Introduction

Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Editorial Services is pleased to present the BGCA Style Guide. Please consult this guide for all your writing needs, from correspondence and proposals to manuals and articles for publication.

This guide reflects Boys & Girls Clubs of America's preferred style. There may be cases in which more than one definition or usage is grammatically acceptable, but we strongly suggest that you utilize the style recommended here. This practice will enhance our consistency as an organization, and lead to more consistent communications in message and presentations to Clubs, the public, funders and other audiences.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America uses The Associated Press Stylebook to define standard usage. The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, is also an excellent resource for style issues. 

 Style Guide

TERM	RULE / USAGE	EXAMPLES
Abbreviation: BGCA	Boys & Girls Clubs of America (with ampersand when spelled out in full.)  Note: Boys & Girls Clubs of America should be used in a singular, not plural, context.	BGCA was is correct; BGCA were is incorrect.
Acronyms	An identifier formed from some of the letters (often the initial - or first - letters) of a phrase and used as an abbreviation. Do not use an apostrophe with an acryonym unless it is possessive. If you simply want to pluarize an acryonym, add an "s."	BGCA is an acronym for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. YOY is an acronym for Youth of the Year. Incorrect: There are five regional YOY's Correct: There are five regional YOYs. Correct: The Midwest YOY's Club is in Minneapolis.
Age	Always use figures	He is a 5-year-old boy. The woman is 37 years old.
a.m., p.m.	lowercase with periods	The event occurred at 4:30 p.m.
BE GREAT.	BE GREAT. A brand campaign launched in 2008 to increase brand awareness and understanding of Club impact. Also used as a slogan calling youth, donors, alumni, staff and community leaders to action. When referring to the brand campaign, always write BE GREAT in all caps. Use standard-sized black font. Do not use punctuation unless the sentence requires you to do so (i.e., the phrase ends the sentence or is set off in commas). When using “BE GREAT” as a slogan on shirts, hats or other tangible materials, use all caps and include a period after the phrase; this is in keeping with BGCA’s national advertising collateral.	BGCA unveiled two new billboards as part of its BE GREAT campaign. BGCA designed new ads as part of BE GREAT, its new marketing campaign.   BE GREAT.
Boldface	Boldface type should be used sparingly and only when extra emphasis is desired. Use to highlight one sentence or paragraph of a lengthy letter	... The child had a lot of fun. The child was busy all day. She was happy...
Bullets	When bullets (•) contain a short series of words or phrases, lowercase the first word of the bullet; use no punctuation. If the series contains full sentences, capitalize the first word of each and end each with a period. If the series contains independent clauses that are not full sentences, punctuate with semicolons and end with a period.	red white blue walk the dog; pet the cat; feed the baby.
Capitalization	Use initial caps (first letters of words; Refers to instances in which the first letter of a word should be uppercased) for all conferences, councils, committees, special events (such as the Congressional Breakfast), reports, awards, services and programs if they refer to specific groups, events or programs.	Pacific Administrative Conference, Midwest Area Council, Alumni Survey, Basketball Spotshot Award, Human Resource Committee, Board of Governors (lowercase other references to board).
Capitalization	Use initial caps for our marketing slogan:	The Positive Place For Kids.
Capitalization	When making a generic reference (an administrative conference, area council meeting) do not capitalize.	The Southeast Administrative Conference will take place in New Orleans. (specific) BGCA holds five administrative conferences annually. (generic.)
Capitalization	Capitalize all countries, cities, company names and ethnic groups.	- America, Belize, Germany - French, Italian, Polish - New York, Chicago, Los Angeles - General Motors Corp., The Coca-Cola Company - African-American, Hispanic, Asian
Capitalization	Capitalize the C when referring to a Boys & Girls Club	Club or Clubs
Capitalization	Capitalize the when referring to the Boys & Girls Club Movement	Movement or the Boys & Girls Club Movement
Cities	No state reference is needed with the following major cities:	Atlanta Milwaukee Baltimore Minneapolis Boston New Orleans Chicago New York Cincinnati Oklahoma City Cleveland Philadelphia Dallas Phoenix Denver Pittsburgh Detroit St. Louis Honolulu Salt Lake City Houston San Antonio Indianapolis San Diego Las Vegas San Francisco Los Angeles Seattle Miami Washington
Colon	A colon tells the reader that what follows is closely related to the preceding clause. The colon has more effect than the comma, less power to separate than the semicolon and more formality than the dash.  Use uppercase after a colon if the word is a proper noun or the beginning of a complete sentence.	He promised this: The company will make good all losses. (But: There were three considerations: expense, time and feasibility.)
Club names	Do not include "Inc." at the end of the name.  Always use an ampersand (&) instead of "and" to read "Boys & Girls Club."	Use Boys & Girls Club of Albany, not Boys and Girls Club of Albany, Inc.
Contractions	Do not use contractions of verb forms in formal writing	can’t, don’t, won’t, etc.
Dates	When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas.	Incorrect: The project should be finished by December, 2006 Correct: The project should be finished by December 2006.
Dates	When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas.	Feb. 14, 2001, was the target date. Or: The project should be finished by February 2001.
Dates	When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only the following: -->	Jan., Feb., Aug. Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.
Dates	Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.	Incorrect: Feb. 14th Correct: Feb. 14
Ethnic groups	Refer to someone’s ethnicity only if relevant to the story. If unsure, ask the subject what ethnic group they prefer to be classified as	Mexican-American vs. Hispanic. Both Native American and Indian are acceptable terms
Ethnic groups	All ethnic classifications with a geographical base should be capitalized	Capitalize and hyphenate African-American. Lower case white / black. Both Native American and American Indian are acceptable terms.
Font Style	The standard font used in BGCA correspondence is Arial or Times New Roman. 12 point: Use for documents. 10 point: Use for online (Web).	Arial Times New Roman 12 point
Gender	Women should receive the same treatment as men in all areas of coverage. Copy should not assume maleness unless relevant to story.	Use reporters instead of newsmen, mail carrier instead of mailman, police officer instead of policeman, firefighter instead of fireman, staff the booth instead of man the booth.
Gender	Use non-gender specific terms when describing an ambiguous noun.	average person, rather than common man birth name, rather than maiden name.
Gender	Substitute plural pronouns such as they instead of he or she if the gender is not relevant to the text. The subject of the sentence reflects a plural context as well.	Club members should submit their forms no later than Friday. Ask CPOs if they will consider the matter.
Hyphens	Use a hyphen when two or more words are used as an adjective, or when joining two words together to form a verb.	He is a 3-year-old boy.  (But: The boy is 3 years old.) We will fast-track this project.  (But: We are on a fast track.)
Initial Caps	Refers to instances in which the first letter of a word should be uppercased.	National Boys & Girls Club Week.
Italics	Use italics for names of publications. Underlining names of publications is also acceptable	Connections The New York Times Working Woman Foundation for the Future Strategic Planning Guide
Junior, Senior, The Third	Abbreviate as Jr., Sr. and III with full names of persons. Do not precede with a comma.	Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.
Language Sensitivity	Words are powerful. Words can inspire, motivate, and uplift people. Words can also hurt, isolate, and oppress individuals or entire segments or society.	Below are excerpts from People First Language: Examples to Use and to Share by Kathie Snow. SAY INSTEAD OF People with disabilities The handicapped or disabled He has a cognitive disability He's mentally retarded She has autism She's autistic He has Down Syndrome He's Downs She has a learning disability She's learning disabled He has a physical disability He's a quadriplegic / crippled She has an emotional disability She's emotionally disturbed. She uses a wheelchair or mobility chair She's wheelchair-bound, she's confined to a wheelchair He receives special ed. services He's in special ed. Congenital disability Birth defect
Long dash	Use long dashes – with space on both sides – to insert an interjection in a sentence or to separate a clause within a sentence. Dashes are used to denote an abrupt change or an emphatic pause. Use the long dash sparingly, so as not to wear out its effectiveness as a dramatic device.	He suddenly raised his voice – a signal that sparks were about to fly
Money	Always use figures and the $ sign in all except casual references or amounts without a specific figure. For amounts of more than $1 million, use the $, numerals up to two decimal places and the word "million," "billion" or "trillion." Use numerals in all other instances.	He donated $250 last year. She raised $1.2 million.
Numbers	Spell out numerals when they begin a sentence.	Fifty-three donors were polled.
Numbers	Spell out numbers from one to nine.	Jane used four pieces of paper.
Numbers	Use numerals for numbers 10 and higher.	Jane wrote letters to 53 donors.
Numbers	Use numerals when referring to age, money or millions.	Clubs serve more than 4.2 million young people in some 4,000 Club locations.
Numbers	Use numerals in all other instances.	John is one of 10 children. Also: first, second …. ninth. (But: 10th, 11th, 20th)
Quotation Marks	The period and comma always go within quotation marks	He said, "She wanted to go shopping."
Quotation Marks	The dash, semicolon, the question mark, and the exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.	Jane said "What do you want to do today?"'
Quotation Marks	For quotes within quotes, alternate between double quotation marks ("or") and single quotation marks ('or').	She said, "I quote from this letter, 'I agree with Kipling that the "female of the species is more deadly than the male," but the phenomenon is not an unchangeable law of nature,' a remark he did not explain."
Quotation Marks	Use three marks together if two quoted elements end at the same time.	"He told me, 'I love you.'"
Semicolon	Use a semicolon to clarify a series that also includes commas	The meeting was attended by John Smith, a board member; Joan Smith, an executive director; and Sally Smith, a program director.
Semicolon	A semicolon is also used to join two or more clauses that are grammatically complete and are not joined by a conjunction	Without a conjunction: It is 5:30; we cannot reach town before dark. With a conjunction: It is 5:30, and we cannot reach town before dark.
Spatial relationships	The words "over" and "under" indicate a spatial relationship with objects. Thus, in reference to amounts, as in amounts of people, money or time, use the phrases more than and less than instead.	More than 4,000 Club facilities . . . More than 4.2million young people . . .
Shortcuts for International Characters	Use these shortcuts to insert international characters into a Microsoft Word document. To Produce: Press: à, è, ì, ò, ù À, È, Ì, Ò, Ù CTRL+` (ACCENT GRAVE), the letter á, é, í, ó, ú, ý Á, É, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý CTRL+' (APOSTROPHE), the letter â, ê, î, ô, û Â, Ê, Î, Ô, Û CTRL+SHIFT+^ (CARET), the letter ã, ñ, õ Ã, Ñ, Õ CTRL+SHIFT+~ (TILDE), the letter ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, ÿ Ä, Ë, Ï, Ö, Ü, Ÿ CTRL+SHIFT+: (COLON), the letter å, Å CTRL+SHIFT+@, a or A æ, Æ CTRL+SHIFT+&, a or A œ, Œ CTRL+SHIFT+&, o or O ç, Ç CTRL+, (COMMA), c or C ð, Ð CTRL+' (APOSTROPHE), d or D ø, Ø CTRL+/, o or O ¿ ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+? ¡ ALT+CTRL+SHIFT+! ß CTRL+SHIFT+&, s
Standards of Organizational Effectiveness (SOEs)	Not Stages of Organizational Effectiveness
States	Spell out names of states when they stand alone in textual material. Never abbreviate Alaska, Hawaii or states with fewer than six letters (Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Utah).	Utah is a great place to ride horses.
States	Place one comma between the city and the state name, and another comma after the state name, unless ending a sentence.	Destin, Fla., is a great beach town. They had offices in Grand Rapids, Mich. Meetings were held in Boulder, Colo., and Savannah, Ga.
States	Use New York state if necessary to distinguish from New York City. Use state of Washington or Washington state when necessary to distinguish the state from the District of Columbia.	Buffalo, located in New York state, is a great hockey town.
States	Use the two-letter Postal Service abbreviations only with full addresses. In text, use the following abbreviations:	Ala. Md. N.D. Ariz. Mass. Okla. Ark. Mich. Ore. Calif. Minn. Pa. Colo. Miss. R.I. Conn. Mo. S.C. Del. Mont. S.D. Fla. Neb. Tenn. Ga. Nev. Vt. Ill. N.H. Va.. Ind. N.J. Wash. Kan. N.M. W. Va. Ky. N.Y. Wis. La. N.C. Wyo.
Technology terms	Web – An information server on the Internet composed of interconnected sites and files, accessible with a browser.  First reference: The Web is acceptable. Also Web site, Web page. (Note capitalization).   Internet – A matrix of networks that connects computers around the world.  First reference: Internet is acceptable. In later references, the Net is acceptable. (Note capitalization.)   intranet – Note lowercase usage.  A privately maintained computer network that can be accessed only by authorized persons, especially members or employees of the organization that owns it.   extranet – Note lowercase usage.  An extension of an institution's intranet, especially over the World Wide Web, enabling communication between the institution and people it deals with, often by providing limited access to its intranet.   e-mail – Note use of hyphen and lowercase.   online – No hyphen is used. One word.   Web address: write out in lowercase. Example - www.bgca.net, www.bgca.org
Titles	Capitalize titles – such as President, Senior Vice President, Trustee, Chief Professional Officer, Program Director – only when the title appears before a proper name.	BGCA Chairman Robbie Bach (But: Robbie Bach is the chairman of BGCA.) BGCA Governor Hank Aaron (But: Hank Aaron is a governor of BGCA.) President William Lampley (But: William Lampley is president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.)
Titles	Professional heads of Clubs (distinct from board members), who do not have the specific title of executive director, should be referred to as chief professional officers. CPO is acceptable on second reference.
Titles	Capitalize and put in italics titles of songs, movies, books, TV, radio programs or works that are published on their own.	The Star-Spangled Banner The CBS Evening News The Sound of Music
Titles	Capitalize and put in quotes titles of short stories, magazine and newspaper articles, or works that are not published on their own. For example:	"Creating A World of Difference" was printed in the winter 1998 issue of Connections.
Titles (Military)	Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individual's name. When military ranks is not paired with an individual's name, use lowercase.	Gen. John J. Pershing arrived today. An aide said the general would review the troops.
Word Usage	Academy of Boys & Girls Club Professionals: Club, not Clubs   affect: As a verb, means to influence; avoid using as a noun. It will affect the outcome. effect: As a verb, means to cause, to bring about. It will effect major change.   effect: As a noun, means result. The show had great sound effects.   after school: Two words. When use as an adjective, add a hyphen. The Club is open after school; it provides many after-school activities.   all right: always two words; never use "alright"   alumna – a woman alumnae – women alumnus – a man alumni – men or a group of men and women who are graduates or former students of a school, college, or university - or, four our purposes, a Club.   a lot: always two words   anxious/eager: anxious – implies worry or concern eager – in anticipation or desire   Boys & Girls Clubs of America: The full name of the organization. Always used an ampersand (&) when writing the full name. Boys & Girls Clubs of America is singular, not plural. Incorrect: Boys & Girls Clubs of America are dedicated to empowering youth. Correct: Boys & Girls Clubs of America is dedicated to empowering youth. Acronym: BGCA, not B&GCA. This change was made to conform with he Web site (i.e. bgca.org) usage.   Boys & Girls Club or Boys & Girls Clubs: Always use an ampersand and capitalize Club or Clubs.   Boys & Girls Club Movement: Note - Club is singular. Movement is always capitalized, both in the context of the entire phrase and alone. Example: Our Movement turned 100 in 2006.   cannot: one word   capital – The city where a seat of government is located or wealth in the form of money or property. Example: Washington, D.C., is our nation’s capital. Example: We do not have sufficient capital to finance the loan.   Capitol – A building or complex of buildings in which a state legislature meets. Capitalize U.S. Capitol when referring to the building in Washington, D.C., or state capitals. Example: The meeting was held on Capitol Hill. Example: The Virginia Capitol is in Richmond. Centennial - Capitalize when referring to BGCA's 100th anniversary.   Chief Professional Officer (CPO): Professional heads of Clubs (distinct from board members) who do not have the specific title of executive director. CPO is accepable on second reference.   Chief Volunteer Officer (CVO): The head of a local board.   Clubs - When referring to Boys & Girls Clubs, always capitalize.   e.g. – for example   et. al. - And others.   etc. – and so forth   ensure – guarantee, removal of doubt from a person’s mind; to make certain.   Ensure (not insure) will be correct for the vast majority of BGCA purposes.   farther: Farther refers to physical distance. Example: He walked farther into the words.   further: Further refers to an extension of time or degree. Example: She will look further into the situation.   gamesroom - one word   Hispanic / Latino - Both are capitalized. Hispanic refers to descendants of those who speak Spanish. Includes Spain, excludes Brazil. Does not acknowledge indigenous, African or Asian ancestry. Latino refers to descendants of those who come from Latin America (all nations in the Americas except the USA and Canada). Per BGCA's Latino Outreach team, the preferred organizational style is Latino due to its inclusive nature toward the culture itself.   hopefully - It means in a hopeful manner. Do not use it to mean we hope or let us hope or it is hoped. Incorrect: Hopefully, we will finish our work in June. Correct: We hope that we will finish our work in June.   i.e. – that is (restating)   insure – taking necessary measures beforehand; to provide or arrange insurance for.   impact - a noun meaning strong effect or impression; effect of sudden forcible contact. Avoid using as a verb. Examples: Incorrect: "Clubs are impacting youth positively." Correct: "Clubs are having a positive impact on youth."   it's vs. its - it's is a contraction of it is. its indicates possession Examples: It's time to being that project. The dog wagged its tail.   fundraising – one word   nonprofit – one word   not-for-profit - hyphenated   principal - first in rank or importance   principle - fundamental truth or law; a personal code of conduct.   SMART Moves - Capitalize as shown. Certain BGCA programs will call for a unique style. Be aware of such exceptions to the basic rule. See examples of program names. Note capitalization, use of italics and registered trademarks.  (Use Microsoft Word to view.)   talk with – never "talk to" a person   who / whom - who – subject. whom – object Recast the sentence and substitute she for who and her for whom to indicate the correct usage for who or whom. - Who/Whom did you say directed the film? - Substitute: Did you say he/him directed the film? - Correct usage: Who did you say directed the film? youth - Use youth for both singular and plural references. Do not use "youths." Example: As a youth, he was the star of his school's track team. Example: The Club serves 1,000 youth each year. When referring to multiple young people who have been named Youth of the Year, use a term that will make the phrase plural instead of using Youths of the Year. Example: Youth of the Year finalists; Youth of the Year winners.

National Program Names