Our Guiding Principles

Our Guiding Principles

One Voice Central Texas (OVCT) is an integrated network made up of over one hundred health and human service providers dedicated to connecting everyone of all ages and circumstances to social resources, opportunities, and support. We believe that by providing support and resources for our members, we can help them reach their highest potential and in return have a greater collective impact in the Austin community. Our guiding principles are fundamental to a framework that delivers on this support and serves as an extension of how our members’ communities can fully thrive.

DIVERSITY: We are committed to cultivating practices and values where diverse thought, and leadership, at every level, is prioritized and welcomed. We advocate for diverse racial identity, gender identity, accessibility, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation within our membership with the goal of creating a culture and leadership that is reflective of the communities being served.

INCLUSION: We are committed to having a membership that is indicative of inclusive leadership where our collective impact is as important, or more, than the individual impact. It is our goal to create brave and safe spaces where all voices are heard, where belonging is nurtured through relationships and where all members feel valued. OVCT’s policies and processes lead with inclusion through the usage of language, accessibility practices and the honoring ALL individuals with dignity.

EQUITY: We are committed to providing resources that match the needs of our membership and that are centered on equity. This includes addressing the persistent inequities within the nonprofit sector that create barriers for our members to thrive and best lead the communities they serve. We strive to serve our communities via an equitable framework that prioritizes the needs of the most underserved. It is key that our support and the work we do is transformative and not transactional.

With these principles at the center of our actions, we are addressing barriers that prevent potential and current members from serving at their highest potential such as limited access to capacity building, resources, support from a community of leaders, leadership development, and more. OVCT is committed to incorporating these guiding principles within its framework and decision making so that it can best serve an evolving, multi-dimensional Executive Leadership and hold itself accountable in its journey towards creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization.