All OCUL projects and initiatives must align with the following principles:

1. OCUL initiatives are developed and sustained in a climate that encourages new ideas, enables effective collaboration and builds consensus.
2. Initiatives are proposed, considered and agreed upon according to OCUL’s governance practices and the Rules of the OCUL Bylaws.
3. Initiatives must be congruent with the OCUL strategic plan.
4. Initiatives must balance risk (financial, legal, reputational, etc.) with opportunity (new relationships, new revenue streams, etc.)
5. Initiatives involving subsets of OCUL members are OCUL initiatives when they are enabled by OCUL (i.e., opt-in, cost recovery services).
6. Initiatives involving subsets of OCUL members may be considered as OCUL initiatives when there is some likelihood of others joining at a later date, when information about the work is regularly shared with the membership as a whole, and when OCUL as a whole is expected to benefit from the experiences of the subgroup.
7. Initiatives must respect (and not jeopardize) COU’s status as an association of not-for-profit members.