A first step is to develop a business case for the employee resource group that also serves the organization’s mission. Your E/BRG should be developed to support equity and inclusion, enhance an exchange of ideas, foster communication between your social group and senior leadership, foster relationships with other employees, serve as a source of mentoring, and allow for professional development opportunities.

During this initial step of building your E/BRG business strategy, you will:

• Develop a charter, which includes your mission
• Secure your executive sponsor
• Establish your E/BRG leadership team
• Prepare a preliminary budget

Develop a charter

Employees seeking to establish an E/BRG it’s important to develop a group charter that identifies the proposed E/BRG’s mission and how the E/BRG will support any one or all of the areas of focus identified above. At a minimum, the group charter should include:

• A mission statement
• Identify the E/BRG leadership team, roles and responsibilities
• Outline executive level support/sponsorship
• Identify potential members
• A first‐year plan of action

ERGs are expected to conduct their activities at all times in accordance with their respective Center policies and procedures and engage collaboratively with their Center level EO and/or HR office, as appropriate.

The executive sponsor is an important role, but it’s even more important to choose the right person to fill that role. A key aspect of an executive sponsor’s ability to influence others is the way they are able to communicate and influence others and help people understand the importance of the DEI journey. In addition, sponsors should possess strong leadership capabilities and (see the DEI leadership competencies) as they will usually be among the senior leaders of the organization.

Identify the Sponsor’s Relationship to DEI A.

Sponsorship is about connecting with individuals to talk about the DEI journey which includes the challenges the organization will encounter. The executive sponsor must have the fortitude to advocate for every component of the DEI journey (strategy, budget, sponsorship programs, ERG, and more). There are many ways to be an executive sponsor in any initiative, so consider the organization and the needs of the DEI team. Layer those needs with the knowledge, skills, competencies and passion to DEI of your potential executive sponsor.

‍

Your E/BRG’s governance framework directs how your members will interact with the group and with stakeholders regarding how to guide and monitor operations of the E/BRG. It identifies who is responsible for what, accountability channels and how the group should deal with emerging issues, and more. It helps to center your group’s approach around who has a voice and who makes decisions. The governance framework provides rules and practices by which the E/BRG ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency in both how it runs and how it communicates with stakeholders. A strong governance framework organizes:

• The relationship between their E/BRG and executive management
• Communication between the E/BRG and the executive leaders
• The “ethical tone” of the E/BRG and how it conducts itself
• How it aligns with the organization’s mission and DEIA compliance
• Financial reporting

The governance structure of any project or initiative should be based on a few main principles, so that it is fully applicable throughout the entire process, regardless of the phase of the project:

• Logic – the established framework should be reasonable and make sense to everyone involved.
• Adequacy – there isn’t a set governance structure that works for everyone; this is something that should always be adjusted to the organization or project at hand.
• Transparency – all information regarding the governance structure has to be clearly stated, understandable and available to every team member.
• Repeatability – the mechanisms and procedures involved should be all-encompassing, so that they can be applied repeatedly to any given situation.
• Efficiency – the governance structure should allow any project to run as smoothly and productively as possible; it has to be solution-oriented.

A goal is a desired result. And goal setting is the process of defining this desired result and planning how to achieve it within a specified time limit. Goals are useful for setting direction to something you do. It helps you identify what you need to do to achieve your target. Many organizations use goals to map out and track their strategies across key areas within their business. This should also be the case for E/BRGs. Now that you clearly have identified your mission, you can start to think – how do we reach our DREAM state. What are the big overarching actions you must take to reach the destination? We suggest that you develop no more than 3 goals initially.

1. Write down your goals – this makes them real and archives what you’re trying to achieve.
2. Now that you have selected the goal you want to pursue, it’s time to make sure that it adheres to the SMART criteria. (See the SMARTIE goal worksheet)
3. Identify obstacles you may encounter. It’s important to figure out how to overcome these challenges when allocating time and planning the tasks you need to do.
4. Develop objectives and key results. We suggest you break down goals into three main parts: your objective, key results and actions. Goals for your ERG can be thought of within the same framework to establish strategic alignment and clear  vision.

Objective

• What is your ultimate destination…what do you want to accomplish with this goal?

Key Results

• What are you measuring along the way as you work towards your objective?

Actions

• What are the concrete tasks that you need to accomplish in order to hit your key metrics and results and reach your objective?

Many ERG activities will require funding. Typical funding sources include:

• Included in organization’s operations budget
• Part of the DEI department’s budget
• Included in the HR department’s budget
• Included as a percentage to allocate for DEI activities within each department’s budget

How much funding should the ERG get?

According to DiversityInc., research shows that the average annual amount per resource group is between $7,000 and $15,000. However, some organizations, especially those just starting out, have no funds for their resource groups, while successful groups at large corporations can be allocated as much as $75,000–$100,000 annually. Several companies report that their resource groups submit individual budgets, to whomever hold the funding, and the request is evaluated based on their contributions to business goals in such areas as:

• Recruitment
• Engagement
• Retention
• Talent development
• Diversity training
• Supplier diversity
• Community relations

‍

As part of the strategy for highlighting your ERG/BRG mission, hosting events where employees can learn about each community of people, their lives, their efforts, and their benefits is essential. We’ve included many examples of ERG/BRG events that have proven to be beneficial:

• Lunch-and-Learns
• Historical Month celebrations
• Parties and social events
• Networking events
• Conferences and summits
• Team building activities

As an example of a framework that E/BRGs can operate under, Diversity, Inc’s Best Practices

Introduced by Dr. Robert Rodriguez of DRR Advisors LLC in 2008, the 4C Operating Model can serve as an ideal framework to utilize when planning corporate events and activities. In his book, Latino Talent, Dr. Rodriguez states that “while ERGs have grown in sophistication, the methods their leaders use to measure effectiveness, contributions and progress have not.” This model provides ERG leaders with a structure to the planning process that will ensure events are poignant and valuable. It’s recommended to have the annual calendar of events include a balance of activities in all four categories: career, community, commerce and culture. (as shared by Diversity, Inc.’s Best Practices)

Career Events

Employees at all levels in their career are provided an opportunity to enhance their skills through robust professional development efforts with initiatives aimed at developing competencies and grooming future leaders. Some common themes include:

• Professional development training on various topics such as workplace conflict management and resolution or finding comfort in public speaking
• Lunch-and-Learns, internal educational workshops, roundtable discussions or external presentations with local partners
• Speed networking events
• “Day in the Life” events that allow employees to shadow other departments within the organization to learn about different career opportunities

Community Events

ERGs can positively impact the community they’re based in through volunteer programs, active involvement in community programs and/or through volunteer initiatives that help showcase the company’s vision, mission and values. Possible events can include:

• External community efforts such as putting together care packages for the military or local schools or hosting a fundraiser for a diversity scholarship program.
• Volunteer initiatives like serving at a homeless shelter, non-profit organization or local veterans affairs hospital or hosting a blood drive.
• Serving as a liaison for community organizations to help enhance the company’s reputation and brand.
• Collaborating with external thought leaders to raise awareness on key issues important to the organization’s vision and mission.

Commerce Events

In addition to building a stronger workforce, ERGs can also help to drive business and profits by providing consumer insights, fostering innovation and broadening the corporate vision with sustainable solutions. Some possible initiative ideas include:

• Getting involved in future product development and as a group, become an incubator to solutions. One Fortune 500 company recently reviewed their organization’s literature internally and externally and made suggestions to HR on how to use inclusive language throughout.
• Evaluating the organization’s mentoring programs to better understand ways to make them more inclusive and impactful.
• Participating in consumer focus groups, expos or marketing events to help drive revenue-generating efforts for the company.

Cultural Events

ERGs have a positive impact on their members and the company’s culture by enhancing the employee’s sense of pride and knowledge. Employee engagement and retention are improved by deepening members’ connection to the company’s vision and mission. Some initiatives include:

• Cultural Festival Celebrations
  • Inviting influential authors or activists to speak to the attendees about race relations, civil rights or other critical topics surrounding identity.
  • Hosting a trivia event over lunch or happy hour to engage employees and get them thinking about and discussing prominent leaders in history. Include raffle prizes for books and gifts from cultural organizations to further support the cause.
  • Making recommendations to HR to have a company-wide fundraiser for a cultural charity group that serves underrepresented groups.

‍