Frequently Asked Questions
Insurance
When a meeting group does not have liability insurance, are the members required to sign a liability waiver? What about anonymity concerns?
If a meeting group declines liability insurance, a group conscience vote regarding the waiver is suggested. Although anonymity concerns are common, the meeting group makes the decision.
How does an OA group get liability insurance?
The group or intergroup should contact a local insurance agent and request information about nonprofit liability insurance. In many cases an intergroup can purchase coverage for all its affiliated groups, with all groups sharing the cost.
Tax-Exempt Status
How does our group or intergroup obtain tax-exempt status?
The Internal Revenue Service is the proper source for official instructions on filing for tax-exempt status. IRS publication 557, "Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization," and the instructions which accompany the application, FORM 1023, provide information and assistance in applying for and maintaining your tax-exempt status. Note the time restrictions for filing the application. Your state may require a separate application for tax-exempt status, also. Be sure to check with your state revenue service or treasury office for applicable forms and instructions. We suggest you consult an attorney or accountant who is competent in organizational nonprofit exempt status for further assistance.
Can our group or intergroup use the WSO's tax-exempt number? Unfortunately, the Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. tax ID number is specifically for the corporation (which includes the Board of Trustees, the World Service Office and the World Service Business Conference). If another entity were to use that ID number, it would jeopardize both OA and the other entity (the meeting group).
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Board of Trustees
How can I contact the Board of Trustees or an individual member of the board?
Contact the BOT or an individual board member by email. Contact the BOT or an individual board member via fax (505-891-4320) or mail (WSO, Attn: Board of Trustees/Board Member Name, PO Box 44020, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4020); your inquiry will be forwarded to the BOT or the appropriate board member.
How can I become a Board of Trustees member? What are the qualifications?
Trustees are elected at the annual World Service Business Conference (WSBC) for a period of three years and serve no more than eight consecutive years.
Qualifications for trustee:
- seven years in the Fellowship
- five years of service above the meeting level
- attendance as a delegate to at least two World Service Business Conferences
- five years of continuous recovery in Overeaters Anonymous as evidenced by five years of continuous abstinence, maintenance of a healthy body weight for at least two years, and emotional and spiritual growth as a result of incorporating into their lives the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions as a new way of living. (OA Bylaws, Subpart B, Article IX, Sections 3 and 4)
You may request trustee applications from the World Service Office.
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Contributions
How can I, my group or my service body contribute to OA?
Individuals, groups or OA service bodies may contribute to Overeaters Anonymous by sending their donation in US funds to the World Service Office.
Where do I send my group's donation?
Mail donations to your intergroup and region to their offices. Individual or group donations to world service should be mailed to the World Service Office, PO Box 44020, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87174-4020 USA. You may also contribute online.
How much money should I give?
Give what you can afford at every meeting you attend; many members give $2 or more. Celebrate an OA birthday by contributing $1 for every year in the program. Send contributions of up to $5,000 per year to the World Service Office. Leave in a will a bequest of up to $100,000. (adapted from Seventh Tradition pamphlet)
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Lifeline
What
is Lifeline?
Lifeline is OA's monthly magazine.
It is like a portable meeting, filled with new perspectives on issues
you deal with daily. Featuring articles, experiences, opinions, letters,
information and stories by OA members, it is an invaluable tool that
will support you in working your program and maintaining your recovery.
This colorful, illustrated monthly magazine also includes a calendar
of events, answers to questions, and region and world service news.
Lifeline is
available in two formats: the monthly printed magazine mailed
to you in a plain envelope or the electronic magazine (e-Lifeline) available
only on the OA
Web site.
How
do I subscribe to Lifeline?
You can subscribe to the print
magazine or the electronic
magazine online. Or you can send your subscription to the World
Service Office if you prefer to pay by check or money order.
How
do I submit a story to Lifeline?
Click here for Lifeline Writers
Guidelines.
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Ordering Literature
Do
you have a list of available literature?
Request a catalog from the WSO.
Go to online catalog.
Can
I order literature from the WSO?
Yes. You can order by mail with a check or money order or by phone, fax, email
or online using MasterCard, Visa, Discover or JCB.
Can
I order by phone or fax and send payment later?
You may submit your order in advance, but we will not process it until we receive
payment.
How
long will it take to receive my literature order?
The WSO ships most orders within two business days of the day the order and
payment are received. US orders are shipped UPS Ground, which takes three to
five days for most destinations.
International orders take longer to process
and ship. The WSO uses UPS Express service for international
shipments (except to an APO or FPO address). Allow at least three
weeks to receive an international order. OA accepts no responsibility
for additional duties or customs fees charged by the country.
Rush orders can be processed. Please contact
the WSO directly for more information.
What
is the return policy?
Items must be returned with a copy of the sales order within 60 days of the
date ordered. Credit must be used within 120 days. No cash refunds are given.
Does
the WSO sell any AA literature?
Yes. You can purchase the soft cover version of Alcoholics
Anonymous in English or Spanish by phone, fax or email using a credit card or by mailing a check
to the WSO. English: item #1000; Spanish: item #1000S; $8.35 plus shipping and handling.
What
is the difference between Board-approved literature and Conference-approved
literature?
Conference-approved literature has received the Conference Seal of Approval
by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting delegates at the World Service
Business Conference. All original publications for use by the OA Fellowship
as a whole must be Conference approved.
Board-approved literature are publications
that have been approved by the Board of Trustees, and may be
either one or both of the following:
- Literature that has originated from
a Board or Conference Committee and is not intended for the
Fellowship as a whole
- Literature that has been compiled
from existing Conference-Approved Literature or Lifeline magazine
In either case the items are OA-approved
literature as defined by the World Service Business Conference
Policy 1982b and may be displayed and/or sold at OA meetings.
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Copyright
What
material is copyrighted?
All OA Conference-approved and Board-approved literature is copyrighted by
Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Permission must
first be obtained from the World Service Office to reprint any literature.
To assist members in carrying the message of recovery, OA groups and service
bodies may reprint some items without having to submit a
written request to the WSO.
What
literature can I reproduce in my intergroup newsletter without
getting copyright permission?
The following OA copyrighted material may be reprinted by registered OA groups
and service bodies without submitting a written request to the WSO:
The Twelve Steps of OA
The Twelve Traditions of OA
The Twelve Concepts of OA
The OA Preamble
"I Put My Hand in Yours" promise
The Responsibility Pledge
Fifteen Questions
About OA
"Welcome Home," from Lifeline Sampler (pp. 173-174)
Lifeline Articles
A Step Ahead Articles
Courier Articles
See Copyright Requests for more information.
How
do I obtain permission to use or reprint all other OA literature?
See Copyright Requests.
Can
I use the OA logo?
Logo permission must
be obtained in advance from the WSO for any reproduction or use of
the Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. logo. The OA logo may only be used in
connection with the official OA business of a registered group or service
body. Anytime the OA logo is used, the material must include the name
of the service body to distinguish the item as being from a service
body rather than from Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.
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Translations
What
is the procedure for translating OA literature?
Requests to translate OA literature in any language should come from well-established
service bodies capable of taking responsibility for a publishing operation.
Translated OA literature must be submitted
for review prior to publication. Approval will be granted to
publish when the International Publications Committee has verified
the accuracy of the translation and a completed Licensing Agreement,
along with two copies of the translated piece, has been submitted
to the WSO, approval will be granted to publish.
Quality of the publication should be consistent
with the standards for literature set by the WSO. The design
should match the OA-approved version as closely as possible.
Each country will be granted permission to publish only one version
of any piece of OA literature. All publications must include
the OA copyright credit line.
How
do I obtain OA literature translated into another language?
The WSO can provide information about service bodies who have translated OA
literature into a variety of languages. Members can contact those service bodies
directly to obtain the literature. Contact the
WSO and specify the language of interest.
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World Service Events
What
is WSBC? When is WSBC? Where is WSBC?
World Service Business Conference is the annual
meeting of Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.
OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article X–Meetings
of Delegates
The corporation shall sponsor an annual meeting of the delegates of the members,
which shall be known as the World Service Business Conference (hereafter may
be referred to as the "Conference"). The Conference shall serve as the collective
conscience of the Fellowship of Overeaters Anonymous as a whole.
The annual Conference shall be held during the month of May or on such dates
as the Board of Trustees may determine. The Conference shall be held in
the Albuquerque, New Mexico area or at such place as the Board of Trustees
may designate.
What
is the World Service Convention?
World Service Convention is a recovery
event open to all OA members worldwide.
When
and where is the next World Service Convention?
The next World Service Convention
will be August 29–September 1, 2007, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. Watch the World Service Convention page for details to come.
What
is the difference between Convention and Conference?
See World Service.
Who
can attend the Conference?
Members selected by intergroups or national/language service boards are the
voting delegates who serve at Conference. However, any OA member can attend
as a visitor or participate as a volunteer. See Call
to Action for more information.
How
can I get tapes of past World Service Conventions or World
Service Business Conferences?
Since 1994, Convention Cassettes Unlimited (CCU) has audio recorded OA’s World Service Conferences and Conventions. Unfortunately, CCU went out of business on November 30, 2005. OA will be working with a new audio recording company to provide OA members and service bodies with cassettes and CDs of future Conferences and Conventions. If you’re interested in past audio recordings, please contact the World Service Office at 1-505-891-2664.
When
is Unity Day?
Unity Day is the last Saturday in
February at 11:30 a.m. PST. OA Unity Day is a day to celebrate the
common bond—recovery from compulsive overeating.
When
is Idea Day?
International Day Experiencing
Abstinence (IDEA) is the third Saturday in November.
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World Service Office (WSO)
What
is the World Service Office?
See World Service Office for
more information.
How
do I contact the World Service Office?
By mail: PO Box 44020, Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87174-4020 USA. By telephone:
505-891-2664. By fax: 505-891-4320 By email: info@oa.org
When
is WSO open?
Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. mountain time. The WSO
is closed on major US holidays.
May
I visit the WSO?
Sure. If you are in the Albuquerque area, come by during office hours and
the staff will be delighted to give you a tour.
Are
the staff members at the WSO members of OA?
Some staff members are members of OA and some are not. All are hired for their
professional expertise and their desire to serve the OA Fellowship.
Does
the WSO have a toll-free phone number?
The WSO does not have a toll-free phone number. However, most information is
available on the Web site, and the staff is happy to answer your inquiry by email.
Does
the WSO set OA policy?
The World Service Office does not make decisions on policy for the Fellowship.
The staff serves the Fellowship and follows its direction as set by the annual World
Service Business Conference and the Board
of Trustees.
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