OA’s numbers
This is the first of … some posts published from the World Service Business Conference. I’m Michael P., R6 web and pub coordinator and a delegate representing Metrowest Intergroup in Greater Boston.
Our new(ish) managing director, Dan Sandweiss, reported this data about our fellowship:
- In 2023, the number of OA meetings worldwide, including virtual meetings, averaged 6,273 in over seventy-five countries, with 333 service bodies (including region offices).
- For comparison: the number of groups in 2019 was 6,131, and the number of service bodies was 336. The peak during the five-year period for number of groups was 6,566, in 2021. There seems to have a pandemic spike, though draw your own conclusions.
- Most of OA’s money comes from the 7th Tradition: 72 percent. Literature sales provide 20 percent. The remainder comes from bank interest, royalties, and other miscellany.
- 7th Tradition income was up slightly from 2022, and investment income was good, he said. OA broke even, financially.
- Our website averaged 56,850 visitors a month. On average, we had 39,400 visits to the Find-a-Meeting portion of the OA website. 7,100 answered the 15 Questions.
- The document library, which houses 280 documents, experienced 9,800 downloads per month. Over the course of the year, the most downloaded document (12,344, including all 22 language versions) was “Where Do I Start? Everything a Newcomer Needs To Know.” The second-most downloaded document was “Introduction to the Twelve Steps.” (9,990)
- The WSO News Bulletin is published monthly. (Go here and look for “Let’s Keep in Touch.) In 2023, subscriptions rose almost 14 percent to 14,400. The rate of recipients opening the Bulletin rose from 24 percent to 33 percent.
- OA’s Facebook page grew 8.5 percent, to 17,200 followers. The Instagram page grew 11.5 percent, to 5,375.