About Our Seventh Tradition
DC Area OA Intergroup’s Recommendation For 7th Tradition Language for Meetings
We have no dues or fees but we have expenses such as rent, literature and donations to World Service, Region Seven and Intergroup. We are self-supporting through our own contributions, neither soliciting nor accepting outside donations. The suggested donation is $5 or whatever you can afford.
What does OA do with your contributions?
Local Groups
- Provide places to meet and share recovery
- Purchase supplies to run meetings
- Buy literature and media from WSO
- Support their local intergroup, region and WSO service boards
Intergroups or Service Boards
- Offer local outreach to professional communities, hospitals, schools and libraries
- Hold recovery events
- Maintain Web sites
- Keep updated meeting lists
- Provide telephone information/answering services
- Publish newsletters
- Send representatives to region assemblies and delegates to the World Service Business Conference to vote on your behalf, and to contribute to the group conscience of OA as a whole concerning policies and services
Regions
- Hold assemblies and recovery events
- Support community and media outreach
- Maintain regional websites
- Publish newsletters
- Keep lists of speakers
- Support officers’ expenses
- Maintain reference and media libraries
- Offer support to intergroups and unaffiliated groups
World Service Office
- Produces and distributes OA-approved literature, media and specialty items
- Maintains the OA website – www.oa.org
- Offers worldwide meeting location contacts and information on virtual groups through the Web site, as well as a telephone referral service and service by mail
- Publishes Lifeline magazine
- Produces A Step Ahead newsletter
- Sends starter kits for new groups
- Registers intergroups and groups, including virtual groups (online and telephone)
- Holds the annual World Service Business Conference
- Puts on World Service Conventions
- Handles OA’s media and public relations contacts
- Reaches out to professionals
Here are several strategies members use to make their contributions
Member A gives an average of $5 each time the basket is passed in a meeting.
Member B gives at meetings and sends a monthly contribution to WSO equivalent to the amount once spent on a binge.
Member C gives at meetings and sends an annual contribution for each year in program. (Individual members may contribute up to US$5,000 per year.)
Member D gives at meetings and contributes to intergroup in memory of a deceased OA member.
Member E contributes to a virtual group via check or electronic funds transfer.
Member F assures that their group makes regular contributions to intergroup, region and WSO.