answer a great many questions. Keep in mind that you’re not expected to be an expert on compulsive overeating. You may, however, share your experience, strength, and hope; you might wish to bring your “before” pictures. If you give an opinion, make it clear that it is your opinion and not representative of OA as a whole.
Give people literature and meeting lists. Be sure to mention that if they have any questions, they are welcome to call the contact numbers on the meeting list or visit oa.org.
Follow-up
Send thank-you notes to the fair organizers
Ask them to put your group or service body on the mailing list for next year. Have a post-fair evaluation meeting with the volunteers to discuss how it went and collect suggestions for next time.
For more information
For more information about doing health fairs or other public information work, consult the Public Information and Professional Outreach Service Manual (#765), available from the OA bookstore at bookstore.oa.org.
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
Purpose of OA events
Types of events
Guarding our Traditions
Committees
Finances
Sale of merchandise
Program and choosing speakers
Additional suggestions
These guidelines have been developed through the experience of OA members and the Board of Trustees, who have contributed to their creation. They reflect OA Traditions and Concepts of Service as reflected in our OA Conference-approved literature. These guidelines are strong suggestions based on the experience of those who have gone before. The guidelines do not replace the group conscience of local OA members, but we encourage OA groups and service bodies to consider carefully before acting contrary to these suggestions.
Purpose of OA Events
The reason for OA gatherings held outside of group meetings is to provide more recovery opportunities for members. Such get-togethers remind us that we are part of a larger whole, that we are not alone. The focus of such OA events is recovery from compulsive overeating through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of OA. Many groups and service bodies hold events in conjunction with International Day Experiencing Abstinence (IDEA), Unity Day, Sponsorship Day, or OA’s birthday. Some host only one annual event, while others hold monthly or quarterly events.
Retreats, marathons, and conventions offer the laughter, warmth, understanding, and support of the OA Fellowship. They introduce members to a wider circle of individuals and to the experience, strength, and hope of others who share our disease.
These events can also benefit OA by raising much-needed revenue for OA as a whole. The income helps groups and service bodies to carry the message of recovery to the still-suffering compulsive eater.
Types of Events
All OA events address recovery from compulsive overeating through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous. Any OA event should not be connected with any outside issues, including religions, politics, therapies, non-OA literature, or other Twelve Step fellowships. The following events are the types most commonly held by OA groups and service bodies, such as intergroups and serviced boards.
Conventions
Most conventions are weekend events that are hosted by a service body rather than a group. They are held in hotels or conference centers that can accommodate the event’s space requirements. The activities are focused on OA recovery and fellowship, meetings, workshops, speaker sessions, and entertainment, such as dances or breaks for relaxation and fun.
Retreats
Retreats are usually held in a quiet location, such as a camp or retreat center. Retreat activities may include speaker sessions, small group discussions, one-on-one sharing, time for writing and reflection, as well as free time for members to experience fellowship.
Marathons
Marathons are usually one-day events. They consist of back-to-back speaker meetings or workshops with various, scheduled topics, allowing attendees to choose according to their needs. OA’s virtual community provides marathon phone meetings on many holidays.
Fellowship Meals/Banquets
Lunch or dinner meals with an OA speaker provide another way to combine recovery and fellowship. This type of gathering can be held at a local hotel or restaurant where the meals are purchased, or it can be as simple as a gathering where OA members provide the food.
Public Information Meetings
Special public information events are held to raise awareness of Overeaters Anonymous for the public, the professional community, and OA members’ families and friends.
Service, Traditions, and Concepts Workshops
These workshops are usually conducted by members with a thorough understanding of the Twelve Traditions and the Concepts of OA Service. A region trustee and/or regional board members can offer these workshops to intergroups and service boards as part of their service to OA.
Guarding Our Traditions
Use the following guides to observe the Traditions when planning an OA event. Remember to honor “principles before personalities” (Tradition Six).
An OA event must be sponsored by a registered OA group or service body. An event that is not sponsored by an OA group or service body is considered an outside enterprise, and, as such, may not use the OA name or mailing list (Tradition Six).
The name “Overeaters Anonymous” and the name of the sponsoring group or service body should appear on all flyers, newsletter articles, registration forms, and other announcements and forms for the event (Tradition Five).
Only OA members may be invited to act as event and workshop leaders or speakers (Tradition Six).
Printed materials should not contain endorsements of outside enterprises, such as books, publishers, treatment facilities, professionals in the field of eating disorders, hospitals, and other non-OA entities. This includes any materials or information regarding non-OA enterprises or activities with which the leader or speaker is personally involved. Refrain from printing the names or non-OA titles of speakers and leaders at OA events in all information materials. OA service titles (but not names) may be used when a speaker or leader is performing the service responsibility of their OA office (Traditions Six and Eight and OA Business Conference Policy 1990).
Ask OA members who work professionally in the field of eating disorders or are members of other Twelve Step programs to speak only about their personal experience as recovering compulsive eaters in Overeaters Anonymous (Tradition Five).
Reimbursement to a speaker beyond travel, food, and lodging is not appropriate (Tradition Eight).
Only OA-approved literature should be offered for sale at an OA event. For a list of books and pamphlets, see the OA-Approved Literature List at oa.org/document-library under “Guidelines” or contact the World Service Office (WSO). Locally produced literature should be used with the greatest discretion (Tradition Six).
Committees
An event sponsored by a group or service body is an opportunity to involve many members in Twelfth Step work. The larger the event, the more members needed to share the workload. The following are examples of service needs and opportunities:
Program volunteer
Plans the program and obtains speakers or leaders.
Registration volunteer
Handles preregistration and on-site registration.
Treasurer
Deposits receipts, pays bills incurred by the event, and furnishes detailed accounting of income and expenses when the event is over. Funds may be collected via check or electronic funds transfer (if available to group/service body).
Decorations volunteer
Responsible for signs and decorations.
Public Information volunteer
Sends information about the event to local newspapers, radio and television stations, and nearby groups, unaffiliated groups, and service bodies.
Literature volunteer
Handles OA literature to be sold at the event.
Hospitality volunteer
Provides greeters and arranges for refreshments.
Entertainment volunteer
Arranges for songs, skits, dance music, or other entertainment.
Finances
There are no dues or fees at meetings; however, it is not against the Traditions to charge fees for OA events. Events should be self-supporting to enable groups and service bodies to carry out their primary purpose, as many are held, in part, as fundraisers. Estimating both the total expenses and expected attendance should be part of event planning in order to calculate the suggested registration fee.
Items to consider when estimating expenses are: meeting room rental fees, publicity costs (printing, postage, posters, etc.), programs, name tags, decorations, and other handouts. Speakers’ expenses may include transportation, lodging, and meals. For a single-day event, consider asking a local member to host the speaker if they must stay overnight, which will lower this cost. Estimated expenses divided by estimated attendance will indicate the appropriate amount needed per person to cover costs. A registration fee is then added to that amount if the purpose of the event includes fundraising.
Many events encourage preregistration by charging less for those who register early than those who register at the event. This makes event planning easier and allows for the event’s cancellation if there is an indication that costs will not be covered. Like meetings, all OA events should be self-supporting. Collecting a Seventh Tradition at the event is another way to increase contributions.
It is customary to turn no one away from an OA event for lack of funds; however, it is not necessary to provide meals and lodging. Event organizers may wish to suggest to those who feel they cannot afford the registration fee to honestly decide how much they can contribute and accept it with no further questions. It is also possible to ask these members to give service at the event in order to practice their Seventh Tradition. Some service bodies set up “scholarship” funds to help those in need.
Good financial practices for OA events may include the following (depending on the size and complexity of the event):
Set up a separate bank account for OA events.
Require two signatures for authorization on all expenditures.
Pay all expenditures and refunds, if any, by check.
Require receipts for all expenditures.
Keep a log of all registrations received, recording check or cash information.
Appoint three knowledgeable OA members to an audit committee to verify the financial report to protect both the treasurer and the sponsoring body.
Issue a financial report itemizing income, expenses, and net profit or loss soon after the event. The income section should detail the number of people who registered and the amount received. Receipts and expenditures for items should be separated by category, such as literature, refreshments, fundraising, etc.
Sale of Merchandise
The following statement was adopted by the delegates at the 1984 World Service Business Conference (amended 2014): “It is the will of the Business Conference that sale of merchandise, per se, is not prohibited by the Traditions. With regard to sale of merchandise, ‘Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole.’ If you choose to sell merchandise, the following guidelines are suggested:
All sales be made by and for OA service bodies.
Each sale item be approved by group conscience.
Sales at OA events and functions should be conducted in such a manner so as not to divert or distract from our primary purpose to carry the message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.”
In accordance with our Traditions, each group and service body may determine whether to sell merchandise. Overeaters Anonymous must be ever mindful of our Traditions, which warn against endorsement of outside enterprises.
Program and Choosing Speakers
Recovery events are centered on a theme that is related to the OA Twelve Step program. Topic ideas may be taken from OA-approved literature. Only OA members may be invited to act as event and workshop leaders and speakers.
Some event planners invite a guest speaker, while others rely solely on members attending the event. The sponsoring group or service body determines the eligibility requirements for leaders and speakers. Most events have abstinence requirements for lead speakers but encourage all attending to share if that is a part of the event agenda. Groups and service bodies are encouraged to dialogue with potential and selected speakers to ensure both that there is a mutual understanding of expectations and requirements of the materials they will present when sharing their recovery with the OA audience and that they will conduct themselves fully within the Twelve Traditions of OA.
We suggest that the following OA Speaker Statement be read at all OA events:
“OA speakers do not represent OA as a whole, but speak from their own experience, strength, and hope. OA recognizes there are individual approaches and different concepts of working the Twelve Step program of recovery. We all are reminded that our common disease and our common purpose unite us; differences in approaches to recovery need not divide us. OA is strengthened when we honor and respect all by practicing unity with diversity.”
Unfortunately, some speakers promote outside enterprises, such as eating disorder centers and counseling services; sell their own literature and tapes; or require signed contracts, use of outside services, or other actions that raise concerns. One way to verify a speaker’s respect for the OA Traditions is to seek a recommendation from another OA group or service body for which the individual has spoken. Another method is to ask the potential speaker for a copy of a recording from a previous event where the speaker has shared.
Additional Suggestions
Contact other groups, service bodies, the region trustee, or the World Service Office with questions or for assistance. They may have more detailed information on how to plan for events.
Keep it simple.
Consider handicapped access and the comfort of attendees.
Schedule plenty of breaks and time for sharing.
Plan ahead. Include a variety of topics to accommodate all attendees.
Avoid scheduling on holidays, either national or religious, unless that is the purpose of the event (e.g. some groups and service bodies choose to hold events on holidays where large meals tend to be part of the celebratory aspect of the day). Check with nearby intergroups and service boards (as well as region and the WSO) that may be planning an event on or around the same date. This may hurt attendance at both events.
Focus on this event, not last year’s or what some other area has done.
Remember to “let go and let God” and enjoy the event.
OA Responsibility Pledge
Always to extend the hand and heart of OA to all who share my compulsion; for this I am responsible
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA Telephone: +1 505-891-2664
