What Debtors Anonymous does

Debtors Anonymous (D.A.) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Twelve-Step fellowship founded in 1976 to help individuals recover from compulsive debting, spending, and underearning. Modeled on the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program with AA's permission, D.A. provides a structured spiritual solution rather than clinical or financial-advisory services. The fellowship is governed through an annual World Service Conference and operates with a small paid General Service Office staff (1-10 employees) headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, with no parent organization and no institutional funding.

Name

Debtors Anonymous

Legal name

Debtors Anonymous General Service Board Inc.

Website

https://debtorsanonymous.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Debtors Anonymous is a nonprofit Twelve-Step fellowship that helps individuals recover from compulsive debting through peer-support meetings, sponsorship, and structured recovery tools. It serves compulsive debtors globally across more than 25 countries via in-person, phone, and video meetings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peer Support Recovery Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Credit Counseling & Debt Management Plans (DMP) (FSAKAJAH)

Keywords

• 12-step fellowship
• Debt recovery support
• Peer support groups
• Compulsive debting recovery
• Financial recovery program

Headquarters

HQ city

Needham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member and Group Contributions (7th Tradition): Debtors Anonymous is self-supporting solely through voluntary contributions from members and groups. Individual members contribute during meetings or make direct contributions to the General Service Office. Groups contribute surplus funds according to a recommended formula: 50% to Intergroup and 50% to GSO when an Intergroup exists, or 100% to GSO when no Intergroup exists. Maximum annual contribution per member is $12,000 USD. Contributions support the General Service Office (rent, salaries, utilities, supplies, insurance), literature development, public information activities, and World Service Conference operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Debtors Anonymous is a Twelve-Step fellowship that helps individuals recover from compulsive debting through a structured program of peer support meetings, the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, and recovery literature. The organization runs a global network of free virtual, phone, and face-to-face meetings, supplemented by sponsorship, Pressure Relief Meetings, and specialized sub-brand services for business owners (Business Debtors Anonymous). All participation is free and self-supporting through voluntary member contributions under the 7th Tradition.

Product overview

Debtors Anonymous operates as a 12-step recovery fellowship offering a portfolio of peer support services for individuals recovering from compulsive debting. The core offerings center on a global meeting network (virtual, phone, and face-to-face), supplemented by literature, sponsorship, and pressure relief meetings. The organization is structured around World Service Conference governance and includes a specialized sub-brand for business owners (Business Debtors Anonymous). Key products include the Meeting Finder search tool, conference-approved literature and audio recordings, the annual World Service Conference, Ways & Means newsletter, and the John H. Scholarship Fund supporting group participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business Debtors Anonymous (B.D.A.): A distinct and dynamic part of D.A. created to focus on the recovery of members who are business owners, including sole proprietors.

Products and services

• Virtual Meetings Remote peer-support meetings conducted via video (Zoom and Skype) and phone, available globally across multiple time zones for individuals recovering from compulsive debting.
• Face-to-Face Meetings In-person peer-support group meetings held at local venues (churches, community centers, etc.) in cities worldwide, searchable by region, with hybrid options at select locations.
• D.A. Literature Conference-approved books, pamphlets, and recovery materials including the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Tools, and the Blue Book, available for purchase or free download.
• Business Debtors Anonymous (B.D.A.) Specialized subset of D.A. focused on members who own businesses, are self-employed, or desire to own a business, with dedicated meetings and literature addressing business-specific debt and earning issues.
• World Service Conference Annual governance conference of General Service Representatives and Intergroup Service Representatives that shapes the direction and policies of the D.A. Fellowship, held annually since 1982.
• Pressure Relief Meetings One-on-one or small-group meetings where members review their financial situation and develop a spending plan and action plan with experienced D.A. members serving as trained facilitators.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alcoholics Anonymous: The original 12-step fellowship on which Debtors Anonymous is directly modeled. AA gave formal permission for D.A. to adapt the program; both organizations operate as free, anonymous, volunteer-driven peer-support fellowships with analogous governance structures (General Service Office, World Service Conference).
• Gamblers Anonymous: A 12-step fellowship for compulsive gamblers that shares D.A.'s exact operating model — free meetings, anonymity, voluntary contributions, and peer sponsorship. Highly comparable in structure, scale, and target-member profile (people struggling with compulsive financial behaviors).
• Narcotics Anonymous: Another major 12-step fellowship applying the AA model to substance addiction. Operates with the same volunteer-led, contribution-funded, globally-distributed meeting structure, providing a useful benchmark for how 12-step fellowships scale and sustain themselves.
• Overeaters Anonymous: A 12-step fellowship for compulsive overeating that mirrors D.A.'s structure, anonymity principles, and free-meeting model. Comparable as a sister fellowship within the 12-step ecosystem addressing a different compulsive behavior.
• Sex Addicts Anonymous: Another 12-step fellowship using the same AA-adapted model for a different compulsive behavior. Operates with analogous anonymity, volunteer leadership, and free meeting access; useful direct comparison for D.A.'s governance and growth dynamics.
• Al-Anon Family Groups: 12-step fellowship supporting families and friends of alcoholics, applying the same AA-derived framework to a related but distinct population. Operates with comparable global meeting infrastructure, anonymity traditions, and contribution-based funding model.

Broad incumbents

• National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC): The largest US nonprofit credit-counseling network, offering paid/staffed debt management plans, financial education, and counseling. Represents the mainstream professional alternative to D.A.'s peer-fellowship approach for the same compulsive-debtor population.
• GreenPath Financial Wellness: A large nonprofit credit-counseling agency offering debt management plans, financial coaching, and housing counseling. Serves the same financially-stressed consumer population as D.A. but with a paid, professional-advisor model rather than a peer-fellowship model.
• Money Management International (MMI): One of the largest US nonprofit credit-counseling organizations, providing debt management plans, bankruptcy counseling, and financial education. Directly addresses the same compulsive-debt population D.A. serves, but via a structured professional-counseling service rather than peer recovery.

Emerging players

• In the Rooms: An online social network aggregating 12-step and other recovery meetings, including D.A. meetings, on a single digital platform. Comparable as a digital recovery community targeting the same audience, with stronger technology infrastructure but weaker direct governance over specific fellowships.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DebtorsAnonymous
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_zmdfR9P6VV5eVqJvKJiQA
• Facebookfacebook.com/DebtorsAnonymous
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/debtors-anonymous
• Instagraminstagram.com/debtorsanonymous

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Debtors Anonymous