Fellowship Recovery We Need to Ask By admin Posted on April 1, 2018 3 min read 0 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on Reddit Share on Pinterest Share on Linkedin Share on Tumblr Our intergroup has struggled with having fewer funds than we’d like when it comes to covering our expenses. We need to pay for our website, buy liability insurance for meetings, facilitate workshops, and send representatives to regional conferences and World Service Business Conference to help OA grow and make vital changes. We need resources to carry the message to those inside and outside our rooms. We’ve had to cut corners on a lot of things we’d love to do but just can’t afford. Consistently, our workshops have been fairly well-attended, but they barely break even in terms of cost. We’d always put out a Seventh Tradition basket but let people put in whatever amount they thought appropriate. Our intergroup debated off and on for a year about whether to request a specific amount as a donation to workshops. A donation of US$10 seemed very high to me, personally, but this was a good opportunity to make some money to fulfill our mission of carrying the OA message. After a lot of discussion, our intergroup decided to ask for the donation. We worded it as follows on our flyer and on a sign by the basket: “DONATION: $10 to cover our costs and to help us spread the message of recovery. If finances are a concern, please give us what you can afford.” At the beginning of the workshop, the chair explained why the donation was necessary. For the first time ever, our workshop not only broke even but made a profit. This will help us do more to promote member recovery at the local level and carry the message to the still suffering overeater. Once again, the answer seems to be this: we need to ask for what we need. This applies to my personal recovery, just as it does at all levels of OA. — Anonymous, Connecticut USA
