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May Membership Meeting Recap
At the membership meeting, members enjoyed "speed networking" activities led by the Membership Committee.
Discussion on Potential Mobility Bonds
John-Michael Cortez, Special Assistant to Mayor Adler, gave a brief overview of how the Mayor’s Office has been exploring ideas to best address mobility in Austin in ways that provide a maximum benefit for affordability. The Mayor’s Office is proposing the following program:
- Transportation infrastructure to support denser development along targeted corridors outside of downtown, with improvements for mobility (intersection and signal improvements, bike lanes, sidewalks, etc.) to reduce delays and improve safety for all modes of transportation (50-60% of funding). Initial improvements would be for the following corridors: North Lamar, North Burnet Road, Guadalupe, South Lamar, East MLK/969, East Riverside, Airport Blvd – see project details here.
- Additional improvements to improve mobility and safety along other corridors primarily in northwest, west, and southwest areas of Austin (~25% of funding). Examples include improvements to HWY 360, Brodie Lane, and Parmer Lane.
- 5% for the Vision Zero Program to reduce traffic related fatalities at the city’s most dangerous intersections.
- Active transportation infrastructure across the city including sidewalks to schools and transit stops, trails and bike infrastructure (10-15% of funding).
The City could invest $300 million into the proposed projects without increasing the city’s debt tax rate, and is considering raising additional funds through a 1 to 2 cent tax increase. City staff will be bringing a recommendation to City Council on June 1st. At the membership meeting members decided that it is an appropriate item for One Voice to take action on, as it aligns with previous positions One Voice has taken. We would love your feedback. Please take this brief survey. If you are interested in learning more about bonds and sharing your findings and recommendations with the Executive Committee, please email
annhoward@austinecho.org. The Executive Committee will meet on June 2nd, and taking member feedback and input into consideration, will make a decision on whether One Voice makes a statement/endorses a potential mobility bond. If you have questions or concerns about the proposal that you would like to be sent to John-Michael please email info@onevoicecentraltx.org.
Enrollment in the One Voice Central Texas 403(b) Retirement Plan is Now Open!
One Voice is now enrolling organizations into the One Voice Central Texas 403(b) retirement plan. The Investment Committee, with advise from CLS Partners, has reviewed and picked the investment funds and completed the Plan Document and Participation Agreements. If you have any questions about the plan or would like to participate, you can contact Aaron Pottichen at aaron.pottichen@clspartners.com.
Buddy Program Sign-Up
The Membership Committee is currently accepting applications to participate in One Voice's Buddy Program, which pairs new Executive Directors with seasoned EDs, and peer EDs together for mentorship and support. If you would like to participate, please complete the sign-up form and email it to caity@onevoicecentraltx.org.
Standards Accountability Checklist
The Standards of Excellence Committee recently updated One Voice's Standards Accountability Guide which includes resources, templates and tools for nonprofit excellence and an accountability self-assessment checklist. One Voice members are expected to complete and submit the self-assessment checklist to One Voice biennially. Please complete the accountability checklist online by June 30. When you submit your checklist you will be entered into a raffle to receive a $50 gift card from Office Depot!
Diversity Task Force
At the membership meeting several members expressed interest in receiving a link to purchase the book that the Diversity Task Force is currently using, "Reinventing Diversity" by Howard J Ross. Click here for the link to purchase the book. Members that participate on the Diversity Task Force can request reimbursement for the purchase of the book by emailing their receipt to info@onevoicecentraltx.org.
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Upcoming One Voice Meetings
Communications Committee Meeting
Membership Committee Meeting
Standards of Excellence Committee Meeting
Membership Meeting
- When: Thursday, June 16th, 11:30am-1:00pm
- Where: TBD
Diversity Task Force Meeting
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Coffee Hour Conversation with Dan Pruett, President & CEO of Meals on Wheels and More: 2 Spots Left!
 The One Voice Membership Committee is launching a new Coffee Hour Conversation series in which a seasoned One Voice member shares experiences and lessons learned with other members in a small group discussion. Join us for our first Coffee Conversation with Dan Pruett, President & CEO of Meals on Wheels and More. The conversation will focus on how to build a positive organizational culture and morale with staff and board members, and other topics.
Only 2 spots left! RSVP today to reserve your spot!
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Featured Member of the Week
Christian Wells, President Alzheimer’s Texas
Number of Years as President: 4 years
What drives your passion?
I enjoy helping people. It is very satisfying to know that our work is making a difference in the lives of people with dementia and their caregivers. Whether it is through our support services or educational offerings, it’s wonderful to see something click and resonate with a person. The information we share and services we provide improve the families' journey and empowers them to manage the disease in a better way.
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Request from OVCT Members ECHO and Lifeworks for Homeless Youth Count
Travis County has been chosen as one of the 22 communities across the country to participate in an innovative policy research effort called the Voices of Youth Count (VoYC) initiative. The initiative, launched by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, is designed to link evidence and action by capturing the experiences of unaccompanied homeless and runaway youth, more clearly defining the scope of the issue, and driving compelling knowledge into the hands of the broad national community dedicated to ending youth homelessness.
LifeWorks and ECHO are co-leading the local youth count on June 7th, 2016 and are requesting participation from nonprofits within Travis County who connect with youth (14-25) who are unaccompanied and either unstably housed and/or literally homeless. They are requesting answers to the three questions below:
- Does your organization serve any unstably housed youth (14-25)?
- How can those youth best be reached during the count on June 7th?
- Does your organization have any youth who might be interested in participating in the count as a volunteer (18-25 y/o)?
If you serve this population and have not yet been contacted about the Voices of Youth Count participation, please contact Niki Paul, Director of Operations, ECHO at nikipaul@austinecho.org or 512-571-3945.
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Community Dialogue: Building a Community of Equity and Opportunity
Leadership Austin, Interfaith Action Central Texas (iACT), Civic Collaboration, and Community Advancement Network (CAN) are jointly holding a community dialogue on building a community of equity and opportunity, including how to bridge the economic divide. The goals for this discussion are to deepen understanding of the issue, explore possible solutions, and identify actions for moving forward. Click below to sign up for the dialogue near you!
- South Discussion - Tuesday June 21st at 6:00pm - 8:30pm at El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission - 7000 Woodhue Drive, Austin, TX 78745
- North East Discussion - Monday June 27th at 6:00pm - 8:30pm at Goodwill Industries of Central Texas - 1015 Norwood Park Boulevard, Austin, TX 78753
Texans Care for Children Launches Children's Policy Series on June 23
Texans Care for Children is launching a new effort to break down the artificial walls between children's policy issues, increase understanding of these issues, and bring Texans together to identify policy strategies to improve child well-being. The first meeting will discuss the health of children in foster care and the juvenile justice system, specifically focusing on using data to improve outcomes. The meeting will be on Thursday, June 23rd from 1:00 - 2:30pm at 1106 Clayton Lane, Room 203E. No RSVP is needed. For more information email childrenspolicyseries@txchildren.org.
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National Updates
New Overtime Threshold Implemented by Federal Government
Wage and hour violations can be a risk for many nonprofits. Unlike risks that pose obvious threats to an organization's well-being, it is very difficult for even a well-intentioned CEO to spot compensation errors that could jeopardize the fiscal health of the nonprofit. On May 18, 2016 the White House announced the new salary threshold final rule of $47,476 that employers must pay before claiming an exemption for “white-collar” employees. The effective date of the new regulation is December 1st. For more information about how this rule effects Texas non-profits please read the article from the ACC Center for Nonprofit Studies here.
Video Released from the National Human Services Assembly on Reframing Health and Human Services Messaging
When the general public is asked what they think of when they hear "human services," the leading response is, "Um...". Irv Katz, President & CEO of the National Human Services Assembly, shared new framing research and recommendations from the FrameWorks Institute and National Human Services Assembly to help everyone understand what human services are and why they matter. This video is a short presentation that he gave at the Alliance for Strong Families National Conference on the recommendations that came out of the national reframing initiative, which were presented to One Voice members at a special training last month. Click here to watch.
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Final Reminder: Complete the Nonprofit, Leadership & Race Survey by May 31st!
The Building Movement Project is conducting a national survey on Nonprofits, Leadership and Race. Open to nonprofit staff and board members, this confidential survey will ask you questions about your own experiences and perspectives on diversity in the sector. One Voice Central Texas has signed on to be a distribution partner of the survey, and we will receive aggregated results from the responses submitted by One Voice members. We encourage you to complete the survey by May 31st so that we can share these results with you and benchmark our local health and human services sector against others across the nation. We will also share the final research and report by the Building Movement Project with you once it is released.
Please select “One Voice Central Texas” in the drop-down menu for the survey’s very first question (How did you hear about this survey?).
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