AAUW Style Guidelines

Below are the preferred styles for some important AAUW-related names and terms. Standardizing your AAUW print and online materials makes you look more professional, establishes consistency, and helps with search engine optimization!

AAUW name

Use AAUW in documents and publications for AAUW members. If your audience is unfamiliar with AAUW, use “American Association of University Women (AAUW)” at the first mention and AAUW thereafter. Do not use “the” before AAUW or put periods between the letters.

Use AAUW Action Fund or the Action Fund for our 501(c)(4) entity.

Board of directors and leadership

Use initial caps when writing the complete formal name: AAUW Board of Directors. Do not use initial caps in any other case: the AAUW board, the board, director. Do not use director-at-large.

In text, capitalize a person’s title when the title precedes the name (AAUW Board Chair Julia Brown) but use lowercase when it follows the name (Julia Brown, the AAUW board chair).

Branches, states, and affiliated entities

Write AAUW of [state]: AAUW of Oregon

Using the following format for branches: AAUW Arlington (VA) Branch, the Arlington branch

Do not use an initial cap if you use the word “branch” by itself in a sentence: The branch officers voted to support the conference.

Use the following format for YWTF: Younger Women’s Task Force Washington (DC) Chapter

Committees and task forces

Use initial caps when writing the formal name of the committee or task force: AAUW Public Policy Committee, the committee; AAUW STEM Task Force, the task force.