A POWERFUL STORY ISN’T HEARD, IT’S FELT.
To tell a compelling story, a communication’s design and messaging work hand in hand. The voice behind our message is:
VOICE
Clear
- We are driven by a clear vision.
- We let our results speak for themselves.
- We project confidence through simplicity.
- We are organized in our efforts.
Bold
- We’re not afraid to speak out or to be noticed.
- We look at issues in a new light.
- We stand up for those who cannot.
- We tackle the problems others ignore.
- We believe in the power of togetherness.
Confident
- We’ve been building and transforming communities for over 100 years.
- We create significant and lasting change.
- We’re proud of our legacy.
- We are the source communities turn to when they have a problem to solve.
- We are intelligent, efficient, trained volunteers, not just “willing hands.”
- We’ve provided millions of hours of service.
Human
- We are a brand about people.
- Our women are the force that makes change happen.
- Our women address critical human needs in their communities.
- We are a force for good in a complicated world.
- We are hands on with our communities, not just sending in money.
- We deal with the real issues of our society.
- We speak a language that everyone can understand.
- We nurture women to fulfill their potential.
- We believe that volunteer service is an essential part of responsible, engaged citizenship.
The work we do, the leadership we provide is life changing to individual members, local communities and the world. Our voice is an opportunity to own that position. We can deliver tough messages with a sense of respect and humility, and embody professionalism without resorting to jargon or overly technical language.
KEY MESSAGES
HOW DO YOU ENCAPSULATE OVER A CENTURY’S WORTH OF PROGRESS?
From the Gilded Age to the Digital Age, the work and achievements of The Junior League is a bold and inspiring story with results that can be felt throughout the fabric of modern society.
To frame this up, we created this compilation of key messages to communicate the core of The Junior League’s story.
Background
The Junior League, one of the oldest, largest and most effective women’s volunteer organizations in the world, has matured and evolved since it was founded by social activism pioneer Mary Harriman in 1901.
Vision
True to their legacy, today’s League members are at the forefront of tackling society’s thorniest issues—addressing and acting as advocates on an array of critical issues including human trafficking, foster care, juvenile justice, teen self-esteem, cybercrimes, literacy and the environment, among others—for the express purpose of enhancing the social, cultural and political fabric of our society.
Commitment
Our commitment, has remained unwavering: to develop exceptionally qualified civic leaders who can identify a community’s most urgent and pressing needs and address them with meaningful and relevant programs and initiatives that not only improve lives, but change the way people think.
Results
The Junior League—the over 125,000 women empowered to lead in over 290 Leagues in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico—have amassed an archive of irrefutable results and an undisputed reputation as thoughtful and influential change agents for the public good. Our organization has been instrumental in championing education and literacy programs, children’s cultural development, school nutrition, vaccination, the Clean Water Act, and heightened awareness around domestic violence and alcohol abuse.
WORD LIST
WORDS THAT SUPPORT OUR POWERFUL MESSAGE.
Over the years we’ve kept tabs on the words and phrases we use most when talking about what we do and why we do it. We compiled this word and phrase bank to help bring power and consistency to your communications.
Words and phrases we like (not in any particular order):
Revolutionary
Revelationary (yes, we made this word up ;))
Revelationary Pragmatist
Leading Change. Transforming Communities.
Unparalleled
Unprecedented
Change agent
Force for good
The face of change
It starts with a woman
Civic leadership
Civic leader
Social activism pioneer
Revelationary (yes, we made this word up ;))
Revelationary Pragmatist
Leading Change. Transforming Communities.
Unparalleled
Unprecedented
Change agent
Force for good
The face of change
It starts with a woman
Civic leadership
Civic leader
Social activism pioneer
Challenging the status quo since 1901/challenge the status quo
Indefatigable
Community street cred
Investment
Generations of civic leaders
Invincible
Leadership Empowered
Leadership Reimagined
Leadership: Game On
All In
Ever-evolving needs; empowered to lead
Status quo disrupted
Strength in numbers
Pride Passion Progress
Indefatigable
Community street cred
Investment
Generations of civic leaders
Invincible
Leadership Empowered
Leadership Reimagined
Leadership: Game On
All In
Ever-evolving needs; empowered to lead
Status quo disrupted
Strength in numbers
Pride Passion Progress
BEST PRACTICES
The Junior League style standards below are to be used in all documents and publications produced by individual Leagues and the Association. For all other terms, including punctuation standards, consult the latest version of the Associated Press Stylebook.
AJLI and League Personnel All AJLI staff and League leader titles will be capitalized including, for example, President, President-Elect, Governance Vice-Chair, League Liaison and so on.
AJLI AJLI is to be written in all caps without periods and without the use of “The.” Only when AJLI is used as an adjective does it require “The,” for example: the AJLI Board of Directors.
Annual Conference Annual Conference will be capitalized when referring to the AJLI Annual Conference. Annual Conference will only be used with “The” when it is written as the entire title, for example: the AJLI 88th Annual Conference.
The Association of Junior Leagues International The title of the organization will be written as such, with “The” included, in first mention. In later mentions in the same document, you may use “AJLI” or the Association.
Award Award is not capitalized as a stand-alone item, even when referring to Junior League Awards.
Board Capitalize when referring to an AJLI or Junior League Board, whether or not preceded by AJLI or Junior League.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion should always be capitalized and spelled out in full when first used, followed by the parenthetical (DEI).
Email Email will be written as one word in lowercase. Never hyphenate. Never capitalize unless it begins a sentence.
Governance Committee Capitalize Governance Committee.
The Junior League Capitalize “The” before Junior League, when referring to the organization as a whole when it stands alone or precedes the words Mission, Vision or Reaching Out Statement.
Junior League Names Do not capitalize “the” when referring to an individual Junior League unless this is part of the League name. Always use the state name after the Junior League upon first mention. If the Junior League is mentioned again in the same document, no state name is necessary.
Junior League Titles: President, Vice President, President-Elect
- Plural: “Board of Directors” and “Presidents-Elect.”
Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen Upon first mention in writing, represent the name in full. Upon further mention in same document, you can simply use Kids in the Kitchen. Always italicize Kids in the Kitchen. [NOTE: We are in the process of trademarking Kids in the Kitchen without Junior League reference and should soon hold both trademarks.]
Leaders Capitalize when referring to a Junior League Leader whether preceded by Junior League or not.
League Capitalize when referring to any Junior League, regardless of how it is used in a sentence or phrase.
Member Central The members’ section of the website should be capitalized and written as above, no quotations.
Members Capitalize when referring to a Junior League Member whether preceded by Junior League or not.
Membership categories: New Member/Provisional, Active, Sustainers
- Capitalize New Member/Provisional, Active and Sustaining Member as they stand alone.
- Do not capitalize, for example: “provisional member,” “active membership” or “sustaining members.”
Mission Capitalize when referring to the formal Mission of either AJLI or an individual League.
Non-Junior League Titles We follow AP style: title should only be uppercase if they come before a name. Ex: “President Joe Biden.” But “Joe Biden is president of the United States” or “Joe Biden, president of the United States” would be lowercase.
Nonprofit One word, no hyphen.
Vision Capitalize when referring to the formal Vision of either AJLI or an individual League.
Voluntarism Use instead of “volunteerism,” as it is the broader term and used to mean the concept of volunteering as well as the work and concerns of the voluntary sector.
Website One word, no spaces, no capitalization.
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE
As an organization and as individuals, we strive to be inclusive and respectful in our storytelling and be conscious of the evolution of language use. As a general rule, ask the individual/group what terms they prefer.
- Use language that is free from words, phrases, or tones that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped, discriminatory, or limited views of particular people or groups
- Race or ethnicity should be included in a story only when race is directly relevant to the story
- African American is often used, but is not always accurate — not all Black people trace their lineage to Africa
- Capitalize the “B” in the term Black when referring to people in a racial, ethnic or cultural context. The lowercase black is a color, not a person
- Capitalize the following without hyphens: African American, Asian American, Black American, Native American, Latina
- Use the term Women of Color ONLY when referring to a group of women encompassing diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds— not when referring to Black women or Latina women, etc.
- Be familiar with the acronym BIPOC which stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This term is gaining in popularity but note it does not include Latina or Asian identities
- Use historically underrepresented groups instead of minorities . People of Color are actually the majority in many large U.S. cities. Also,use underserved communities , rather than ghetto or the projects
FORMATTING
Bullet Points Do not add periods to the end of phrases/sentences that are bulleted, as they are not part of a formal paragraph structure.
Dates Write numerals without “nd” or “th,” for example: June 8, 2007
Hyperlinks Remove hyperlinks in printed documents/publications.
Phone Number Use periods, not hyphens, for example: 212.XXX.XXXX