Helping OA groups and members with Anorexic/Bulimic issues

Our Bylaws

Bylaws of the Anorexic/Bulimic Specific-Focus Service Board of Overeaters Anonymous

Date Adopted October 20, 2024

Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Anorexic/Bulimic Specific-Focus Service Board also known as “the AB Service Board.”

Article II – Purpose

The primary purpose of the AB Service Board of Overeaters Anonymous is to provide support and resources to OA meetings and OA members for recovery from anorexia, bulimia, and related issues. We are guided by the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service. We aim to serve member groups, intergroups, and national service boards.

  1. Twelve Steps

The Twelve Steps suggested for recovery in the Fellowship of Overeaters Anonymous are as follows:

  1. We admitted we were powerless over food—that our lives had become unmanageable.
  2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
  3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
  7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
  9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
  10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
  12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all affairs.
  1. Twelve Traditions

The Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous are:

  1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon OA unity.
  2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
  3. The only requirement for OA membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively.
  4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or OA as a whole.
  5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers.
  6. 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.
  7. Every OA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
  8. Overeaters Anonymous should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
  9. OA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
  10. Overeaters Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence, the OA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
  11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television and other public media of communication.
  12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all these Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
  1. Twelve Concepts

The Twelve Concepts of OA Service are:

  1. The ultimate responsibility and authority for OA world services reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
  2. The OA groups have delegated to World Service Business Conference the active maintenance of our world services; thus, World Service Business Conference is the voice, authority and effective conscience of OA as a whole.
  3. The right of decision, based on trust, makes effective leadership possible.
  4. The right of participation ensures equality of opportunity for all in the decision-making process.
  5. Individuals have the right of appeal and petition in order to ensure that their opinions and personal grievances will be carefully considered.
  6. The World Service Business Conference has entrusted the Board of Trustees with the primary responsibility for the administration of Overeaters Anonymous.
  7. The Board of Trustees has legal rights and responsibilities accorded to them by OA Bylaws, Subpart A; the rights and responsibilities of the World Service Business Conference are accorded to it by Tradition and by OA Bylaws, Subpart B.
  8. The Board of Trustees has delegated to its Executive Committee the responsibility to administer the OA World Service Office.
  9. Able, trusted servants, together with sound and appropriate methods of choosing them, are indispensable for effective functioning at all service levels.
  10. Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority; therefore, duplication of efforts is avoided.
  11. Trustee administration of the World Service Office should always be assisted by the best standing committees, executives, staffs and consultants.
  12. The spiritual foundation for OA service ensures that:
  1. no OA committee or service body shall ever become the seat of perilous wealth or power;
  2. sufficient operating funds, plus an ample reserve, shall be OA’s prudent financial principle;
  3. no OA member shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified authority;
  4. all important decisions shall be reached by discussion, vote and whenever possible, by substantial unanimity;
  5. no service action shall ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; and
  6. no OA service committee or service board shall ever perform any acts of government, and each shall always remain democratic in thought and action.

Article III – Members

Section 1 – Membership

Membership of the service board with voice and vote includes the following:

  1. The service board officers.
  2. Service board representatives, which consist of two member(s) from each participating group/intergroup/national service board.
  3. World Service Business Conference delegate.
  4. Committee chairs. (NOTE: A committee chair, like every other service board member, will have only one vote even if also serving as a service board representative.)

Membership in a specific-focus or language service board is always participation rather than affiliation: OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article VI, Section 3 – Affiliation and Participation. Any group or service body may participate in the activities (including voting) of another intergroup, national service board, language service board, and/or specific-focus service board, and region with their permission.

Section 2 – Qualifications

  1. Qualifications for membership in a specific-focus service board specifies which groups/intergroups may participate with a specific-focus service board.
  2. Each service board has the autonomy to determine which groups/intergroups/national service boards may participate with it; that decision should always be guided by OA Traditions and Concepts.
  3. The AB Service Board endorses the definition of an OA group in Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article V, Section 1, as written and as it may be amended by a future World Service Business Conference.
  4. These points shall define an Overeaters Anonymous group:
  1. As a group, they meet to practice the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, guided by the Twelve Concepts of OA Service.
  2. All who have the desire to stop eating compulsively are welcome in the group.
  3. No member is required to practice any actions in order to remain a member or to have a voice (share at a meeting).
  4. As a group they have no affiliation other than Overeaters Anonymous.
  5. It has affiliated as an Overeaters Anonymous group by registering with the World Service Office.

Section 3 – Service Board Representatives

  1. Service board representatives will be selected by the group conscience of the group or intergroup/national service board they represent.
  2. The duty of the service board representatives is to represent the group or intergroup/national service board at service board meetings and to serve as a contact to carry communications between the service board and the represented group/intergroup/national service board.

Article IV – The Service Board’s Board

Section 1 – The Service Board’s Board

  1. The board consists of the following officers: chair, co-chair, secretary, treasurer.
  2. The service board’s board may also include other positions such as World Service Business Conference delegate or committee chairs.
  3. Meetings shall be chaired by the chair of the board. In the event the chair is unable to chair any meeting, the vice chair will lead the meeting. In the event the vice chair is not available, the secretary will open the meeting and hold an election for a temporary chair.

Section 2 – Nominations to the Service Board’s Board

Nominations to the board may be made from the floor at the time of election. A nominating committee may be formed at the discretion of the service board’s board.

Section 3 – Qualifications for the Service Board’s Board

To qualify for election to the service board’s board, an individual must:

  1. Be working the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA Service to the best of their ability.
  2. Have three (3) months of current abstinence except as follows (each person shall be the sole judge of their abstinence):
  1. World Service Business Conference delegates must comply with the abstinence and length of service requirements in the OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article VIII, Section 3c 1). Current requirements are one-year current abstinence and at least two years of service beyond the group level.
  2. Region representatives must comply with the abstinence and length of service specified in the region’s bylaws, namely that they have two years of service above the group level and two years of abstinence.
  3. Be a regular member of a participating group/intergroup/national service board.

Section 4 – Election of Board Members

  1. Nominations may be made from the floor at the time of election.
  2. Nominees must be present at the election meeting. For election, the candidate must receive a majority vote of ballots cast.
  3. Voting will be by ballot.

Section 5 – Term of Office

  1. The term of office for a board member is two (2) years
  2. Co-chair and treasurer are elected on odd years; chair and secretary are elected on even years.
  3. Board members may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same position. A member may serve again after a leave of two (2) years from the same position.
  4. Once elected, a board member may not serve also as a group or intergroup representative at the service board.

Section 6 – Responsibilities of the Service Board’s Board Members

  1. Serve as guardians of the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts with respect to the functions of the intergroup/service board.
  2. Perform the duties of their offices in accordance with A/B Service Board policies and procedures.
  3. Serve as guardian of service board funds; participate in an annual financial audit.
  4. Provide a forum for the interchange of ideas and information among member groups/intergroups/national service boards.

Section 7 – Vacancies and Resignations

  1. If a board member is absent from a service board meeting more than three (3) times in a nine (9) month period of time, they may be removed from the position by a majority vote of the ballots cast either at a regular service board meeting or a meeting announced for that purpose.
  2. Any board member may resign at any time for any reason by giving the chair of the service board written notice.
  3. Any board member of this service board may be removed from office for due cause by a 2/3 majority vote of the ballots cast at a regular or special meeting announced for that purpose.

Section 8 – Filling of Vacancies

  1. Vacancies shall be filled by a majority vote at the next meeting or special meeting of the service board after the vacancy occurs. Such persons chosen to fill said vacancies shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
  2. A person chosen to fill any vacancy on the board shall meet the qualifications as defined in Article IV, Section 3 above.

Article V – Meetings

Section 1 – Regular Meetings

The service board will meet once per month at a time and place designated by a majority of the voting members.

Section 2 – Annual Meeting

An annual meeting shall be held in the month of June for the election of officers, and in February for the election of a World Service Business Conference delegate.

Section 3 – Special Meetings

A special meeting may be called at any time by a majority vote of the service board’s board, or by a quorum of service board members, provided sufficient notice is provided to the membership.

Section 4 – Meetings by Virtual Conference

Members of the service board may participate in a meeting through use of electronic means, so long as all members participating in such a meeting can hear one another and have a way to participate in any voting. Materials presented during the meeting shall be made available to those participating virtually. Participation by service board members in a meeting in the manner provided in this Section constitutes presence in person at such meeting.

Section 5 – Method of Notification

The A/B Service Board will provide notifications of meetings in our official WhatsApp group and on our website.

Section 6 – Quorum

The quorum for voting purposes shall be, at a minimum, three (3) service board officer(s).

Section 7 – Meeting Procedure

The Concept of the month shall be read at the beginning of each meeting.

Article VI – Committees

The board may establish committees as are needed for the welfare and operation of the service board. Each committee is responsible to the service board’s board.

Article VII – Prudent Reserve

The service board treasurer will maintain a prudent reserve of $3000 for sending a delegate to the World Service Business Conference. Excess funds will be donated to OA service bodies as determined by the service board.

Article VIII – Parliamentary Procedure

NOTE: Service boards may conduct the business of their groups by any method they choose.  Once chosen, however, the method should be adopted in the bylaws so that members may be confident that the rules will not be changed as circumstances change to benefit some at the expense of others. The parliamentary authority common in use throughout Overeaters Anonymous is the most current available edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Article IX – Amendments to These Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended at any time by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the voting members present and voting at any regular or special meeting of the service board. The proposed amendment must be communicated in writing on our official website at least twenty (20) days prior to the voting meeting. Amendments to the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of OA may only be made as per OA, Inc. Bylaws, Subpart B, Article XII, Section 1.

Article X – Dissolution

Section 1 – Deregistration

In order to deregister, a service board must submit a written notice to the World Service Office; region chair, if affiliated; and trustee liaison.

Section 2 – Disbursement of Remaining Funds

When the service board ceases operation and all debts have been paid, all remaining funds shall be distributed to other Overeaters Anonymous service bodies or the World Service Office in accordance with Tradition Six.

Section 3 – US Non-Profit with 501c (3) Status

Upon the dissolution of this association, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the association, the remaining assets shall be distributed to the World Service Office of Overeaters Anonymous, or to a non-profit fund, association, foundation, or corporation which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, or religious and/or scientific purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section 501c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In accordance with Overeaters Anonymous Traditions, such non-profit fund, association, foundation, or corporation should be either the OA World Service Office or another OA service body.

No part of the net earnings of this association shall ever inure to be or be used for benefit of, or be distributed to its members, trustees, officers, or other private person, except that the association shall be empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payment and distribution in furtherance of the expressed purpose for which it was formed.

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